Chapter 64: Final Coordination Meeting (2)
The room stayed still long after the holograms faded.
The faint hum of the city's systems filled the silence, a rhythm that felt almost like breathing — calm, patient, alive.
Ava lingered by the table, her reflection caught in the glass. The weight of completion hadn't quite sunk in yet; her body still hummed with the tension of months spent running, fixing, planning, hoping. The others felt it too — that strange emptiness that came after victory, when you suddenly realized there was nothing left to build… only everything left to protect.
Claire approached first, her expression soft yet sharp with the kind of love only battle-worn mothers knew.
"You haven't stopped moving since morning," she said quietly, brushing stray hair from Ava's face.
Ava smiled. "Can't sit still. The silence feels too loud."
"That's because you're not used to peace." Claire's voice gentled. "Learn to breathe again, Ava. You've earned it."
