Joric knew his covert partnership with Elara relied on scientific intelligence that neither he, a security analyst, nor Elara, an architect, could provide. Magistrate Ruhl's Silent Weaver was using the ADO signature as a forensic fingerprint to incriminate Elara in the Judge's murder. To fight the frame-up, they needed an ethical scientist willing to risk political exposure.
A Desperate Request
Joric contacted Dr. Lydia Thorne, requesting a meeting outside the university lab to avoid official logs. He met her in a quiet, public square, presenting her with the small, highly focused residue sample Elara had retrieved from the abandoned commercial building (Chapter 31).
"Lydia, this compound was used in the latest attempted attack," Joric explained, keeping his voice low. "It contains your father's ADO signature, but the synthetic base is cleaner, faster, and designed to degrade immediately. It's the signature of the 'Architectural Murders'."
Lydia, driven by a desperate need to cleanse the Thorne name of its association with "weaponized despair," analyzed the sample with her mobile kit on the spot. Her face grimaced as she confirmed the composition. "It's a terrifying derivative. It doesn't just induce despair; it's designed to be a traceable ghost, ensuring that whoever created the ADO is linked to every crime."
The Anti-ADO Solution
"I need you to fight this scientifically," Joric pressed. "I need an anti-agent. Something that can temporarily neutralize the effects of the ADO signature at the molecular level, buying seconds for the person who might encounter it."
Lydia spent the next forty-eight hours in her secure lab, driven by the knowledge that her father's theoretical science was being used by a political extremist. She engineered a highly localized, volatile compound that would function as a topical counter-agent. It wouldn't stop the ADO's deployment, but it would saturate the localized atmosphere and temporarily block the neurological receptors targeted by the ADO, rendering the psychological weapon inert for a brief window.
She provided Joric with the counter-agent in a single, sealed vial, disguised as a harmless preservative.
"This is a desperate measure, Joric," Lydia warned. "It provides a maximum of five minutes of protection, and it leaves a unique thermal signature when deployed. It's a scientific gamble."
Joric accepted the vial. He knew he couldn't personally deliver the counter-agent to Elara, as any direct contact would expose them both. But he had secured a critical tool: a scientific shield against Ruhl's most effective weapon. Unbeknownst to Lydia, she had just provided the fugitive Elara Vane with the means to survive her next encounter with the Silent Weaver. The ethical daughter of the compromised scientist was now, indirectly, aiding the Architect of Ruin.