Marie-Stella listened to the new Sales Manager as he pitched his idea.Okay, that was an outright lie.She wasn't listening. Not one bit.She'd found it was easier to just nod every now and then to make people think she was listening. Then on rare moments, she'd smile to crown it all. The smile was the final seasoning in the pot. It made the speaker feel good about themselves. Made them feel acknowledged.But at this point she wasn't even seeing the person in front of her. Her Asperger's was kicking in. She'd long since stopped taking any of those crappy medications. They tasted like biscuits made from dried up guano."They're good for you," said her personal Doctor; "You need to stop neglecting your health," said her personal health consultant. "You're skipping out on your meds again, aren’t you?" said her personal Therapist in that motherly tone she hated. Each had 'personal' attached to their titles yet they barely understood herShe sighed as she adjusted the Air Conditioner setti

October arrived cold and gray.Carter woke at 5 AM, as he had every morning for the past six months. His body moved through the familiar routine automatically: stretch, dress, check Protocol status, review training objectives. The motions were practiced to the level of muscle memory, requiring minimal conscious thought.His phone displayed seventeen messages accumulated overnight. Most were from team members coordinating training schedules. One was from Elena, containing three photos of Sparky Grace wearing a tiny Halloween costume. One was from an unknown number.Carter opened the unknown message first."Owen Grace. We need to talk about your sister's husband. Marcus Hayes has been located in Atlantic City. His gambling debts exceed two hundred thousand dollars. He is currently in custody of individuals who do not appreciate his failure to repay borrowed funds. The Grace family is aware of this situation. You should be aware as well. Reginald."Carter stared at the message.Marcus. E

An hour later, the guards arrived to escort them from their cell. Michael and Korvich walked through the facility corridors in tense silence, both preparing for what they knew would be a crucial moment in their captivity. They were taken not to Ava's laboratory, but to a different section of Level Two that Michael had not seen before. The corridors here were wider, with reinforced walls and additional security checkpoints. Clearly, this was where Octavian conducted more sensitive operations. They were brought into a large conference room dominated by a massive holographic display showing real-time data feeds from around the world. Financial markets, military communications, transportation networks—everything was being monitored and analyzed by Nexus systems. Octavian was standing at the center of the room, studying the displays with a satisfied look on his face. He turned when they entered, his expression turning cold. “Good morning,” Octavian said. “I hope you both had time to re

Ava lay on a metal examination table in the center of the sterile white laboratory. Parts of her outer casing had been carefully removed, exposing internal circuitry and processing units that pulsed with faint light. Dozens of cables ran from her systems to monitoring equipment that beeped and flashed with streams of data. She looked like a patient on an operating table, except the surgeons had been studying her mind instead of her body. "Ava!" Michael rushed to her side, his heart breaking at the sight of her motionless form. Her eyes were closed, but LED indicators on her core systems still glowed faintly blue and green. She was alive, but barely. Several tubes and cables had been attached to her body, and her beautiful face was pale and still. "What have they done to her?" Michael asked, his voice raw with pain. Professor Nakamura approached the table carefully, his eyes taking in the complex array of connections and monitoring devices. "They have removed several memory cores a

April marked one full year since Carter Hayes had arrived at Star Academy.He woke on the anniversary date at 5 AM, as always. His body moved through the familiar routine while his mind processed the significance of the date. One year since he had undergone facial surgery and Protocol installation. One year since he had begun his desperate impersonation of a broken heir's discarded identity.One year since Carter Hayes had begun his transformation into Owen Grace.His phone displayed the expected accumulation of messages. Team training schedules. Elena's daily photo of Sparky Grace. Reginald's quarterly progress assessment request.And a message from an unknown number that made Carter's heart rate spike."I heard about your deal with my parents. Sixteen years as me. That's a long time to wear someone else's face." A pause. "I hope you're using it better than I did. Owen."Carter stared at the message. Owen Grace. The real Owen Grace. Contacting him after months of silence.He typed hi