The ground beneath them wasn’t stable anymore.

It rippled like glass under heat, each step sending waves of light shivering outward through the infinite lattice. The air buzzed with static, thick enough to taste.

Hale stumbled to his knees, gripping the shifting surface. His vision doubled — code bleeding through the edges of reality like veins of fire.

“Evelyn!” he shouted into the distortion.

She appeared seconds later, her form flickering, her voice broken by interference. ...