The world had narrowed to a single, pulsing point of purpose. Lillian's icy warning, instead of instilling fear, had functioned like a catalyst, hardening Amelia's resolve into something cold, sharp, and unbreakable. She was no longer a heartbroken student or a curious investigator; she was a reluctant soldier who had just been shown the true, monstrous face of the enemy. The "closed system" had to be breached. The "immune response" had to be provoked. And the only way to do that was to provide it with a pathogen it couldn't isolate or destroy.
She didn't go back to her dorm. She went to the campus newsroom, the only place that felt like a command center. Maya was there, as always, surrounded by the chaotic energy of a dozen unfolding stories, her fingers a blur on the keyboard.
Amelia didn't bother with pleasantries. She pulled up a chair, her expression grim. "The anonymous tip. The one about the internal pressure at Vale Corp. We need to follow it up. Now."
