The change did not come as an explosion, but as a subtle shift spreading through the entire structure. Sophia felt it instantly, not just seeing it on the screen.
The rhythm of the core, which had once been readable, was now shifting not entirely chaotic, yet no longer following the same patterns.
"It is adapting," she said softly.
Beside her, Adrian Blackwood stared at the screen more sharply. "Not just it," he replied. "The system itself is beginning to evolve."
Daniel moved his hands faster, trying to maintain their position within the now-fluid pattern. "The frequency is shifting," he said. "If we do not change with it, we will be expelled."
Leonard Graves's voice came through the comms, sounding more serious. "Just tell me what I need to do."
Sophia did not answer immediately. She observed the core, which was no longer stable in the old sense, but stable in a new form they did not yet fully understand.
"This is not defense," she said finally. "This is adaptation."
