"Call it whatever you want," Layla said dryly. "It would be slow, yes, and it can't go over mountains or rough terrain, but on flat ground, it'll work. And if we make it look and sound like a pile of silent metal... beasts won't even know there's anyone inside."
Aiden tilted his head, thoughtful. "They'd think it's scrap."
"Exactly," Layla replied. "If we can create one, maybe two, as a prototype and get it functional—just enough for urgent deployments. Then maybe not perfect, but good enough to let people rest without being attacked in their sleep."
"And how long would that take?" Amira asked.
Layla didn't answer right away but thought for a while in her usual calm expression.
"Three, maybe four days," she said. "If we start tonight, and double the team working in shifts—day and night—we can get the first basic version ready. It won't have any luxuries, and it won't be pretty. But it'll work."
The room went quiet again, thoughtful.
