The silence that followed the death of the signal was deeper than the absence of sound. It was a void, a sudden, gaping hole in the constant hum of the world that had gone unnoticed until it was gone. In that void, the only things that existed were the crackle of dying electronics, the smell of ozone and scorched logic, and the steady, purple glow from Specter's eyes.
The coalition forces outside felt the cessation like a pressure change. The static on their comms cleared. The pervasive sense of being watched from the stars vanished.
