The little girl's face disappeared from the monitor.
Not because the transmission failed.
She had simply continued walking.
The camera remained fixed on the same stretch of pavement outside the Balance Branch, recording an orderly procession of people moving toward the impossible bridge suspended above the world. There was no panic in their movements, no urgency and no confusion. They walked with the quiet certainty of travelers who had finally reached the end of a journey they had begun so long ago that they had forgotten when it started.
The security personnel stationed outside stood frozen.
None had received an order to intervene.
None seemed capable of giving one.
Mara watched the feeds in silence before finally speaking.
"Tell every unit to stand down."
The operations chief blinked in surprise.
"You want us to let them pass?"
"I want nobody to become the first person in history to fire on people who haven't threatened anyone."
The chief hesitated.
