Time Remaining: 30 Days, 08 Hours. (Status: Core Frequency: 46 Hertz. Stalled.) Location: The Core Control Room - Central Junction.
The sound in the bunker had changed. Two days ago, it had been a scream. Then, for a brief window, it had been a hum. Now, it was a throb.
Wub... Wub... Wub...
It was a low-frequency pulse, vibrating at exactly 4 Hertz. It hit the chest like a slow, heavy fist. It rattled the coffee cups on the metal desks. It made the teeth ache. It was the sound of interference. The sound of a machine fighting itself.
Arthur stood at the Primary Throttle. He hadn't slept in thirty hours. His face was grey, covered in a sheen of sweat and coal dust. He was watching the main oscilloscope. The green line was no longer smooth. It was "fuzzy," overlaid with a jagged, frantic static.
