The sky above the Union Grand Hall was filled with activity.
Daylight glared off the sleek, black hulls of a half-dozen military-grade helicopters circling overhead.
Cameras mounted beneath them broadcast high-definition footage of the Hall's courtyard below, where armored convoys lined the perimeter and Union officials in tailored suits strode quickly across the marble steps.
The scene was displayed across the towering digital billboards that loomed over Sector Zero's skyline—flashing across storefronts, building sides, and even the hovering taxis frozen in mid-air traffic.
Every screen bore the same banner:
"Emergency Energy Summit — Union Branch Grand Hall — LIVE"
On one particularly massive billboard mounted across the Skybridge Plaza, the Union's official media partners had begun their coverage.
A sleek woman with platinum hair and piercing blue eyes appeared on-screen, dressed in an immaculate, fitted blazer. She tapped her earpiece once, then offered a smooth smile.
