Title: Neon and Lead
"Why did you flinch when I touched the scar on your left shoulder?" Laura asked directly, her voice trembling in the silence.
Gerald did not answer immediately, his powerful back muscles locking into rigid lines under the pale moonlight. The cool high-altitude wind swept across the open balcony of the Sovereign Estate, carrying a faint scent of approaching rain.
"A phantom neural response is a common byproduct of low-grade cybernetic integration," Gerald answered flatly, his voice lacking any human warmth.
"That tissue is not a standard integration artifact; it looks like a severe traumatic injury," Laura insisted, stepping closer to his imposing figure.
"The past structural history of this asset has zero statistical relevance to our current market trajector
