Vrrrmmm...
The massive surveillance hall vibrated with the low, steady drone of servers and cooling fans. On one of the screens, the thermal image showed a bright red and orange figure lying perfectly still on a bed. Liam was asleep.
Step. Step.
Heavy footsteps echoed on the rudramite floorboards, stopping directly behind Operator 23's chair.
Supervisor Eight leaned forward. He placed a thick, calloused hand on the back of the padded seat, the leather creaking loudly beneath his heavy weight.
"What is the report on Liam for today?" Eight asked, his voice low and direct.
Operator 23 did not turn around. He swiped two fingers across the flat glass of his desk.
Swish. A digital timeline of video thumbnails popped up beneath the thermal feed.
"Standard interaction protocol, sir," Operator 23 answered, tapping a thumbnail that showed the crowded cafeteria. "During lunch, he approached the new boy, Jack, and shared his own backstory. It looked like... well, he was just trying to make the kid feel normal. Afterward, he introduced Jack to his friends, gave him the academy tour, and dropped him off at his dormitory."
Supervisor Eight picked up a stray digital stylus from the edge of the desk. He rolled it slowly between his fingers, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"And what did he do after he got back to his own house?"
"Exactly the same routine as every other day," Operator 23 replied.
He minimized the video file and swiped his fingers across the glass again, opening a compiled playback of the evening's footage.
"He stood by the window, took a shower, watched the news while eating his food, paced around his hall for half an hour, and then went to sleep."
"Was there any suspicious activity... in Liam and Jack's conversation?"
Operator 23 shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Liam warned him about breaking rules, about the threats waiting outside the academy, about hunters and…their possible link to the Orion Syndicate."
Eight leaned closer to the screen, his gaze locking onto the red thermal outline of the sleeping boy. "And what did he tell him about Orion?"
"Just the standard narrative," Operator 23 answered smoothly. "He only repeated what the academy teaches students in their lectures."
"Hmm," Eight grunted. He crossed his massive arms over his chest, staring at the screen for a long, quiet moment. "Did he say anything suspicious about the academy?"
"Nothing in my opinion, sir." Operator 23 pulled his hand away from the keyboard. "Actually, he praised the academy's security measures. Also, he repeatedly emphasized following the rules."
"Echo," Supervisor Eight said, his voice carrying a heavy, commanding edge. "Is Operator 23 telling the truth?"
"More or less, yes, sir," the flat, mechanical voice responded.
Supervisor Eight kept his eyes focused on the back of Operator 23's head. "Did he pass his daily test? Has the system detected any emotional compromise?"
"Operator 23 passed the daily diagnostic," Echo confirmed instantly.
"His neural baseline remained within acceptable parameters. No critical attachment detected. If he had failed, a direct report would have already been sent to the Chief Supervisor."
"Good," Eight muttered. "Then what did he miss?"
"I have flagged a few behavioral points from Liam's interactions today that contradict his outward compliance," Echo stated.
Supervisor Eight narrowed his eyes. "Oh… contradicted his outward compliance. That's interesting. For example?"
"For instance, throughout the afternoon tour, he employed a calculated psychological framing technique."
"He deliberately juxtaposed the academy's luxuries with its most severe restrictions. He detailed the mechanical restraining clamps in the Academic Spire, emphasized the extreme psychological isolation of the Punishment Zone, and purposefully highlighted the lethal, unpredictable dangers of the Red Zone."
"When combined with his statement at 15:22—'When you are locked away from the rest of the world for years'—his biometric baseline remained completely flat. According to my analysis, he is methodically constructing the image of a high-security prison in Jack's mind, perfectly disguised as senior advice."
Supervisor Eight scoffed, a dark, mocking sneer crossing his face. "Prison? What foolishness! This 'prison' is the exact thing keeping him safe from the actual darkness outside. Does he even know how many vultures are waiting for him out there?"
"Continue."
"Another instance occurred at 17:45 by the lake," Echo continued seamlessly.
"Liam discussed the entity that erased his family, its power to completely erase civil records, and its ability to execute a total media blackout. Immediately after, he detailed how the NGO that brought him to this academy utilized that exact same level of systemic manipulation to bypass the police and clean up their tracks."
"While he never explicitly stated they are the same entity, he deliberately aligned their operational profiles. He is subtly leading Jack to the conclusion that the hunters and the Academy are simply two sides of the exact same coin."
Eight shook his head, his expression hardening into pure disdain.
"How can someone be stupid enough to think the Academy and those filthy Orion hunters are the same? If they had gotten him, he wouldn't even be alive anymore. Maybe there isn't much difference between being overly sharp and being a complete idiot."
"One more instance was flagged at 19:15. When Jack asked about taking revenge, Liam's biometric sensors recorded a sudden, abnormal rise in his heart rate."
"Furthermore, his verbal response—advising Jack that he was not 'qualified to think about it' yet—was phrased as a tactical delay, rather than a genuine dismissal of the concept."
"Ok, that's enough." Supervisor Eight slowly turned his massive frame, completely ignoring the screen now. "Hey. Turn around."
He locked his eyes onto Operator 23.
The operator finally turned his chair slightly, looking up at the towering man.
