As the sweep narrowed, the security drones arrived with protocol faces and questions that smelled of accusation. The interrogations were efficient and cold. Olivia answered only the things required: maintenance logs, supply reconciliations, nothing more. Her eyes told stories she would not speak aloud.

"Why the tree?" Olivia asked.

: This is a synth-pop song by Sabrina Carpenter released in 2024 from her album Short n' Sweet .

A month later, beneath a sky that had been scrubbed of birds, someone planted a sapling in a forgotten courtyard. No one made a show of it. No banners were raised. A girl from the third floor watered it with a bottle salvaged from a trade crate, while a corner vendor pretended not to watch. The sapling bent in the wind and waited.