"Griffin."
"Walk completed. Two hours, sixteen minutes. No incidents. Route proceeded as cleared, Waterfront Park to Morrison Bridge loop. Officer Yoon maintained the assigned distance. Principal cooperated with all protocols."
"Condition at conclusion?"
I thought about Rune on that bench. How his hands had pressed together when he named Soo-jin. The careful way he'd delivered information that must have cost him everything.
"Alert. Stable. No signs of distress."
"Observed behavior during movement?"
"Principal remained aware of his surroundings. Responsive to direction. No attempt to deviate from the approved route."
Kang was quiet for a beat. "You flagged management pressure yesterday. Anything during the walk that changes that assessment?"
There was the proof that he'd listened.
"No change. Pressure remains structural, not actionable."
"Meaning?"
"Language that sounds like care. Decisions framed as protection. Nothing I can document as a breach." I kept my tone flat.
"Your placement decision is still pending," Kang said. "Portland remains a low-threat classification. No incidents since arrival."
"Understood."
"Anything else?"
I thought about what Rune had told me. His history with Soo-jin. The relationship that ended because someone decided survival required erasure.
He had trusted me with that, but he didn't give me permission to share it with the system.
"No."
"0800 briefing tomorrow."
The line went dead.
I stood in the corridor for ten seconds. Down the hall, someone's television murmured through a closed door. I unlocked my door and stepped inside.
I was alone. Rune had gone back to his own room without comment.
That was correct. Even necessary. We'd walked through the lobby separately. Soyeon met him and ushered him toward the elevators, with me at a professional distance. He nodded once before disappearing into the elevator. I nodded back.
I locked my door and engaged the security bar. Checked the window latches even though I was on the fourteenth floor.
There was nothing unique about my hotel room. Nothing that showed someone might actually live there.
I sat on the edge of the bed. Adrenaline hummed under my skin. I had no outlet for it. Nowhere it could go to discharge.
After an hour, my body still hadn't caught up with the walk's revelations. I flexed my hands and released them. Crossed to the window instead of pacing. Portland's skyline spread below, with ordinary buildings and ordinary lights.
Rune's absence registered louder than I'd expected. He had his own room. It was his space to decompress after sharing information that couldn't have been easy to say out loud.
I pulled out my phone. Opened my notes. Started typing.
Walk duration: 2:16. Route: approved. Principal cooperative.
