Ethan was woken up the next day by the beeping of his alarm. The skies were still dark, it was only 4 AM, but he got up anyway.
Ever since his run to Newton Academy, he had realized just how lazy this body was compared to his future self. So, he had started exercising. That was why he was up this early.
After downing a glass of water and splashing cold water on his face, he laced up his sneakers, threw on a hoodie, and stepped outside his apartnt.
As he walked past the living room, his eyes locked on the door to the guest room, wondering if she had co to a decision.
Their talk the night before had ended with her asking for ti to think. She’d been genuinely surprised to find out he was OmniTech Corp’s CEO and the creator of Sentinel.
That surprise had quickly turned to guilt after realizing she’d tried to sabotage soone who had been nothing but kind to her.
Ethan just shook his head and walked out of the apartnt.
The cold morning air hit his face as soon as he stepped out of the building. The streets were completely quiet, save for the distant hum of an early morning bus on its route.
This was perfect.
Putting on a pair of wired earbuds, he plugged them into his old MP3 player —one of the few things he hadn’t bothered to upgrade— then started playing so music.
Ethan began with a light jog, gradually building pace as he headed toward the small park a few blocks away.
The relative silence let his thoughts wander, particularly to certain decisions he’d been making.
Especially the ones concerning Lillian.
Yes, Lillian was ant to beco Midas in the future. But with his involvent, the chances of that happening the sa way were nearly zero.
He rounded the corner into the park, his pace steady, his breathing still under control.
’I’ve removed every major roadblock she might’ve originally faced,’ he thought.
In the original tiline, Ethan had no idea what trials Lillian had gone through to beco Midas, but he knew she must have clawed her way up from a simple Best Buy employee.
Maybe it was through betrayal, sabotage or maybe even bankruptcy. Whatever it was, it had refined her into the legend he eventually ca to know.
Her brilliance wasn’t just in her ideas, but in her resilience, in how she turned setbacks into leverage.
Now?
She had him. He’d basically handed her a shortcut: resources, protection, and all the things he was sure she never had in the original tiline.
And while part of him didn’t regret that, he liked working with her, he couldn’t ignore the consequences.
Was he really paving the way for Midas to erge, or was he stunting her growth? Would she still beco the valuable pawn he needed?
Even though she’d shown brilliance in running the company these past few days, there was still sothing missing.
That Midas touch.
Ethan’s steps slowed slightly as he approached a set of stone benches. But he didn’t stop to rest. He kept moving, his expression turning colder as an unpleasant mory surfaced.
He knew firsthand the cost of skipping trials. Olivia had taught him that. People who rose too quickly either collapsed or beca soone else’s pawn.
He wouldn’t let that happen to Lillian. Not because he owed her or felt sorry for her—far from it— but because she was a long-term asset.
A high-value variable in his plan.
And if she couldn’t evolve under pressure, then she wasn’t worth the seat he’d placed her in.
He just needed to co up with a trial, one that would reveal whether Midas was truly inside her... or if he had created a paradox big enough to erase her.
The latter would disappoint him, no doubt.
But it was a necessary step, and he would face the outco, whatever it may be.
Before he realized it, Ethan had already run two kiloters, and the clothes under his hoodie were now drenched with cold sweat.
His breathing had grown heavier and foggier due to the morning breeze.
Slowing to a walk, Ethan circled back toward the park’s entrance, letting his heartbeat settle into a steady rhythm.
By the ti he reached his block, the streets had begun to stir, newspaper vendors were opening their shops, joggers were erging, and the occasional car horn could be heard in the distance.
The city was more awake than when he’d first risen.
As he stepped into the apartnt building and climbed the stairs two at a ti, he noticed sothing, his breathing had already recovered.
That had been happening a lot lately since he began exercising. He seed to be recovering faster than he rembered.
He wiped sweat from his brow with the hem of his hoodie and checked his phone: 5:02 AM.
It was still really early. Lillian might not be awake yet, especially considering how dry k she was the previous night.
Quietly, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, careful not to make much noise.
His eyes drifted toward the guest room again.
The door was still closed, but sothing told him she was awake.
Ethan made his way to the kitchen, poured himself another glass of water, then leaned against the counter, sipping slowly and waited for sothing.
And it soon ca.
{It seems Alia has finally discovered the communication path you left for her. She just sent you a ssage,} Athena suddenly inford him, causing a smile to grace Ethan’s face.
Google had been trying to get in touch with him for a while now, after they ca to a certain decision following their last eting.
Ethan could have reached out first, but that would’ve given away the upper hand, showing them he was just as desperate as they were.
And he was not.
He set the empty glass down on the counter, the smile still lingering faintly on his lips. "Show the ssage."
A ding sounded on his phone as Athena transferred the ssage from CryptCall to it. Ethan unlocked the screen and read:
[OmniTech,
Following up on our last interaction, I’m pleased to inform you that Google’s executive board has reviewed your proposal and reached a consensus, we are prepared to start negotiations for the usage of Sentinel.
As before, we would prefer to keep the channel secure. If you’re still willing, please initiate a private video session using your previous encryption thod, at your earliest convenience, to discuss the details of how to proceed.
Alia Rhodes.]
The ssage was simple. After trying, and failing, to replicate Sentinel, Google was now ready to negotiate a deal before OmniTech released it to the public.
Or at least, that’s how Ethan read it.
Smiling, he said, "Schedule a CryptCall eting with them for tomorrow, also, end her a neutral response after a while."
{Noted,} Athena replied.
"Oh, and before that," Ethan said as he pushed himself off from the counter and headed toward his room, "it seems the flas on Avance have died down."
He smiled faintly, his voice taking a wicked tone, almost as if he was enjoying this..... Which, he was.
"Let’s light it back up, shall we?"
"And this ti... make sure it burns them to ash."
{Understood.}
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