The geometric pattern held on every screen for three seconds longer, rotating slowly, its edges sharp and white against black, pulsing like a heartbeat. Then it vanished, replaced by Eclipse's normal interface.
But the normalcy was a lie. Sophie could feel it in the way the systems responded—sluggish, delayed by microseconds, like someone else was still there, watching, waiting to see what Eclipse would do next.
"Seraleth," Sophie said, her voice cutting through the silence that had settled over the conference room. "Stay at headquarters. Alert all non-deployed personnel that we've experienced a security breach. No one accesses any systems until further notice. No communications, no data transfers, nothing. Everyone waits."
Seraleth's confusion showed clearly on her face, but she nodded. "Understood. What about the teams?"
"I'll handle them." Sophie looked at Sam. "Grab your tablets. We're leaving."
