The command center was already crowded when they arrived, faces taut with barely contained panic as they gathered around the central communication array. Agnes manipulated the controls with unexpected dexterity for her age, bringing the main screen to life with precise movements.
Eddie's grim face appeared, the mansion's war room visible behind him. His usually composed features were strained to breaking, dark hollows beneath his eyes.
"Status report," Christian demanded, frost gathering around him as he approached the screen.
"Stasis fields are failing," Eddie replied without preamble, his voice raw with exhaustion. "The protective dome's holding for now, but shadow activity has spiked in the last hour. We're seeing corruption patterns we've never encountered—more organized, more delib
