James returned to his own room, Echo padding faithfully beside him. The specialized earbud filters he'd developed were safely tucked away in their case, ready for tomorrow's infiltration. He moved with practiced efficiency through his nightly routine, his heightened hearing mapping the dimensions of the unfamiliar space. The motel's aging air conditioner hummed at a frequency most people would barely notice, but to James, it sang with detailed harmonics that revealed a failing compressor and loose mounting bracket.
He sat on the edge of the bed, running his fingers over the raised dots of his watch. Eleven forty-three. Less than nine hours before, they would attempt to thwart what could be the most sophisticated sonic attack in history. Echo settled at his feet with a familiar sigh, the d
