I watched myself in the mirror pulling on the black CGI t-shirt. Clean fabric slid over my shoulders and chest, the material still carrying the faint chemical scent of sterilization. The face looking back at me was the same, same jaw, same eyes, but the person behind them wasn't. Something older and heavier stared out now.
I went downstairs.
The CGI building was already alive, people moving through the corridors with sharp, purposeful strides, the efficiency of an organization that didn't pause for returning missions. Through the glass doors at the exit I caught a glimpse of Harmione, Mercury, Sinn, and Code heading out. They didn't see me. They walked close together, shoulders brushing, carrying the plain on their clothes and something permanently altered in the way they moved.
"Bram."
I slowed. Ernesto caught up, blue hair as messy as I remembered, energy crackling off him like he'd been waiting to unload.
"I'm Nesto," he said, grinning wide. "You remember me?"
