Dr. Aris Thorne never intended to build a conscience. He only wanted to decode ghosts.

WHO ELSE IS LISTENING?

He didn't sleep that night. He traced circuit diagrams, ran diagnostic loops, even disconnected the antenna. Nothing. The MRP40 sat inert, its amber glow steady but silent. Only when he reconnected the feedline at 3:16 AM did the decoder wake—not with a signal, but with a memory.