Force did not arrive with sirens.
It never did.
Force arrived disguised as process.
The morning after the assembly, the Triangle moved with a precision that bordered on elegance. No announcements disrupted breakfast. No instructors tightened their tones. No emergency authority was declared.
Instead, systems quietly synchronized.
Access permissions updated.
Training availability reweighted.
Observation layers rerouted.
The campus did not change.
It aligned.
Dreyden felt it the moment he woke.
Not pressure—absence.
His interface responded instantly, too instantly. No lag. No verification delay. Even restricted menus opened on first request, smooth as glass.
Freedom without friction.
The same lure, refined.
He closed the window without selecting anything.
Across campus, Lucas experienced the inverse.
His morning circulation drill triggered a review prompt.
Not a warning.
A "guidance check."
He stared at it for a full five seconds before dismissing it.
