Story 1268: Disconnected Signals

They climbed a crumbled ridge above the swamp just before dawn.

For a moment, everything was still. No lightning. No reanimated giants. Just wind brushing over the exposed hillside, and a distant flicker—blue light, blinking like a heartbeat.

Juno shielded her eyes. “That tower… it’s broadcasting.”

“Signal Relay C9,” H-13 confirmed, examining the pulse on his scanner. “Meant to bounce emergency transmissions to the outer colonies. But it was decommissioned before the breach. No power, no encryption... and yet, it’s still on.”

Shade knelt beside a rusted VIREX sign half-buried in dirt. The warning had peeled away, but he could just make out a phrase:

“Silent Zone: No Transmission. No Return.”

“Something’s forcing that signal,” he said. “And it’s not friendly.”