The girl Sal found in Oakland is a revelation. Sal named her “Juniper,” after the character from Don’t Go Out Alone. I couldn’t think of a more fitting name for a child who found her own way to the broken doors, and more, found her own way through them.
I have done multiple MRIs. It appears that her original implant did minimal damage to the brain when it attempted to integrate, and that it was integrated long enough for her tissue to have begun repairing itself, unmaking the damage. Once that was done, it was an easy thing for a second worm to slide along the path of scar tissue and claim the mind as its own.
Surgery may be necessary at a later date, to remove any traces of the original implant. There do not appear to be any. The new implant—the one we now call “Juniper”—consumed its rival before moving on to the brain. It’s a miracle of science. It’s a triumph of genetic engineering. It’s the end of mankind.
—FROM THE NOTES OF DR. SHANTI CALE, JANUARY 2028
Colonel Mitchell—
Please understand that the President sees and respects the difficulties you have faced in attempting to secure the West Coast. The contamination in the waterways has spread as far inland as Iowa, and does not show any signs of stopping. At this time, we cannot provide you with any support beyond what you already have.
I’ll be frank, Alfred: if there were any way for us to pull some of those men out of your command and bring them closer to D.C., we’d do it. We may have delayed the impact of the SymboGen problem here on the East Coast, but we didn’t stop it. A large number of civilians did not come forward when asked to report for extraction of their SymboGen implants, and we’re facing mobs as big or bigger than the ones you described. We can’t afford to help you. We can barely afford to help ourselves.
The end of days is upon us. Make your peace with God.
Sorry about your little girls.
—MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL PETERMAN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, TRANSMITTED TO USAMRIID ON JANUARY 6, 2028