Alex shoved Jonah out of the way and ran into the compound with Clara. A police siren blared immediately close by. Jonah ran into the building and shut the door. Alex gently took the closest turn into the bush with Clara. He knew they might get into trouble if the police is involved. Jonah came out of the building with his men immediately the sound of the siren faded. He ordered the men to look everywhere for them. They ran in all directions searching for Alex and Clara. By the time they got to another abandoned section of the building, very far from where Jonah was with Atlas men, Clara was already tired and could barely walk. The whole place was wrecking of smoke. Part of it was set ablaze earlier by a team of armed men from Atlas because they wanted to hide whatever they could that Clara had on them, since she wasn't co-operating. Smoke still curled faintly from scorched corners. Alex led Clara through the darkened hallways, her hand in his. Every step echoed, a rhythm of tension

The room was quiet except for the hum of servers. Rain streaked the shattered windows, drumming in uneven rhythms against the metal frames. Monitors glowed blue, illuminating the faces of the small Humanaut team. Alex stood at the center, hands slightly trembling, his pulse hammering in his chest. Today, Humanaut would meet the world for the first time, not as code on a screen, but as a tool to help someone in real life.Clara was beside him, her hand brushing his briefly before she turned to the team. “Remember,” she said, calm but firm, “this is a controlled test. Nothing manipulative. Nothing invasive. Humanaut listens, supports, and guides. That’s all. Are we ready?”A chorus of quiet affirmatives followed. Caleb gave Alex a nervous thumbs-up, Vera checked her tablet one last time, and the others nodded.Alex exhaled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”The volunteer was Mara, the young woman they had first tested the prototype on. She sat in a chair with a tablet balanced on her lap, hands t

The office was quiet except for the soft clatter of keyboards. The team had spent weeks preparing this moment, Humanaut’s first attempt to reach the public directly. No controlled tests, no volunteers carefully guided by Clara. Today, real people would see it, judge it, and decide if it mattered.Alex sat at his desk, staring at the crowdfunding dashboard. Hundreds of people had already clicked through the early preview. Some left comments, some shared it on social media. The numbers were small at first, tens, then hundreds, but each one felt like a spark of hope.Clara leaned against the doorway, sipping her coffee. “It’s fragile, Alex. But the interest is real. You can feel it, can’t you?”Alex rubbed his temple. “I can. But what if they don’t understand? What if they see this as just another tech gimmick?”Clara’s eyes softened. “Then we show them. We show them what Mara felt. What everyone who’s worked with Humanaut has felt. The truth is stronger than doubt.”Alex took a deep

The courtroom was packed with with people. Alex’s palms were clammy against the smooth surface of the bench in front of him. He adjusted his tie, a pale gray, modest, deliberately unassuming, and tried to focus.Clara sat beside him, her posture calm, hands folded neatly on her lap. Her presence was a tether to the ground. Without her, he would have been a storm of nerves, adrenaline, and guilt.Across the room, Jonah sat in a sharply tailored suit, exuding confidence. He didn’t need to speak to assert dominance. The casual ease with which he reviewed his notes, the way he glanced around the room like a king surveying his kingdom, spoke volumes. Atlas Capital’s backing was clear. Every glance he threw was a calculated assertion: I hold the power. You are beneath me.This wasn’t just a courtroom. This was a battlefield. Neonetics claimed intellectual property theft, misappropriation of AI code, and “misleading the public.” The language was precise, legal, and designed to terrify.The j

The office was quiet, the hum of servers and the faint clicking of keys filling the space. It was late, later than Alex usually stayed, but sleep had eluded him for days. The verdict still lingered in his chest like a heartbeat he couldn’t quiet.Clara sat across from him, elbows on her knees, leaning forward. She was reviewing code, headphones in, but every few seconds, her eyes would flick up to meet his. There was something in her gaze tonight, something soft, careful, alive, that made his heart skip.Alex rubbed his eyes and stretched, trying to shake off the tension that never quite left him. “I think… I think I forgot what it feels like to just sit and breathe,” he admitted. His voice was low, vulnerable in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to be in months.Clara smiled faintly, pulling out her headphones. “You’ve been carrying too much,” she said, almost gently. “It’s okay to stop for a minute.”He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the subtle traces of fatigue, the f