"He's stabilizing," she replied without turning. "But the anomaly we detected in the last scan—it's getting stronger."
Cassius approached the console and tapped the screen. The display shifted, revealing Kendrick's latest bioscan. A glowing signature, faint but distinct, pulsed in the upper quadrant.
"Residual Helix activity," Cassius muttered. "No enhancement, but no decay either."
Sophia finally turned. "That's not possible unless—"
"He was exposed again," Cassius finished, his brow tightening. "But we've kept him clear for months. There's been no new contact."
Sophia stared at the screen. "Then either someone tampered with his meds, or... he's adapting."
Cassius fell silent. That possibility had been lingering at the edges of his mind for days. If Kendrick's system had begun to integrate Helix markers naturally, it meant something much more dangerous was unfolding. The stability they'd hoped for might have taken a different turn.
