The maintenance room hummed with a subtle vibration that James could feel through the soles of his shoes. He tilted his head, processing the complex layers of sound—cooling systems, electrical currents, and beneath it all, a faint rhythmic pattern that matched what they'd been tracking.
"He's here," James whispered, pointing toward the far corner.
Maya nodded, her eyes following his gesture to where a figure stood beside a rack of sophisticated equipment. Her tablet displayed swirling patterns of color emanating from that direction—sound visualizations that matched the Conductor's signature perfectly.
Dr. Elias Verne turned to face them, showing no surprise at their arrival. He was thinner than his personal photos, with intense eyes and precise movements. To Maya's surprise, he signed a
