The next day, Dr. Markram told the team that he had secured anonymous funding for the Blue Brain Project to continue, and that a computer cloud would soon be constructed to handle the load. It was unexpected news, baffling, really, but the researchers were pleased that a hiatus wouldn’t be necessary after all. Markram outlined the specs they’d need to route the data stream when the network was ready and set them a very tight six-month deadline for the upgrade.

No one asked questions. They knew better.

Dr. Markram felt like a proud father. Ten long years of building a simulation of a sliver of rat tissue? This was not the Blue Brain, not to him. Much grander plans were in order. Finally, no more waiting, no more uncertainty. On August 4th, his child would be born at last.

Little did he know, his virus was far more contagious than he had anticipated. As he slept, it was infecting the most elaborate research systems on earth, poking digital tentacles into powers that should never be wrought by man or machine.