EDEN

ns Centre - C

ay, 11

came in at

ions centre. "Sir, there is a perimetre breach at Sector 7. Seventeen hea

e he reached it. The display showed seventeen orange clusters against the cool blue of the underground envi

idence level

s are deliberate. They

tance

s,

planned which routes to take, which meant they had a destination. They

?" he asked without takin

rance triggered automatic sublevel

just findin

s monitoring. EDEN picks them up in sections, loses them in the

coverage gaps. There were more gaps than Ashford liked. "We're working with a

." Ashford straightened. "Wh

ng four probable routes based on tunnel topology and resistance movement patterns. All

mel

coverage in twent

torm drain, and every maintenance access within

s,

Analyst Kristen was pulling up individual fi

encing thermal profiles, movement gaits, body mass indices against known resistance member databases." Her

ble match,

n hesi

hford

ed again, qui

, Sir. Ninety-seven

t. But something shifted. Several analysts who had been studiously focus

r of signatures moving steadily southwest. One of them slightly smaller th

he said. "Is

sistent with a minor approx

g through burning tunn

led i

dentities fo

l at 92%. And Pastor Samuel Kim a

arm

ion doesn't allow for eq

bable exit point. Armed, full tactical gear, non-lethal primary but lethal autho

shford's command through encrypted channels. Headsets were adjusted, voices overlapped in a symphony of relayed orders.

update. Southern blocks are fully cleared. Demolitio

ctor 7's southern section, processed and transported. The empty structures

hori

collapsed inward. Where apartment buildings had stood that morning, where families

were approaching the western junction-a branching poi

r their route selection at th

t terminates at the cathedral district access points. Historical analysis suggests resistance cells had used that e

afe house near

obabili

enforcement units to the cathedral district. And I want underground access point

g on the display. The seventeen sig

hey de

erring," Silv

ement of the signatures as they held positio

initial entry could have been earlier. We lost

g for at least twenty

moving agai

lvanus confirmed. "They

to that ex

, approximately thirty

coverag

its will be in positio

n-minute window before w

s,

been running through and find enforcement teams waiting. "I want her alive," he said. Whatever happ

he room answe

separated from her mother during containmen

, Sir," Sil

onitors, Sector

ecting a secondary signal source in the tunnel cluster. An electr

ly. "They're communi

oup is attempting to con

entify the

ing o

w l

encryption is

l source. I want to kno

s,

tinued southwest, one of them breaking from the cluster, and later rejoi

the symbol he couldn't eliminate. He couldn't deny she'd been right about EDEN. He'd known it even then that her technical

been

it didn't

t is reporting unexpected obstruction. There was a maintenance crew working on the no

of the

e eastern cathedral perimeter. Two pot

ng to c

now. Eight mi

ainst a seventee

can. I want that

try,

t asked y

s,

l. Toward a gap in his coverage that shouldn't exist. Moving with a kind

the cathedral district. Maybe the communication device had reached someo

estimated

n't try

surface through that gap, I want eyes on them the moment they're above ground. We don't need g

looked

us to their network." Ashford's voice was cold with calculation. "One cell isn't what I'm after.

to ground somewhe

everything,

aid. "But if they slip through, don't inter

s,