The second recalibration session did not begin with tension. That was the first thing Lucas noticed. There were no quiet warnings, no administrative stiffness in the air. The technician stood where she had during the previous test, tablet resting lightly in her hands, posture neutral. The only visible difference was the older man seated toward the back of the chamber, legs crossed, gaze steady and unhurried.
Observers did not attend routine sessions.
Lucas took his seat without prompting. The table was smooth beneath his palms, cool against skin that had grown too accustomed to heat. He kept his breathing even and resisted the instinct to flare his senses outward. If they wanted clean data, he would give them clean data.
"We're increasing internal load tolerance today," the technician said, voice calm but more formal than before. "Measured increments."
Lucas nodded once. "Go ahead."
