Aiden's foot tapped against the dashboard over and over again, without rhythm, without stopping.

  The sound was soft, but constant. Too constant.

  The sun had already fully risen.

  Light filtered through the windshield and fell directly onto the hood of the car, forcing them to remain still, visible, like two figures out of place on a street that was beginning to wake up. On the floor, several empty coffee cups rolled with each slight movement of the vehicle. Cold. Useless.

  Aiden glanced at the clock on the dashboard and let out a long sigh.

  "They're taking too long," he murmured.

  Kael didn't answer right away. One hand rested on the steering wheel, the other near the gear shift without touching it. His eyes alternated between the rearview mirror and the start of the street, again and again, as if expecting something to appear out of nowhere.

  "There's nothing we can do yet," he said finally. "If we rush it now, we ruin everything."

  Aiden let his head fall back against the seat, but his foot kept moving.

  "We've been here for hours."

  "And we'll be here as long as it takes."

  Silence settled back inside the car. Outside, a couple of vehicles passed without paying them any attention. A metal shutter rattled upward halfway down the block. The city went on with its routine.

  Then Kael straightened slightly.

  "There."

  Aiden sat up instantly.

  From the far end of the street, advancing with excessive calm, a cargo truck appeared. Its body bore generic auto-parts logos, too common to stand out. Too clean.

  The truck slowed down.

  And stopped.

  After watching it for a few seconds, Kael frowned.

  "No…" he murmured. "This isn't right."

  The cab door opened.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four men climbed down from the truck.

  Two of them moved to the back and began unloading the cargo with fast, mechanical movements. They didn't speak. They didn't rush. The other two didn't help. They walked around the truck, alert, sweeping the perimeter as if counting invisible steps. Short glances. Free hands. Pure vigilance.

  Aiden followed the scene with his body rigid.

  "They're covering the truck," he said quietly.

  Kael already had the communicator in hand.

  "South Ring here," he murmured. "No opening. Four subjects. Two unloading. Two guarding."

  There was a brief silence before the response came.

  "Atlas is the same," the other agent's voice replied. "Same formation. They're not leaving the vehicle."

  Kael clenched his jaw.

  "Then it's not a coincidence anymore…"

  He pressed the communicator again.

  "South Ring here. Confirm if you have any window," he said. "I can't get close without raising suspicion."

  A second of static came through.

  "Negative," the agent replied. "They're just as closed. I'm going to request traffic support. Maybe we can set up a routine inspection."

  Kael pressed his lips together.

  "We can't use the same trick," he said. "If both trucks go through the same thing, they'll smell it."

  There was a longer pause.

  "I know," the voice replied. "But it's all I've got. If it works here, you'll have to improvise."

  Kael lowered his gaze for a moment.

  "Damn it…"

  "Good luck," the agent added, without a trace of irony. "You're going to need it."

  The connection cut off.

  Kael rested his forehead against the steering wheel for a second, took a deep breath, and lifted his head.

  "Alright," he murmured. "We'll have to improvise."

  "So what now?" Aiden asked quietly. "We get out and do it by force?"

  Kael shook his head immediately.

  "No," he said. "If we intervene like that, they won't go back to where they came from. They'll change the route… or disappear."

  Aiden clenched his jaw.

  "And we lose the trail."

  "Exactly. Because if they notice… there won't be a plan B."

  After a few minutes, the men finished unloading the truck.

  The doors slammed shut with a dry thud.

  Kael didn't wait for it to get too far.

  "It'll be on the road," he said.

  He shifted gears and kept just the right distance as the truck began moving, heading toward the main avenue.

  Inside the car, there was no sound.

  No radio. No conversation.

  Aiden followed the vehicle without blinking, as if doing so might give him away. The truck filled his entire field of vision. Every brake, every lane change, felt like a warning.

  That was when he noticed it.

  In the opposite lane, several stopped cars. Flashing lights. A minor crash… and then another farther ahead. Too many to be a coincidence.

  "Again," Aiden murmured.

  Kael didn't ask.

  "The comas," Aiden continued. "I saw several posts. People collapsing behind the wheel."

  Kael kept the course steady, his eyes fixed on the road.

  A few seconds later, he frowned.

  "If it enters Prime…" he said.

  Aiden turned toward him.

  "Why there?"

  "Because it's the main artery," Kael replied. "Cargo, detours, heavy traffic. And with the subway construction…" he paused briefly, "…traffic never flows."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "If it goes in there, we'll have an opportunity."

  After a few seconds that stretched longer than they should have, the truck turned on its signal and took the exit toward Prime Avenue.

  Kael let out the breath he'd been holding.

  "At least something went right today."

  Aiden didn't respond right away. He'd already noticed.

  Prime was saturated.

  Heavy traffic creeping forward, cargo trucks stopped every few meters, cars forced to brake again and again for no apparent reason. Construction materials piled along the sides and an entire lane closed due to the subway work. The structure rose above the avenue like an endless concrete scar, devouring space and time alike.

  The truck barely advanced a few meters before stopping again.

  By then, Kael's mind was no longer in one place. It had gone too far ahead.

