The emergency partnership coordination meeting convened six hours after the surveillance team returned from Matthias's facility. Full leadership present. Guild central. Cascading Dawn coordination. Every S-rank liaison. And comprehensive documentation of everything Matthias had demonstrated about consciousness mechanics and the existential risks partnership infrastructure represented.
The debate that followed was possibly the most difficult the partnership had faced since its establishment.
Helene spoke first from Guild central's position. "If Matthias's research is accurate—and his demonstrations suggest it is—we're facing two possibilities. Either we accept his assessment that current infrastructure is dangerously flawed and implement comprehensive reform based on his protocols. Or we conclude that thirty-eight years of isolated research has produced sophisticated paranoia rather than actionable intelligence and we continue with existing approach."
