The world went silent.
One moment, I was a predator watching my prey through a digital scope, my victory a cold, clean certainty. The next, the world dissolved into a hissing void. The laptop screen in front of me was a snowstorm of dead pixels. Liam’s voice in my earpiece, once a lifeline of data, was replaced by the infuriating crackle of a signal jammer.
I was in freefall. The trap was sprung, but the cage was invisible. I was blind, deaf, and utterly alone in a janitor’s closet that reeked of ammonia.
Panic is a luxury. It’s an indulgence for those who have someone to call for help. I had no one. I took one deep, steadying breath, the chemical scent filling my lungs, and forced my mind into the cold, clear space where emotion couldn’t follow. The tech was gone. Liam was gone. The pl
