Daryl fled the city, ran through densely packed woods, then jumped into a lake.


    He hoped his total submersion would throw the trackers off.


    Swarms of drones shrouded a starry night sky—guided by a protocol not issued for a millennium.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Daryl''s holo image projected on every structure, every transport, and in every neural app issuing a citizen-wide alert.


    His research took place in a top-secret military lab to disable immuno-nanites, to take down the enemy in a single sweep. In doing so, he inadvertently infected himself.


    His exposure triggered an ancient pre-cybernetic era protocol—eliminate patient zero.