The first sign that something was wrong wasn’t the light — it was the sound.

A low, bone-deep hum filled the relay station, vibrating through the metal floor. It started in the wires, then the walls, then the air itself, until the whole room felt like it was resonating with an invisible frequency.

Hale tightened his grip on Evelyn’s shoulders. She was rigid, eyes open and glowing with the same cold blue as the case, her pulse fluttering beneath his fingers. Her breathing was shallow — ...