The room did not breathe. It was held. Every screen burned with motion. Every node pulsed faster than before, as if the city itself had become aware of the pressure closing in around it. What had started as controlled engagement had crossed into something far more dangerous. Unstable balance.
Meadow stood at the center of it, her hands steady even as the system pushed harder against every command she issued. The network map no longer looked like a structure. It looked like something alive. And it was starting to break.
"Pressure is increasing across all primary clusters," Dr. Ward said, her voice tight but controlled. Her tablet lit up with cascading projections. "If this continues, we are looking at simultaneous failures in transport, energy, and communications."
