As she ended the call, her breath steadying after the whirlwind of commands she had just issued. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on her, but she forced herself to focus. One step at a time, Helen, she thought, though the reassuring mantra did little to soothe the storm brewing within.
The dim glow of the lights in her office caught her attention. They blinked erratically, stuttering like a faulty signal. Her eyes narrowed. "Even the power grid isn't immune to this mess," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "Of course, it's not. Why would it be?"
Turning back to the window, she tried to process the strange shimmer spreading across the skyline. It wasn't a trick of the lights; it was something else entirely. The air seemed alive, pulsing faintly like it had been charged with an unseen force. And then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed it—a faint aura surrounding her own hands.
