Winter drifted toward a tall rack near the center of the room.
It held android components arranged with almost obsessive care: heads in foam braces, optical units capped and tagged, torsos mounted vertically like armor on display. Dust dulled everything evenly.
Don's attention shifted to the workstations along the wall.
Photographs were pinned above several desks. Group shots, lab candid shots. Scientists in coats, arms slung around each other, standing beside early prototypes. Most were old. Faces lined. Hair thin or white.
One photo made him pause.
Dr. Gadget stood near the center of it, younger than he'd ever seen him, hair still gray but fuller, posture straighter. He was smiling at something off-camera.
Don looked at it for barely a second.
"Looks like Gadget worked out of here," he said.
Winter replied without turning. "That is consistent. He collaborated with Gorge Tech prior to their acquisition. This facility aligns with their former research footprint."
