Gemotions

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. The coffee was cold, the office fluorescent lights buzzing. Thomas stared at the shared Google Drive folder, the same project name glaring back at him from the file title: "Project Nightingale: Phase Two."

A slow burn of unease crept up his neck, making him shift in his seat. He’d kept Project Nightingale a secret, a carefully guarded endeavor. He’d invested so much of his time and heart in this venture. Now, to discover someone else, with the same goal, the same ideas… it was unsettling.

He re-read the documents, each line of code, each diagram. His eyes flicked to the 'Last Modified' dates. Almost identical. The same algorithms, the same proposed solutions. His initial thought was a hacking attempt, but the code was too similar.

He massaged his temples, the beginnings of a headache blossoming. This felt wrong. Very, very wrong.