The car hummed like a caged animal beneath him, engine purring too smoothly for the kind of life he was currently living. He had always appreciated machines more than people. They obeyed when handled correctly, they never lied, and when they failed, they did so predictably. Humans, on the other hand, were inconveniently creative with betrayal.
Rain streaked across the windshield, blurring the night into streaks of silver and shadow. The city rolled past in quick flashes-neon reflected in puddles, the vague shapes of pedestrians, security patrols, and the quiet hum of danger lurking everywhere. He sat back against leather, perfectly still, perfectly composed, in a way that had taken years to discipline into existence.
The phone buzzed once against his palm.
He already knew the news before he read it.
Still, he opened the message.
The last Palatine lab was gone.
Erased.
Wiped from existence because a little beta got overly dramatic over the disappearance of his bonded friends.
