The command center buzzed like a living organism.
Screens flickered. Operators whispered. Radios hissed. The smell of coffee and hot electronics mingled in the recycled air. Albert and Ward stepped inside just as Harker leaned over his console, eyes glued to the streaming telemetry.
"Global Hawk passing waypoint one," Harker reported. "Beginning wide-area scan."
On the main screen, fresh radar data began painting itself line by line—synthetic aperture radar carving out a grayscale map from sixty thousand feet above the world.
Albert crossed his arms. "What are we looking at?"
"Forest. Lots of it."Harker zoomed in. "Tree density higher than the region around Aldo. Could be an old-growth forest—untouched."
Ward whistled. "If I see an elf on that screen, I'm gonna lose my shit."
Albert didn't smile. "Keep scanning."
