New Purpose
Years later, a new network appeared online: The Shepherd Protocol. An open-source initiative dedicated to building ethical AI, founded by anonymous engineers. Among them, rumors swirled of a trio who once ran from men in black suits.
In a forest cabin somewhere, a dusty old device blinked to life again—awaiting new hands to guide it. Derek, watching from afar, smiled faintly. They hadn’t just run from something. They’d started something bigger.