The metallic clatter of Viktor’s boots echoed down the tunnel walls, each step firm and deliberate. Ava walked behind him, her pace steady despite the weight of the Abacus strapped tightly to her back. Her shoulders ached from the strain, but she ignored it, focusing on the path ahead. Every shadow seemed a threat, every sound a potential ambush.

“We’re clear,” Viktor muttered as they approached the final bend leading to the hangar, the last vestige of the two depots where their movement began. Kai envisioned the hangar as a solution to free up space from the depots, enabling them to house more Quantum Collective mesh patients. What began as a simple shelter, through the dedication of Jo and Charlie’s engineering teams, had transformed into a home for a growing community. They had worked together, created small teams, saved lives, and built hospitals. Many came from the Symmetrist district and had nowhere else to go. Others answered the call and came from all over to help support Quantum Collective's understaffed hospitals. A few runners stranded during an annual race decided to stay and help deliver supplies and provide security. Whatever drew them in, they were here now, both anxious and uncertain about what lay ahead.

Some of them even joined from Quantum Collective. They had learned to live off the mesh after recovering from various stages of mesh-sickness, some of them still caring for family members who were suffering but bought into a methodology to regain independence, despite a void within. Jonathan and Anya’s protocol had already helped countless people, with more arriving daily to embrace its naturalist approach to recovery. Most everyone was missing their leaders, taken over the past week, soon after they stood to work towards what was right.

Kai Zhang, the grandson of a TransitTrack engineer and advocate for Lou White's journals, was the first leader taken into custody three days ago. His efforts to establish the hangar were vital to the community's survival.He was taken into custody nearly three days ago, with no word since.

The next leader to go missing was Dr. Sarah Fischer. She was last seen in attendance at the hospital opening celebration.Crucial in securing hospital supplies from a Veridian philanthropist, she had to leave the group in an indentureship.Dr. Sarah was a renowned member of the Ghost Protocol, an underground movement dedicated to protecting neural autonomy, and a former Symmetrist neural interface designer. After losing loved ones to the misuse of neural technology, her technological innovations expanded augments to defend neural pathways from inspection. Her vocal advocacy against neurological compliance initiatives and ethical research continued to shape global perspectives.

However, the largest loss in leadership was this very morning. A sudden wave of detentions swept away the leadership, signaling an intensification of authoritarian control.

The first was Anya Solaris, an AutoGen runner with a nursing background, who spearheaded efforts to create and refine mesh-sickness therapyalongside Marcus and Jonathan. Her radiant and hopeful outlook helped create the most efficient team which was located next to the barricade to Veridian Center. That area became crippled after tens of thousands of citizens flocked to set up living arrangements close enough to the Center to stay within the mesh.Once the mesh was retracted, it left devastation and despair in its wake.Anya helped found the first hospital outside the depot and ramped it quickly to support a massive influx of patients. She had been taken into custody first this morning as rumors spread she was being questioned by intelligence officials of the neural compliance organization. As other non-citizens were being returned to their home districts, those living in the hangar feared the worst for the leaders that had been take as word of Anya's questioning escaped.

Jo, Lou's great-granddaughter and leader of the group was shattering to the team. Her guidance through the catastrophes of the past week helped to solidify an organization aligned with a mission of saving Quantum Collective residents. Her rise from security officer during the annual race was welcomed and honored as she assembled a leadership team that rapidly organized and scaled a response in the face of TransitTrack's failure and collapse of centralized services from reaching the other districts.

Marcus Web, always at Jo's right hand, was taken into custody with Jo. He had been at the center of identifying the mesh-sickness. Marcus Web, a security operations and pilot during the annual TransitTrack race, created a plan to massively scale the effort to help mesh-sickness. The only member of his family to be released from neural compliance, Marcus strived to repay his family debts as a security officer in any way he could. He continued to follow his supervisor, Jo, rising to several challenges in the past week.

Also taken with Jo and Marcus was Maya Linlee, a long-time friend of Jo and security officer of the Symmetrist district. Her most recent job as a Symmetrist system architect was to ensure the stability and resilience of the TruthGate. She was seen as a savior of lives in the Symmetrist district, as her team identified an additional quadrant of buildings whose structure had been weakened. Her support of relocating and condemning those buildings before they collapsed two days after the TruthGate saved countless lives. Maya was instrumental in securing depot housing for many citizens as well as overseeing structural improvements in the hangar that many began to call home. Her contributions to a local mesh generator were shown to immediately save the worst of the mesh-sickness patients by creating a non-centralized mesh server providing immediate relief to even the worst-case patients.

In the absence of their leaders, the groups of eight held. The teams, self-organized in the absence of their leaders, worked tirelessly to support one another and maintain a sense of community. It was no wonder, that when Ava and Viktor finally arrived and saw the hangar for the first time they were surprised by the orderliness despite a massive leadership vacuum.

Viktor slowed, his gaze flicking toward Ava. ‘Stay sharp,’ he said, his voice low and tense.

