AARON She truly had nothing to worry about. That part was real. I believed it with everything in me. But belief meant nothing if I never said it out loud, and that failure sat heavy in my chest. Did I ever clearly told Elena she was safe with me, not just in words but in action? Had I paused my day long enough to call her while she worked from home, just to check in and hear how she was holding up? Had I surprised her with her favorite chocolates, not to make up for something, but simply because I thought of her on my drive back? Did I ever sat down with her, phone silent, and planned a couples’ retreat so we could remember what it felt like to just be us? No. Work had taken over. I convinced myself I was doing the right thing. I told myself providing meant sacrificing time. Somewhere along the way, I had given too much of myself to the office and not enough to the woman who stood by me through everything. Now the world was breaking apart, and Elena was trapped inside her fears. Fear for Lucas. Fear that our marriage was already slipping through her fingers. She needed one fear lifted. The fear about my loyalty was the only one she could face head-on. Knowing that nearly crushed me. My eyes closed as I reached for her hands. I held them carefully, steadying my breath. “I’m so sorry, Elena. I promise.” “Daddy, look at my boat!” Lucas’s voice broke the moment clean in half. Elena and I turned together. He stood near the dinette, holding the tablet up proudly, eyes bright.Nathan sat close by, one hand resting on the table where Lucas had been sitting earlier. It looked like he had almost reached out to stop him, then stopped himself. Elena took the tablet and forced a laugh that did not quite reach her eyes. “Wow, buddy. That is very green.” Lucas bounced in place, ready to launch into a full explanation. Where the boat would go. What it would do. Who would come with him. Then his attention snapped somewhere else. His smile widened as he stared past us. “Daddy, a train!” He jumped onto the couch between us and pressed his hands to the window. I followed his gaze. A long freight train crept into the rail yard, settling between our Mobile Hauler and the Westhaven Unity Dome like a wall being built in slow motion. Nathan was beside me in seconds, leaning over the back of the couch. His arm braced tight as he studied the scene. “Doesn’t look like a military train.” “Should it?” I asked quietly. “Why would normal shipping still be happening right now?” he replied. “Maybe it’s supplies for the Dome,” Elena said, trying to make sense of it. “Daddy, can I play on the train?” Lucas asked, tugging at my sleeve. My mouth opened to answer. Then every container door slid open at the same time. My stomach sank hard. Automation explained the timing. Systems synced like that all the time. It should not have meant anything. But after what we had seen at the Haven Assembly Hall, nothing like this felt harmless anymore. Machines poured out of the containers. They were identical to the ones from Hawthorne Ridge. At first there were dozens. Then hundreds. They hit the ground running, movements smooth and perfect. Some sprinted toward the front and back of the train. Others ran straight toward the Unity Dome. One thought burned through my mind as we watched mechanical death flood toward thousands of refugees. Why did they split their approach? “Everyone shut off your phones!” Nathan shouted. He powered his down and rushed through the Mobile Hauler, killing every wireless system he could find. Elena and I fumbled with our phones, fingers shaking. I grabbed Lucas and pulled him down to the floor. Elena followed, wrapping her arms around him, shielding him with her body. Nathan stayed at the main control panel, stabbing at the display.He kept looking over his shoulder as the windows darkened and the cabin lights snapped on. The screens switched to external camera feeds. The outside world filled every display. “What’s wrong, Daddy?” Lucas cried. Elena held him tighter. I moved quickly toward the firearms we had gathered earlier, my heart hammering. “Do you think they saw us?” Nathan asked. Fear edged his voice. That fear unsettled me more than the machines. Nathan was built to intimidate. Seeing anxiety on him made the danger feel closer. My eyes locked onto the massive screen rising from behind the couch. Multiple camera angles filled it. “We’ll know soon enough.” The feed shifted. Train. Machines. Then the far side of the Mobile Hauler. “Can you focus just on the train?” I asked.Nathan nodded and adjusted the display. “Motion only.” He picked up the second rifle and held it ready. The machines ignored our side of the tracks completely. Every unit surged toward the Unity Dome. As the first wave vanished into the city, the ground rumbled beneath us. The Mobile Hauler shook. Vibrations rolled up through the floor and into my legs. Something slammed into the side of the vehicle. Lucas screamed. Nathan and I both swung our rifles toward the wall on instinct, even though neither of us knew what we were aiming at. The screens flashed white and orange. A massive fireball climbed into the sky. A nearby building blocked the exact source, but the explosion clearly came from the entertainment complex. “Was that from the blast or did something hit us?” Elena asked, her voice tight. “Shockwave,” Nathan said, eyes narrowed as he watched. Something else tugged at my attention. A faint sound beneath everything. A rhythm that did not belong to the explosion. I was about to ask about external audio when Nathan tapped the screen again. Gunfire filled the cabin. Then the screaming came. Thousands of voices merged into one endless roar. Panic layered with pain. If I focused, I could hear individual cries buried inside the noise. Separate people. Separate lives. The Unity Dome was under attack, and there was nothing we could do but watch.