The storm outside hadn't reached the island, but inside the war room, the tension was far heavier than thunderclouds.
Rayyan stood before the holographic display, eyes sharp, voice steady.
"Sirius. Locate and summon every scientist who once stood with Mirshad during his transformation. We need them. Now."
Sirius obeyed.
Encrypted messages were fired across continents. Hidden bunkers, underground labs, and guarded research cells blinked alive. One by one, the finest minds loyal to one man—MRD—responded.
They arrived quietly. Some by jets. Others under Reaper escort. They carried no ego, no fear, only urgency.
Inside the island's underground chamber, once used to plan battles, now turned into a sanctuary of science, they gathered.
Holographic screens lit the room—showing infection spread, biological scans, and horrific footage of cities falling.
A man clawing through a concrete wall. Another biting through steel. Children screaming as their parents transformed before them.
Silence. Heavy. Unbearable.
Professor Rezwan, the biostructure engineer who once supported Mirshad's earliest energy containment, finally spoke:
"This... this isn't just infection. This is a complete neural override. Mutation beyond anything recorded."
Dr. Aria, neurologist and behavioral code specialist, whispered:
"They're not dead. They're not alive. Their pain receptors are shut down. Their cognition twisted. They're... born again as something else."
Baba stood at the head of the table.
"You gave us hope once. When he was evolving. Now, the world needs your minds again."
Malik leaned forward.
"Can we cure it?"
Silence answered.
Then Dr. Yusef, who once mapped the impossible fragments in Mirshad's DNA, exhaled deeply:
"This wasn't made to be cured. This was designed to annihilate."
He continued:
"And it's not a virus. It's a program. It learns. It adapts. Every infected body is a learning node. It grows smarter... with every second."
Jabir clenched his jaw, eyes flaring.
"Then we get smarter, faster."
Amir added:
"David created this. And if he made it... there must be a key. A failsafe. A cure. He wouldn't risk losing control unless he believed he had the leash."
Rayyan stood tall, his voice commanding:
"Start working. Use every lab. Every resource. Every forgotten theory Mirshad left behind. This island is no longer just a home. It's a fortress. And this... is war."
Outside, the ocean rumbled. Inside, the minds that once helped shape a god now worked to save a world.