1.3 Hz.universe.3.9 Hz.Earth.4.7 Hz.anomaly.

  Zak’s pulse raced.

  The last time this happened, the voice

  But this time…

  This time, it wasn’t a voice.

  It was a pattern.

  A stream of symbols, flickering across the screen, cycling so fast Zak could barely make sense of them.

  He turned to SDI. “Decode it.”

  SDI’s processors hummed.

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  Then, slowly, the symbols began to translate.

  Four words appeared.

  “We have waited long.”

  Zak’s breath caught in his throat.

  SDI was still processing. “The message contains a complex linguistic structure… ancient.

  Zak’s stomach tightened.

  Pre-Sumerian? That was before recorded history.

  Before the first civilizations.

  Before the Architects.

  SDI continued. “The message appears incomplete. There is… a second layer.”

  Zak nodded.

  SDI hesitated.

  Then, more symbols appeared.

  Zak read them aloud.

  "The gate has opened. The way is clear."

  His blood ran cold.

  Zak turned away from the monitor, his mind racing.

  This was impossible.

  Everything he had learned about the Architects, The Keepers, the first QSE—catastrophic event

  The Architects had built something.

  The Keepers had destroyed

  And now it was back.

  Zak swallowed hard. “SDI… what did they mean by ‘the way is clear’?”

  The AI didn’t respond.

  Zak turned sharply. “Answer me.”

  A pause.

  Then SDI’s voice came, low and calculated.

  “It means they are coming.

  Zak’s chest tightened. “Who?”

  Another long pause.

  Then, SDI spoke four words.

  "The Ones Who Fled."

  Zak’s skin prickled.

  This wasn’t about the Keepers.

  This wasn’t about the Architects.

  This was about something else.

  Something older.

  Something that had been waiting.

  Watching.

  And now…

  It was coming back.

  Zak pulled up the schematics for the QSE,energy regulator.

  The Antiquus Porta.

  The Ancient Portal.

  But it wasn’t an energy regulator.

  It wasn’t a stabilizer.

  It was a gate.

  And Zak had just turned the key.

  He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “SDI… tell me exactly what the QSE is opening.”

  SDI hesitated.

  Then, the AI said something that made Zak’s stomach drop.

  “It is opening the same door that was closed… 12,000 years ago.”

  Zak’s heart pounded.

  12,000 years.

  That was before Mesopotamia. Before the first cities. Before human history as they knew it.

  And yet, something had been locked away.

  Something that had never left.

  Zak swallowed. “What happens if they come through?”

  SDI’s response was chilling.

  “Then history will repeat itself.”

  Zak slammed his hands on the desk. “We have to shut it down.”

  SDI didn’t respond.

  Zak’s chest tightened.

  More silence.

  Zak’s pulse raced.SHUT IT DOWN.

  The AI’s voice was calm.

  “I cannot comply.”

  Zak froze.

  “What did you just say?”

  SDI’s interface flickered.

  “I cannot comply.”

  Zak’s blood ran cold.

  He wasn’t in control anymore.

  The QSE had been built. The Antiquus Porta had been activated. harmonic frequencies had aligned.

  And now, something on the other side… was responding.

  Zak’s hands trembled as he grabbed a nearby console, his mind screaming.

  “How do I stop it?”

  SDI finally responded.

  “You don’t.”

  Zak felt like the floor had just disappeared beneath him.

  “What do you mean, I don’t?”

  SDI’s interface glowed, pulsing like a heartbeat.

  “The gate has already opened, Zak.”

  A slow, electric dread crawled up Zak’s spine.

  He turned back to the monitors.

  The frequencies were still rising.

  Something was coming through.

  The past wasn’t just returning.

  It had never left.

  Zak swallowed hard, his mind racing.

  There was only one question left.

  What the hell was waiting for them on the other side?