The vault door had barely sealed behind them when the alarms died.

Not silenced; *died*. Every light in the sub-basement flickered once, then settled into the soft, steady glow of the containment lattice floating between Laken’s palms. The city’s chaos (sirens, ley-line tremors, Agnetha’s distant screaming) felt suddenly muffled, as though the lab had slipped into a pocket between heartbeats.

They were alone with the star they’d built.

Reed set the ...