1. Front lobby of the payroll company. Ethan Carter stands just inside the open glass door with his badge clipped back to his belt, messenger bag over one shoulder, packet under one arm. Ray the security guard holds the door with visible relief. Nathan Cole stands a few feet behind Ethan in the lobby, exhausted but upright. In the background, Donna Reeves is frozen near reception with a folder in hand, while Linda Pritchard watches from down the hall. The fluorescent lobby feels colder than the weather outside. Morning light through wet glass, 18°C. Thursday, 08:31 — Back Through the Door When Nathan came back across the street, Ethan was already standing up.

    Thursday, 08:31 — Back Through the Door

    Front lobby of the payroll company. Ethan Carter stands just inside the open glass door with his badge clipped back to his belt, messenger bag over one shoulder, packet under one arm. Ray the security guard holds the door with visible relief. Nathan Cole stands a few feet behind Ethan in the lobby, exhausted but upright. In the background, Donna Reeves is frozen near reception with a folder in hand, while Linda Pritchard watches from down the hall. The fluorescent lobby feels colder than the weather outside. Morning light through wet glass, 18°C.
  2. Derek Lawson's office in early morning light, Graham Whitaker near the window in a tailored charcoal jacket over an open-collar white shirt, holding reading glasses in one hand. Derek Lawson sits behind the glass desk, laptop open to budget sheets and access-control email. Nathan Cole stands opposite them, damp hair, jaw tight, one palm pressed to the back of a chair he has not been invited to take. On the desk: a printed contractor budget, espresso cup, museum gala invitation, and a yellow sticky note that reads access update complete. Through the glass wall, office staff blur in the background, pretending not to watch. Gray Ohio daylight, 17°C. Thursday, 08:06 — Temporary Access Melissa let Nathan through with the brittle look of a woman who had already spent the morning regretting someone else’s choices.

    Thursday, 08:06 — Temporary Access

    Derek Lawson's office in early morning light, Graham Whitaker near the window in a tailored charcoal jacket over an open-collar white shirt, holding reading glasses in one hand. Derek Lawson sits behind the glass desk, laptop open to budget sheets and access-control email. Nathan Cole stands opposite them, damp hair, jaw tight, one palm pressed to the back of a chair he has not been invited to take. On the desk: a printed contractor budget, espresso cup, museum gala invitation, and a yellow sticky note that reads access update complete. Through the glass wall, office staff blur in the background, pretending not to watch. Gray Ohio daylight, 17°C.