Three Steps Ahead

Jessica sat stiffly in the passenger seat of Jean-Luc’s car, watching the streets blur past in the dim glow of streetlights. Rain drummed against the windshield, the rhythmic tapping doing little to ease the tension coiled in her muscles. She kept one hand close to the door handle, eyes quietly clocking the exits. If this turned into a trap, she needed to be three steps ahead—minimum.

"What exactly are you offering?" Jessica finally asked, breaking the silence.

Jean-Luc didn’t take his eyes off the road. "Proof that Vanguard isn’t just erasing people. They’re creating something new."

Jessica’s pulse quickened. "Meaning what, exactly?"

He smirked, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "Meaning that the project you thought was shut down is alive and well. And it’s evolving."

Jessica clenched her fists. "Where are we going?"

Jean-Luc slowed the car, pulling into a shadowed parking garage. "A safe place where we can talk without eyes on us."

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Leanna moved quickly, her pulse hammering as she darted through the crowded metro station. Her pursuer was still behind her, moving methodically, never closing the distance too quickly, but never losing sight of her either.

She needed to shake him—now.

Spotting a side corridor leading to an emergency exit, she made a split-second decision and bolted. She tore through the doorway, slamming it behind her and sprinting down the rain-slicked alleyway outside. She didn’t stop until she rounded a corner, pressing herself against a crumbling brick wall.

Her breath came in sharp gasps. Was she clear?

A slow, deliberate footstep echoed from the alley’s entrance.The way he moved—slow, certain—wasn’t the pattern of someone hunting. It was someone reclaiming property. No, She wasn’t in the clear

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Olivia’s fingers flew over the keyboard, decrypting file after file in the dimly lit café. Every line of data confirmed what she feared—Vanguard was perfecting mind erasure and conditioning techniques.

A fresh alert popped up on her screen. Her stomach dropped. She was being traced.

Without hesitating, she yanked the USB from the laptop and slammed it shut. Heart hammering, she grabbed her bag and bolted for the door, forcing herself to stay calm as she merged into the crowded street.

She had minutes before they found her location. Less if they were already nearby.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Jessica: Get to fallback point. NOW.

As she slipped through the crowd, she patted her bag to feel for the backup drive, fingers tightening around the zipper. “They fry this one too,” she muttered, “I’ll personally rewrite their brains with a brick.”