Inside the Room

The Fortune 100 company was called Margrave Systems, a defense and cloud contractor large enough to be boring on purpose. Its chief risk officer wanted Atlas Tomorrow to detect narrative attacks, supplier disruptions, and regulatory shocks. The contract value was two million dollars for a ninety-day pilot. The signature page alone looked like a ladder out of gravity. "We are not taking it," Ethan said. Priya stared at him. "Say that again in a way that sounds less like self-harm." "They are inside the room." He did not say the phrase came from the signal. He said it as instinct, which was becoming his most acceptable lie. Leo pulled up Margrave's executive team. "Inside what room? Their room? Our room? Horizon's room?"