Inside the sprawling glass-and-metal structure of the research facility, the air buzzed with tension. A cluster of men and women—scientists, engineers, and senior developers—stood around Alec Blackwood, their voices overlapping as they tried to explain the issue plaguing the AI project. Graphs flashed across monitors behind them, coded lines streaming faster than any human eye could follow.
Alec stood in the center like a storm contained in a tailored suit. His sharp eyes scanned each one of them, expression unreadable but simmering with irritation.
“You’re all telling me symptoms, not the root,” Alec said, his voice calm but laced with warning. “The government is using this as their excuse to pull back. We knew they’d try to sabotage this.”
He turned to Demien who stood quietly to his
