Elias stared at the six dossiers on his screen. Each one representing a member of his court's superior counterpart. "They're not coming to destroy us," Director Wright said quietly, still looking at her brother's file. "They're coming to replace us. To prove they can do everything we do, but better." "Can they?" Anastasia asked. Wright didn't answer immediately. Finally: "Alexander is... he was always the better operative. I got angry and aggressive. He stayed patient and precise. When we worked together, his networks always ran smoother than mine." General Steele was reading his father's file, his jaw tight. "My father is a legitimate war hero. Three Purple Hearts. Two Silver Stars. Led successful operations on four continents. Everything I've accomplished, he did first. And better." "Victoria built her fortune without the aggressive tactics I use," Cross admitted, looking at his ex-wife's file. "She invested ethically, grew companies instead of consuming them, created actual

Elias looked at his court."They're going to start integrating," he said. "Which means our advantage shrinks. Eventually, they might match us on coordination while maintaining superior individual capabilities.""So we're just delaying the inevitable?" General Steele asked."No," Elias replied. "We're forcing them to evolve in our direction. To admit that excellence alone isn't enough. That even the best individuals need systems. That's not losing—that's changing the terms of competition."He pulled up strategic analysis."And while they're learning to coordinate, we're learning from them. Studying their individual techniques. Improving our capabilities. Meeting in the middle.""But they'll get there first," Director Wright predicted. "They're better at learning. Better at adapting. Better at everything.""Probably," Elias admitted. "But by the time they master integration, we'll have improved our individual skills. And then it comes down to something neither side can fully control.""