Darkness swallowed the command vehicle.
The monitors went black.
The steady hum of cooling fans disappeared, followed by the faint buzz of radios that had filled the vehicle only seconds before. For an instant, the only sound came from the rain tapping against the metal roof.
Then the emergency lights came alive.
A dim red glow washed over the cramped interior.
Marcus reacted first.
His rifle came up, its muzzle settling squarely on Kaguya.
The four Atlas operators behind him mirrored the movement without waiting for an order. Every weapon inside the vehicle pointed toward the only person they knew had once infiltrated their city.
Ryan reached for the emergency radio clipped beside the driver's seat.
Nothing.
Not even static.
"What the hell..."
He pressed the transmit button again.
Still nothing.
Outside, the silence felt even stranger.
The rotors of the drones had vanished.
Vehicle engines no longer rumbled in the distance.
