Night had the kind of stillness that promised danger. The moon was a sliver behind the clouds; wind moved like a whisper through the trees. Sebastian stared at the map on the table, the red node pulsing in the center like a heartbeat that wouldn't stop.
"This is the hub," he said, tracing the line with one finger. "Vale's main logistics node for Phase IV. It's heavily reinforced, but it's also the nerve center. Cut the head and the limbs starve."
Isabelle stood beside him, hand on her belly. The baby moved a small, insistent flutter and the motion steadied something inside her. Danger and life folded into the same small space.
"We go in fast," Sebastian continued. "We get the files. We wipe the deployment manifests and the distribution schedule. We plant a misinformation loop so Vale doesn't simply reroute. We get out before they know we were there."
