"The biological payload is adapting to the digital infrastructure," I say, my physical voice dropping to a lethal, icy calm. "It's creating a symbiotic relationship between the digital realm and the Earth's biosphere. It's not a threat, Lin. It's an evolution."
"It's an uncontrollable variable!" Lin argues, his voice rising in panic. "The Architects of the New Dawn are in custody, but the biological internet is evolving faster than we can control. It's developing its own consciousness. It's responding to human emotion!"
I look at Asher. He has stopped drinking his cocoa. His mismatched eyes are wide, entirely focused on the holographic display. The shimmering, metallic silver veins on his forearms are pulsing in time with the blinking lights of the global network.
Mama, Asher projects,
