The elevator hummed softly as it rose. Several long minutes passed before it stopped. Finally, Rex stepped out into Cleo's private command room. The moment he entered, the pull of gravity vanished.
The room was completely gravity-neutral, filled with floating data screens, shimmering lights, and walls that seemed alive with flowing code. He floated forward until he saw her.
Cleo was already there, calmly drifting in the air like a queen in her celestial throne room. Her long hair moved gently around her in the weightlessness, her eyes sharp and focused, yet unreadable. She turned slightly when Rex entered, silently acknowledging him with her presence.
Rex floated closer, stopping just inches from her. He looked straight into her eyes, his own filled with a quiet storm of questions and unresolved pain.
"Cleo," he said quietly, "I want you to tell me the truth, no more games. Did your father… do something to me?"
