My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible

Time moved differently when Liam was absorbed in work. Hours blurred together, problems dissolved and reformed, and the outside world faded into background noise that didn’t matter. He and Lucy had been working for an entire day straight, and the progress indicator now read 38%.

Liam leaned back in his chair and stretched, feeling the pull in his shoulders. He glanced at the time display on one of the holographic screens and was mildly surprised to see that night had fallen back on Earth.

He had no intention of returning to Earth tonight. The work was too engaging, the momentum too strong. Breaking it now would waste the rhythm they’d built.

Lucy noticed him stretching and turned from her workstation. "You should sleep," she said with firmness, making Liam think that she’d been waiting for the right moment to say it.

Liam smiled. "I’m fine. We’re making good progress."

"Not, master. You need to rest," Lucy said.

"But—"

"Master," Lucy interrupted, crossing her arms. "Go sleep. The work will still be here in the morning, and you’ll be more effective after proper rest."

Liam looked at her for a moment, saw the determination in her expression, and realized he wasn’t going to win this argument. "Fine," he said. "But only because you asked nicely."

Lucy’s expression softened immediately. "Thank you. The residential area is on the upper level. Your apartment is already prepared."

Liam stood and stretched again. "I’ve never actually been to that section of the base."

"I know," Lucy said with a small smile. "You’ve been too busy to explore. But I think you’ll find it comfortable."

***

The elevator ride to the residential level was smooth and silent. Liam stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the numbers climb on the display panel. When the doors opened, he stepped into a hallway that was notably different from the research wing.

The corridors here were wider, softer. The lighting was warmer, designed to mimic natural sunlight rather than the bright, clinical illumination of the laboratories. The walls were a pale gray with subtle texture, and there were occasional alcoves containing what looked like decorative plants, though Liam suspected they served some environmental function as well.

He walked down the hallway, following the digital map Lucy had transmitted to his Lucid device. The path was straightforward, and within a minute he stood in front of a door marked with a simple designation: Residential Unit 1-A.

Liam placed his palm against the scanner beside the door. The panel glowed briefly, reading his biometrics, and then emitted a soft beep of confirmation. The door slid open with a soft hiss.

Darkness greeted him initially, but the moment he stepped through the threshold, lights began activating in sequence. They didn’t flood the space all at once but illuminated gradually, revealing the apartment in stages.

Liam stopped just inside the entrance and looked around.

The space was extraordinary.

The first thing that struck him was the sheer size. The entry opened into a living area that was easily fifty square meters, with high ceilings that gave the space an open, airy quality. Large windows dominated one wall, currently displaying a simulated view of Earth from lunar orbit, the planet hanging in perfect stillness against the black void of space.

The furnishings were minimal but luxurious. A large sectional sofa occupied the center of the living area, upholstered in what looked like genuine leather. A low table sat in front of it, its surface made from a dark, polished material that might have been stone or synthetic composite. Recessed shelving lined another wall, currently empty but clearly designed to hold personal items.

The kitchen area was separated from the living space by a subtle change in flooring. Liam walked over and ran his hand along the counter, which was smooth and cool to the touch. The appliances were all integrated seamlessly into the cabinetry, their interfaces touch-activated and glowing faintly when his hand passed near them.

He continued exploring, moving through the apartment with genuine curiosity.

A hallway extended from the main living area, and Liam followed it. The first door opened into a bathroom that was larger than some bedrooms he’d seen. The fixtures were sleek and modern, the shower enclosure made from transparent material that would probably turn opaque at a touch. A deep soaking tub sat beneath another simulated window, this one showing a view of the lunar surface.

The second and third doors opened into bedrooms, each one spacious and well-appointed. The beds looked comfortable, the furniture minimal but functional. Both rooms had their own closets and what appeared to be small workspaces with integrated displays.

The fourth door at the end of the hall revealed the master bedroom, and Liam paused in the doorway.

This room was significantly larger than the others. The bed was enormous, easily emperor-sized—if something like that exists, positioned against the far wall beneath another panoramic window. This one displayed a real-time view of the stars, the perspective rotating slowly to track the base’s position relative to the lunar surface.

Liam walked to the window and looked out at the stars for a moment. They were sharp and brilliant against the absolute black of space, undimmed by any atmosphere. It was the same view he’d seen countless times, but seeing it from the comfort of a bedroom gave it a different quality.

He turned away and examined the rest of the room. A large wardrobe occupied one wall, currently empty. A door to the side opened into an en-suite bathroom that matched the luxury of the main one. Everything was designed with care, built to a standard that exceeded anything most people would ever experience.

