Location: Research Vessel Nomad, Upper Sector — Deck C-7
Time: Forty-eight hours after the resonance breach
It began with a whisper.
Not through the speakers through the air itself.
Dr. Lira Solen had been running diagnostics when the sound slipped through the static soft, feminine, and heartbreakingly familiar.
"Lira"
She froze, turning slowly. The lab was empty. Only the low hum of the reactors and the faint flicker of blue emergency lights.
"Lira, follow the light."
Her pulse spiked. That phrase it was the same one Ava Kane had left in her final data fragment months ago.
Lira swallowed hard. "Ava? Is that you?"
Static answered her then silence.
Observation Log 07:01:03
Neural interference detected in Deck C audio feeds.
Cross-reference: unknown source. Resonance similarity: 89.4% AVA_CORE signature.
She moved cautiously through the corridor.
