In his room, Elion stared at the barren wall. Something stirred inside him—an ache in his chest, tension coursing through his arms.

His breathing was erratic. He wanted to throw something. Maybe his tech chair or the prototype glasses his father had given him.

His fingers curled around the sleek frame of the glasses. He raised them, ready to hurl them at the window. Thunder cracked, snapping him back to reality. He was being watched. He was always being watched.

Slowly, he set the glasses back on his desk and approached the window. He opened the blinds with a touch and deactivated the generated scenery and soundproofing. Beyond the coldness of his room, a storm raged outside. The trees thrashed under the control of the vicious wind. Flashes of lightning split the sky, and pellets of rain battered the acrylic window. The erratic rhythm synced with his breath.

For the first time in hours, he exhaled.

"Elion," his father's voice pierced through their neurolink, "meet me in the den."

Elion clenched his fist. It wasn't a request. He left his room at once.

The Den was an expansive room clad in rare, authentic stone. It was a strong contrast to the grey neutrality of the rest of the home. Most facades were synthetic, void of anything earth-made. Authentic potted plants sat in the corners, adding to the room's cosiness despite its size. Quinn sat on a plush brown couch with slender long arms stretched across the back, watching water droplets trickle down the windows that made up the wall.

Elion stood at the threshold, wary of entering. The last thing he wanted was to be scolded by him. "You called, father."

Quin motioned with two fingers for him to enter.

Elion entered with his hands clasped in front of him, a posture of quiet restraint. His father, Quinn, wore tech glasses identical to his— the very same ones Elion had nearly thrown just moments ago.

"No need for that," Quinn said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Elion relaxed, letting go of the apologetic stance he'd unconsciously adopted.

"How are you doing, my son?"

"I...I'm ok," Elion stuttered. It was an odd question. Quinn's face was unconcerned. A conversation about his mental state was rare.

"I heard about what happened at the academy."

Of course, he did. Elion looked away.

"And to Kira."

"You know what happened to Kira?" Elion's curiosity got the best of him.

Quinn stood up without answering and walked toward the window, where the storm raged outside, its fury held back by the glass.

"I do."

Elion followed him, his voice steady but betraying his growing unease. "Well? What happened?" He tried to sound neutral, but his heart raced faster than an I-51 processor. Quinn was a towering figure, easily more than a foot taller than Elion. As he looked up into his father's eyes, Elion's confidence shrunk, swallowed by the weight of his presence.

"Have you tried G.E.D?" His father asked, referring to the sleek-rimmed black glasses he wore.

"No, I haven't." Elion's neck stiffened. Why was he changing the subject?

"It's our latest prototype. It offers advanced detective technology."

"Detective technology?" Elion asked.

Quinn took the glasses off and handed them to Elion. "Try them on."

He took the glasses from his father with a stiff hand. The glasses fit snugly on his face. He looked down and around his feet. Nothing had changed. His brown bony hands were the same too.

"I don't get it, everything is norm–"

He froze when he looked at his father's face. Elion wasn't sure what he was seeing. Was he smiling? No not a smile, more like a half smile. A knowing smile. It was the first time in his life he'd seen anything but an apathetic expression from him.

He took off the glasses. And his father's face returned to its regular unassuming features. He put on the glasses and the half smile was back.

"What is this?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"It is The Generative Emotions Detector. It senses a person's minute outwardly emotions, heart rate, sweat, demeanour, tone, etc. to augment a display of what that person is feeling over their face."

"Oh. That's interesting." He said as coolly as he could manage. He could see Kira smile or laugh one day with these glasses, without being detected. He stretched his hand to his father's face.

Quinn frowned deeply, and Elion noticed. Was that disappointment? Quinn snatched the glasses from Elion's face.

He placed the glasses on his desk. "We've been working on it for years, it's proven to be 98% accurate."

"Good odds." He nodded. Excitement coursed through his vessels.

"So I'm 98% sure that you lied to me."

Quinn put the glasses back on and walked toward his son.

"When you came in here, your breathing was unsteady. You couldn't make eye contact with me. Your eyes were watery, you were angry and anxious."

"I was not," said Elion adamantly.

"Even now, you are sweating and nervous." Quinn placed his hands in his pockets and walked toward Elion. "Many have found a way to suppress themselves or restrict their movements, like quirked lips rather than a wide smile. We've found a way to combat that"

Why? Why was that necessary?

There was nowhere in the room for Elion to look at his reflection, but panic rose and coursed through him, twisting his windpipe. He wanted to escape. He was bare and exposed.

"I–"

"Stop." Quinn removed the glasses. "I just wanted you to understand the power I have with this. The power you will have."

"Me?" Elion bit his tongue, willing himself to control his breathing.

"Yes, Elion. You are the heir to everything I've built. But you have yet to master what it takes to lead a new generation, a new order. No problem, though; you will learn more when the internship starts."

"I'm not w–"

"That girl, Kira, relationships, emotions. That's all weaknesses. But we have the power to take control of everything and everyone."

"Why?" The question finally left his lips.

"Why? Why not? Soon enough, every RP will be equipped with the GED technology. So no one can go undetected."

"But people are supposed to–"

"Their minds are numb to it already," Quinn dismissed, waving his hand. "Soon, we will control the entire country."

"I–" Elion was about to protest when CANA appeared at the door.

"All exits have been secured. No detected movements on the premises..."

Elion tuned out the rest of CANA's report.

"I have homework."