The morning sun cast long shadows across the pristine grounds of Maxwell Corporation. Director Elias Cox sat in his vehicle, fingers drumming an anxious rhythm, staring at the building before him.
Today was supposed to be straightforward—the Project Aegis Collaboration Meeting for the Black Ocean Project. Everything was in order. Or at least, it should have been.
When the hovercar touched down with a whisper-soft hum, the cabin door slid open with mechanical precision. He reached out to the door to prop himself up, but his hand froze mid-motion.
A familiar silhouette moved with nonchalance near the building's eastern corner—a figure that absolutely should not have been there. He wore more civilian clothes, but Director Cox still recognized him.
Ethan Goelet.
His pulse quickened, throat suddenly dry. His weathered face betrayed nothing of the anxiety coiling in his gut. But the anxiety only increased as his gaze swept across the landing area.
