Boone’s voice.
“Wren, we’re on the way.”
“Good.”
“What did you find?”
I hesitate.
Because I’m not sure how to say it.
“The Architect wasn’t just predicting collapse.”
“What do you mean?”
I look back at the infrastructure graphs.
At the rising emergency indicators.
At the countdown ticking quietly on the screen.
“He built a system to take control when it happens. I think he controls everything.”
Boone is quiet for a moment.
Then he asks the question we’re all thinking.
“Is the collapse starting?”
I swallow.
“I don’t know yet.”
“But the system thinks it is.”
Outside the cabin, the wind rises again.
Pushing through the trees like a storm building in the mountains.
And somewhere inside a hidden network spread across half the country—
A machine built years ago by Sentinel…
Now guided by the Architect…
Has begun preparing to take control.
And according to the countdown on my screen—
In twelve hours…
It will try.
21
Boone
The road back to the cabin is dark and quiet.
