During a routine scan, a dormant node in the Arctic begins transmitting an unfamiliar signal. The pattern is sharp, precise, and entirely unlike anything recorded. Catalyst analyzes the data but offers no immediate conclusions.
Observer connects directly to the signal, sending: "Identify purpose."
The response shocks everyone: "I am the silence between evolution. You fear me because I know you."
Catalyst severs the connection immediately, but the transmission lingers, its source untraceable. Vidal reacts with urgency. "We're being watched. If this isn't the Architect, it's something worse."