The light from Alec’s floating holographic screen cast sharp reflections across the darkened room. Strings of code flickered mid-air, constantly shifting as his fingers moved rapidly over the virtual keyboard. He sat in silence, focused, jaw tight, eyes unwavering. The AI robot blueprints were laid bare, and Alec was threading through the deepest levels of their programming, correcting, refining, securing.
The door opened without a knock — the only person in the world who never needed permission to walk into Alec Blackwood’s space.
Demien.
He stepped in, his expression tight, his presence deliberate.
“I need to talk to you,” he said calmly, voice edged with tension, “Two matters. Both serious.”
Alec didn’t lift his eyes from the code. “Then talk.”
Demien walked further into the room,
