The moment came without warning.
The Verdant Ark hummed with a low, dissonant vibration that did not belong to the wind.
Marie felt it instantly. Her cheat, Geo-Link, tied her directly into the Ark. The moment the construct detected an anomaly, the sensation rippled straight into her senses.
Marie froze. Her pupils contracted as streams of invisible data flooded her mind.
Without hesitation, she seized control. The Verdant Ark came to a full stop.
Its forward momentum vanished as if the world itself had been paused. The massive construct hung motionless in the air. Its engines idled in perfect, controlled stasis.
The abrupt stillness sent a ripple of unease through everyone aboard.
Lucien stepped forward.
"What is it?"
Marie's expression had lost all trace of playfulness.
"The Ark is warning us," she said slowly. "There's something ahead."
Silence fell over the deck.
All eyes turned forward.
