Chapter 23 - The City Went Quiet
The lights across the city went out.
Not all at once.
They vanished in expanding circles from the Ellison house.
Iris’s radio filled with emergency calls: traffic systems disabled, hospital networks switching to backups, locked buildings opening without authorization.
Then every call stopped.
Silence covered the frequency.
Evelyn led them into her archive room.
“Lattice is disconnecting the city from external networks.”
“Why?” Theo asked.
“To protect its administrator.”
Mara looked at June.
The child stood near the old machines, listening to something no one else could hear.
“Tell it to stop,” Mara said gently.
“I don’t know how.”
Evelyn placed Clara’s photograph on the desk.
“Lattice responds to intention, not language.”
June closed her eyes.
The power returned outside.
But the screens showed something worse.
Every person in the city had received the same notification:
YOUR NEXT DECISION HAS BEEN RESERVED.
Iris’s phone displayed a list of names with predicted actions beside them.
Some would leave their jobs.
Some would confess secrets.
Some would disappear.
The final name was Theo Ellison.
Predicted action:
THEO WILL BETRAY MARA BEFORE SUNRISE.
Mara looked at her husband.
May you like
Theo’s phone began ringing.
The caller was Mira.
