Beep—beep—beep—!
Whirrrrrk! Kshhhh—!
"Sector Four reporting energy fluctuations!"
"Visual feed incoming!"
"Sir, still no contact from the other parts of the western perimeter of Sector Two!"
The command center roared to life with the clamor of voices and the sharp rhythm of mechanical beeping. Lights flickered across every monitor, red and yellow warnings pulsing in sync with the rapid exchange of commands.
"Where's the field report from Zone Twelve of Sector Five?!"
It was chaos—controlled, barely—but chaos all the same.
Amid the noise, Curtis's voice cut through. "Sir, do you need transport to headquarters?"
He was still trying to catch his breath, one hand pressed to his earpiece as messages flooded in. Between coordinating with various leaders, updating the communication lines, and rerouting command links to the field officers, he looked seconds away from short-circuiting himself.
