Kade Morr bled onto Dockside concrete.
Not dying.
Not stable.
Just… held together by will and broken techniques.
Alpha stood over him, Guardian Anchor humming softly beneath the ground. The city felt heavier—like it was holding its breath.
Registry drones descended to a legal distance.
No weapons deployed.
A projection flared to life.
Chairman Lu.
"Alpha Phantom," Lu said evenly. "This individual is a documented anomaly."
Alpha met the projection's gaze. "So am I."
Lu's eyes flicked to Kade. "He is unstable. Dangerous. His custody falls under Registry mandate."
Nyx stepped forward. "You broke him."
Lu didn't react. "He broke himself."
[Registry Claim: Mandatory Containment — Active]
Lu continued, "Surrender him. This does not need to escalate."
Alpha looked at Kade.
The man's eyes were open now, fear and hope tangled together.
"If I go with them," Kade whispered, "they'll dissect what's left of me."
Nyx clenched her fists.
Alpha felt the weight settle.
Guardian Anchor pulsed.
[Decision Node: Surrender / Protect]
Alpha raised his head.
"You don't have jurisdiction here," he said.
Lu's lips thinned. "You are mistaken."
Alpha's voice remained calm. "Dockside is my responsibility."
A beat.
Lu leaned closer to the projection.
"Then understand this," Lu said. "Protecting him makes you complicit."
"Complicit in what?" Alpha asked.
"In defiance," Lu replied.
Alpha nodded once. "Correct."
The drones' lights shifted from blue to amber.
[Registry Status: Escalation Authorized]
Nyx felt it—pressure building across the city.
"They're preparing sanctions," she said quietly. "Not force. Reputation."
Alpha looked at Lu.
"You'll brand us criminals."
Lu didn't deny it. "We'll brand you uncontainable."
Alpha turned to the gathered people—Dockside residents watching from a distance, phones raised, fear mixed with loyalty.
"This is your choice," Alpha said. "You don't owe me anything."
No one moved.
A woman stepped forward.
Then another.
Then a line formed.
Not armed.
Present.
Lu's eyes widened slightly.
"You're politicizing instability," Lu said sharply.
Alpha replied, "You're calling stability a crime."
Silence.
Lu shut down the projection.
The drones withdrew—slowly.
[Registry Action: Narrative Shift Initiated]
Rex exhaled hard. "We just crossed another line."
Nyx knelt beside Kade, Phase Tolerance steadying his fractures.
"You're safe," she said. "For now."
Kade laughed weakly. "You really chose this."
Alpha looked out over Dockside.
"No," he said. "I accepted it."
[Territory Status: Contested — Public Support High]
[Third Path Recognition: Accelerating]
High above the city, networks adjusted headlines.
Words like vigilante.
Cult leader.
Destabilizer.
But in Dockside, the lights stayed on.
And the ground stayed firm.
For now.