POV: Caius

The overhaul begins before dawn.

I stand in the operations room with the full schematic of the compound projected across the main board. Every access point, every sensor string, every credential tier is marked. The ones Calder touched are highlighted in red. The ones that sit near the routes in Sera’s ledger are marked in amber. There are more amber marks than any of us like.

Ryker arrives first, still damp from an early perimeter sweep. Zane follows with the updated intercept summary. Ayla comes in last and takes the seat at the near end of the table without waiting to be invited. The line she drew yesterday...