Miles should have hung up. He really should have. But the clock was ticking, and Elara would be here soon. He patched a microphone into Channel 2, held it close to his lips, and tried not to feel like an idiot.

The error message on the control software was a clinical, cruel thing: Authorization Code Required.

Thank you for remembering that gear has ears. – Gregor, 2008.

“I’m not talking about ghosts. I’m talking about intention .” Another pause. “Those twenty-four units, they don’t just process sound. They remember it. Every master that passed through them left a fingerprint. Yours has heard everything from Dolly Parton to death metal. And now, it’s decided it doesn’t like your code anymore.”