Old Lady Veena finished the last bite of cake slowly, savoring it as though it were a luxury from another lifetime. She wiped the crumbs from her fingers and leaned back in her chair, the faint glow of the projection cube reflecting in her tired eyes.
Tyler sat across from her quietly, waiting.
"You asked about Carbonyx," she said at last.
"Yes."
Veena tapped the table lightly with her finger, as if organizing her thoughts.
"Sector 11 only mines the raw ore," she began. "The rocks the miners dig out of those tunnels are only the beginning. Those black stones with purple veins—that's Carbonyx ore. Dangerous stuff, as you've already seen."
She gestured toward the projection device, where the frozen image of the laboratory still hovered faintly.
"But those ores never go directly to the Capital," she continued. "First they are transported to Sector 2."
Tyler listened carefully.
"What happens there?"
