The man identified himself as Red.
He approached the outer fence of Zero Point, hands raised and smirking, as if oblivious to the
chaos around him.
Dressed in dirty jeans, a faded gray trench coat, and old hiking boots tied with cordage, he appeared
unarmed—or at least not overtly armed.
Chris was the first to see him from the west turret platform.
"Logan," he called out. "We have a visitor."
Logan accessed the drone feed.
There he was.
Red waved at the hovering camera as though he'd anticipated it.
Then he made a peculiar remark.
"You have gaps in your northwest flank. The drone's view misses a tree cluster near the broken overpass. It's an easy ambush path."
Logan's eyes narrowed.
He activated the comm mic.
"Who are you?"
"Someone with information," the man replied. "And a good set of eyes."
Chris glanced at Logan. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Spy," Logan whispered. "Or worse."
The System acknowledged the encounter.
New Entity Detected: Unknown Affiliation
Subject: Alias 'Red'
Combat Potential: Moderate
Mental Stability: High
System Sync: Partial
Intent: Undefined
Suspicion Flag: Active (Infiltration Risk)
Logan pressed the gate release.
"Bring him in. Under escort."
Red continued to smile throughout.
They removed his coat, searched his boots, and examined him thoroughly. Nothing suspicious was found—no weapons, no implants, no trackers. Just a worn notebook filled with hand-drawn maps, scavenger routes, and diagrams of territories that Logan had not even explored yet.
He approached the outer fence of Zero Point, hands raised and a smirk on his face, as if the world hadn't gone to hell.
Dirty jeans. Trench coat faded to gray. Old hiking boots wrapped in cordage. Unarmed—or at least, not visibly armed.
Chris spotted him first from the west turret platform.
"Logan," he called down. "We've got a visitor."
Logan opened the drone feed.
There he was.
Red waved at the hovering camera like he'd been expecting it.
Then he said something strange.
"You've got gaps in your northwest flank. Your drone angle misses a tree cluster near the broken overpass. Easy ambush path."
Logan's eyes narrowed.
He opened the comm mic.
"Who are you?"
"Someone with information," the man said. "And a good set of eyes."
Chris turned to Logan. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Spy," Logan muttered. "Or worse."
The System confirmed the encounter.
New Entity Detected: Unknown Affiliation Subject: Alias 'Red ' Combat Potential: Moderate Mental Stability: High System Sync: Partial Intent: Undefined Suspicion Flag: Active (Infiltration Risk)
Logan hit the gate release.
"Bring him in. Under escort."
Red didn't stop smiling.
They took his coat. His boots. Searched him top to bottom. Nothing suspicious—no weapons, no implants, no trackers. Just a battered notebook filled with hand-sketched maps, scavenger routes, and diagrams of territories Logan hadn't even discovered yet.
They put him in the interview room.
Logan entered alone.
Red leaned back in the chair and lifted his eyebrows.
"You don't waste time."
"I don't waste anything," Logan said.
Red tapped the table. "Then let me make this easy. I'm not with Haven. I'm not one of your strays. I'm not a believer, a recruiter, or a martyr."
"What are you?"
"Information. I travel. I map. I watch. And when I find someone building something real, I offer what I know in exchange for food, a warm corner, and a few days of not sleeping with one eye open."
Logan remained silent.
Red tapped his notebook. "You want to know how many outposts Haven has within a week's march of here?"
The System offered a prompt.
Request Detected: Intelligence Broker Interaction Infiltration Risk: Medium Trust Cost: HighOptions:• Detain and Interrogate• Offer Provisional Shelter• Allow Controlled Access• Refuse and Expel
Chris entered the room quietly, standing by the wall.
Logan glanced back at him.
"What would you do?"
Chris shrugged. "He's not a soldier. Not a recruiter. He's useful until he's not."
"Useful gets you inside the gate," Logan said. "But information makes you dangerous."
Red smiled again. "That's the deal."
Logan tapped the screen.
He selected Allow Controlled Access.
