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I swallow.
Force the pieces together.
“They’re telling me I’m the leverage point.”
Aaron shakes his head immediately.
“No.”
“Yes,” I say softly. “They’re not trying to stop me.”
My eyes lock on the screens again.
On the patterns.
On the threads I couldn’t see before—
but can’t unsee now.
“They’re trying to make me choose.”
Silence tightens around us.
The system pings.
Soft.
Almost polite.
Like it isn’t about to break everything open.
I move.
Fast.
Hands flying across the controls.
Not searching anymore.
Hunting.
And then—
I see it.
Not a source.
Not a server.
Not even a network.
Something bigger.
Layered.
Deliberate.
Alive in a way systems aren’t supposed to be.
