B Project 2 Plan ^new^ Today

Below it, a mess of red string, sticky notes, and coffee rings. "Project B" was the backup. The one no one wanted to talk about. Project A was the dream: terraforming, public funding, a ribbon-cutting with the UN Secretary-General. Project B was what you planned when you knew, deep in your gut, that Project A was going to explode on the launchpad.

Miles didn't open it. He already knew the plan by heart. b project 2 plan

He remembered. Phase 4: If the swap is detected, deny everything. If the seed takes root, never return. If anyone asks... there was only ever Project A. Below it, a mess of red string, sticky

He picked up a red marker. Under , he wrote a single new line: Do we tell them? Project A was the dream: terraforming, public funding,

"I'm thinking about the name," Miles replied. "They called the first one 'Ark.' This one... they'd call it 'The Silence.' Because that's what we're planning. Not a new beginning. A quiet replacement."

"You're thinking about the cost," Lena said.

While the world watched the main rocket on the east pad, a secondary, uncrewed vessel would launch from the old military silo. No fanfare. No livestream. Just a single, encrypted signal: Peregrine is away.