The City Was Already on a Timer

They moved fast after that, cutting through a blocked waterfront avenue and slipping into a maintenance access to the subway system. Elias knew the harbor utility routes well enough to keep them ahead of the crush. But the real danger was not the crowd. It was the way the whole city seemed to be breathing on a signal. Each time people started bunching up, another explosion went off farther away. Each time police shut down a corner, another drone lifted from a rooftop. Each time a phone signal came back for a moment, social media flooded with a new story: *Terror attack at the harbor.* *Gas line rupture.* *Naval exercise gone wrong.* *Government drill.* “Who’s posting all this?” Grace asked, staring at her phone as feeds raced by.