May 24th, 2028
The floor still smelled like fresh paint.
Half of the cubicles were empty, only a few desks had active terminals, and the company sign — TG Energy Systems, Inc. — wasn't even mounted yet. Some cables still stuck out of the walls, waiting for installations. Whiteboards filled with scribbles of radiation shielding metrics and fuel cycle viability hung beside architectural sketches of a modular reactor campus.
It didn't look like a corporation.
It looked like something still being built.
Timothy walked in, sleeves rolled, holding a folder marked CAPITAL SOURCING – PRIORITY. No assistants trailed him today. Just him.
Inside the conference room, Jose Reyes was already waiting. Senior nuclear engineer. Quiet, patient, and scary-smart. He stood when Timothy entered.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Afternoon, Jose."
He set his folder down and opened it.
Three consortium names.
Pacific Infrastructure Trust (Singapore)
Nippon Energy Investment Group (Japan)
