I sat at the hotel desk, a stack of reports spread out in front of me. Most of it was technical—production updates, supply chain notes, early performance data on the HyperCell prototypes. Two months ago, all this had been sketches and theory. Now? The first run of batteries was already out of the lab and in controlled testing.
The numbers were solid. Stable energy retention. High output. No failures under stress tests. Every report ended with the same note: ahead of schedule.
I leaned back, rubbing my chin. "Not bad… not bad at all."
Atlas Biotech was moving faster than I expected. The scientists were motivated, especially with the blueprint and failed research paths I'd handed over. The company had legs now, real structure.
But while everything was pushing forward here, my mind kept drifting elsewhere.
Brazil.
Kyle needed to hear about all this. She'd been with me since the start, and even though she didn't fully understand everything I was doing, I owed her the truth—about the company, about the HyperCell, maybe even about what I was becoming. And then there was the old man… I hadn't spoken to him in too long.
I closed the file, tapping it lightly against the desk. Money, science, progress—it was all great, but it didn't replace the people who mattered.
"Alright," I muttered, pushing the chair back. "Time to go home for a bit."
—
Sam pulled out AetherLink and opened the airline app. A few taps later, a one-way ticket back to Brazil was confirmed. Afternoon flight, decent seat, nothing fancy.
He put the phone into his pocket back, stood, and gave the hotel room one last glance. Two months in this place—it almost felt like home. The desk where he'd scribbled notes, the bed where he crashed after late-night planning, even the view of the city that never really got old.
He zipped up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed downstairs.
"Checking out?" the receptionist asked politely.
"Yeah," Sam said, sliding over the room key. "Thanks. The Wi-Fi was better than I expected."
The woman laughed softly and wished him a good trip.
By the time he reached the airport, the usual rush of travelers filled the terminal—families, business suits, backpackers half-asleep. Sam moved through it calmly, boarding pass in hand.
On the plane, he dropped into his seat, buckled up, and leaned back. The engines hummed to life.
As the plane taxied, he let his thoughts wander. In a few hours, he'd be back in Brazil. Back to Kyle. Back to the old man. And with the HyperCell already moving toward launch, the timing couldn't be better.
He closed his eyes as the plane lifted off, the city shrinking below the clouds.
-
Sam didn't bother with the in-flight movie. Instead, he pulled a small notebook from his bag and flipped to an empty page. The hum of the engines was steady, almost calming—good enough for him to think.
HyperCell was only step one.
He scribbled the word Energy at the top of the page, then drew a line branching out to smaller notes. Portable power units. Grid-level storage. Maybe even personal devices that could last months on a single charge.
Another page. He wrote Medicine. His mind drifted to the Primordial Chaos Ginseng sitting back in Brazil. If strengthening one plant could lead to breakthroughs, what about others? Could he push modern biotech years ahead just by choosing the right herbs and running them through the multiplier?
He tapped his pen against the paper, thinking.
Then another page: Materials. Stronger alloys. Lightweight composites. Stuff that would make construction cheaper, safer, faster. He sketched a rough cube and noted: "Stronger than steel, lighter than plastic?"
He chuckled at his own messy handwriting. It didn't matter. These weren't polished blueprints. They were sparks—ideas waiting to be fanned into something real.
The flight attendants passed by with drinks, but he waved them off. He was too focused. Page after page filled up, arrows connecting thoughts, scribbles crossing out dead ends.
By the time the captain announced descent into São Paulo, his notebook looked like chaos to anyone else. To him, though, it was a map of what came next.