"And if they don't?"
"We address it before it becomes visible. Preferably before Seattle."
Seattle. That was eight days away. Eight days to contain whoever or whatever had become inconvenient.
I'd stopped walking. I stood in the corridor, breathing carefully through my nose. The phrasing had been precise and clinical.
The Seattle incident. The Vancouver proximity issues. He responds to structure.
I thought about the messages that had stopped and the surveillance that continued. Griffin warned:For us to make a mistake.
They weren't talking about external threats. They were talking about managing us and containing someone not aligned with the management framework.
I continued my path down the corridor and turned a corner before anyone emerged. No one followed or checked the corridor.
They spoke as if the walls were on their side.
I tried to sort through everything I'd heard:
Adjust the detail assignments. Before it becomes visible. Preferably before Seattle.
That was Griffin's city.
I found Taemin near the stage entrance. We walked onto the stage together. He talked about lighting while I nodded at appropriate intervals, only half-listening.
I stood on the empty stage, looking out at almost three thousand empty seats, with a cold message forming in my mind. They weren't trying to protect us from danger. They were trying to protect the system from disruption.
The girl's words from the morning came back.You didn't have to be braver. You just had to be what you already are.
"Are you coming?" Taemin called from the wings.
I turned away from the thousands of seats. "Yeah. I'm coming."
As I moved off the stage, the decision settled.
I would not wait.
The sound check ran long. There were technical issues with the monitor mix, and a lighting cue needed adjustment. All were usual issues.
By the time we finished, I had twenty minutes before I needed to get ready for the show. I found Griffin in the corridor outside the green room. He was speaking with Chief Kang, both of them reviewing something on a tablet. When he saw me approach, he excused himself and moved to meet me halfway.
"Everything okay?"
"I need to talk to you privately. Now."
He immediately scanned the corridor for listening ears and open doors. "Green room's clear." He glanced around again. "Five minutes."
I nodded and walked ahead of him, pushing through the door. The green room was standard: a worn couch, mini fridge, and a table with water bottles and snacks.
No people.
Griffin followed me in and closed the door. He positioned himself where he'd see anyone approaching.
"What happened?"
"I overheard a conversation," I said. "Management. Right after we arrived." I kept my voice low and controlled. "They were talking about containment protocols. About someone becoming a risk. About adjusting detail assignments and limiting access before Seattle."
Griffin's expression sharpened. "What exactly did they say?"
