Morning arrived slowly over London, but the city did not feel calm. Even as the pale gray light spread across rooftops and glass towers, the tension from the night before lingered like a storm that had passed but left the air charged. Traffic moved again, trains ran, and people filled the streets on their way to work, yet the rhythm felt slightly off. Systems had glitched during the night. Phones had lost service. Signals had flickered. Rumors were already spreading through social media and news channels, each one offering a different explanation for the disturbance.Inside the secure operations room of the concrete building near the river, Naomi sat at the metal table with her phone resting in front of her. She had not touched it for several minutes, but she could still feel the weight of the message waiting on the screen. Across from her, Maya sat quietly, both hands wrapped around a paper cup of coffee that had already gone cold. Elena leaned against the far wall with her arms fold

The drive back across London felt different from the one that had brought them to the empty industrial street. Traffic was thicker now, and the city was fully awake, yet tension moved through it like an invisible current. Police vehicles sped through intersections with flashing lights, and several main roads had been partially blocked while emergency crews checked electrical substations and traffic control panels.Naomi sat in the passenger seat beside Harris, watching the buildings pass by through the window. Her phone rested silently in her hand. The messages from the mysterious voice remained on the screen, but there had been no new contact since the security camera had turned away.Behind them, Maya and Elena followed in the second vehicle.Harris gripped the steering wheel tightly as they turned onto a wider avenue leading toward the operations building. “I don’t like this,” he said quietly.Naomi glanced at him. “Because he showed us what he could do?”“No,” Harris replied. “Bec