Commander Aerin Voss stood at the edge of the city wall, her eyes fixed on the unchanged horizon. The sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. The world looked normal. Peaceful. But she knew it wasn't.
The Observer was out there. Watching. Waiting. Studying.
"It's been three weeks," Commander Marcus said, approaching from behind. "Three weeks since the Observer appeared. And nothing has happened."
"Nothing has happened yet." Aerin's voice was heavy. "But it's watching. It's learning. That's what scares me."
"At least it's not attacking."
"Not yet. But it will. When it understands us well enough, it will act."
---
Aerin walked to the research lab, her mind racing with possibilities.
The lab was quiet, but it was a different kind of quiet now. The scientists moved
