The Warning Signal

The cold lingered in Jessica’s bones as they made their way through the town, weaving through narrow streets lined with abandoned buildings and dimly lit storefronts. The tension from their meeting with Kovač still clung to them, an unshakable weight pressing down with every step. They had left him behind with nothing but a locked door and a trembling bottle in his hand. There wasn’t time to convince him to come with them.

“We need to move fast,” Olivia said, checking her phone as she walked. “There’s no telling how long we have before they realize we’ve been here.”

Jessica barely acknowledged the words, her mind stuck on what Kovač had said. Because you were never meant to be lost. You were meant to be seen. The words haunted her. How many people had known who she was before she even introduced herself? How many recognized her face in ways they shouldn't?

Leanna nudged her. “You okay?”

Jessica exhaled slowly. “No. But let’s keep going.”

“There’s a power relay complex near the edge of town,” Olivia said, eyes still on her screen. “It was flagged in one of Kovač’s files.”

They turned down an alley toward the outskirts, where the industrial skeleton of an old power station waited—abandoned, crumbling, but isolated enough to serve as a temporary safe house. It wasn’t much, but it would give them a place to breathe.

The power station loomed in the distance, its skeletal remains a ghost of past industry. As they approached, Olivia frowned at her phone. “Something’s off.”

Jessica tensed. “What is it?”

“There’s unusual network activity coming from inside the complex.”

Leanna frowned. “I thought this place was abandoned.”

“It is. But someone—or something—is using it.”

Jessica clenched her fists. “Let’s find out who.”

---

The entrance was half-collapsed, rusted metal beams making it difficult to squeeze through. Jessica led the way, ducking past debris, her heart pounding in her chest. The interior was a vast, empty space filled with shattered glass, overturned filing cabinets, and exposed wiring hanging from the ceiling.

“This place gives me bad vibes,” Leanna muttered.

Olivia was already at work, her laptop balanced on a dusty crate as she tapped away. “There’s a live data feed here,” she murmured. “Someone’s been using this place as a relay point for encrypted transmissions.”

Jessica exchanged a look with Leanna. “Vanguard?”

Olivia’s expression darkened. “It’s possible. The signal is bouncing through multiple proxies, but if I can crack it…”

A faint hum filled the air. A row of old monitors along the far wall flickered to life, their dusty screens showing static before shifting to lines of scrolling code.

Jessica took a cautious step forward. “Is this Vanguard’s work?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. This is something else.”

The screens flashed again, and suddenly, a grainy black-and-white image appeared. A blurred figure, barely distinguishable, stood in a dimly lit room. Then a voice—heavily distorted—filled the space.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Jessica turned and stepped towards the door. “Who the hell are you?”

The figure remained still for a moment before responding. “A warning.”

Leanna grabbed Jessica’s arm with one hand and her pistol with the other. “We need to go.”

Olivia frantically typed on her keyboard. “I’ve seen this type of proxy scramble before… They know we’re here.”

The lights flickered, and a metallic clanking echoed through the power station. The sound of heavy boots reverberated through the empty halls.

Jessica inhaled sharply. “We’re not alone.”

The monitors cut to black. Then the voice spoke one last time before the system shut down entirely.

“They’re coming.”