Chapter Three: The Deleted Sister

Helix moved first. An armored robot emerged from behind an SUV, charged the truck, and entered the physical code. A Clocktower drone fired an interference needle, using the robot’s connection to inject its regulatory certificate. Afraid the others would seize the carrier, Convergence drove cooling to maximum and attempted to freeze the interface. All three locks opened in the same second. “Now!” Zero shouted. Su Lan fired through the broadcast van’s battery safety valve. A hard electromagnetic pulse swept the tunnel. Every drone and robot went dark for two seconds. Lin ran with the old router on his back and plugged fiber into the truck. Data flooded his terminal. Seventeen percent.