The morning sun climbed higher over the mountain ramparts as Vasa projected two massive side-by-side video feeds across the stone wall of the central command center.
On the left screen played the sensationalized Crowncast broadcast, depicting a chaotic medical ward filled with smoke and screaming casualties under a flashing red banner.
On the right screen displayed the raw, unedited security footage recorded from the third-ward hospital's crystal surveillance sphere during the exact same hour.
"Observe the timestamp in the lower right corner of their video," Vasa said, pointing her brass stylus at the flickering digital numbers.
"The time counter jumps from fourteen hours, twenty-two minutes, and ten seconds directly to fourteen hours, twenty-two minutes, and fifty seconds," Diana noted, her sharp eyes spotting the irregularity instantly.
"Exactly forty missing seconds," Vasa confirmed, tapping the glass interface with satisfaction.
