The countdown didn’t stop.
23:58:12
23:58:11
23:58:10
The red numbers reflected in Lena’s eyes as if they were burning into her.
“Turn it off,” she said quietly.
No one moved.
Because no one knew how.
The system wasn’t hacked.
It was authorized.
Alex stepped toward the main console and entered his override code.
Access denied.
He tried again.
Denied.
A third time.
The screen flashed:
PRIMARY AUTHORITY TRANSFERRED.
The room went silent.
Lena’s pulse slowed instead of racing.
That was the strange part.
Everything inside her felt… still.
Like something had clicked into place.
“Who is primary authority?” she asked.
Alex didn’t answer.
The silence stretched.
“Alex.”
His voice was flat when he finally spoke.
“Noah.”
The word didn’t land immediately.
“What?”
“He turn
