Echoes in the Algorithmic Dust

The flickering blue light of Eleanor's tablet illuminated her face, etching lines of worry onto her forehead. Her fingers flew across the screen, a frantic dance against the cool glass. On the display, complex algorithms pulsed and shifted, spitting out probabilities and risk assessments. This wasn't some game; it was a desperate search for answers in a digital labyrinth.

Eleanor had always been the pragmatist of the family. While her brother, Ethan, chased dreams with reckless abandon, she grounded herself in logic and reason. But even her steely resolve was fraying under the weight of their father's disappearance. Six weeks ago, Richard Van Derlyn, a renowned AI pioneer, vanished without a trace. No ransom demands, no farewell messages, just an echoing silence.

The police investigation had stalled, hitting dead ends at every turn. Richard's work was highly classified; his latest project, known only as