The first legal draft leaked at 02:13.
Not a public posting.
Not an official announcement.
A circulating internal memo routed through Sponsor Liaison networks and copied into three affiliated school boards by mistake—or "mistake," depending on who you asked.
INTELLECTUAL STRUCTURE CLARIFICATION DRAFT
Subject: Distributed Rotational Transparency Model
Proposed Designation: Triangle-Origin Adaptive Stability Framework
Classification: Institutional Intellectual Property Pending
Lucas stared at the file on his interface, jaw tightening.
"They're trying to patent cooperation," he muttered.
Dreyden didn't answer immediately.
He read the language twice.
Then once more.
They weren't claiming the exact mechanics.
They were claiming the infrastructure that validated them.
A subtle distinction.
One that mattered.
"They're not patenting cooperation," Dreyden said calmly.
"They're patenting certification."
Lucas blinked.
"That's worse."
"Yes."
