The command center of the Aethelstan was a cathedral of quiet intensity. The usual low hum of servers and life support was overshadowed by the rhythmic, pulsing glow of a massive, global map projected across the main viewport. Dozens of smaller screens showed live feeds from water treatment plants in major cities across every continent: Paris, Tokyo, Mumbai, New York, Cairo. The names scrolled by, a litany of urban centers about to become ground zero for a silent war.
Victoria Kane stood before the display, her hands clasped loosely behind her back. She looked less like a general on the eve of battle and more like a scientist observing the final stage of a complex experiment. There were no grand speeches, no dramatic gestures. Only a profound, chilling stillness.
"Report," she said, her voice cutting cleanly through the ambient noise.
