I--- Antonov — An 990

During the testing phase over the Siberian Exclusion Zone, pilots reported a curious side effect. When the 990 activated its primary resonator, birds fell from the sky not dead, but asleep. Rivers below the flight path stopped flowing—the vibration stilled the meniscus of water into glass. On the ground, listening posts heard nothing. But their teeth ached. Their dreams turned into repeating loops of a single, low C note.

The I-Carrier

The designation was not a mistake, though the censors wished it were. Scrawled in faded blue pencil on the edge of the technical schematic, the index read: I--- Antonov An-990. i--- Antonov An 990

The pilot, a weathered woman named Katerina, flipped the master resonator switch. During the testing phase over the Siberian Exclusion