Time/Date: TC1853.01.23 – Late Morning
Location: Transit to Brenner Estate → Brenner Estate, 5th Ring
The magnetic suspension vehicle hummed through the Fifth Ring's merchant quarter with the kind of smooth efficiency that made conversation feel oddly forced. Kael sat rigid in the passenger seat, golden eyes fixed on the passing streets while his mind replayed Edmund's confessions with clinical precision.
It was creepy. Filled with awe. Reverence. Like he'd seen a god.
Commissioner Wu drove in silence beside him, dark crimson eyes scanning the route with practiced vigilance that suggested old military habits died hard. The man's jaw carried the same tight set it had maintained since they'd left the interrogation room—that particular kind of tension that spoke volumes about thoughts being actively suppressed.
"So," Wu said finally, voice carrying professional neutrality that fooled absolutely nobody. "Your wife's grandfather. Any particular approach you're planning?"
