Marco reached for his phone. No signal. The Wi-Fi icon on his laptop showed a full five bars, but the network name had changed from "Office_Net" to
A chat window popped up. It had no sender ID. Thank you for connecting to Layer Zero. We have been waiting for a bridge since 3500 BC. Your router is now a node. Please do not power cycle. Marco's hands trembled. He yanked the power cord from the router. www.tp-link/download-center
Marco sat in the dark for a long minute. Then, cautiously, he plugged the router back in. The lights flashed green. The Wi-Fi returned to "Office_Net." He opened a browser, typed www.tp-link/download-center . Marco reached for his phone
It was the most honest report he'd ever filed. It had no sender ID
The hum didn't stop. It grew louder. The LED lights on the router stayed lit—bright, pulsing blue, even though the electricity was cut.