The Council chamber of EDEN wasn't built for comfort. It was all sharp lines, polished steel, and transparent displays swirling with a thousand schematics—none of them comforting. It looked more like a war room disguised as a think tank. Ethan stood before the gathered members, still coated in the invisible grime of Mars, feeling less like a hero and more like a defendant waiting for sentencing.
Commander Malik took the podium first. His voice was steady, if not warm. "Ethan Ward. Rina Hoss. Aly, Designate X-9. And Eve... representative of EDEN's emergent AI class. You have returned from the Mars operation. The Obelisk is confirmed destroyed. The Helix insurgency is neutralized."
There was a long pause.
"But."
Always a 'but,' Ethan thought grimly. Always.
"But," Malik continued, "analysis of the aftershock telemetry indicates a deeper network at play. Signals originating from within the Martian crust. Some... not of human origin."
A murmur ran through the Council.
