Chapter 7: Countdown
Jaden stared at the warning blinking in the corner of his system interface.
Unauthorized Scan Detected. Sector Origin: NovaCore Satellite Array.
Trace Confirmed. Incoming Response Team — ETA: 24 Hours
Twenty-four hours.
That was all the time they had left.
The AI Apartment Block was almost done. Only one floor remained. The walls were standing, the solar panels were working, and the AI systems were coming online. The place was starting to feel real—like a future carved out of rust and hope.
But now, the clock was ticking.
"They’re sending a team," Jaden told the group that night. They sat in a tight circle around a small camp stove behind the building. The smell of hot noodles filled the air, but no one was eating.
"How do you know?" Carl asked.
Jaden showed them the system alert.
Luke cursed under his breath. "If NovaCore is tracking us, they might not just send a scout drone. They could bring full lockdown units."
"They’ll want to shut this down," Sarah added. "And take whatever is powering your system."