Khanna POV
The bus depot was a chaotic mix of exhausted travelers and pungent diesel fumes. We managed to board a dilapidated coach heading northeast just minutes before the Agency vehicles began patrolling the industrial park entrance. We didn't exchange a word for the first hour, slouching low in the back seat, allowing the rattling engine and the dim, vibrating lights to shield us.
My mind was a blur of tactical equations. Assets lost: my career, my home, all contacts. Assets gained: the most wanted man in two realms, and a hacker who can unlock everything. The trade felt both insane and inevitable. I had chosen a side, and now I had to learn how to fight a war without the Agency's resources.
"They'll be using facial recognition and tracking the bus company's manifest," I finally mut
