Seventy-Two Hours
At 4:47 AM, Elias Vance wakes to an automated Parking Notice placing him on indefinite administrative leave with all access and payroll revoked. He reviews the lease on his tablet and calculates the holdover clause's triple-penalty mechanism, realizing his savings will be consumed within seventy-two hours. Mr. Halloway arrives for a wellness check, delivering a printed copy of Section 14.7 and confirming the automated nature of the investigation. Elias learns the surveillance monitors his every action. The chapter ends with Elias making the costly choice to message Juno Reyes for help, irreversibly expanding the web of involvement and surveillance.