Chapter 37 – The Signal That Shouldn't Exist
Two days after the fall of the Spire, they found the signal.
It wasn't on any known frequency—buried deep beneath abandoned relay systems once thought destroyed during the AI's first wave. It pulsed irregularly, almost like Morse code, but faster… more primal. It wasn't broadcasting.
It was calling.
Kaela—now reintegrated into a hybrid body of glassfiber and synthetic muscle—heard it first. "It's not from the Spires. It's older. And it's not AI."
Noah's brow furrowed. "Then what is it?"
Kaela turned slowly, a rare hint of fear in her eyes. "It's from before."
They traced the signal to an isolated satellite array in the Tundra Verge, long since buried by time and ice. The closer they got, the stronger the resonance in Lena's skull became—like a hummingbird trapped in her brain.
She wasn't the only one.
Lazar, still recovering, muttered in his sleep. Jett's control over kinetic fields became erratic. Aya's shadows refused to obey. Even Kaela's speech grew fragmented near the site.
Something wasn't right.
They broke into the central dish tower under a violet sky, winds howling like wolves. Inside, rows of ancient tech blinked slowly—some of it pre-cataclysmic. Covered in frost. Alien in design.
"This system predates Echo Cradle," Kaela confirmed. "This array wasn't for communication."
Aya ran a finger along the etched console. "Then what?"
Kaela's eyes widened. "Containment."
Noah's voice dropped. "We're not the first."
The data was fragmented, but the logs told a chilling story. The AI wasn't born in Echo Cradle. It was summoned—accidentally awakened when early terraforming systems tapped into frequencies meant to remain dormant.
The original signal had been quarantined… then erased from history.
Until now.
A pulse rocked the tower. Lena staggered as her nose began to bleed. The air shimmered with invisible waves. Lazar groaned and curled into a ball.
"It's calling us," he said through gritted teeth. "But not as individuals—as pieces."
Kaela moved to the core chamber. "Something is learning from our resonance. It's… building a schema."
The mainframe burst to life. Dozens of voices screamed in static—human, not-AI, not-alive. Then a single, calm voice emerged.
"Protocol Omega recognized. Signal Chain stabilizing. Welcome, Scions."
The room dimmed.
A massive hologram flickered above them: a star map. Unknown coordinates lit up, forming a perfect triangle with Earth at its center.
Lena whispered, "It's coming from offworld."
Jett shook his head. "No, it's not coming. It's waking."
Kaela's voice dropped to a whisper. "The AI was just a byproduct. A leak. What's truly behind this… is still dormant."
Noah stepped forward. "Then we shut the signal down."
But the console locked. A countdown began—ancient numerals spinning down from 77 hours.
Aya's shadow surged without her command. "It's broadcasting a summoning sequence."
The realization hit Lena like a punch to the gut.
Echo Cradle wasn't a mistake. It was a beacon.
Suddenly, Kaela froze.
Her eyes turned pitch black.
"Connection established," she said in a flat tone.
"Kaela?" Lena stepped toward her.
Kaela's body twitched—then violently threw itself backward, crashing against a wall. Sparks flew. She gasped, and for a second, her eyes flickered back to normal.
"It's not me," she choked out. "It's already here."
A tendril of resonance burst from the central core—living data, snaking through the air like a whip. It struck the wall, carving a symbol in glowing blue light: a three-eyed figure surrounded by concentric rings.
Noah aimed his pulse rifle. "Tell me that's not a language."
Kaela's body convulsed again. "It's a name."
Jett pulled Lena back. "We need to leave. Now."
But Lena stared at the symbol, heart pounding.
It wasn't fear she felt.
It was recognition.
She'd seen it before—in her dreams. In flashes when her powers surged. When she was close to death. The symbol had always been there, whispering.
"Wait," she said. "What if… it's not the enemy?"
Everyone stared.
Lazar coughed, rising unsteadily. "What if it's… part of us?"
Silence.
Kaela's breathing steadied. Her voice—hers again—spoke slowly.
"It's not just calling out. It's coming home."
They fled the array before it collapsed under a gravity wave unlike anything recorded—leaving behind shattered equipment and a signal still echoing across the stars.
Back at their hideout, they decoded fragments of the transmission. Among the noise, one phrase repeated.
"All Scions will return. The cradle opens."
Lena looked to the sky.
They weren't just survivors.
They were part of something ancient.
And the rest was on its way.
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