Page 13 of Nico

Nico looked up from his laptop as we entered, bright-eyed and grinning. Certainly, he was far too loud for the early hour.

Once again, he was wearing Shadowfall merchandise. This time it was a black hoodie bearing the game's silver wolf crest across the chest.

The hoodie matched the lanyard hanging around his neck. Which matched the keychain attached to his backpack. Which, if I wasn't mistaken, also matched the wallpaper on his laptop.

Commitment to a theme, I supposed.

"Slept well?" he asked.

I had a strong suspicion that question wasn't directed at me. So I remained silent.

Logan grinned immediately. "Great actually. Those cabins are amazing."

"Right?" Nico said. "The older cabins aren't nearly as comfortable, though. I accidentally fell asleep there during an overnight server update once and woke up feeling like I'd been sleeping on a pile of rocks."

I grabbed two cups of coffee while they talked. To Nico's credit, he'd clearly put considerable work into the setup. Three laptops sat open across the conference table.

One displayed live camera feeds from various locations throughout the town. Another showed a detailed map of the filming site overlaid with color-coded security zones, emergency exits, and access routes.

A third displayed a network monitoring dashboard tracking wireless devices and incoming connections in real time. Several tablets sat charging beside the laptops.

A portable drone rested on a nearby table next to two compact surveillance cameras and enough networking equipment to wire a small city. Printed maps covered one section of the wall.

Someone had marked blind spots in red ink, potential observation positions in blue, and vehicle choke points in green. Nico it seemed, was organised, professional, and unexpectedly thorough.

Unfortunately, competence in one area didn't automatically translate to competence in all areas. Tony still would have been my first choice. Tony, who was older, more experienced.

More importantly? Tony was less likely to become distracted by discussions involving fictional lore and collectible merchandise. I wondered briefly whether it was too late to express my concerns to Cooper.

Logan sat down and chugged his coffee. Nico immediately started conversation.

"So I have a theory that the movie is secretly adapting parts of the Lost Archives storyline."

Logan looked amused. "You're one of those fans, aren't you?"

"One of what fans?"

"The conspiracy wall fans."

Nico looked offended. "I'll have you know my theory board is extremely organized."

"The evidence is overwhelming," Nico continued. "There are similarities in the set designs, similarities in some of the leaked promotional images, similarities in the weapon designs..."

"There are leaked images?"

Nico froze. "Publicly available promotional material released through official channels,” Nico quickly said.

I finally interrupted, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer. "This is a security briefing,”

Both men looked at me.

"Can we move on to more important matters?" I added.

Logan rolled his eyes. "We're making small talk."

"We're wasting time,” I answered. I stared at him, and Logan stared back. Then he shook his head at me.

"You'll have to forgive my brother,” Logan told Nico. "He's always this gruff."