Out came the swarm, seemingly from nowhere. People ran bent over with arms splayed, carrying signs and gear. They flowed in from a few directions, originating from points that must have been tucked away in folds of the land, to form up outside the fence of the biological research station. This was one of the most remote areas in the high-industry Expansion 6 Federet. These people should have been seen coming from very far away. By the time the staff were aware of the situation, the demonstrators were massed outside of the fence, and there was a stadium full.

Within the facility’s established emergency response system, the combination of numbers and proximity already ranked medium threat. Their projects were sensitive, delicate and volatile, with consequences of disturbance.

The perimeter monitors became the central fascination. While lab staff were recalling their failsafe procedures, they came to stare at screens full of people. There was a pervasive hush while everyone tried to figure out what was really happening, and what they might need to do.