The evening city was quiet—almost too quiet.
Alexis sat in his small apartment, half-listening to the hiss of boiling water and the low hum of the ventilation. The room was minimalist, clean, barely lived-in by ordinary standards. But for him, this was sanctuary. The only place where both Alexis and Adam could breathe in the same air.
Steam curled from the edge of his cup as he poured tea. Outside, a gentle drizzle painted the window with streaks of soft silver, like the city itself was melting in slow motion. He wore a casual hoodie, his expression unreadable as the system pinged silently into his neural interface.
System: "Attempted breach. Membership Ring 0042 transmission route—Prague."
Alexis's brow twitched only slightly. "Status?"
System: "Interception failed. Ring rerouted through contingency line Theta-9. Secure delivery achieved."
"Sender signature?"
System: "Unknown. Encryption traces match Halberd Circle's known fingerprint."
"They're getting cocky again," he murmured.
He set the tea down just as the apartment buzzer chirped.
He opened the door to find Iris standing there with a smug smile and two coffees.
"You looked like someone who forgot to sleep. Figured caffeine might prevent spontaneous combustion," she said.
He raised a brow, masking his surprise. "Kind of you to rescue a burning man."
They sat on his old couch. Iris glanced around.
"You really live like a monk. No photos, no clutter. Suspiciously clean."
"I like order," he said simply.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but the grin never faded. She sipped her coffee, watching him over the rim.
"You've got this...vibe. You know? Like a mystery character in a drama who ends up being a secret prince or some underground boss."
He chuckled. "I work part-time at a store that sells instant noodles. That's hardly underground royalty."
She tilted her head. "You didn't deny the boss part."
Before he could reply, a new ping from the system lit up in his lens. He blinked twice to open the alert while maintaining his calm expression.
System:
Membership Ring 0037 delivered.
New surveillance flag: Halberd proxy shell under alias 'Azura Foundation' attempting soft probes into Vaelore archives.
Three Circle 72 operatives detected increased scan pings.
He kept smiling at Iris as she leaned closer.
"You always seem like you're listening to something I can't hear."
"Maybe I'm just boring."
"You? Never. Just suspicious."
She stood up, tossing her coffee cup in the bin. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your meditations, oh quiet monk of downtown."
He walked her to the door. As she stepped into the hallway, she turned.
"One day, Alexis... I'll figure you out."
"You'll be disappointed."
"I doubt it," she said and vanished into the elevator.
As soon as the door clicked shut, the warmth drained from his posture.
"System. Pull up all new Halberd intel."
A 3D map unfolded across his main wall, dotted with thin red lines of attempted probes. Most were subtle. Some were clever. A few were reckless.
"They've started scraping through the black web?"
System: "Yes. Several brokers have been contacted for inquiries about Vaelore's private network and encrypted transaction logs."
"So they're hoping to corner smoke with a net."
System: "Confirmed. Also: operative 'Glass Whisper' activated, location flagged: Geneva."
He stared at the name.
"Now that's interesting."
Outside, the drizzle had turned to fine mist. The streetlamps glowed like melted gold.
Alexis pulled on his coat and stepped into the evening, the city folding around him in rhythm.
The ring on his hand glinted as he passed through the automated doors of Axis Goods. He checked the cameras and clicked the backroom terminal on.
In the dark interface, only one word blinked softly: Ready.
He smiled.
"Let's reset the board."