"Always," she replied tersely, her grip tightening on the rifle as her eyes scanned the shadows. The tunnels had been eerily quiet since they left Jo, Maya, and Marcus in the lab—a silence that set her nerves on edge. Veridian wasn’t known for letting any resistance slip away so easily.

As they rounded the corner, activity grew louder with every step. It wasn’t the chaotic buzz Ava had expected. Instead, it was measured. A murmur of voices, a clattering of tools, and the soft whine of machinery.

When the hangar came into view, Ava was momentarily struck by the scene. Dozens of people moved with purpose, their actions coordinated. Small teams huddled around workstations across the giant enclosure, working tasks efficiently. In the far corner, a group sorted through carefully labeled crates of rations. Another cluster was busy repairing a disassembled drone, their low voices punctuated by the occasional clink of metal.

“Tirelessly toiling, well that's tactical if unexpected,” Viktor muttered approvingly looking across the hangar.

“Jo taught them well,” Ava said, her voice quieter than usual. A flicker of relief crossed her face, though it didn’t quite dispel her unease. “At least they’re holding it together somehow.”

A warble of a commercial jingle interrupted her. She turned toward the sound, realizing the hangar’s audio system was playing a broadcast. A silky, professional voice filled the space.

> Commerical: NextGen AugmentKids™! Unlock your child’s potential with cognitive acceleration packages tailored to their unique needs. Give them the gift of a brighter future—today!

Ava grimaced, exchanging a glance with Viktor. “Tone-deaf much?”

“Not subtle enough for you, eh?” Viktor said dryly. He gestured toward the center of the room. "We'd better check in.”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

As they approached a nexus of coordination tables, Charlie and Jonathan were off to the side near a pile of batteries stacked haphazardly. Jonathan was speaking with a Symmetrist engineer, his hand raised in a placating gesture.

“I get your concerns,” Jonathan said, his voice level. “But we also need those batteries in the medical bay. Lives depend on the monitors running.” Several Quantum Collective mesh-sickness families had joined the evacuation while still suffering.

“And if the drones come back?” the engineer shot back. “Without those batteries, we’ll have no defense!” That spoke to Viktor and Ava immediately as a priority, defense first.

Charlie stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “Let's be more clever on ways to keep the drones off our backs. Send the sensor team over, we could spare the batteries if we can extend the range and give increased warning time. I'm with Jonathan that if someone in the bay dies because we held onto those batteries…”

The engineer hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “Fine.” Then stepped away, muttering under his breath. Charlie let out a small sigh of relief. Jonathan turned, offering a smile of gratitude.

“Interesting approach,” Viktor said, his voice breaking into the moment. His tone carried more approval than sarcasm, though the latter was never far from his demeanor. "Defense first," he repeated sentiment for the departing engineer's priority.

Jonathan nodded. “We have to listen deeply to the teams, some of these priorities force us to bide our time. It isn't easy, and it isn't about taking sides—it’s about building trust.”

“That includes listening to Veridian Center broadcasts?” Viktor shot back. He gestured toward the background audio returning from another commercial break. “They’re busy selling brain boosters for toddlers while Quantum citizens struggle through brain rot.”

"Most welcome the distraction, or like me just tune it out," Charlie said before the show's moderator spoke. The moderator’s polished tone carried an edge, barely masking the tension beneath their words.

> Moderator (smoothly): We’re back. In this segment, we are joined by our panel in diving into the ethics of centralism—a debate that feels especially relevant given recent controversies surrounding Veridian’s seizure of independent hospitals just this morning in a broader effort to consolidate resources and efficiencies. Joining us are Dr. Sanyu Ekoh, Professor Leila Grant, and Professor Marco Stellanova. Let’s start with you, Dr. Ekoh. Is centralization the key to stability in times of crisis, or does it inherently breed inequality?

> Dr. Sanyu Ekoh: Centralization, while imperfect, is necessary in a world as interconnected as ours. Without unified oversight, the city would collapse under the weight of its own complexity. The recent seizure of hospitals, for example, was an unfortunate necessity to prevent a widening crisis.

“Unfortunate necessity,” Viktor muttered. “There’s some spin for you.” Ava ignored him, her focus locked on hoping to understand what may have become of Jo and Maya. Professor Leila Grant’s voice came through sharp and biting.

> Professor Leila Grant (biting): That’s exactly the problem. Centralization isn’t a safety net—when it becomes a stranglehold. Wasn't the seizure of hospitals more about control than stability? Veridian Center exploited a crisis to tighten its grip, stripping districts of their autonomy in the process. What’s next? Seizing food supplies? Transportation hubs? Where does this go from here, and more importantly where does it end?

“She's right there, supply chains are backing up everywhere,” Charlie said quietly, stepping closer to listen. “It doesn’t seem to be ending soon anyway.”

“You volunteering Charlie boy?” Viktor said, though there was no malice in his tone. He folded his arms, looking at Charlie expectantly.

