The shift didn't announce itself.
It manifested as efficiency.
Processes that once required discussion began resolving themselves faster. Validation cycles shortened. Disputes closed with fewer objections. The architecture was learning, not just how to function, but how to decide.
Aria noticed it first.
Not because something felt wrong, but because something felt… smooth.
Too smooth.
She stood alone in the analytics chamber, watching decision trees collapse into outcomes with minimal variance. The system wasn't overriding consent. It wasn't suppressing dissent. But it was weighting urgency higher than deliberation, velocity higher than caution.
Momentum had become a factor.
That alone wasn't dangerous.
Unexamined momentum was.
Victor joined her quietly, tablet in hand. "We're seeing accelerated convergence across multiple layers," he said. "No coercion flags. No suppression signals."
Aria didn't look away from the display. "But fewer questions."
"Yes."
