Then, absolute, deafening silence. Dead air.
No static. No shouting. No engine rumbles. No breathing. Just three black screens reflecting our terrified, frozen faces in the dark.
"Byte..." I whisper. My throat is so dry the word barely forms. "Byte, bring it back."
"The jammer... something hit the relay,” Byte says, still typing furiously. “Or they cut the frequency. The whole bridge is dark."
"Bring it back!" Jade screams. "Byte, bring them back! Who was hit?"
"I can’t," Byte says, staring at the blank screens. "The loop is dead, and I’ve got nothing. Zero signal.”
I stand up, but my knees are shaking so violently I have to grab the back of the sofa to keep from collapsing onto the floor. My heart isn't just beating: it’s hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, cold dread flo
