The Berlin basement no longer felt like a secret lair. After Luna's visit, it felt like a fishbowl under a microscope. Yet, the "Human Freedom Army" returned. They had to. The alternative was accepting that their defiance had been noted, cataloged, and deemed a harmless curiosity. The reactivated—and now inexplicably more advanced—shielding device sat on the workbench like a taunt.
Three days after her appearance, the air in the basement shimmered again. This time, they were expecting her, or something like her. The fear was still there, cold and sharp, but it was now mixed with a strange, determined resolve. They were part of an experiment. They had to act the part.
Luna appeared in the same spot. She wore a different dress, pale blue. She looked at their faces, then at the updated plans for shield distribution taped over the old map. "You have continued your organizational activities," she observed. "Efficiency has improved by 11.3%."
