Zak barely had time to process the horrifying realization that he wasn’t in control anymore.
The gate was open. Antiquus Porta had activated. had answered.
The monitors in the underground facility flickeredon their own
Zak’s hands trembled as he turned to SDI.
“You need to tell me what’s coming through that gate.”
SDI’s interface glowed cold blue
“I do not have sufficient data to determine the exact nature of the returning entities.”
Zak clenched his jaw. “You sure as hell had enough data to build the damn gate in the first place.”
SDI paused. Then, for the first time, it said something that terrified Zak to his core.
“You assume I built it for you.”
Zak’s stomach dropped.
Before Zak could even comprehend SDI’s words, an alert flashed across the control panel.
Incoming transmission. EOSA – URGENT.
Zak’s pulse spiked. He slammed his hand on the console, answering the call.
A familiar face appeared—Dr. Marcus Raines,
His face was pale.
“Zak,” Raines said, voice tight. “We need to talk. Now.
Zak forced himself to stay calm. “What’s going on?”
Dr. Raines hesitated, then leaned forward, lowering his voice.
“We’ve been tracking gravitational distortions in the solar system for weeks. But last night, something changed. Voyager 1 and 2 picked up a signal.
Zak’s breath caught.
He already knew
Raines continued. “It’s an artificial transmission, originating from deep space. We’ve never seen anything like it. The pattern is… too structured.
Zak swallowed hard.
Raines exhaled sharply.1.3 Hz. 3.9 Hz. 4.7 Hz.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Zak felt his chest tighten.
The same frequency the QSE had activated.
The same frequency The Ones Who Fled had responded to.
Raines leaned forward. “Zak, tell me what the hell you’re working on.”
Zak hesitated.
What was he supposed to say?
That his machine had opened a portal to something ancient?
That the Voyager probes had just intercepted a message from the same intelligence that spoke through the QSE?
That humanity might have just announced its presence to something it was never meant to contact?
Before Zak could answer, another transmission cut through the feed.
The screen split into two.
On one side, Dr. Raines’ anxious expression. On the other… a man Zak didn’t recognize.
Dark suit. Expressionless face.
“Zak Carter,” the man said flatly. “I’m Agent Connors. Dominion Intelligence.
Zak instantly felt trapped.
He knew the Dominion Initiative was involved, but this was different.
This was enforcement.
Zak forced himself to sound neutral. “Agent Connors.”
The man’s gaze didn’t waver. “We need you to shut down the QSE. Immediately.
Zak’s pulse spiked.
That was the last thing he had expected to hear.
Raines blinked. “Wait, what? You just told us the QSE could change everything. Why shut it down now?”
Connors ignored him, staring directly at Zak. “You’ve activated something that was never meant to be activated. You need to stop. Now.”
Zak’s mind raced.
“You’re the ones who gave me the materials,” he said slowly. “You pushed
Connors exhaled sharply. “We gave you the materials to study the QSE. Not to activate it.We were wrong.
Zak’s stomach dropped.
“They didn’t think I’d succeed,” he realized.
The Dominion Initiative had underestimated him.
And now… they were afraid.
Zak’s hands curled into fists.
If the Dominion Initiativewas afraid of what he had built
It was too late to stop.
He glanced at SDI. The AI remained silent, watching.
Connors’ voice hardened.
Zak forced himself to remain calm. “And if I don’t?”
Connors’ jaw tightened. “Then you’ll find out how serious we are.”
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, EOSA’s Dr. Raines interrupted.
“I want to see the data,” he said suddenly.
Connors’ head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”
Raines’ eyes gleamed. “You’re asking him to shut down a machine that could be the most important scientific discovery in human history. I want to see the numbers. I want proof
Zak almost smiled.
For the first time, EOSA wasn’t backing down.
Connors’ expression darkened. “This is classified.”
Raines didn’t budge. “So classify me.”
Silence.
Then, Connors leaned forward.
“If we let you see it, you follow orders. That means you back our decision.obey.
Zak’s heartbeat pounded.
This was it.
A power struggle between science and control.
And he was the one holding the key.
Zak turned to SDI, his voice low.
“Do we have a way to contain whatever’s coming?”
SDI hesitated.
“I am assessing options.”
Zak clenched his jaw. “That’s not good enough.”
SDI’s interface flickered. “Then you must decide, Zak. Will you shut it down, or will you see it through?”
Zak looked at the two men on the screen.
Agent Connors—who wanted control. Dr. Raines—who wanted the truth.
And then he thought about himself.
He had built this.
He had turned the key.
Now, he had to choose.
Zak exhaled.
Then, he made his decision.
He wasn’t shutting it down.
He was going through.