The gate was updated.
New Role Assigned: Red (Freelancer – Monitored). Movement Restricted Access is Limited to Tier 1 Zones. Zones Auto-Logging Enabled on All Conversations
"Welcome to Zero Point," Logan said.
Red laughed. "Warmest welcome I've had.
Red integrated like smoke through a cracked wall.
He didn't force conversations. He didn't ask for favors. But within two days, Clara trailed him during patrol rounds, asking questions. Marcus showed him the camera logs from old broken drone feeds he'd stitched together. Even Chris shared a half-smile when Red spotted a loose panel in the outer north fence that no one had noticed.
Logan saw it all.
And logged every interaction.
System Notice:Subject – "Red"Civilian Sentiment Score: HighEngagement Activity: 83% (Active across multiple personnel)Mistrust Index (Leader Only): IncreasingInfiltration Risk: ElevatedNew Mechanic Available: Internal Surveillance Protocols
Logan opened the new menu immediately.
Zero Point Internal Systems – Surveillance & Loyalty
• Install Listening Nodes (Unlocked)• Assign Loyalty Monitor (Requires: Trusted Personnel)• Enable Espionage Screening (Base Tier 2 Required)• Passive Observation: 14% active• Suspected Insider(s): 1 – Unknown
Logan's eyes narrowed.
There was someone else.
He activated the Listening Node Installation.
It began as a simple craft task: attach modified short-range mics to unused power nodes in the walls, route them into the main console, and disguise them beneath heat panels. It is audio only, low-range, and passive.
But the System offered something more:
Optional:Enable Behavioral Tracking via Voice PatternsBonus: Allows detection of mental shifts, deception markers, and emotional stress patterns in real timeWarning: Reduces overall Morale by 3% due to subconscious tension
Logan confirmed.
The first node blinked green on the map.
Then the second.
Then a third.
Surveillance Network Online (Phase 1)Tracking Active: Common Areas / Civilian Quarters / Hall AccessUnauthorized Conversations: 2Log: Flagged Entry – Clara, Red*
He tapped the audio log.
Clara's voice—quiet, cautious.
"You think he'd let us go if we wanted to leave?"
Red answered, soft but deliberate.
"He'd let you leave. Not sure about me."
"Why not?"
"Because I see too much."
Silence.
Then Clara again.
"Do you think he's a bad person?"
"No," Red said. "I think he's becoming what this world needs. And that's almost worse."
Logan closed the log.
Didn't delete it.
Didn't confront them.
Not yet.
Later that evening, Red came to the command center alone.
There was no coat or satchel. Logan had just his notebook in one hand and a stillness in the other, which made his fingers twitch toward his belt knife.
"You've got a rat," Red said.
Logan didn't answer. Just turned from the console and waited.
Red dropped the notebook on the table and opened it to a page marked in red charcoal.
Three names.
Two scratched out.
One circled: Juno
"Name won't mean much to you," Red continued. "But she was embedded with a supply group east of here and posed as a runner. Carried tracking dust on her boots. Talked sweet. Listened more. People relaxed before they even realized how much they'd told her."
"And?" Logan asked.
Red pointed toward the drone screen. "She's here. I saw her face two hours ago in your last batch of security pings. You've got her in your perimeter."
Logan pulled the feed up.
Frame by frame, they scanned the footage. Eight survivors spotted across multiple angles—old scavengers, a wounded traveler dragging a sled, and—
There.
At the far edge of the zone.
A woman in a red scarf and long coat, kneeling beside the burnt husk of a delivery truck.
Reading a map.
Doing nothing wrong.
But her body language…
Too calm.
Too careful.
System Tag Detected: Passive Intelligence Signature – UnknownAlias Match Probability: 76% (Juno)Danger Rating: HIGHInfiltration Intent: ConfirmedBehavior Profile: Watcher-Class Operative
Chris entered the room a moment later.
Saw the footage.
"Problem?"
Red grinned. "Big one."
Logan didn't blink.
"Gear up."