"How much longer until we arrive, Elara?" Julian shouted amidst the roar of the helicopter blades slicing through the darkness of the night.
Elara did not answer. Her eyes were glued to the tablet in her hand, which now only displayed a static black screen. Her face, usually calm, was now deathly pale, her jaw muscles hardened until they looked like sculpted stone.
"Kael isn't answering! All Ravenscroft satellites in this sector are blind!" Julian struck the wall of the helicopter with his fist. The pride he had felt after destroying the textile factory evaporated, replaced by a coldness spreading from his stomach to his fingertips.
"Ten minutes, sir," Elara finally replied, her voice raspy. "But that red alarm... it isn't a normal intrusion alarm. It’s a neural disconnection protocol.
