"That's why," she whispered. "That's why this feels familiar."
Two missed deaths.
Two fractures.
Now the system was done waiting.
Jessica's mouth went dry.
"Is that why the bridge happened?" she asked. "Is that why people are __"
Halden interrupted gently.
"The bridge event was a correction cascade," she said.
Jessica's eyes widened.
"Because of me."
Halden did not deny it.
Micah's voice dropped.
"You're killing people to balance her," he said to Halden, as if Halden were
the system itself.
Halden's gaze stayed calm.
"Lives are not currency," she said. "Outcomes are."
Jessica stared at the list again.
COLLECTED.
Finalized.
The word pulsed in her mind like an infection.
A thought rose, sharp and sickening.
"The Collector," she whispered.
Halden's eyes lifted.
The firs
