The lights in Haven-9 went out all at once.
The floating city — once humanity’s last sanctuary — fell into complete silence. Only the faint red emergency glow illuminated the skyline, painting the steel towers in bloodlight. For a moment, it felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
Kiera stood on the observation deck, staring at the darkness spreading across the city like a living thing. The monitors behind her went static, flickering with broken code. The hum of the reactors below the deck died, replaced by an eerie, pulsing sound.
Then came the System notification.
[Warning: Unauthorized Core Pulse Detected]
[Source: Subterranean Zone 9]
[Signal Type: Ghost Protocol — Active]
The words froze her blood.
Leon.
She gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.
