Evelyn closed her eyes and let her awareness expand—just a little—enough to brush the living network.

A series of gentle pulses flowed up her spine.

She exhaled slowly.

The network’s voice reached her like a whisper under water:

> “We observe.

We adapt.

We divide.”

Evelyn’s breath caught.

It wasn’t just forming a second voice.

It had decided to.

She opened her eyes, shaken.

Hale steadied her with a hand at her back.

“What did it say?”

Evelyn hesitated.

“It said ...