Security teams still guarded every major junction, though weapons were no longer raised at every movement.
Medical workers pushed equipment through open routes, and several awakened survivors had begun helping with simple tasks.
Some carried food.
Others guided Arcturus workers through the older halls.
A few stood beside doors and watched everything in silence.
They had spent years under Compact control. A different uniform did not automatically earn trust.
Aurelian did not blame them.
Near the lower medical entrance, Vaela waited beside a sealed observation room. Doctor Marr stood with her, while Doctor Tal monitored the treatment through a clear panel.
Elya Sorn rested inside one of the matrix pods.
The lid remained open, and she appeared awake. Thin bands of light moved along her left arm and both legs while the system carried out the first stage of treatment.
"How is she?" Aurelian asked.