Supervisor Eight slammed his open palm against the edge of the glass desk. The sudden smack made Operator 23 flinch backward in his seat.
"You call that 'nothing out of the ordinary'?" Eight's voice was a harsh whisper, dripping with venom.
"If he thinks the Academy and those filthy Orion hunters are part of the same thing, and he decides to execute his revenge here, inside our walls, who do you think is going to be held responsible?"
Operator 23 swallowed hard, gripping the armrests of his chair. He tried to keep his voice steady, defensively leaning forward.
"Sir… with all due respect, these are teenagers. Regarding the first instance, he was just explaining the boundaries to the new kid. In fact, he provided the strict logic behind every single restriction specifically so Jack wouldn't feel like he was in a prison."
"For the second point, Liam never once said the hunters and the Academy were the same. I believe Echo is reading too deeply into a traumatized boy's rambling."
"And as for the revenge… any kid who lost their entire family would talk about it. He even admitted he wasn't capable of doing anything. It looked like completely normal human behavior to me."
Supervisor Eight leaned down, bringing his face mere inches from the operator.
"Normal human behavior?" Eight repeated, his voice dangerously low. "We are managing highly volatile assets, Operator. If one of them ignites prematurely, it doesn't harm us—the facility is built to contain them. But they burn themselves out completely. A priceless resource, reduced to useless ash before it can ever serve its true purpose."
Suddenly, Eight's thick hand shot out. He grabbed a fistful of the operator's hair, violently jerking his head back. Operator 23 gasped, his hands instinctively flying up to grip the supervisor's thick wrist, but the hold was unbreakable.
"Liam is a super-important asset. You do know that, right?" Eight asked, his voice a low growl. He shook the operator's head roughly to emphasize his words.
"There are very few people in this world who can see the future," Eight hissed right into his face. "So many resources have been invested in him. And when the superiors demand to know why a multi-billion dollar investment was wasted under my watch because you thought he was just being a 'normal teenager', who is going to answer for that?"
Eight shoved the operator's head forward, abruptly releasing his hair in disgust. Operator 23 slumped into his chair, panting heavily as he rubbed his scalp.
"Listen carefully, you fool," Eight warned, straightening his coat. "Our objective is to ensure their potential is channeled exactly when and where the Academy commands, not a single second before."
"If he is plotting a tactical delay for revenge, I need to know about it so we can stabilize him before he ruins himself."
"You passed your daily test today, which means you aren't emotionally compromised. But don't think passing the daily test is enough. If you start mistaking routine for safety, if you start getting lazy at your work, things won't end well for you."
"You will watch every single breath he takes. You will examine everything—what he says, what he does—and more importantly, you will infer what he chooses not to say. Every hesitation. Every silence. Every omission. Nothing escapes your notice. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Operator 23 muttered, turning his chair back toward the monitors.
"I have integrated his complete biometric status for the entire day," Echo interrupted, breaking the heavy tension in the air. "Liam's full file for today is now compiled."
Supervisor Eight tossed the digital stylus back onto the glass desk. It landed with a dull clatter.
"Alright," Eight ordered, stepping back from the chair. "Send that file to my private console right now. I will review it myself."
"Also, Echo. Schedule a psychological counseling session for Liam. Send his entire compiled file and his current mental state assessment to the counselor. But do it seamlessly. He must not suspect that this session was triggered by today's conversation. You choose the date and time, make it look like a routine check-up."
"Confirmed, sir," Echo replied. "The appointment will be integrated into his schedule naturally."
Supervisor Eight turned to leave, but Operator 23 raised a hand slightly, his voice still a bit strained.
"Sir. Liam has a match tomorrow morning."
Eight stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. "A team match?"
"Yes, sir, a full team match."
"Who else is on his team?" Eight asked, his eyes narrowing.
Operator 23 quickly swiped on his screen, pulling up the roster. "His usual squad, sir. Kenji, Nico, Isabella, Aisha, Mei, and Riya."
"Riya is there too?"
"Yes, sir."
Supervisor Eight narrowed his eyes, digesting the information. He adjusted his coat, pulling it straight.
"Before you leave, tell the morning shift guy to focus solely on Liam. To cover the match holistically... there are other departments."
"Ok, sir," Operator 23 nodded, his fingers returning to the glass keyboard.
Eight didn't say another word. He turned his back on Operator 23 and began walking slowly down the wide aisle of the surveillance hall, his heavy boots thudding rhythmically against the rudramite floor.
He walked past several rows of active screens and diligent operators, his sharp eyes scanning the massive room until he reached the next designated sector. He stopped directly behind Operator 27's chair.
On the large monitor in front of Operator 27, the high-definition feed showed the interior of Senior House Number 27. A girl sat perfectly still in the center of her hall, her hands in a yogic mudra. Several heavy books, a metallic bowl, and a coffee table were sliding slowly toward her.
"Practicing, huh?" Supervisor Eight asked, his voice a low rumble.
Operator 27 immediately sat up straighter, keeping his eyes glued to the monitors. "Yes, sir. Like every day, she is practicing her localized pull."
Supervisor Eight crossed his massive arms over his chest, watching the floating objects on the screen with calculating, sharp eyes.
"Good," Eight muttered. "Anything suspicious about her today?"