The desert gave way to silence.
Hours had passed since the Refuge vanished behind them, swallowed by dust and distance. The transport rumbled over cracked terrain, its engines straining against the relentless wind. Above them, the sky was a bruised grey, streaked with faint auroras — residue of Elysium’s electromagnetic pulse.
Ethan sat at the front beside Hannah, scanning the horizon through the cracked viewport. A faint shimmer glowed in the distance — the ruins of Meridian City. Once humanity’s crown jewel, now a labyrinth of collapsed towers and fractured glass.
Dr. Myles sat behind them, adjusting the sensor calibrations. “We’re close to the central zone. Radiation spikes are intermittent but within survivable levels. For now.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “And the relay?”
“Buried unde
