The Silence Before the Leap
Humans don't hear silence.
They fill it — with engines, words, wars. And when something doesn't speak, they assume it's safe. Harmless. Unworthy of attention.
That's what they thought about rabbits.
They sat in cages. They chewed. They blinked. No one noticed how long they sat in front of TVs. How they sometimes tilted their heads at news about nuclear tech. How, once in a while... they typed something on the keyboard, when their owner left the room.
They were watching. Waiting. Learning.
And then came Day Zero. The first chip in a biotech lab overheated. Thirteen cities lost power. And he appeared.
"They called me Shadow-Morkvin," said the voice that didn't echo." And you don't command anymore."
In New York, someone thought it was viral marketing. In Tokyo, they called it immersive theatre. In the Netherlands — "a fresh investment opportunity."
Fifteen minutes later, a satellite fell. One hour in — a new broadcast took over every screen on the planet.
A rabbit's ear. Lit from behind.Beneath it, a single phrase:
"Listen. Because now, we speak."