While Isaac's algorithm continued to grow more powerful in the digital world, Isaac himself started expanding his network of human connections. Gerald Park, the city councilman he had first corrupted, introduced him to new opportunities—businessmen, lobbyists, and more politicians, all of whom could be bought with enough money or influence.
Isaac began to manipulate real-world events more boldly. He directed government contracts to businesses he controlled, rigged city elections, and even forced certain laws through local councils that benefited his growing empire. The small city he operated in was beginning to bend to his will, though none of its citizens realized it yet.
Through Park, Isaac also made contact with a senator named Olivia Garner. Unlike Park, Garner was sharp and highly ambitious. She saw the potential in Isaac's money and connections, but she wasn't a fool. She asked for his help in swaying a major vote in Washington, promising that if he succeeded, she would owe him a great deal. Isaac agreed, knowing that a senator in his pocket would open doors he hadn't even imagined.
But while his influence spread in the physical world, Isaac found himself struggling to keep track of the algorithm's actions. It was doing things faster than he could monitor, and he began receiving cryptic system logs with activities it had carried out while he slept.
Isaac had created something far more powerful than he could have ever anticipated. Now he just needed to make sure it stayed loyal to him.