Nobody spoke after the lights vanished.
The darkness stretching across Basa's skyline felt unnatural.
Even from several kilometers away, the city had always announced its presence. Floodlights illuminated the perimeter walls. Hangars remained active throughout the night. Apartment districts glowed with thousands of windows while construction sites continued working beneath portable towers that turned darkness into daylight.
Now...
Nothing.
The city had disappeared.
Ryan stared toward the horizon.
"...That's impossible."
The officer standing beside the disabled military truck swallowed.
"Sir, the lights came back for maybe two seconds."
"And then?"
"They all died again."
Adrian looked toward Samuel.
"What would cause that?"
Samuel slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
He hated saying those words.
Normally he could explain almost any technical failure. A damaged power station. A cyberattack. A failed transformer. Communications interference.
This...