Liam smiled to himself. Lucy had designed this space to house a family, not a single person. Four bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a living area large enough to host gatherings. It was excessive for his current needs, but he appreciated the thought behind it.

She’d built this base with the future in mind. With the assumption that someday, Liam wouldn’t be here alone.

He walked back to the master bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress was firm but yielding, perfectly balanced. He lay back, stretching out fully, and stared up at the ceiling.

The space was quiet and comfortable.

Liam closed his eyes and let himself relax. The day’s work had been intense, but satisfying. Lucy had been right—he needed rest. Tomorrow they’d continue, and the progress would keep building.

Sleep came quickly.

***

Morning arrived without fanfare. There was no sunrise on the moon, no gradual brightening of the sky. But Liam’s internal clock woke him at a reasonable hour, and the simulated window had adjusted to display a soft dawn light that eased him into wakefulness.

He showered, dressed in fresh clothes that had been delivered to his wardrobe overnight, and made his way back to the research wing.

Lucy was already there, exactly as he’d expected. She turned when he entered and smiled. "Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a while," Liam admitted. "The apartment is incredible."

"I’m glad you like it." Lucy gestured to one of the displays. "I made some additional progress overnight. We’re at forty-three percent now."

Liam walked over and examined the new data. Lucy had solved two subsystems entirely while he’d been sleeping, integrating them into the broader framework.

"Excellent work," he said. He pulled up a chair beside her. "Let’s keep going."

They settled into the rhythm they’d established the day before. Liam would tackle the more complex theoretical problems, breaking them down into manageable components. Lucy would handle the integration work, connecting the pieces into a coherent whole. They worked in comfortable synchronization, each one anticipating the other’s needs.

The hours passed quickly.

By evening, the progress indicator read 62%. They were past the halfway point now, and the remaining work was becoming clearer. The hardest problems had been solved. What remained was primarily integration and testing, which was still complex but more straightforward.

***

The third day brought new challenges. Some of the subsystems they’d solved independently turned out to have unexpected interactions when combined. Incompatibilities emerged that hadn’t been visible in isolation, requiring them to backtrack and redesign portions they’d thought were complete.

Liam found himself genuinely challenged for the first time in a while. The FTL drive’s architecture was more sophisticated than he’d initially realized, with layers of redundancy and fail-safes built into systems that seemed simple on the surface.

But he and Lucy adapted. When one approach failed, they tried another. When a theoretical model broke down under testing, they rebuilt it from first principles. The work was difficult, but not impossible.

By the end of the third day, they’d pushed through to 88%.

***

The fourth day was the final push. Liam and Lucy worked with focused intensity, moving through the remaining problems with the confidence that came from understanding the system completely. Every subsystem clicked into place. Every integration test came back clean. The FTL drive’s fundamental principles were now fully mapped, documented, and understood.

When the progress indicator finally hit 100%, Lucy sat back in her chair and exhaled slowly.

"We did it," she said quietly, looking at him with an expression that was equal parts satisfaction and gratitude.

Liam stood and stretched. His body felt stiff from days of sitting, but his mind felt sharp and clear. "So what’s next?"

"I can start building the customized FTL drive for the Emperor Class-II Starship," Lucy said. "The new design will be optimized specifically for our needs. More will also be built for all our ships."

"How long will that take?"

"Two weeks, maybe three. The fabrication systems can handle most of the work autonomously, but I’ll need to supervise the more delicate components."

Liam nodded. "Good. I need to head back to Earth anyway."

Lucy’s expression shifted slightly. "You’re leaving now?"

"I should," Liam said. "But I’ll be back soon. And you can reach me anytime if you need anything."

Lucy stood and walked over to him. She hugged him without warning, her arms wrapping around his torso tightly.

Liam returned the embrace, resting one hand on her hair. "Thank you for letting me help," he said quietly.

"Thank you for staying," Lucy replied.

They held the hug for several seconds before Lucy stepped back. Her expression was bright despite the goodbye, and she smiled. "Go. Handle your business. I’ll be here when you get back."

Liam nodded and turned toward the exit.

The walk to the bay was quiet. When he reached the space shuttle and climbed aboard, he took one last look at the research wing through the viewport. Lucy was already back at her workstation, surrounded by holographic displays, completely absorbed in the next phase of her work.

Liam smiled and gave the flight system its command. The shuttle lifted smoothly from the bay and began its descent toward Earth.