Noah smiled. Just one word. That's all he needed.
"Superconductivity."
Volkov froze mid-step.
The room went silent. Even the security men tensed.
Volkov slowly turned back. "What did you say?"
"Room temperature superconductivity. That's your energy problem." Noah kept his voice casual, as if discussing the weather. "Your quantum circuit pathways are losing too much energy through conventional conduction methods."
The color drained from Volkov's face. "How could you possibly—"
"I've been working on something similar." Noah shrugged. "Different application, same problem."
The suits were whispering furiously now, but Volkov was no longer paying attention to them. It was as if only Noah existed in front of him—a puzzle piece that had suddenly appeared in a gap Volkov had been trying to fill for years.
The Russian's eyes had that look Noah had seen countless times—the hunger for knowledge, for solutions, for advantage. The look that made brilliant men careless.
