For a while, it seemed like they had carved a careful peace. Fans hummed; the child's breath slowed. Noora exhaled enough to taste relief.

"Next time," Noora echoed.

"Install or hold?" Kade asked.

"Shut it," Noora whispered. The command line blinked like a heart monitor in a dark room. But the town wasn’t a single machine you could power down. PMVHaven was more like an overgrown circuit board, and every attempt to short one path sent current screaming through another.