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The narrowing.
Not around Lark.
Around—
Me.
“They’ve changed targets,” I say quietly.
Aaron goes still. “What?”
I don’t look away from the screen.
“Phase Four just updated.”
A beat.
Then I say it.
“I’m not secondary anymore.”
The room tightens.
Aaron steps forward. “Ronan—”
But I shake my head slightly.
Too late.
Because somewhere out there—
The next move is already in motion.
And this time—
It’s coming straight for me.
51
Lark
I’ve always known this was the risk.
Not in theory.
Not academically.
But in the quiet spaces where truth settles in and refuses to leave.
If you show people how the machine really works—
They don’t thank you.
They don’t rise up.
They don’t fix it.
They protect it.
