The tunnels were in pandemonium. Hundreds of Lower District residents were running through the Middle District corridors, confused and desperate. Some were heading toward the hydroponic gardens, toward food. Others were simply wandering, overwhelmed by the sudden change in their surroundings.
The guards were struggling to control the situation. They'd been trained to maintain order, but not to handle something like this. The sheer number of people flooding into the Middle District had overwhelmed their protocols.
Kael and Sera ran through the chaos, trying to make their way to Lydia's quarters. Maren was supposed to meet them there. The plan was to regroup, to assess what had happened, to figure out what came next.
But there was no plan for after. They'd focused so entirely on opening the barrier that they hadn't thought much about what would happen once it was open.
Lydia was waiting for them in her quarters, along with Maren and Savas. A communication display was showing feeds from various parts of the station. On one screen, Kael could see the barrier checkpoint, now sealed but surrounded by guards. On another, he saw the chaos in the Middle District—people from the Lower District moving through the corridors, guards trying to restore order.
"How many got through?" Sera asked.
"We're estimating around five thousand," Lydia said quietly. "Maybe more. The barrier was only open for about two minutes before the guards started firing."
"Casualties?" Kael asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"At least two hundred," Savas said. "Maybe more. People were trampled in the panic. And the guards were shooting."
Sera made a sound like she'd been struck. Kael reached out and steadied her.
"This is what we expected," Sera said, but her voice shook. "This is the price of change."
"The Council is calling an emergency session," Lydia said. "They're declaring martial law across the entire station. All three districts are under lockdown. They're starting to round up people from the Lower District who made it through the barrier."
"They're going to execute everyone involved," Maren said flatly. "That's how they respond to threats to the hierarchy."
"Not necessarily," Savas said. He was holding a data drive. "I managed to get the security footage and the administrative records. Proof that the barrier breach was planned, coordinated. Proof of motive. If this is handled carefully, if it's positioned as a justified response to systemic injustice, it might be seen differently."
"By whom?" Sera asked. "The Council? They're not going to admit that their system was unjust."
"By the people," Lydia said quietly. "Especially now. With thousands of Lower District residents in the Middle District, with the barrier breached, with violence in the streets... people are seeing things they've been taught not to see. They're being forced to confront reality."
An alarm sounded throughout the quarters. An automated announcement began to play: "Attention all residents. Martial law is now in effect. All citizens are ordered to remain in their quarters. Violators will be detained. This is not a drill."
"They're locking everything down," Savas said. "They're trying to contain the situation before it spreads."
"It's too late for that," Maren said, gesturing to one of the displays. On the screen, groups of Middle District residents were moving toward the checkpoint area, not to prevent people from coming through, but to help them. Some were bringing food and water to the Lower District residents who'd made it through. Others were confronting the guards.
"The people are choosing sides," Savas said, something like hope in his voice. "They're choosing compassion over hierarchy."
But Lydia shook her head. "Not everyone. Look at this." She switched to another feed, showing parts of the Middle District where residents were barricading themselves in, trying to protect their quarters from the "invaders" from the Lower District. Some were even taking up weapons, forming their own defense groups.
"It's what always happens," Sera said, understanding. "The system divides people. It makes them see others as threats instead of as humans. Even when the barrier falls, the division persists in people's minds."
A knock at the door made them all freeze. Savas moved his hand toward a weapon he'd brought with him.
But it was Thrace and Kira. They looked exhausted, stressed, but they'd made it through.
"The Lower District is in chaos," Thrace said immediately. "With so many people gone, with the barrier sealed, the ones left behind think they're being abandoned. They're angry. There's fighting breaking out. And the Council is saying it's because of the breached barrier, blaming everyone involved for the violence."
"We need to make a statement," Sera said. "We need to explain why we did this. We need to frame it not as violence but as an act of resistance against an unjust system."
"A statement won't matter," Kael said quietly. Everyone looked at him. "The Council controls the communication systems. Any statement we try to make will be blocked or censored. They'll frame us as terrorists, as rebels, as threats to stability. No matter what we say, it will be twisted."
"Then what do we do?" Kira asked.
"We let them execute us," Sera said. Everyone stared at her. "No, listen. They're going to kill us anyway. We all know that. But if we die publicly, if we make our deaths mean something, if we stay true to our principles even as we're being punished for them... that will speak louder than any statement the Council could censor."
"You're talking about martyrdom," Lydia said. "You want to become like your father. A symbol instead of a person."
"If it means real change happens," Sera replied, "then yes. That's what I want."
Kael understood what she was saying, and it terrified him. He'd known this might happen, had prepared himself for the possibility of execution. But hearing her say it out loud, hearing her willingness to embrace that fate, made it suddenly very real.
"They'll kill all of us," Maren said. "Me, Sera, Kael, Thrace, Kira, everyone involved. That won't just be symbolic. That will be genocide of everyone who challenged the system."
"Which is exactly why it has to be public," Sera said. "Which is why we have to make them do it in front of everyone. Because once people see what the Council is willing to do to maintain their power, they won't be able to unsee it."