Seven minutes into the cohesion walk, a 12 minute daily efficiency practice. Standard route. Sector 3.
Nyra's cohort moved in proficient silence along the glass-paneled walkway, an unwavering line of gray uniforms and forward facing heads. The streets below ran in absolute symmetry, crowds flowing codelike. Above the dome, no weather, no wind, only static tranquility.
She looked out of line, towards a support beam. There he was.
His shoulders were squared, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the artificial sky. No apart of the route. Not apart of any cohort. Not in right uniform.
His posture was the first thing Nyra saw, relaxed but not careless. His stance was neutral, too neutral. Still but not stiff either. His uniform was a faded black-not gray. It was only a subtle contrast, but in Eden, even that was deviation.
He did not scan his ID. Didn't speak to the security drone nearby. He just stayed there. Unmoving. Didn't even acknowledge the cohort.
He was unregistered. Unknown and not in the system.
The Garden did not give any instructions or alerts. Unusual.
She did not slow her steps. She didn't say anything. Not required to. But she did log his details. Taking in everything she seen about him. He piqued her curiosity.
She turned the corner and as he disappeared from her sight, one singular line of data was added to her data log-quietly and invisible.
Observation: Unusual fixation. Duration: 2.7 seconds.
Status: Monitoring.
Note: Subject VALE-NYRA-00117 – Possible latent drift.