ESCALATION DECISION TREE

COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE ESCALATION DECISION TREE CLASSIFIED - CELL INTERNAL USE ONLY

HOW TO USE THIS TREE

Answer each question in order. When your answer matches a branch, follow it to its end point. The end point tells you what action to take. Do not skip steps. Do not escalate based on gut feeling alone — the tree converts your instinct into a defensible decision a teammate could audit.

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START HERE: 

An inquiry felt off. 
Was it specific?

NO — vague, general curiosity -- Go to Question 1.

YES — targeted you, your schedule, your location, your projects specifically -- Go to Question 2.

Question 1: Vague inquiry. 
Has the same person asked similar vague questions more than once this week?

NO Result:  TIER 1. 
		    Log it locally. Monitor for seven days. Do not alert the team. End.

YES Result: TIER 2. 
		    Report category and source to the Watchdog privately. Full details on request. Go to Question 3.

Question 2: Specific inquiry. 
Did anyone else — different person, any sphere — ask about the same specific topic within 48 hours?

NO Result: TIER 2. 
           Single-source specific inquiry. Report privately to the Watchdog. Prepare a gentle redirect on that topic. End.

YES Go to Question 4.

Question 3: The Watchdog checked the master correlation list. Have other members reported similar patterns?

NO Result: TIER 2 confirmed. 
           Watchdog advises the reporter to tighten the cover story on that topic. Log the guidance. Monitor. End.

YES Go to Question 4.

Question 4: Multiple related probes confirmed. Is any of the following true — the probe contained operational detail an outsider should not know, or three or more members report linked probing, or direct surveillance indicators appeared?

NO Result: TIER 2, elevated. 
           Full fog is not warranted. Gentle redirect across all touched spheres. Recheck correlation in 72 hours. End.

YES Result: TIER 3. 
            RED CODE. Immediate voice call via pre-agreed channel. Non-essential comms cease. Begin fog deployment. Identify the common source. Execute counter-measures. Debrief within 24 hours. End.

Question 5: RED CODE OVERRIDE — Is this an existential threat? Direct confrontation, confirmed surveillance, or legal jeopardy?

This question skips the tree. At any point, if any member faces direct confrontation or legal jeopardy, escalate immediately to operational lockdown regardless of tier.

Result: LOCKDOWN. 
        Team goes dark. Comms shift to fallback channels. Surface personas go silent. Decoys freeze in place. You survive first. You counter second.