The days following the attack brought a flurry of activity, Ashworth coordinating enhanced security measures while simultaneously managing Reyes's renewed pressure regarding formal government oversight, the two crises feeding into each other in ways that left the entire facility operating under near-constant tension.
Victor found himself increasingly caught between competing demands, Ashworth requesting caution and restraint while security concerns mounted, Reyes pushing for greater government involvement in the name of protection, and the lingering uncertainty of Voss's warning suggesting the Foundry's reckless faction remained an active, unpredictable threat regardless of her own claimed intentions.
"I need to make a decision," he told the group, gathering Caleb, Nyx, and Seraphina in their usual quiet corner of the training yard as evening settled over the mountain facility. "About how I want to handle everything that's happening. Before someone else decides it for me."
