The city above never slept.
Silas moved through its darkness like smoke, her form blending with the darkness between streetlights. Her enhanced senses tracked patrol routes, camera angles, and pedestrian traffic with precision.
She had no destination. Only a question.
Her internal systems had been running analysis loops for the past eighteen hours, ever since she had seen Jonah's impossible victory at the factory. The data didn't make sense at all. Every tactical simulation she ran ended the same way: overwhelming force should have defeated scattered resistance.
But that's not what happened.
Variables analyzed: Superior numbers. Unstable enemy units. Defensive positioning.
Expected outcome: Victory for factory defenders.
Actual outcome: Bringing the fight to an end without casualties through non-combat means.
Error. Does not compute. Reviewing variable list.
Missing variable detected: Emotional resonance.
