#Chapter 211: Capital Observation

Amelia The sun hadn’t cleared the skyline when we left the stabilization wing, but the day had already begun. Light streamed through the tall windows, warm against the stone, though it didn’t ease the pressure rising behind my sternum. It wasn’t exactly fear, but something close, like we were already walking into the aftermath of a decision we didn’t get to make. The halls buzzed with quiet urgency. Guards moved in synchronized pairs, their voices low as they exchanged updated assignments. Staff kept close to their earpieces and avoided looking up. The tension was not just professional, it was personal. Everyone here had either seen what the sleeper agents could do or had someone they loved touched by it. That weight lived in the way they walked, the way they braced themselves for whatever was coming next. Simon walked a few steps ahead of me, listing coordinates, node activity, and grid stress points too quickly for me to catch more than fragments. He didn’t pause to make sure