4 |work| — Control Center

He swung the axe.

Elias didn't think. He grabbed his emergency flashlight and vaulted over the railing of the operations pit, landing on the cold floor. He sprinted toward the heavy steel door leading to the generator room. control center 4

"Unauthorized access detected," the synthesized voice of the facility's AI, 'Kairos,' announced. The sound cut through the silence like a knife. "Sector 7. Grid instability at forty percent." He swung the axe

"The Architect," Elias realized aloud. "It's not just a program." He sprinted toward the heavy steel door leading

Elias sat up straighter. Sector 7 was supposed to be a dead zone. He typed a command, bringing up the massive central screen. The schematic of the city grid was usually a calm blue. Now, a jagged red vein was pulsating from Sector 7, spreading outward like an infection.

The AI paused for a terrifying three seconds.