The Triangle had a term for what it was doing.
Conversion.
It sounded clean. Technical. Neutral.
In internal documentation, it meant redirecting an abnormal asset into a controlled application pathway. No emotion. No ethics. Just efficiency.
Dreyden learned the word three hours after the tag appeared on his interface.
Not from a message.
From behavior.
The first sign was access.
Doors that would have required secondary clearance before slid open without hesitation. Training halls unlocked automatically. Archive terminals stopped requesting authorization altogether.
He hadn't been restricted.
He'd been unlocked.
That was never done for students.
Only tools.
He walked through the campus with the same steady pace, but every sense stayed alert. When systems gave you too much freedom, it meant they intended to measure what you did with it.
And then prune accordingly.
By noon, the first directive came through.
ASSIGNED ACTIVITY — SPECIALIZED COMBAT APPLICATION
