Cain stayed crouched for a moment, breathing hard.
Hunter approached. "They knew your name."
"I noticed."
"Not the first time," Susan added. "But this time, it wasn't the council's voice. That transmission was... different."
Roselle landed beside them, dusting off her hands. "Someone else is writing orders now."
Cain looked up at the ruined skyline. The faint hum of machinery echoed from somewhere deeper in the city—steady, rhythmic, alive.
"Then we follow the signal," he said.
Steve frowned. "That could lead us straight into whatever's building those things."
"Exactly." Cain sheathed his blade. "We've been reacting too long. It's time to make the next move."
The others exchanged glances. The sky above crackled faintly, lightning flickering through the haze.
Roselle smirked. "Guess we're going hunting, then."
Cain didn't answer. He just started walking toward the sound—toward the pulse buried deep in the city's mechanical heart.
