The briefing room was empty.
Aurelius had left an hour ago, his guard filing out behind him with the quiet efficiency of people who understood when a room needed to breathe. The others had gone one by one after that, some with words, some without. Lucas had put his hand briefly on the back of Noah's chair on the way out, didn't say anything, just did that, and left. Sophie had looked at him from the doorway for a moment before she followed.
Nobody pushed.
They knew him well enough to know when not to push.
Now it was just Noah and the holographic display, the blue planet rotating slowly in the dark room, completely unbothered by everything that had been said about it in the last two hours.
'Four hundred million people.'
