10-11-2355 | 12:02
HARBOR HQ — Mission Control Tower.
—
Lieutenant Aris stands rigidly at attention, facing the immense panoramic window. In the center of the room, Sergeant Garris, still pale and nursing a thick anti-trauma patch on his arm, finishes his report on the ambush that occurred barely an hour ago.
"...and he told me, 'You tell your Director, Han, her cages will be empty soon enough,'" Garris concludes, his voice flat with lingering shock.
Aris turns from the window, his expression cold and professional. He is the picture of HARBOR's efficient ruthlessness.
"The precision is unnerving, Sergeant. Three vehicles, eight Enforcers, four subhumans, all neutralized in under forty seconds with zero fatalities. Analysis suggests the subject used advanced geo-manipulation and highly focused ferrous manipulation to disable the convoy. Textbook conductor activity, highly coordinated," Aris summarizes, tapping a stylus against his comm pad. "We must assume this is a direct result of the manifest theft three days ago. We need to institute new security protocols and reroute all active transports immediately."
The door slides open, and Director Han enters the room. She is a woman carved from granite, her presence instantly demanding silence. She wears a tailored charcoal suit that highlights her authority. Behind her trails Morrell, a tall, sharp-featured man in civilian clothes, whose influence in HARBOR is opaque but immense.
Han doesn't look at Garris. She addresses Aris. "Lieutenant, thank you for the summary. You are dismissed. Initiate an immediate, citywide facility audit. Reroute all active transports. Prepare the official narrative: 'Logistical Error and Minor Detainment Breach.' Morrell and I have internal matters to discuss."
Aris hesitates. "Director, with respect, this attack targets the supply chain. Mercer's team is still in the field. We should leverage them now. Speed is our only advantage."
Han raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You will follow my orders, Lieutenant. This breach requires strategic, not tactical, assessment. Dismissed."
Aris snaps a salute, his face stiff with suppressed protest. He turns and leaves the room, sealing the two powerful figures inside.
Han finally faces Garris. "Sergeant Garris, you performed your duties under duress. Report to Medical. You will be debriefed further tomorrow."
Garris nods, relieved, and quickly exits.
Han moves to the window, watching the city's endless, polluted twilight. Morrell steps beside her, arms crossed.
"The attack confirms the new subject is organized. He is using the stolen manifest," Morrell states.
"The pattern is the problem," Han replies, her voice low. "This is a new conductor. One who is fast, who utilizes full manipulative control over metallic compounds and magnetism, but notably cannot fly like Ryn. He is weaponizing our data."
Morrell leans in. "Let's connect the dots. The manifest theft three days ago occurred in Sector Nine, near the old iron rail yards. And do you remember what else we recorded near that same general grid area, almost simultaneously?"
Han already knows. "Dax Mercer's personal slate registered a proximity failure, destroyed by external energy surge, according to his own after-action report."
Morrell's voice tightens with cold suspicion. "Mercer reported his slate was destroyed while breaking up a brawl on the Market Line near Forty-K Market. A territory where HARBOR has no jurisdiction unless a Rendling drops out of the sky. A place only local enforcement goes to fill quotas."
Morrell stares at Han, his point sharp as a scalpel. "He claims he was in a lawless, back-alley sector, an area adjacent to the theft, precisely when the strongest subject we've encountered since Ryn decided to steal highly encrypted data. You suggest he did not deliberately falsify his record to cover a meeting with this new faction?"
"It is a ludicrous notion," Han dismisses instantly, though her tone lacks conviction. "Mercer is a decorated veteran, a high-value asset we spent months acquiring. He does not suddenly become a revolutionary."
"He is also a man drowning in guilt over Tamsin Vey," Morrell counters. "And he is getting entirely too close to Ryn. You put a man with a savior complex next to a conductor with a conscience. He is blurring the lines, and Ryn is becoming too comfortable outside his leash."
Han stiffens. "Ryn is a powerful conductor. He was the first and only known conductor that is not subhuman. He is our flagship, our proof that integration works, and he is fully bonded to our containment protocols."
"You mean he is on a leash," Morrell corrects, a humorless smirk crossing his lips. "I am glad you finally admit it."
Han ignores the jab. "This new conductor is a problem precisely because he has no leash. He is efficient. He is leveraging information. He now knows where half our facilities are, and the names on the holding manifest. We must move the subhumans immediately."
Morrell becomes serious. "If he is that organized, he could be gearing up for a coordinated war on the system."
"Then HARBOR is in deep trouble," Han admits. "Not just our manifest. Not just our holding facilities. But the other things we don't tell the public. The real engines of this city, the power infrastructure, the genetic labs. Everything we protect behind this facade."
Han sweeps her gaze over the cityscape. "We frame it when trouble comes. We create the villain and control the narrative. But right now, we have to rope in Ryn and Mercer."
"Mercer is new, unstable, and cannot be trusted," Morrell says firmly. "His suspicious proximity to the manifest theft three days ago and his compromised state today confirms he is a liability."
Han meets his gaze, her resolve absolute. "We don't have a choice. He is the best field commander we have. That is why we hired him. He knows how the system works. He knows how to fight other enhanced individuals. We need him to secure Ryn and neutralize the subject before this revolution gets a face."
Morrell shakes his head, walking toward the exit. The sound of his departure echoes in the vast room. "This is a bad idea, Han, and you know it. Using one volatile asset to cage another will only lead to disaster."
—