The alarm spread across the Constellation Network like a shockwave.
It began as a faint disturbance—one small fluctuation among thousands of active systems monitoring the outer reaches of their territory. But within seconds the anomaly cascaded through the lattice, setting off a chain reaction of warnings across dozens of defensive nodes.
Ethan felt it before the systems finished announcing it.
The sensation arrived through the Convergence link like a sudden pulse of cold energy brushing across his awareness.
Something had gone wrong.
He opened his eyes instantly.
Around him, the Convergence chamber was calm—too calm for the tension he felt building beneath the surface of the network.
Then the alarms arrived.
A sharp, resonant tone echoed through the chamber.
"Warning," the Constellation system announced.
"External hostile interaction detected."
Ethan stepped toward the central platform before the message even finished.
"Location."
The projection sphere ignited.
