Medical records from 1995 to 2010,Chen said, indicating a wall of filing cabinets.That time frame encompasses Vincent’s rise to power and the period when Chimera technology would have been most primitive.
Meaning more likely to leave detectable traces,Nadine added, already pulling files from the nearest cabinet.
Conall watched her work, noting the efficient way she sorted documents, the focused way she examined each page.
She was good at this.Thorough.Professional.
They fell into a rhythm over the following hours, dividing the archives into manageable sections while Chen provided context for the medical terminology and procedures they encountered.
Conall found himself appreciating Nadine’s analytical approach, the way she’d spot patterns he might have missed while he provided the historical context she lacked.
Look at this,she said suddenly, holding up a medical file.Marcus Thompson, treated for ‘routine vaccinations’ six times between 1998 and 2000.But there’s no record of what vaccines were administered.
Chen examined the file, frowning.That’s unusual.Medical protocols require specific documentation.
Not to mention most shifters don’t really need standard vaccines,Nadine added dryly.
And here,Conall added, pointing to another notation.Treatment administered by ‘visiting specialist’ with no name or credentials listed.
They were building a picture of systematic medical intervention during Vincent’s era—procedures that looked routine on the surface but lacked the documentation that legitimate medical care would require.
How many pack members were ‘vaccinated’ in this way?Nadine asked about two hours later.
At least twenty, based on what we’ve found so far.Conall spread the relevant files across the table.All of them Vincent’s inner circle.All of them treated by unnamed specialists.
Neural interface implantation,Chen concluded grimly.Systematic compromise of pack leadership.
The scope of Chimera’s infiltration was staggering.
Not just individual assets placed in packs, but wholesale compromise of existing leadership structures.
That meant years of subtle manipulation, behavioral modification, false memories designed to guide decisions toward specific outcomes.
Vincent himself?Nadine asked.
Chen pulled up Vincent’s medical file, studying the sparse notations.Impossible to tell from this.But given his position as alpha, he would have been a primary target.
Which means everything we thought we knew about pack history during his reign could be fabricated,Conall said.
Gregory’s apparent loyalty to Vincent, his enforcement of brutal pack policies—all of it potentially orchestrated by an enemy that had been manipulating events for decades.
We need to check current pack members,Nadine said.If Chimera was implanting interfaces twenty years ago, some of those people are still alive.Still potentially compromised.
The scanning protocols Dr.Weiss is developing,Chen said.We could start with pack members who were treated during this period.
How long before the scanners are ready?Conall asked.
Days, potentially weeks.The technology is complex, and we’re working with limited resources.
Time they might not have.
The attacks on other packs, the systematic communication blackouts, the placement of false assets—Chimera was building toward something larger.
The Omicron Protocol that Nadine had mentioned.
There’s something else,she said, as if reading his thoughts.The timeline of these medical procedures corresponds to major pack decisions during Vincent’s era.Territorial expansions, alliance negotiations, conflict resolutions—all happening within weeks of recorded ‘treatments.’
Chen leaned forward, studying the correlation she’d identified.Behavioral modification designed to influence specific decisions.
