The bell sounded. Nobody answered.
Tamsin watched the waiting marker move toward its limit.
Ida’s hand rested beside the next control. Across the room, Felix stood in the observer’s place he’d agreed to occupy. He wasn’t touching the AetherDeck.
The bell sounded again.
Everything they could see locally remained inside the trial range. That made the missing reply harder to believe.
“They may be waiting for us,” the second operator said.
Ida glanced at the control.
Tamsin asked, “Which event authorized the next step?”
