The first tremor hit like a heartbeat underfoot—so subtle that Gray thought it was just another fluctuation in the generators. But when the lights dimmed and didn’t flicker back on, he felt the familiar crawl of adrenaline slide down his spine.

He slammed his hand against the nearest terminal. “Come on, come on—don’t do this to me now.”

The screens stayed dark for three heartbeats. Then, with a faint click, the main display came alive again—lines of green and blue code scrolling ...