> Professor Stellanova (calmly): What we’re seeing in Veridian isn’t unique people. Every major societal system faces this paradox: the need for centralized coordination versus the natural human desire for autonomy. Both paths have dangers. Yes, there is no doubt a tendency of centralization towards authoritarianism. However, decentralization, on the other hand, can fragment a society to the point of collapse where it fails to look after itself at all. The question isn’t which system is better—it’s in the balance I think.”

Jonathan cheered, “Balance is the great challenge.”

Viktor snorted. “Balance is what you do when you’ve got a plan. Right now, all we have is too many fires and not enough buckets.”

The group fell silent for a moment, the voices of the panelists continuing to echo through the hangar.

“Charlie, I brought the Abacus,” Ava said suddenly.

"I saw that," said Charlie. "I did get to look at it briefly, and I don't like it."

"How so?" Viktor chimed into the discussion.

"Well, for one it holds dark matter within its containment field. And since I've never seen anything like it or understand how the containment field even works, my gut says to bury it... deep, where it can never be found," said Charlie ominously.

All eyes turned to him around the nexus. Leaders from other teams had come up with questions and advice. Others in the leadership team were up to their own projects and trying to relax even if for a minute and listen to the broadcast. But now, all eyes were on Charlie and the Abacus strapped to Ava's back.

She stepped closer, her face unusually grim. “Cassandra and Reeves also believe it’s not just powerful—it’s dangerous. They believe it destabilized the TruthGate. I don't think we can just bury it, Charlie. We need to understand what triggered it so that it doesn't happen again.”

The silence in their circle thickened, the audio program fading into the background as Ava's words hung in the air. Viktor’s jaw tightened, his gaze narrowing on her.

“I see,” Charlie said, his voice low and controlled, though the tension beneath it was unmistakable. "I didn't think about comparing its signature to the TruthGate collapse data. I'll run that now."

Ava shifted uncomfortably. “We believe the Abacus was activated near the TruthGate," she glanced over at Viktor who masked a smirk. "It may have even created a massive electromagnetic disturbance that destabilized other systems, throwing them out of a balance that assumed too much about its own stability. Charlie, please help analyze it—if it is possible, and how." Viktor took a step closer to Ava, her frame shadowed by him. Ava hesitated, looking up at him: “If it pushed everything over the edge, we need to understand why.”

“Well, that is a lot of work, Ava, given everything else going on,” Charlie snapped. He seemed to think deeper, “But if you’re telling me that device—the one you’re hauling around like a holy grail—might’ve killed all these people—then I should at least try. I will be taking it extremely slow." Charlie paused, "Didn't I ask for the sensor team?”

"Here Charlie," the lead had arrived a few minutes ago but was listening intently waiting to learn the request.

"Get your team on those sensors now. Extend the range—double it if you can—and focus toward the Center. But, I need two Leap Sensors immediately. People think Ava here is holding a device that tore our city to kingdom come and I want to be as careful as possible. Send me two of your brightest, I'm going to need them for an extended period."

"Wow, no shortage of demands there," the engineer replied. "I don't see how we can do both at all. We are already behind schedule on the building systems which are barely holding together as it is. No one wants to run out of water down here."

"We'll help," said Ava pointing to Viktor, "We have sensor experience and can help extend the proximity sensors."

Charlie remained concerned about everything on their plates, "Thank you, that will have to do. Just do the best you can and don't hesitate to ask the other leaders for help too. No shortage of challenges."

The show’s moderator cut back in, their voice sharp and clear.

> Moderator: Let’s address the elephant in the room: what happens when systems fail? Dr. Ekoh, you’ve argued that centralization ensures stability. But what if that stability crumbles under its own weight?>> Ekoh (quickly): The solution can't be to abandon the system, can it? No, the solution is to repair. Humanity has always thrived on structure and order. Chaos benefits no one.

> Professor Grant (countering): And what happens when the system you’re trying to repair is the source of the problem? You can’t patch up something designed to exploit and control. You tear it down and build something better.

> Moderator (smoothly): Well, our censors seem to be getting a tad anxious. Let's pick up there when we return. You are listening to Perspectives a special session on The Philosophy of Control in the Automation Age. Without ado, here is a message from our sponsors.

The hangar’s collective groan was almost audible. Ava rubbed her temples as a series of commercials began to play.

> Advertisement (jingle): Introducing UrbanVital Pods™! Your eco-friendly, self-sustaining living solution for the modern city dweller. Compact, comfortable, and—most importantly—optimized for efficiency.

Ava smirked bitterly. "Efficient death traps," Ava muttered, shaking her head at the jingle’s hollow cheer. She had been undoing the straps securing the Abacus and finally rolled it off her shoulder onto Charlie's workstation.

The next ad followed without pause after the exiting jingle.

> Advertisement (sound of ocean breeze): ReflectAI Therapy Systems: Real-time emotional support tailored to your unique neural signature. Because everyone needs a friend who truly understands.”