The war room was a tomb of silence and broken hope.
Wayne stood at the center, his eyes fixed on the holographic display. The Network was different from all the organizations that had come before. They weren't just a coalition or a corporation. They were a web—a decentralized, adaptive system that could reconfigure itself faster than they could dismantle it.
"They're everywhere," Jude said, his voice flat. "Every government, every corporation, every military. The Network has infiltrated everything."
"How do we know?" Lucy asked.
"Because we found their communications. Buried deep in the data we recovered from Sterling's systems. The Network has been building its infrastructure for years, waiting for this moment."
Wayne studied the map, his mind racing. "Then we need to stop them. Befo
