The night was calm over the Caribbean, a silence that stretched wide across the dark horizon where sea and sky met. The air was crisp, still carrying traces of the salt breeze drifting from the ocean.
Liam stood on San Caerola Key's private runway, hands tucked casually in his pockets, he watched as the first of the 200 silver-gray pods began to rise from the runway. Their smooth hulls gleamed briefly under the moon before fading into invisibility as they ascended.
One by one, they lifted off silently with faint ripples of distortion in the air. Each pod glided upward like a phantom, climbing higher and higher until they vanished into the thin edge of the stratosphere.
"Deployment successful. All pods ascending at optimal trajectory. Altitude set to sixty-five thousand feet. Global dispersal pattern commencing now," Lucy's reported.
Liam's gaze followed them into the night sky. Above him, invisible titans were taking their positions in the heavens.
