The observation balcony above the training hall was not technically restricted, but it functioned that way. Students passed below it

Dr. Patel’s office felt exactly the same each time Aisha stepped through its door, and that constancy mattered more

Nobody called it a competition. Nobody needed to. The bay had reconfigured before they walked in. The floor was no

Julian woke up knowing exactly where he was. That was new. Every morning before Neurovia there had been a gap,

Catalyst didn’t flicker on. A quiet settled in Julian’s mind, the way a room sounds different after the

The waiting area for the surgical suites had seats for twelve. With seven of the cohort’s twelve members receiving

Julian’s console glowed a patient blue in the dark of his room, the guardian-consent field unfilled, the clock

The chairs in the briefing room were arranged in ovals so that no one sat behind anyone else’s back.

The room had been waiting for him. Julian understood that as soon as the door sealed behind him. This was

Julian floated up from the depths of sleep into darkness so complete he couldn’t tell if his eyes were