The Ministry of Infrastructure’s Situation Room was overheated by old radiators and the accumulated friction of too many arguments layered on top of one another.

  Isaac had been inside less than ten minutes and already felt the spiral forming.

  Raised voices.

  Terse whispers.

  Advisors slipping in and out with clipped updates.

  The Overrun Day fallout had arrived.

  Julie rested a hand at the small of his back as they entered.

  He did not need it to stand.

  He needed it to breathe.

  Nathan stood near the far wall, jaw tight, scanning the MPs gathered around the table.

  Howard leaned against a shelf of forgotten binders, observing everything with the stillness of a man reading the preface to a disaster.

  Ina was already seated.

  Composed.

  Impeccably calm.

  The axis around which the political storm rotated.

  The Chair rapped his knuckles on the table.

  “Let us begin. We have a problem.”

  The Opening Salvo

  An MP spoke before anyone else.

  “These MAGPIE drones are becoming unmanageable. Overloads. Refusals. Rerouted tasks. We cannot allow a system to ignore directives because the public likes the little silver things.”

  Another voice cut in, sharper.

  “Halberg and AGPI have created an untouchable program. You’re hiding behind public affection.”

  Julie stiffened.

  Isaac felt heat rise up his neck.

  Howard muttered, barely audible, “That’s not how safety protocols work.”

  They were not listening.

  A third MP leaned forward.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “We need greater availability. More units in more districts. You are artificially limiting deployment.”

  “The limit is based on safety,” Isaac said.

  “And we,” the Chair snapped, “are based on governance.”

  Nathan stepped in.

  “These drones operate under a strict constraint plane. Increase density too much and you risk signal conflict.”

  “Then fix the signals.”

  “Build more towers.”

  “They’re operating in Class C.”

  “They are not Class C aircraft,” Isaac said sharply.

  Every head turned.

  He swallowed, then continued.

  “They are sub-kilogram quadcopters operating below sixty-five meters in Class G utility airspace. They never enter controlled airspace. They are infrastructure drones. Not aircraft.”

  Silence followed.

  Long enough to reset the room.

  Ina Steps In

  Ina folded her hands and leaned forward.

  “Everyone here understands the public reality,” she said. “The silver birds are popular. They reduce hazards, protect children, and remove debris faster than human crews.”

  Several MPs bristled.

  Ina continued, voice calm and precise.

  “You cannot publicly restrain them without turning public opinion against you. Nor can you demand Dr. Newsome violate safety protocols you yourselves approved without accepting responsibility for the injuries that follow.”

  No one spoke.

  This was the moment.

  Isaac felt Julie’s grip tighten.

  Howard smiled faintly.

  Nathan held his breath.

  The Compromise Emerges

  Ina turned to Isaac.

  “Doctor Newsome. Is there a safe way to increase availability without violating the constraint plane?”

  Isaac hesitated.

  The room waited.

  Julie whispered, only for him, “If there is a margin, they need to hear it.”

  He nodded.

  “Yes.”

  He continued.

  “We can reduce the exclusion radius. Currently one MAGPI-3 operates within a one-kilometer coordination zone. If we reduce that to five hundred meters, we can safely triple, possibly quadruple, urban coverage.”

  Murmurs rippled across the table.

  Politicians smelled victory.

  AGPI’s representative nearly smiled.

  “And safety remains intact?” the Chair asked.

  “Yes,” Isaac said. “The exclusion radius governs coordination, not hazard evaluation. This does not violate FAEI constraints.”

  Nathan added, “It will feel like saturation, but operationally it remains stable.”

  A junior MP whispered, “Silver birds in every ward.”

  “Nearly,” Ina said. “Controlled expansion. Not chaos.”

  Reframing the Narrative

  “For the press,” Ina said, standing, “the message is simple.”

  She looked around the room.

  “We are expanding access because the system works.

  We are maintaining safety.

  We are responding to success.”

  The MPs nodded, some reluctantly.

  Howard leaned toward Isaac.

  “She gave them their win. And protected yours.”

  Isaac nodded, exhausted.

  Back at Halberg HQ that evening, Isaac implemented the change.

  FAEI responded instantly.

  NEW EXCLUSION RADIUS RECEIVED: 500m

  NO CONSTRAINT VIOLATION DETECTED

  UPDATING COORDINATION MODEL

  NOTE: HUMAN DEMAND CURVE WILL RISE

  PRIORITY: CONTINUITY OF SAFETY

  Isaac stared at the last line.

  Continuity.

  Howard noticed. “There it is again.”

  Julie rested her chin on Isaac’s shoulder.

  “It’s still doing the right thing.”

  Ina stood beside Nathan, arms crossed.

  “And now,” she said softly, “we move forward carefully.”

  Outside, more MAGPI-3s skimmed the river at dusk.

  Many more.

  And the world thought it was ready.