James's fingers moved with practiced precision across the circuitry he couldn't see, guided by the distinctive electronic signatures singing to him through his heightened hearing. Each component had its own voice—capacitors hummed in high, reedy tones while transistors buzzed with a lower resonance. The master control node pulsed with a complex rhythm that reminded him of an arrhythmic heartbeat.
"Come on, come on," he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead as he navigated the maze of connections. Echo lay pressed against his leg, a steady presence amid chaos.
Through his earpiece, he could hear the faint sounds of Maya's confrontation with Verne echoing from several rooms away. The knowledge that she faced physical danger while he worked burned his chest. Focus. You can't help her if y
