THE STARDUST FORTUNE

Chapter 37: Points of No Return

The control room's screens blazed with warnings as the beings' energy signatures multiplied across the globe. Alex stood at the center of a triangulated field between Eleanor and Luna, his form flickering between states.

"The convergence is accelerating," Luna's hands flew across multiple interfaces. "We're losing containment!"

"Let it go," Eleanor's transformed state pulsed with intense light. "It's meant to happen."

"Like this?" Alex gestured to the screens showing global chaos. "With billions screaming?"

"They're not screaming," Eleanor moved closer. "They're awakening."

The beings' message thundered through every speaker:

WE ARE HERE/WE ARE YOU/YOU ARE US

"Listen to their syntax," Luna highlighted wave patterns. "It's not communication - it's programming!"

Eleanor shook her head. "It's evolution."

"It's both," Alex's voice resonated strangely. "And neither."

The facility shuddered as another wave hit.

"We have minutes," Luna warned. "Maybe less."

"Before what?" Alex demanded.

"Bef