Predictable patterns get people killed.
Inside the command truck, the world looks very different.
Walls of monitors glow in the dim interior.
Network maps.
Infrastructure nodes.
Satellite feeds.
Data streams flowing like rivers across the screens.
The Architect studies them calmly.
The cascade is beautiful.
Power grids blinking across the western United States.
Traffic management systems slowing.
Emergency response nodes struggling to compensate.
The system doesn’t destroy.
Not yet.
Itredirects.
Pressure building quietly inside the network.
Waiting.
Preparing.
He taps a command.
The western infrastructure map expands across the central screen.
Red nodes spread outward like a growing storm.
Idaho.
Utah.
Nevada.
And soon—
California.
The timer sits in the corner of the screen.
5:09:12
Phase Three is approaching.
The Architect leans back slightly in the command chair. He loves all the lights; he could stare at them forever. Even though they are very dangerous and could destroy the world, he doesn’t care; all he cares about is his machines.
