The final fragment resolved at 3:47 AM on a Thursday morning.
Kevin had been awake for twenty-three hours, sustained by Mrs. Nguyen's ginger cookies and the particular focus that came when a long-running analysis was finally approaching its conclusion. Sophie was asleep on the couch, her laptop open beside her, the security PowerPoint still glowing on the screen. Nathan was in the kitchen, brewing fresh coffee for the team. Lucas was at the window, his ears cycling through Shade #VIGILANT and Shade #ANTICIPATORY—the pale, watchful pink of someone who knew that everything was about to change.
