The Tokyo headquarters hummed with the quiet rhythm of recovery.
Slade stood at the window, watching the neon lights of the city flicker below. Yuki Tanaka had been a valuable ally, but her network came with complications. The fragments had been tracking her movements, her communications, her people. The attack on the safe house had proven that.
Lyric was at her station, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Slade. I've been analyzing the fragments' communications. They're not just regrouping. They're building something new. A shadow shield."
Slade turned. "Explain."
"A decentralized network. No single leader. No single headquarters. They're mimicking our tactics. They're learning from their mistakes."
Kane's jaw tightened. "They're becoming us."
"Exactly. They've been watching ou
