Somewhere in Citadel.
Ella stood near the window with her phone still in her hand.
She had tried the same numbers repeatedly.
Different routes.
Different secure channels.
Backup relays.
Nothing.
Every attempt ended the same way.
No response.
No signal.
No confirmation.
Finally, she turned.
"I tried everything, Boss."
Vivienne sat quietly behind her desk.
Ella continued,
"I couldn't connect to any of them."
"Not through the primary channel."
"Not through the backup."
"Nothing."
Vivienne's fingers slowly stopped moving over the armrest.
Ella looked toward her.
"They definitely lost communication too."
Vivienne remained silent for several seconds.
Her eyes moved toward the dark screen on the desk.
Then she said,
"Then there are only a few possibilities."
Ella waited.
"Either..."
"It's genuinely a technical problem."
Vivienne's expression hardened.
"Or we lost them."
Ella didn't respond.
Vivienne slowly leaned back.
Her eyes had already begun turning red.
