Chapter 30 The Ghost in the Machine

Chapter 30: 30 The Ghost in the Machine

The silence in Dieter’s lab was thick enough to feel like a physical weight. Klaus was slumped in a chair, finally passed out. Anja stood by the door, her arms crossed so tightly it was a wonder her ribs didn’t crack. She looked smaller, stripped of the armor of her confidence. Charles was on his phone, his voice a low, steady murmur as he directed his security team, arranging for Klaus to be discreetly moved to a private rehabilitation facility. He was cleaning up the mess, his movements efficient and absolute.

I stood by the workbench, my phone clutched in my hand. The screen was dark, but I could still see the words as if they were burned onto the glass. Nice save. But the game isn’t over. It’s just getting interesting. Anja, Lacroix, and the board. They were all players I could see, opponents on a board I was beginning to understand. But this... this was something else. This was a ghost in the machine, a voice from the shadows who was watching us, evaluating us, and enjoying the show.

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