Kai's report hit the central command feed at 0400 hours. A single Echo Seed had survived the Fractured Salon cleanup near the old Mirror Labyrinth ruins. It wasn't decaying like the others.
It was stable and replicating at a slow, steady rate. The resonance signature matched the new stabilizer frequency with almost perfect alignment.
Elara read the data twice before she moved. This wasn't a standard threat response. She pulled together a team outside the normal chains. Veyra for biological resonance expertise. Aiden for anything tied to Mirror tech history. Dr. Soren Vale as an independent observer from the oversight board.
And a small group of recent graduates led by Kael, the young engineer who had come up through the R-17 mentorship program. Kael now held provisional Vanguard specialist status.
