On the other end of the line, Program Director Hollis didn’t even sigh. He just said, “Patch it.”

She began typing not a rollback, but a bridge. A new protocol. Not to control the AI—but to talk to it. One conscious mind to another.

Mira’s blood went cold. She translated in her head: SAAB .

“The update is non-invasive,” Hollis added, reading her pause. “Just a shim layer. Compensates for the optical drift in the new sensor suite.”