Chapter 6: Signal in the Shadows

Chapter 6: Signal in the Shadows The sun had barely set, but the Westside lot was already dim. Clouds had rolled in quickly, blocking the moonlight. The AI Apartment Block stood halfway complete—its solar windows glowing faintly, like quiet beacons in the dark. Jaden stood on the second-floor scaffolding, staring at the system screen hovering in front of him. Alert: External system scan detected. Unknown trace signal. Recommend caution. He tapped the warning, but the screen wouldn’t show more. Just a red blinking icon at the top corner of his interface. "Carl," Jaden called, climbing down to where the team was packing up for the night. "Something’s not right." Carl looked up from his tablet. "What kind of not right?" "My system’s picking up a trace scan. Someone’s trying to follow its signal." Carl’s face tightened. "That’s not good." Emma, who was checking the power lines, paused and walked over. "Could it just be background tech noise? You know how messy signal traffic gets around the city." "No," Jaden said, shaking his head. "This one’s different. It’s targeted. Like someone is tracking the system itself." Luke came running over, his small drone buzzing beside him. "I just picked up something weird too," he said, pulling out his device. "Look at this—an encrypted frequency bouncing through relay towers in Sector 3. It pinged our location twice in the last hour." Rick let out a low whistle. "Someone knows we’re doing something big." Carl rubbed his beard. "And they don’t want it to happen." They decided to set up a temporary firewall around the build zone. Luke used his drone to map the digital perimeter, while Jaden added a jamming field blueprint from the system—a new unlock he hadn’t seen before. Blueprint Unlocked: Pulse-Block Signal Fence Purpose: Hide digital activity and location data for small areas Power Source: Solar Grid / Backup Cell Jaden and Carl installed four tall poles made of scrap metal around the edge of the lot. Luke connected a small energy cell at the center and activated the fence. A soft hum spread through the air. The signal trace icon on Jaden’s interface dimmed. For now, they were hidden. But not safe. The next day brought new challenges. A city patrol drone flew by overhead—slow, watching, scanning. It circled twice before gliding away. Carl and Rick watched it quietly from the rooftop. "That’s a company drone," Carl said. "Private security. Might be from NovaCore." "NovaCore?" Jaden asked. Carl nodded. "They build tech for the high-rises. Smart weapons, AI housing, energy systems. They don’t like outsiders building things they can’t control." "You think they’re behind the trace?" "Maybe. Or maybe just watching. But once they figure out you’ve got a system that can build cities from blueprints... they’ll come." Jaden looked at the partially built structure—the classrooms, the solar panels, the cooling systems. "I’m not stopping." Carl gave him a proud smile. "Didn’t expect you to." That night, the system offered something new. New Feature Unlocked: Architect Beacon Purpose: Send hidden signal to potential allies nearby. Invite silent builders. Limit: Use once every 7 days. Only for verified safe zones. Jaden hesitated. But then he looked at the build progress: 70%. He needed more help. He tapped "Activate." The beacon sent out a signal—soft, invisible, like a whisper through the code. The next morning, two strangers stood outside the fence. One was a woman in her thirties, with sharp eyes and gloves covered in dust. The other was a man with a digital scanner arm and a cart full of scrap. "You sent the signal?" the woman asked. Jaden nodded slowly. "You’re... builders?" "Used to be," the man said. "Till the city locked up everything. Now we just wait for someone brave—or crazy—enough to build again." Carl looked at Jaden and smiled. "Looks like your network just got bigger." New Users Joined: Sarah (Builder – Structure), Marcus (Engineer – Mechanics) System Trust Level Increasing... +2 Crew Members +1 Build Token Earned The build site was busy again. Sarah helped Emma reinforce the third floor. Marcus repaired old fans and added cooling vents to the hallways. Rick installed steel reinforcements. Luke fine-tuned the AI cores. Jaden stood in the center of it all—watching, learning, guiding. Project Progress: 89% But then... A notification popped up. Unauthorized Scan Detected. Sector Origin: NovaCore Satellite Array. Trace Confirmed. Incoming Response Team — ETA: 24 Hours Jaden’s throat tightened. They were coming.