Killroy's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Killroy checked his terminal three times before breakfast. The district overseer's review was six days away. Six days until he could finally prove his worth with a perfect compliance record. He had followed every rule precisely this cycle. Every form submitted on time. Every protocol observed down to the smallest detail. But the message arrived at 07:14, marked urgent. The compliance officer who had signed off on the old rule wanted to meet. Today. At the plaza beneath the overseer's statue. Killroy's hands shook as he read it twice more. The officer had been silent for three years. The message gave no reason for contact, only a time and coordinates. Killroy walked to the plaza early, his stride measured to avoid drawing attention from the cameras hidden in the statue's glowing eyes. The officer was already there, older now, with gray at the temples. She looked at Killroy for a long moment before speaking. The old rule was being audited. Someone had flagged the signatures. She needed to know exactly what Killroy had done back then, and whether anyone else knew about it.