The strike began at 5:58, two minutes before dawn, and it began everywhere at once.
I watched it come in from the operations floor with my coat already on. Elias had the main wall, his notes squared beside the console, and Viktor stood next to him calling out positions in the same calm, slightly bored voice he used for everything. Rose ran the civilian picture beside them: evacuation routes, hospitals, the schools that would open in three hours whether or not the city was on fire.
"Chronovant is moving on the ledger vault in the eastern quarter," Viktor said. "Steele's fortresses have left their staging yards. Six of them, heading for the reservoir control hubs along the river. Harmonyx has gone dark. Their broadcast campus is sealed, and every channel they own is carrying the same tone." He paused. "Pyronis hasn't moved yet."
"Kane's waiting," I said.
"Kane is waiting for you," Viktor agreed. "He'd like an audience."
