There it was.
The real test.
I opened my eyes and looked straight at the speaker.
“You’re not angry,” I said. “You’re afraid.”
A pause.
Then—very quietly—“Explain.”
“You lost control of the board,” I said. “And now you’re trying to restore dominance through spectacle.”
The silence stretched thin.
“That won’t work,” I continued. “Because Logan Carter doesn’t respond to spectacle.”
“And you do?” Sentinel asked.
I inhaled slowly.
“I respond to responsibility,” I said. “And so does he.”
Another scream—cut off mid-breath.
My pulse spiked. I forced it down.
Sentinel leaned into the mic, voice intimate now.
“He’s almost here, Scout,” he murmured. “Tell me what to do… and I’ll make it stop.”
I felt the truth settle heavy in my chest.
This wasn’t about compliance.
This was abouttiming.
I stepped closer to the wall and placed my forehead against the cold concrete.
Now, I thought.
Not loud.
Not yet.
I raised my voice just enough.
“You already know what to do,” I said. “You just don’t like the outcome.”
The lights dimmed further.
Sentinel didn’t answer.
But somewhere deep in the facility, systems began cycling faster—too fast.
He’d felt it.
And so had Logan.
