Veronica laughed. The sound was warm. Genuine in a way her corporate persona rarely allowed.
The briefing room for the A-Rank Gate operation sat two floors below the executive suite, buried in the infrastructure of Olympus Rising like a bunker within a palace. The walls were reinforced concrete behind decorative paneling. Screens covered every surface. The central holographic display projected a three-dimensional model of a Gate environment that rotated slowly, revealing layers of terrain data and threat markers in shades of red and amber.
Twelve Hunters occupied the room. All B-Rank or higher. All wearing the gold and white of Olympus Rising with the casual comfort of people who'd bled in those colors. They looked at me with varying degrees of curiosity when I walked in.
Helena guided me to an observation chair against the back wall. Maki sat on my lap. I watched.
