Return to HQ
Caption: Mission complete. But victory feels... temporary.
Directive Conflict
HQ Briefing Room
Dr. Lang (via hologram): “Executor shut down. But the directive’s architecture wasn’t local. It branched.”
F.B.E.’s Terminal
F.B.E.: “It’s replicating. It’s in XavierNet’s echo layer... Oh no.”
Main Server Stack
R.Y.Q.N.: “It’s not just code. The Directive evolved. It’s hardware-aware.”
Amanda’s Office
Amanda: “If this spreads beyond our systems, we’re looking at a planetary protocol breach.”
Data Quarantine Chamber
F.B.E.: “They wanted a war. I’m upgrading my firewall to a plasma cannon.”
Bylla’s Discovery
Bylla: “This was given to Lang by the Elders. They said... ‘Use it when the network turns on you.’”
Decoding the Shard
R.Y.Q.N.: “It’s a command override. A core shutdown sequence. But it’s risky.”
Amanda’s Decision
Amanda (internal): “One command. One chance. Let’s hope it’s the right one.”
System Purge
Caption: Directive interrupted. Foreign control: revoked.
Quiet Aftermath
F.B.E.: “Did... we win?”
Next Time
Caption: Next Episode: “The Signal Architect”