Aaron Mercer stood in the doorway.
No weapon.
No bodyguards.
No theatrical smile.
For once, there was nothing polished about him.
He looked tired.
Older than Allison remembered.
Silver threaded heavily through his dark hair, his shirt sleeves rolled unevenly to his elbows. A faint scar disappeared beneath his collar, and exhaustion hollowed the space beneath his eyes.
He didn't look like the Architect.
He looked like a man who had spent twenty years building something he no longer knew how to escape.
And somehow, that frightened Allison more.
Behind her, pages trembled softly between her fingers.
SECOND GENERATION PROJECTIONS
Her name stared back at her.
ALLISON CROFT
Projected viability: Exceptional.
Beneath it—
Maternal lineage suitable.
Paternal acquisition successful.
Allison lifted her eyes.
Aaron's gaze rested on Adrian.
"And it's time you finally learned why Adrian Croft was chosen to be your father."
The room detonated.
Adrian moved first.
