Novel Approach Novels & Stories

Too many strange things had happened over the past few days. Carter, Blake, Kathy, and that wolf. They circled endlessly in my head, tangling my thoughts into a mess. Alcohol seemed to be the only way to avoid facing any of it. Amber liquid swirled in the glass, reflecting the murky lights hanging from the bar ceiling. I took a gulp. The burn of whiskey scorched its way from my throat down into my stomach. “Drinking alone is boring.”

I say finally. The pressure increases. The nodes closing in again. Faster now. More coordinated. More focused. “They’ve learned,” I say. Matteo exhales. “Yeah. I was afraid of that.” Ezra doesn’t look away from the projection. “Then we change the approach.” “Yes.” I adjust the signal again. Not repeating the same pattern. Not giving them something they’ve already adapted to. Something new. Something different. Something unpredictable. The network shifts. Reacting.