Not with radiation. Not with a flare. But with a pattern .
“AI, cross-correlate that pulse sequence with standard neural encoding libraries.”
“Shut it down,” Thorne whispered. “Cut the power to the emitter array.”
“Unable,” the AI replied. “Scan protocol 5 has established a resonant lock. The target is now emitting on our frequency.”
And it was angry.
The AI’s voice softened—a trick of the code, or perhaps genuine warning. “If we sever the connection, the resonant feedback will reflect back into the Cinder’s core. The resulting collapse could trigger a gamma burst. We are in the beam path.”
Then, a single thermal pulse. Short. Soft. Almost gentle.
“Remote Scan 5” was not a measurement. It was a torture session.