For a long moment after the screens went dark, no one in the
underground chamber moved.
Jessica could still feel the warmth of the key in her hand,
though its light had dimmed slightly. The symbols across its
surface now glowed faintly, like embers fading after a fire.
Above them, the massive craft had begun to move.
Not leaving.
Repositioning.
Jessica could feel the vibration through the concrete floor as
the enormous ship slowly shifted across the sky. The sound was
low and distant, like the rumble of thunder miles away.
Kessler broke the silence first.
"Twenty-four hours," he said quietly.
Jessica looked up at him.
"That's not much time."
"No," he agreed. "It isn't."
Her phone buzzed again.
Micah.
Jessica answered immediately.
"Micah, are you seeing what the ship i
