Gabriel woke to the steady beep of a heart monitor and the smell of antiseptic.His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the soft light filtering through partially closed blinds. The private hospital room was spacious and quiet, decorated in soothing blues and grays. An IV drip fed clear fluid into his arm. His body felt heavy, like he had run a marathon while carrying a car."Well, well. Sleeping Beauty awakens."Gabriel turned his head. Xavier sat in a chair beside the bed, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion but his smile genuine. Beyond him, Ariel was curled up on a couch, asleep. Alfred stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the city."How long was I out for?" Gabriel's voice came out rough."Twenty-four hours," Xavier said. "Doctors said you were stable, just needed rest. Your vitals were weird as hell. They couldn't figure out why your heart rate was so steady, or why you were healing so fast, but it was nothing dangerous. We've been taking shifts, makin

The new Hale Industries building climbed toward the sky.Gabriel stood in his mobile office, a converted shipping container with windows cut into the sides, and watched steel beams slot into place thirty stories up. The framework was elegant, curved where his father's building had been angular, organic where the old tower had been severe.Solar panels glinted on every surface. Vertical gardens cascaded down the eastern face, irrigation systems already installed and waiting for planting. The architects had called it "aggressive sustainability." Gabriel called it the bare minimum."Structural integrity is exceeding projections," The project manager reported, tablet in hand. "We're ahead of schedule on the residential floors. The community spaces are framed out on levels one through three.""Good," Gabriel didn't look away from the construction. "What about the geothermal system?""Installation starts next week. The engineers say it'll reduce heating costs by seventy percent.""Make su