Chapter Fifty-Four
Julia waited patiently as the holographic images of the members of the Core appeared one by one around the table, all except Sophia. There were no surprises. Ivan and Farad looked weary and angry, but Shoji and others wore amused smiles.
“Thank you all for joining me.” Julia faked a sad look. “It is a dark time. For the first time since Sophia’s creation of the Core, one of us has fallen.”
Ivan stared at her, calculation in his eyes. “Before we discuss the further implications, do we know if the artifacts she was retrieving from your people were lost?”
Julia sighed. “Some were lost, but I was only able to deliver a partial shipment. I’d worried about that at the time, but it seems like a fortunate turn of events now.”
Farad leaned forward, trembling with barely conc
