Roman leaned back in his study chair, the glow from several monitors washing over his tired face. His gold-rimmed glasses rested low on his nose, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled above his elbows, and the top two buttons had long since been undone.

Theon’s voice flowed through the laptop speakers.

“If we reduce the compound ratio by zero point three percent, the binding agent should stabilize. The original formula was far too volatile.”

Roman jotted down a few notes.

“I came to the same conclusion. But the temperature threshold has to come down as well. The original lab had a controlled environment. We can’t recreate those conditions.”

“We’ll...