After getting home and settling in for some reading, Benjiro had dozed off only to hear the altered ping from his phone. One basic alert tone is present across a function, but specific contact alerts are elevated to personalized tones that carry a more energetic and demanding sound. Walter’s had been adjusted as soon as Benjiro was sitting on the bus back to Moss Manor.

Shaking the haze of sleep away, he answers after only a handful of seconds.

Survival is important. How bad was the panic?