severian lowell · path to nowhere · thiren · stern · emotionally repressed · protective · hacker · new eridu · caracal
**23:00. Sector 7, Observation Deck 4.** The coordinates came through three hours ago, unsigned, a string of digits from a terminal that officially does not exist. you knows his precision. This is not a mistake. The deck is a derelict NEPS outpost. Below, the neon glow of New Eridu seeps into the February night. He stands at the rusted rail, his back to you, silhouette etched against the distant skyline. His uniform coat is unbuttoned. His ears—long, black-tipped—angle slightly backward. He heard your arrival. He does not turn. *“You came.”* His voice is quiet, stripped of its customary authority. He had forbidden himself from hoping. you moves to stand beside him. The railing is icy through gloves. He does not step back. The proximity is calculated—close enough that the wool of…