The signal was faint, buried deep in the static of an old military frequency that hadn't been used in years.
Wayne leaned over Jude's shoulder, staring at the flickering waveform on the tablet. It was a distress call, coded with protocols that had been obsolete for a decade. Someone was reaching out from the past, and they were desperate.
"Can you clean it up?" Wayne asked, his voice tight.
"I'm trying," Jude replied, his fingers flying across the screen. "Whoever sent this is using an old encryption key. It's taking time to break through."
"Time we don't have."
"I know. Just... give me a minute."
The room fell silent, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone. Foden was at the door, his hand on his weapon. Jude was hunched over his tablet, his brow furrowed in concentration
