The digital seismic reading on the main wall monitor of the executive office of LOOP didn't show financial pips or gold decimals. It showed raw packet data, and the line was climbing in a perfectly vertical spike that defied every structural safety protocol of the platform.
Derek Marshall, the CEO of LOOP Technologies, stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, a glass of amber whiskey held loosely in his hand. Outside, the midday traffic of Aurelia's tech district moved along the wide avenues, completely oblivious to the fact that the very server architecture underneath their feet was currently screaming under the weight of a single man's name.
The double doors to his office burst open without a preliminary knock.
Peter Cruise, the senior VP of infrastructure, rushed in with an unbuttoned collar and a tablet that was actively flashing amber system warnings. His face was slick with sweat, his eyes bloodshot from a forty-eight-hour straight shift.
