A Silent Frequency

My gauntlet touched the dark aluminum cylinder of the primary audio dial. I did not issue a verbal command; my hands executed the correction directly. With a steady, deliberate twist, I turned the notched dial a single increment until its white alignment marker locked into perfect vertical symmetry. A faint, low click resonated from the chassis. Satisfactory. Communication remains strictly terminated, yet mechanical precision requires constant supervision. I stepped back, cape draped in complete stillness, leaving the console calibrated to absolute zero.