“Don’t choose,” Adrian repeated, stepping fully into the room. The panel slid shut behind him with a sharp click. Final. Controlled.
I didn’t move.
The screen in front of me still displayed the two options.
Waiting. “Explain,” I said.
My voice stayed even, but something underneath it had shifted. Not confusion. Not panic. Something tighter.
Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He glanced once at the person behind him, then back at me.
“That’s not a real choice,” he said. “You already said that.” “And I meant it.” “That doesn’t make it clear.” The person behind him stepped forward slightly. “He’s right,” they said. “But not for the reason he thinks.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Stay out of this.”
“You brought me in,” they replied calmly.
The tension between them felt sharper now. Less co
