Meridian Coffee smelled like espresso and nervous energy.

  Jason arrived fifteen minutes early. Claimed a corner table with good sightlines. Ordered something caffeinated but not jittery-making. Pulled out his phone and pretended to read while actually scanning the room with resonance perception.

  Seventeen people, RAE reported. Three with elevated stress signatures. None hostile. Thomas Reeves approaching from the south entrance.

  Jason looked up as Reeves entered - same suit, same professional calm, same forgettable face that probably helped him blend in anywhere.

  Reeves ordered tea. Joined Jason at the table. Set a slim folder between them.

  "Mr. Fischer. Prompt as always."

  "Punctuality seemed important."

  "It is." Reeves opened the folder. Inside: a simple form. Date. Time. Topics. Signatures. "This is our weekly documentation. We both fill it. We both sign. Copies for both parties. Transparency."

  Jason nodded and they began.

  Reeves asked about activities over the past week. Jason answered honestly: Returned to apartment. Resumed light training. Maintained employment (mostly). No public demonstrations. No unauthorized research. No recruitment.

  "Capabilities?" Reeves asked.

  "Stable. No significant changes."

  "Integration percentage?"

  Jason hesitated. That was specific. Invasive.

  Tell him, RAE advised. It's not classified in the contract. And honesty builds trust.

  "Forty-seven percent," Jason said. "Up from forty-one, when you offered me the first deal."

  Reeves made a note. "Rate of increase?"

  "Slowing. Elyra estimates it'll plateau around sixty-five to seventy percent unless we actively accelerate."

  "And you're not accelerating?"

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "No. We're letting it progress naturally. Safer that way."

  "Good." Reeves wrote that down. "Any contact with unmonitored operators?"

  "Define unmonitored."

  "Anyone operating outside official channels or our agreed oversight."

  Jason thought carefully. "No. Everyone we associate with is either registered, monitored, or not actively resonant."

  Reeves pulled up his tablet, scrolling through notes. "Your associate list from the contract. Confirming status: Ms. Morandi?"

  Jason relaxed slightly. This was just verification, not interrogation. "Academy-trained. Registered through suspension records. Legal status: complicated but documented. No changes."

  "Mr. Greaves?"

  "No resonance capability. Support role only. Same as before."

  "Ms. Voss?"

  Tricky. Elyra was registered historically, but her current status was unclear. And Reeves asking meant they'd tracked Jason to Mill-4.

  "Retired. Medically limited. Consulting only."

  Reeves studied him. "She's teaching you."

  Not a question. A statement. They'd been watching.

  "Is that a problem?"

  "Not if she's not recruiting or demonstrating publicly. Is she?"

  "No. Private instruction. Small group. Within contract bounds."

  Reeves nodded. Wrote that down. "Any threats detected?"

  "None."

  "Concerns about safety or oversight?"

  "None."

  "Requests or clarifications needed regarding contract terms?"

  Jason pulled out his own notes. "One clarification. Clause 3.4 mentions 'unauthorized research into classified materials.' Can you define 'classified materials' more specifically? We want to avoid accidental violations."

  "Fair question." Reeves consulted his tablet. "Classified materials are: Any documents marked restricted or above. Any ongoing active investigations. Any experimental resonance protocols not publicly published. Historical materials pre-dating the current regulatory framework are generally acceptable unless specifically flagged." He paused. "Obviously, this excludes materials you're explicitly authorized to access through your employment or that we've cleared for your research."

  "So archive research is okay?"

  "As long as you're not accessing restricted files beyond your clearance level. Standard archive access within your job scope is fine. If something requires special clearance, check with us first."

  Jason wrote that down. "Noted. Thank you."

  "Anything else?"

  "No. Clean week. No issues."

  Reeves closed the folder. "Good. Keep it up. These early check-ins set precedent. So far, you're exceeding expectations."

  "What expectations were those?"

  "Cooperation." He gives a half-smile. "Most people in your position try to hide activity or minimize capability. You're being straightforward. That's appreciated."

  "Lying would be stupid," Jason said. "You'd catch it eventually. Then trust breaks. Then the whole arrangement fails."

  "Exactly. Which is why I suspect this will work." Reeves stood. "Same time next week?"

  "I'll see you next week."

  "Good." Reeves picked up his folder. "Until next week, Mr. Fischer."

  He left. Jason sat alone with his coffee, feeling something that might have been relief.

  That went well, RAE observed.

  Too well?

  Perhaps. Or perhaps Malvek really does prefer cooperation. Time will tell.

  Jason finished his coffee. Paid. Left.

  Outside, the morning sun felt warmer than it should.

  They were being watched. But they were also being trusted.

  And trust, once established, could be built on.

  One check-in at a time.