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.

  Stolen story; please report.

  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.