The second crisis did not blink politely on a dashboard.
It went dark.
At 8:17 p.m., the capital's central power grid failed.
Not a flicker.
Not a rolling brownout.
A full systemic shutdown across seven metropolitan districts.
Hospitals switched to backup generators.
Transit tunnels stalled mid-route.
Communication towers sputtered under emergency power.
And within ninety seconds, the national emergency protocol flagged something worse.
It wasn't mechanical failure.
It was coordinated disruption.
Mira was in the apartment kitchen when the lights cut out.
The refrigerator hummed once and died.
The hallway fell into shadow.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then her secure emergency device vibrated.
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE — LEVEL ONE
She didn't hesitate.
"Adrian."
He was already moving.
His phone glowed faintly in the darkness.
"Grid collapse," he said calmly.
"Yes."
Silence.
They both understood immediately.
This wasn't coincidence.
It was timing.
