"No. The entity provided a way." He pulled a worn notebook from beneath the pile of papers. "When I submitted my initial research findings, I received a response. Not from the VHC. Not from any human agency. From something else entirely. A message encoded in the quantum fluctuations of a Gate's energy signature."
He opened the notebook and showed me a page covered in symbols I didn't recognize.
"This is the transmission I received. It took me four years to decode it. When I finally understood what it said, I realized that everything I thought I knew about the Rupture was wrong."
"What did it say?"
"It was an invitation. An offer. The entity was willing to provide a suitable consciousness for transfer in exchange for one thing." His eyes met mine. "You. The entity wanted you specifically. Not just any test subject. You. Satori Nakano. The son of Kenji Nakano and Kimiko Nakano. The child who had not yet been conceived when I received the message."
My blood ran cold.
