The Marine massaged his temples, straining to recall everything his team had been through. “Well, we were dropped off at the decommissioned air force base about a week ago. It was just a simple recon mission: retrieve some old data NTC had requested and head back to HQ. But when we entered the underground facility, everything went dark and the doors sealed us in. That’s when I lost contact with my squad. We waited for twenty-four hours before I ordered Corporal Bouma to find a power source. After the facility came back online, he was able to boot up an old analog system—a system that hadn’t been affected by whatever disturbance Dr. Hoffman was talking about. The messages we heard came from all around the world. Russia, Japan, Europe, and then the East Coast. Every one of them mentioned a mist or fog. They also described weird colors in the sky. Then radio silence. Whatever happened started over Asia and spread worldwide in less than twenty-four hours.” Overton paused and took a sip of coffee. “That’s when we saw your Humvee zipping down Highway 115. There’s one other thing, though. Something I’m sure you’re already aware of.”

Sophie nodded. “Go on, sir.”

“Water. Lakes, rivers, streams. It’s all gone. Everything we came across was dry. Like someone sucked it up with the world’s largest drinking straw.”

“You saw this with your own eyes?” Sophie asked.

“You didn’t?” Overton asked with a raised brow.

“We were so fixated on the orbs and getting the hell out of Colorado Springs we didn’t take the time to look at the scenery. Besides, it was dark,” Emanuel said.

“That’s ludicrous. All surface water gone? Not a fucking chance. You don’t actually believe him, do you guys?” Timothy asked, his eye twitching again.

Sophie looked down nervously, recalling her dream of the Kennedy Space Center. It was all connected—it had to be. The Organics had come for the planet’s water. But how did she know? And how could she have dreamed these things before they actually happened?

She shook her head and let the rational part of her mind take control. “He has no reason to lie, Timothy. And if what he says is true, then I believe it may shed light on a theory I have. A theory on how Owen survived the attacks,” she said, biting her lip.

“I’m all ears, Dr. Winston,” Overton replied.

“Yeah, let’s hear some more crazy shit,” Timothy said folding his arms.

Finley leaned over and whispered something to Bouma. Sophie could barely hear him say, “What is this guy’s deal? Why is he even here?”

A chirp from the AI console distracted her, and she turned to see Alexia’s blue face emerge in the corner of the room.

“My apologies for the interruption, but external scanners have picked up some sort of beacon,” Alexia said.