Looking for what isn’t written.
Looking for the gap.
“They adjusted behavior,” he says. “Not just her. The entire team.”
“Yes, sir.”
“They’re aware.”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then—
“They’re expecting pressure.”
The man hesitates. “Should we escalate?”
Sentinel turns slowly.
“No.”
Calm.
Certain.
“If you escalate, they unify.”
A step closer.
Voice quieter now.
“They’ve already proven that.”
The man exhales slowly. “Then what’s the move?”
Sentinel doesn’t answer right away.
He’s already thinking.
Already recalculating.
Not the plan.
The angle.
“They believe they understand the threat,” he says.
A beat.
“They don’t.”
His gaze returns to the screen.
To the simple line that matters more than anything else.
Increased alignment with Carter.
