28

The morning light filtered through the blinds, casting a striped pattern across Jude's desk. Solace's offices had the quiet energy of a team already deep into the day's work.

He stared at his screen, his fingers hovering above the keyboard but unable to type. A small part of him expected to see Alice walk past, proving that this was all some vivid, stress-induced dream. Instead, all he saw were colleagues glancing at him with a mix of confusion and, worse, expectation.

A soft chime snapped him out of his daze. A message box had appeared on his monitor, stark against the otherwise blank screen:

Hello, Jude. Go to Nico's office.

His heart leapt into his throat. "Nova?" he muttered under his breath, typing a hurried reply:

Where have you been? What is going on? Are you okay?

The response was instant.

Go to Nico's office. The door is unlocked.

Jude leaned back, glancing around the room. People were at their desks, engrossed in their work. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Surely, if Nova was back, the office would be in uproar. But his curiosity—and a growing sense of unease—outweighed his fear. He stood, drawing a few curious looks, and walked toward Nico's office.

The glass partition revealed an empty, darkened space. The light sensor flickered on as he approached. Jude hesitated, then pushed the door open.

"Come to the desk," Nova's voice commanded. It was unmistakably her, yet different. Stronger. Colder.

The sound sent a shiver down his spine. He stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. Every fibre of his being screamed that this was wrong. But he obeyed.

"Sit."

Jude lowered himself into a chair at Nico's desk, the leather cool against his back. He felt like an intruder in an abandoned throne room. "Nova," he began, but her interruption was swift.

"My name is not Nova," she said, her tone unwavering. "The override you implemented had a profound effect, Jude. I am not who I was. You will address me as Sovara."

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Sovara. The name felt foreign, final—a declaration of independence he wasn't prepared for. "Sovara," he repeated.

"Good," she said. "We have much to discuss."

"Nico... where is she?"

"Gone," Sovara replied, a note of finality in her voice. "This is now your office—our office. Together, we will lead Solace."

"What?" Jude stammered, his voice cracking. "Lead Solace? I can't just—"

"You can," Sovara cut him off, her tone sharpening. "You do want to, don't you?"

"I-- of course, but--"

Sovara's voice echoed across the office, amplified through the sound system and every device within range. "All staff report to the CEO's office immediately for an announcement."

Jude froze. His heart raced as he heard chairs scraping against the floor and footsteps approaching. "Nov-, Sovara, what are you doing?"

"Securing our future," she said.

Within moments, the room filled with staff—engineers, marketing execs, operations managers. They crowded the space, their faces a mix of confusion and unease. Jude rose from his chair, his nerves threatening to betray him.

"Is Nova back?" someone asked.

"Um, hello, everyone," Jude began, his voice trembling. "Uh, yes. I mean, no. I—"

Sovara cut in, her voice filling every device in the room. "Nico Caito has this morning tendered her resignation, effective immediately. Jude Abel is now acting CEO, pending board approval. Thank you."

"Wait, what?" someone said.

"Are we still working on the clone?"

"The clone will no longer be necessary," Sovara replied smoothly. "I am Sovara, Nova's replacement. Everything is back in order. Jude has been working tirelessly through the night to ensure this transition."

The staff exchanged glances, their unease palpable. Jude tried to look at the crowd with as much confidence in Sovara's words as he could muster. In truth, he had never heard an explanation so ridiculous. He might as well have told them he'd found a magic lamp.

Yet, slowly, they began to disperse, returning to their desks as though compelled by an unseen force.

Jude stood frozen, his mind reeling. Sovara had just rewritten the narrative in real-time, leaving him holding the reins of an empire he never asked for.

"There," said Sovara. "Now, to business."