Three hundred kilometers away, Sophie stood in her condo's living room, watching tactical data stream across her personal tablet. Sam was still in the office, monitoring Grey force deployment through secure channels Kelvin had established. The sun was setting outside her windows, casting the city in orange and gold light that should have been beautiful but just felt ominous.
Her comm buzzed. Seraleth, calling from Eclipse headquarters.
"Sophie, we have a situation," Seraleth said the moment the connection opened. Her voice was controlled but carried tension underneath. "Eclipse headquarters is receiving communications from an unknown source. They're demanding to know why Grey military forces are attacking facilities across the eastern cardinal."
"What did you tell them?" Sophie asked.
