Three months after Kael's death, the world was still reeling.
Dr. Chen's arrest had sent shockwaves through the life extension industry. Investigations revealed she'd been working with twelve different extremist groups. Not just feeding them information. Funding them. Directing them. Creating a controlled opposition that made her work look necessary and her opponents look dangerous.
Public opinion turned. Hard.
Life extension clinics closed. Research halted. Governments banned the practice pending full investigations. The dream of immortality through science died almost overnight.
And The Vigil took the blame. For defending Dr. Chen initially. For allowing life extension to proceed. For exposing her crimes.
Everyone was angry at them. Those who'd wanted life extension. Those who'd opposed it. Those who'd been caught in the middle.
