STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

“Recalibration in progress. Estimated completion: four minutes.”

Lucien smirked, muttering under his breath. “You don’t need to tell me the obvious.”

The AI responded without hesitation.

“Acknowledged.”

He shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. “It’s not like you’re listening anyway. ”

AstroSYS said nothing, of course. It never did. Cold, efficient, and predictable—exactly as it was meant to be.

Minutes passed, and the terminal lights blinked green.

ALIGNMENT RESTORED.

ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL.

Lucien leaned back, satisfied with the clean stream of data scrolling across his screen. Everything in perfect order again.

As he was about to log out, he noticed a small icon flashing in the corner of the monitor.

IRREGULAR DATA REPORT – RESTRICTED ACCESS

He froze, his fingers hovering over the screen. The file sat there, unassuming yet deliberately marked —out of place amid the standard system logs. A part of him itched to open it, but he knew better. Digging where he wasn ’t authorized would not end well. Old records, maybe. Someone else’s problem.

Still, the presence of the file remained in his mind as he finished up, the sterile glow of the monitor feeling a little colder than before.

***

Lucien stepped out into the courtyard, the cool air washing over him as he rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension built from hours of staring at screens. The rustling of pristine trees that lined the space calming him.

He lit a cigarette, the familiar burn filling his lungs as he inhaled. Smoke rushed into the still air as he exhaled, dissipating as he watched the street beyond the courtyard.

A flash of color caught his eye.

Half-hidden in shadow, was more graffiti. The swirling shapes and jagged lines mirrored what he ’d seen on the news—chaotic, defiant against the uniformity of the city. A faint shimmer ran through the paint, as if it pulsed beneath the surface, reacting subtly to the light.

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