  He calculated nonstop: the duration of each traffic light, the meters the truck advanced before stopping, blind angles, possible glances. Everything ran through his head again and again, but no option fully worked. The margin was minimal. The risk, absolute.

  And he couldn't decide.

  Aiden, meanwhile, was watching something else.

  He counted the seconds of each light change. Once. Twice. Three times.

  When the light turned yellow, he made a decision.

  He pulled one earbud from his pocket and slipped it in quickly. At the same time, he dialed on his phone.

  The sound of the call broke the silence inside the car.

  Kael turned his head when he saw the name on the screen… and then he saw it.

  Aiden was already opening the door. In one hand, he held the tracker.

  "Aiden," Kael said. "Aiden."

  Aiden looked at him and gave a tense, nervous smile.

  "Wish me luck."

  "Aiden, where do you think you're going?" Kael repeated, raising his voice this time.

  The door was already closed.

  Kael ran both hands through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh.

  "Damn it… this kid."

  After taking a couple of deep breaths, Kael grabbed his phone and dialed without thinking further.

  "What the hell are you doing?" he said as soon as the call connected. "This isn't a game."

  "Exactly," Aiden replied, without stopping. "You know it as well as I do. If we don't act now, the window closes."

  Kael pressed his lips together. He covered one eye with his hand and let the air out slowly.

  He was right.

  "Listen to me," he said at last, his voice steadier. "The device works by magnetism. It shouldn't give you trouble… unless it's badly damaged. Stick it anywhere on the chassis. Something solid. And get out of there."

  Aiden didn't answer right away. He looked up.

  The traffic light had just turned red.

  Time began to compress.

  At the intersection, a man performed fire tricks, tossing brief flames into the air to draw attention. The movement, the light, the noise… everything added tension. Too many stimuli. Too many eyes.

  Aiden ran.

  He moved toward the truck with his pulse racing, measuring each step. Halfway there, something made him turn his head. In the truck's side mirror, one of the guards seemed to have noticed movement. His posture shifted slightly. Enough.

  Aiden didn't think.

  He lunged forward and slipped behind the truck just as the man began to turn.

  "Everything okay?" Kael asked instantly, tense.

  "Yes," Aiden whispered, his chest rising and falling nonstop. "I'm behind it."

  He gripped the tracker tightly.

  "Give me a second… I'm placing it now."

  Aiden took a deep breath and dropped to the asphalt, sliding beneath the truck. The smell of oil and dust filled his nose as he moved carefully, measuring every motion. That was when he noticed it.

  From the back seat of a stopped car a few meters away, a small child was watching him curiously. His eyes widened when he saw Aiden and, completely naturally, he raised his hand and waved.

  Aiden froze for a second.

  He waved back with an awkward, nervous smile. At the wheel, the child's mother argued on the phone, unaware of everything.

  Aiden immediately looked away.

  He moved until he was beneath the middle of the chassis. He pulled out the tracker, feeling his pulse in his temples, and pressed it against the metal frame.

  "Done," he murmured, forcing a smile. "Mission comp—"

  The sharp impact against the concrete cut him off.

  The device had fallen.

  The blood drained from his face.

  "What happened?" Kael asked instantly.

  Aiden grabbed it again and pressed it back into place. One second. Two.

  It fell again.

  "No… it won't stick," he whispered, teeth clenched.

  He tried a third time. The metal was coated in grease. The magnet wouldn't make contact.

  "Aiden," Kael said, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "Time."

  The light was still red, but not for long.

  "It's too dirty… or the device is already too worn," Aiden replied. "It won't hold."

  Kael looked up.

  The light changed.

  Green.

  The cars ahead began to move. One. Two. The line advanced.

  "Get out of there," Kael ordered, his voice tight. "Now. Improvise. That's what you're good at, right?"

  The entire line jolted. The truck lurched forward.

  Aiden felt the vibration ripple through the structure. His body began to shake with the movement. He thought fast. Too fast.

  Then he made a decision.

  He pressed the tracker against the metal and, without thinking further, bent one of the chassis plates hard, jamming it in by force. The sound was dry, brutal.

  The device was trapped.

  The truck began to move.

  Aiden crawled desperately, scraping his forearms, pushing with his feet as the ground vibrated beneath him. He rolled out from under the truck and lay there for a second on the asphalt.

  The truck passed.

  By only a few seconds.

  Aiden sprang up just as the cars in the adjacent lanes began to move. He ran to the vehicle and threw himself into the seat, collapsing against the backrest as if his body suddenly shut down. His chest heaved violently. His hands trembled.

  Kael let out the breath he'd been holding and gave him a brief pat on the shoulder.

  "See?" he said, forcing a tense smile. "Not that hard."

  Aiden let out a broken laugh.

  "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

  Kael turned his eyes back to the road and shifted gears.

  "This isn't over yet."

  He accelerated and kept the vehicle at a prudent distance, positioning himself once again a few meters behind the truck.

  He grabbed the radio.

  "South Ring to Atlas," he said. "Device placed."

  A second of silence followed.

  "Confirmed," the other agent's voice replied. "We got it too. Signal's live."

