The alert didn't go to her phone.
It appeared inside a system she hadn't touched in years.
A soft priority ping.
No sound.
No urgency.
Just a line quietly changing color.
STATUS UPDATE: SUBJECT RE-FLAGGED
Noah stared at the screen. "That's… recent."
Aria's pulse didn't change. "Of course it is."
---
The criteria populated one by one.
Public visibility: HIGH
Behavioral deviation: CONTROLLED
Narrative alignment: UNSTABLE
"They don't think you're panicking," Noah said. "They think you're… managing."
"Worse," Aria replied. "They think I'm adapting."
---
A secondary tag appeared.
CATEGORY: LEGACY ASSET
Noah grimaced. "That's flattering."
"It's a leash," Aria said.
---
They watched the recommendation engine update.
ACTION SUGGESTED: MONITOR ONLY
ESCALATION THRESHOLD: PENDING
"They're waiting," Noah said.
"For proof," Aria corrected.
---
She leaned closer, scanning the triggers.
"Public contradiction," she read aloud.
"Unauthorized influence."
"Unpredictable loyalty patterns."
Noah looked up. "You're hitting all three."
"Yes," she said. "Carefully."
---
Another tag blinked in.
RISK TYPE: STRUCTURAL
Noah swallowed. "That sounds bad."
Aria's eyes narrowed—not with fear, but interest.
"That means," she said,
"I'm no longer a problem they can isolate."
She straightened.
"I'm a problem they have to redesign around."
The system continued to watch.
And this time, it was uncertain.