He was awake at five forty-three.
Not because of the charge — the charge ran at its consistent baseline through the night now, the control sufficient that it no longer disturbed sleep unless he let it. He was awake because thirty-three hours was thirty-three hours and his body understood that even when his mind was not actively counting.
He made coffee. He sat at the table with the lamp on and looked at his phone.
No messages. The oversight body contact had sent Ren the seven a.m. notification the previous night. Nothing had come since. Which meant either the panel was still convening or the night had passed without incident.
He thought about the official whose name was in Lena's communication record. A sitting federal official in the office that had issued the supplementary executive
