Art deco medical monitors cast bronze shadows.
Italian marble floors gleamed beneath Tesla lights.
Brass-fitted coils hummed in the corners, their ethereal blue glow dancing off polished instruments.
[SECURITY LEVEL: MEDICAL WARD A-7]
[CLEARANCE: RESTRICTED]
[ENHANCEMENT MONITORING: ACTIVE]
"Your nanobots are stabilizing."
Sarah's hands moved across brass vacuum tubes with the precise grace of Buenos Aires' elite medical training. Each adjustment carried weight – the difference between healing and harm.
"Level 3 integration achieved," she murmured, accent thickening with concentration.
Kasper watched mercury patterns shift beneath his skin. "That's faster than usual."
"Because you actually stayed still for once, sí?" A ghost of a smile touched her lips.
[NANOBOT STABILITY: 47% → 53%]
[RECOVERY RATE: ACCELERATING]
[PROJECTED TIMELINE: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE]
The ward's crystal telegraph chimed.
Sarah's smile vanished. Her fingers trembled slightly against the diagnostic panel.
"Your father again?"
"Papá expects..." She caught herself, accent smoothing into practiced Academy English. "The Enhancement Institute has standards."
A brass-rimmed screen showed his vitals in Tesla-blue light. Each pulse stronger than the last.
"You never talk about Buenos Aires," he said quietly.
Her hands stilled. Just for a moment.
"Some things are better forgotten, no?"
The ward's doors swung open.
Maria entered first, healing crystals pulsing gold against her Academy uniform. Northern technology with Caribbean modifications – technically forbidden.
Lucas followed with an armful of contraband Tesla components. His fingers tapped nervous rhythms on copper casings.
"Brought entertainment."
He spread blueprints across Kasper's bed. Atlantic Pact watermarks mixed with South American design principles.
"And actual entertainment."
Maria produced a Teslanet receiver. Black market quality. Obsidian Syndicate craftsmanship.
[UNAUTHORIZED DEVICE DETECTED]
[SECURITY ALERT: SUPPRESSED]
[ORIGIN: RESTRICTED MARKETS]
Sarah's eyes narrowed at the device. Academy protocol demanded she report it.
She adjusted the ward's detection fields instead.
"Sean's match today," Maria explained. "Against that Coalition prodigy."
Through stained glass windows, training arena emissions painted the sky Tesla-blue.
"His techniques have changed."
Nailah's voice from the doorway made them jump. Her movement style was... unique. Not Academy standard.
The tiny screen showed Sean combining Northern power with Southern precision. His opponent – pure Coalition training – never stood a chance.
"Mi padre would have finished it," Sean's voice crackled through. "But we're not our fathers."
He helped his opponent up.
The crystal telegraph chimed again.
This time, Sarah's hands shook visibly. The message brought color to her cheeks – anger or fear?
"They still don't approve?" Kasper asked.
"They don't approve of many things." Her voice carried echoes of Buenos Aires high society. "Especially since—"
The temperature dropped ten degrees.
Cross stood in the doorway. Her enhanced eyes cataloged every contraband item.
"Fascinating modifications, Mr. Chen." Her smile was perfect. Artificial. "Though perhaps not... regulation?"
Sarah stepped between Cross and the blueprints. Her accent thickened under stress.
"Just theoretical designs. For his thesis."
Cross's enhancement patterns hummed at impossible frequencies.
"Of course." She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Sarah? Your father's latest paper on enhancement integration was... revolutionary."
The silence after she left felt heavy with unspoken questions.
[ANALYZING PATTERNS]
[DETECTING: FEAR, PROTECTION, SECRETS]
[RECOMMENDATION: OBSERVE]
Kasper reached for Sarah's hand.
She let him take it.
Her fingers were cold.
Sometimes trust isn't about knowing everything.
Sometimes it's about knowing enough.
But as Sarah's fingers trembled in his...
As her accent slipped through careful control...
As her eyes darted to that damned telegraph...
He wondered if what he knew was even close to enough.
The truth would come.
Whether they were ready or not.
And whether their trust would survive it.