The blue lights on the horizon were no longer a mystery. They were a fleet. Thousands of glowing points that I had mistaken for stars on the sea's surface were now moving in unison, slicing through the waves with a precision only possessed by entities that knew no fatigue.
It was The Deep Grid, a neural network far more ancient and cold than Monarch.
"They aren't Sovereign," Kael whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at the radar screen, which was beginning to display impossible geometric patterns. "Sovereign was just a small branch on a much larger tree, Elian. We just kicked a hornet's nest that has existed since before the digital age."
I stood on the wet deck, letting the salty sea breeze lash against my face. The remnants of golden energy in my hands began to dim, but the vo
