The commissioner unlocks a reinforced maintenance stairwell concealed behind a service panel. Steel bolts retract one by one, revealing stairs descending through concrete and humming conduit.
Ben carries his synced devices as he follows, while Mara Voss keeps the scorched case pressed against her side. The commissioner leads, leaving the penthouse behind.
Emergency lights pulse red along the stairwell. Small service cameras show the convoy threading through underground access lanes, headlights sliding across wet concrete.
Ben
The convoy is moving beneath us, and the signal is getting stronger.
The Commissioner
They are below the public transit grid. If they reach the old utility junction, they can disappear into three separate districts.
Mara checks the case display. The active candidate’s stress reading spikes sharply, then stutters as engines grow louder somewhere beneath the stairs.
Mara Voss
That is not a transport pattern. They are rushing the candidate, and the readings are worsening.
Reach the active candidate
Identify who sent the convoy