  Aiden opened the case with still-unsteady hands and turned on the monitor. The screen came to life instantly. A luminous pulse appeared on the radar, steady. Active.

  The signal was there.

  And it was still moving.

  Time kept passing. After crossing several avenues and different parts of the city, the truck took a downward slope and entered a tunnel.

  Kael frowned immediately.

  "This is bad," he said. "Signals usually drop in tunnels."

  Aiden didn't reply. He watched in silence, focused on the road and the monitor, as if any word might break something.

  They advanced a few more seconds when suddenly the truck turned left.

  Kael tensed his shoulders.

  The deviation wasn't marked as a normal route. Ahead of them appeared a cordoned-off zone: no-entry signs, metal barriers, warning tape. Everything suggested construction… or something meant to look like it.

  The truck stopped just long enough.

  Several men, dressed like workers with green and orange vests, moved quickly. They opened the barrier blocking the access and allowed the vehicle through. As soon as the truck passed, the fence closed again behind it, as if it had never been opened.

  Aiden lowered his gaze to the monitor.

  The signal began to fail.

  An irregular beep. Then another. The luminous pulse flickered erratically, weakening second by second… until it finally disappeared.

  "No…" he murmured.

  Kael activated the communicator immediately.

  "Atlas? Do you copy?"

  "Atlas here," the other agent replied.

  "We lost it. They entered a tunnel and diverted into a closed zone."

  The response came with an uncomfortable delay.

  "Same situation. Signal's dead."

  Kael closed his eyes for a moment.

  It wasn't a coincidence.

  After losing the signal, Kael exited the tunnel and pulled over to the side of the avenue. The engine remained on, but an uncomfortable silence settled inside the car.

  Aiden ran both hands through his hair, messing it up even more, pacing mentally in circles.

  "So… now what?" he murmured, not looking at Kael.

  Kael didn't respond. His eyes were fixed ahead, but his mind was already elsewhere. This hadn't been improvised. It wasn't luck. Both trucks had used the same maneuver, the same type of disappearance.

  It was a structure.

  Something planned.

  Something high-level.

  And that meant one thing: the two of them weren't enough.

  Aiden glanced back at the monitor almost by instinct, expecting nothing. The screen remained dark. Silent. Then he frowned.

  "Wait…"

  He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to the screen.

  For a moment he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. But no. There it was.

  A red dot.

  Weak. Intermittent. Barely visible.

  Aiden held his breath. Didn't blink.

  The dot disappeared… and reappeared.

  "Kael," he said, his voice tight. "Kael, look at this."

  Kael turned his head immediately.

  The signal was coming back. Unstable at first, like a sick pulse… until, little by little, it stabilized. The dot stopped moving.

  Kael exhaled slowly.

  "They exited the tunnel," he said. "That's why it came back."

  He watched the screen a few more seconds.

  "And it's not moving anymore…"

  His expression hardened.

  "So that's it."

  He grabbed the radio without hesitation.

  "South Ring to Atlas," he said. "Signal's back. It stopped at one point."

  A brief pause followed.

  "Confirmed," the other agent replied. "Same here. It stopped at Axis Avenue, 1418. Meridian Tower."

  Aiden lifted his eyes from the monitor and looked at Kael.

  "It's the same point."

  Kael didn't answer right away.

  He stared forward, as if he could see the building from there.

  "That doesn't make sense…" he murmured.

  Then he added quietly, almost to himself:

  "Unless it does."

  He leaned back in the seat.

  After following the signal to the marked point, Kael drove in silence to a multi-level parking lot across from the tower. He stopped the car and turned off the engine. The place was too clean. Too quiet.

  They both got out of the vehicle.

  Aiden immediately looked up.

  "And… what is this?" he asked, confused.

  The building rose before them with imposing height. Its blue-glass facade reflected daylight with elegant restraint. The concrete was immaculate, carefully maintained. There were no graffiti, no bars, no signs of abandonment. On the contrary: people flowed in and out constantly. Men and women in well-tailored suits entered and exited naturally, talking on phones, checking watches, carrying briefcases.

  Normal life. Too normal.

  "It's a commercial building," Kael replied, not taking his eyes off it. "Offices. Companies. Consultancies. Nothing out of the ordinary."

  Aiden scratched his head, puzzled.

  "It doesn't look anything like what I expected."

  Kael let out a brief, almost involuntary smile.

  Aiden glanced at him.

  "What's so funny?"

  Kael fixed his gaze on the tower again.

  "That," he said. "Exactly that."

  Aiden frowned.

  "Perfect… for what?"

  Kael took a second to answer.

  "Either we're completely wrong," he said at last, "or that bastard is a genius."

  Aiden looked back at the building. For the first time, its normality felt unsettling.

  High above, on the top floor of the tower, the masked man stood with his back to the desk, holding a glass of alcohol between his fingers. Before him, the city stretched out like an orderly board.

  On the surface of the desk, motionless, rested a mask.

  The man took a slow sip, unhurried.

  Then he smiled.

  "It doesn't matter where they are."

  The smile widened just slightly, almost imperceptibly.

  "When they show themselves… it'll already be too late."