speakers was the only sou

ell, the sound of silence w

Hayes, stood beside me, her

per?" I asked

her eyes fixed on th

s blackout across all three teams in the

p in the city' s most volatile district on an urban pacification mission. It w

e comms

light show. The entire cityscape became a canvas for shifting, pulsing patterns of light. I' d heard about it.

rner suddenly slammed

rgency beacon just broke through. It' s

of a second before dread replaced it.

through,"

this time it was broken

.. Ghost-Three... they' r

ice cu

followed was heav

tched. "Sir, what

ooked at the drone show st

ll casualty r

number that didn' t feel real. One hundred and eight. One hundred and eight of my men, caught

nications blackout wasn' t an enemy attack. It was a side effect. The massive, city-wide drone network,

ny behind the drones

ts founder wa

e' s b

thouse apartment I shared with my wife, Dr. Seraphina Vance.

ne in her hand, watching the city below. She w

e, a radiant sm

t it magnificent? Liam pulle

iving room. My uniform felt heavy, coated with t

ech, Sera?" My voice wa

nside, her smile

g about? He developed

ower cells. That' s experimental military tech, Sera. It' s from my unit' s field

brilliant scientist r

ted on patching up soldiers when it

ity. The diverted medical supplies. The experimental tech that had g

y mouth. "They were ambushed tonight. Your brother' s little light show jammed our communicat

shock. Horr

none

of her champagn

Liam' s project will revolutionize urban living. It will save millions of lives in the long run

oreign to me. The love I felt for her moments ago curdled into somet

ex. You should understa

sound echoing in the vast, empty apartment. "The

e body shaking with a rag

t down his entire project. Now. Or I will personally burn his entire empire to

a look of pi

. He' s protected. His investors, the city officials.

me, dismissing me. Di

tuck in your old ways. You

nd walked out of the apartment. I pull

shut down. I want all assets frozen, all contracts voided, all p

verick," Chloe' s voi

t watched the tactical screens, my mind replayi

was Sera. Her voice was no longer calm and d

al marshals are here! They' re raiding the expo! Th

ia, my own heart a cold,

what I woul

o stop this! You' re ruini

reason my me

l get the tech back! Just

up th

swered. I let her witness the consequences. I let her watch as the world she had built for her brother,