“Put the helmet on.”
The voice on the other end of the encrypted line is calm, professional, detached...
like this isn’t the moment I’ve been running from and toward at the same time.
“I already did,” I answer, tightening the strap beneath my chin. My fingers tremble for half a second before I force them still. “You sure this alias will hold?”
A pause. Then: “VEGA ZERO doesn’t exist. Which makes her perfect.”
I exhale slowly, letting the familiar scent of oil, rubber, and cold metal ground me. The underground garage hums with restrained power...
engines idling like beasts waiting to be unleashed. Neon lights flicker overhead, casting sharp reflections against the matte-black curve of my helmet.
“Then open the gate,” I say.
The iron barrier groans as it lifts.
I roll forward.
I ha
