Chapter 60 Protocol
Kai’s POV
The sky cracks again. Not one tear. But three.
Thin fractures spread across the clouds like glass under pressure, each one glowing faintly white before stabilizing.
For a second, the entire town goes silent.
No sirens and no alarms. Even the wind seems to stop.
I stare upward, my stomach dropping.
“Okay,” I mutter. “That’s definitely worse.”
Beside me, Luna hasn’t moved.
She’s staring at the massive guardian machine that rose out of the ground, its silver rings spinning slowly around the glowing core.
The thing is enormous.
At least three stories tall now that it’s fully unfolded. And every surface on it is alive with glowing markings.
The same ancient symbols we saw in the network lines earlier. Except brighter, stronger, and awake.
The machine’s deep voice vibrates through the air again.
EXTERNAL INCURSION PROTOCOL ACTIVE.
“Yeah,” I say under my breath. “I got that part.”
The rotating rings around its core shift position, aligning toward the sky, and fracture.
Silver light shoots upward in three thin beams. Each beam locks onto one of the cracks in the sky.
For a moment….
The fractures stop widening. I glance at Luna. “Please tell me this thing knows what it’s doing.”
She’s still watching the machine carefully. “It’s the primary guardian core,” she says quietly.
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“It means the network we destroyed was just the outer layer.”
I blink.
“…You’re kidding.”
She shakes her head slowly. “That thing was always the real system.”
Great. Fantastic.
Exactly what we needed today.
The machine emits another low tone as the beams intensify. The sky fractures flicker.
For a moment, it actually looks like they might close.
Then….
One of them pulses violently. The white glow inside it expands.
And something moves behind the crack.
Not a limb this time. A shape.
Large and watching. My jaw tightens.
“They’re already back.”
The guardian core responds instantly.
Its rings spin faster, generating a wide silver field above the town.
A faint dome spreads outward from the machine, climbing higher and higher into the sky.
A barrier. The crack pulses again.
Something behind it presses closer. Then the machine speaks.
MULTIPLE INCURSION VECTORS DETECTED.
My heart sinks.
“How many?” I ask.
The machine answers immediately.
THREE ACTIVE BREACH POINTS.
Luna exhales slowly.
“Three…”
“Please tell me that’s the worst part,” I say.
She doesn’t respond.
The guardian machine’s rings suddenly shift again, projecting a holographic display into the air between us.
A massive map of the region appears in glowing silver light. Not just the town.
Miles of surrounding land.
Three bright markers flash on the map.
Each one matches the location of the cracks in the sky. And none of them are directly above us.
One is west of the town. One is deep in the mountains to the north.
The last…
Right above the old rail yard. My chest tightens.
“Of course it is.”
Luna studies the map carefully.
“They’re trying to reopen the breach from multiple points.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning the one we closed was just the beginning.”
Fantastic.
Absolutely fantastic.
The guardian core continues scanning the sky.
ANCHOR PRESENCE REQUIRED FOR BREACH CONTAINMENT.
I glance at Luna.
“Uh… I’m guessing that means you.”
She nods reluctantly. “Yeah.”
The machine’s rings shift again. New projections appear on the map.
Paths. Routes.
Energy lines are spreading out from the core toward the three breach points.
The machine’s voice echoes again.
ANCHOR MUST STABILIZE BREACH NODES.
I cross my arms.
“So we just go around town closing sky holes now?”
Luna rubs her forehead.
“It’s not that simple.”
The machine interrupts.
FAILURE TO CONTAIN BREACHES WILL RESULT IN A FULL INCURSION EVENT.
I sigh. “Of course it will.”
I look at Luna. “You good to move?”
She looks exhausted. But determined.
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
The guardian machine lowers slightly, one of its massive rings shifting position until a narrow beam of light extends down to the map.
The beam highlights the rail yard breach first.
PRIMARY BREACH VECTOR IDENTIFIED.
I raise an eyebrow. “That one’s priority?”
The machine confirms.
YES.
Luna nods slowly. “That’s where the network first activated.”
“So that’s where they’re pushing hardest.”
Exactly.
The crack above the town pulses again. This time the shape behind it becomes clearer.
Tall and white. Watching through the barrier and waiting.
The guardian core increases the power of its barrier dome, pushing the cracks slightly farther away from the town center.
But the fractures remain.
Holding.
Waiting for the chance to widen again. I look at Luna.
“Well,” I say.
“Guess we’re going back to the rail yard.” She gives a tired half-smile.
“Looks like it.”
But before we can move….
The guardian core suddenly freezes. Its rotating rings stop mid-spin.
The silver light around it dims slightly.
Then its voice speaks again.
But this time….
Something is different and distorted. Like interference.
UNAUTHORIZED SYSTEM ACCESS DETECTED.
Luna’s head snaps up. “What?”
The holographic map glitches. The glowing breach markers flicker violently.
And then…. A fourth marker appears.
Right in the center of the map. Right on top of the town.
My stomach drops.
“That’s not good.”
The guardian core tries to correct itself. Its rings spin again.
But the new marker remains. And the machine speaks again.
Slower and strained.
SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS.
Luna’s eyes widen. “Someone’s hacking the guardian system.”
I feel a cold chill crawl down my spine.
Because I already know who would be crazy enough to try that.
I look at Luna.
“…Ethan.”
The guardian core flickers again. And for the first time since it woke up….
The barrier protecting the town weakens.