STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

As he rinsed his plate, his wrist device vibrated. A tap on the screen brought Darius’s grinning face into view.

“Hey, man. Got a plan for tonight?”

Lucien frowned, glancing at the clock. “It’s late, Darius. What do you want?”

Darius rolled his eyes. “There’s an art show in Sector 6. Government-approved, of course. You should come.”

Lucien arched a brow. “Since when do you care about art?”

Chuckling, Darius waved off the question. “I don’t, but it’s a chance to see what ‘real’ creativity looks like—unlike that graffiti nonsense. Carter’s coming, too. You know he’s going to have a whole speech about how AstroSYS-approved art is the perfect balance of emotion and reason.”

Lucien glanced toward the window.

The idea of breaking his routine held little appeal, but sitting here alone, staring at the AstroSYS logo until sleep overtook him, felt worse today.

“Fine,” he sighed. “But if it’s terrible, you’re buying the drinks after.”

Darius laughed, raising a hand in mock surrender. “I’ll do you one better— I’ll spot you for a drink before the show. Meet us in thirty.”

The screen blinked off, leaving him alone with the soft hum of the apartment.

Art. What’s the point? The thought lingered before he pushed it aside, reaching for his jacket.

Routine or not, it was better than sitting still.

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