Darkness swallowed the facility.
Not gradual.
Instant.
One second the machines screamed with light and data — the next, everything died.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Lena’s hand remained pressed against the scanner, but the glow beneath her palm vanished. The humming stopped. The pressure inside her skull eased suddenly, leaving behind a hollow ache.
She gasped and staggered backward.
Alex caught her before she fell.
“I’ve got you,” he said quietly.
For a moment she could only breathe, clinging to the sound of his voice — something real in the aftermath of something impossible.
“Is… is it over?” she whispered.
Before Alex could answer—
The emergency lights flickered back on.
Dim.
Unstable.
Red again.
The monitors rebooted one by one.
Static filled the screens.
Iva
