> ROMARIO-CALCS: You are not ORANGE 5.

Karim had inherited his license from a deceased Ukrainian tuner who went by "MHH." No one knew what it stood for. But when Karim booted it up for the first time five years ago, a message appeared:

Karim stared at the black screen. Outside, the rain stopped. In the sudden silence, he heard it: the low, electric whine of unmarked drones.

ROMARIO-CALCS wasn't just software. It was a ghost.

The terminal went dark.

Slowly, he typed: > How do you know?

> ERROR: Neural handshake refused. Firewall: SHOGUN-SEAL v.4.