Zoe stepped forward, looking the man directly in the eye. "What's your name?"
He met her gaze, the authority returning to his voice. "It's Jax."
Just as he spoke, a soft, digitized voice, audible only to him, whispered from his Ear-Com. "Unknown call incoming." A small, discreet holographic screen flickered to life in front of Jax's face. He paused, his focus elsewhere for a brief moment, then made a gentle declining gesture. The screen dissolved, but not before a list of missed notifications flashed into view: eight missed calls. Three were from a contact named Olivia; the other five were from an unknown number.
Time passed smoothly as he spent the next half an hour with them, planning their immediate steps. The conversation was soft but tense.
"Hey, do we have to start moving to another place?" Kael asked, his eyes never leaving the file projected on the NODE.
"You're not going anywhere yet," Jax replied firmly, scanning the dusty room. "You're safe here. No one knows you're hiding in this place."
"What do you mean by that?" Kael asked.
"I was the only one working on the case from the Phantom Division," Jax replied.
"The only one?" Zoe asked, confused.
Jax explained, "When a case is transferred to the Phantom Division, it doesn't mean every officer works on it. The number of officers is based on the case. But for every case, a Phantom Division officer is paired with a partner from the Ghost Division. That pair continues for the whole case."
"So you have a partner from the Ghost Division," Zoe said confidently. "Someone working on this case alongside you."
"Yeah," Jax said. "She's the one who sent me this location. A digital operative from The Ghost Division named Rhea."
"Is she that talented?" Kael asked.
Jax leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Yes. She's the best digital mind we have. So what are you going to do now?"
"I'll report to my partner, Rhea, that there is nothing suspicious here. I'll slow down the investigation by feeding her false leads, away from this place," Jax confided. Kael and Zoe leaned closer. "But to do that, your activities from this house have to be drastically decreased. You are safe here only if you give them nothing to trace." He looked at Ethan. "Especially you. Stick to the perimeter. Bring supplies back here—nothing traceable. No more hoverbike or taxi to this place. And don't bring your Ear-Com here." His eyes moved to Kael and Zoe. "That goes for both of you, too. Do not use your Ear-Coms in this place. If you do, I'll have to come here to arrest you. Understand?"
"Yes," the three of them nodded. Jax checked the time; it was already midnight. He stood up to leave. "And remember this," he said, his voice a final, heavy whisper. "I am risking my job and my life for this. Do not miss this opportunity."
Kael nodded sharply. "We will do our best."
Jax left the house, walking toward his car—a sleek, unmarked black vehicle—parked a block away. He unlocked it and slipped inside. When he started the engine, the car began hovering above the road, the chassis settling into a silent, seven-inch gap above the asphalt as he started the drive home.
When he reached home, he parked the hovercar in the attached garage, secured it, and moved to the inner door, knocking softly. A moment later, his wife, Olivia, opened it. Her face was sleepy, her eyes tired, and she wore a nightdress.
"Why are you so late?" she asked, her voice heavy with weariness.
"I'm sorry, it was an urgent meeting," he murmured, kissing her forehead. He asked gently, "Did he sleep already?"
"Yeah," Olivia said. "He was waiting for you until eleven."
Jax started walking toward their bedroom, removing his jacket.
"They called me again today," Olivia said, her voice dropping. "Four times."
"Did you answer?" he asked, folding the jacket over a chair.
"No, as usual," she replied.
"Hoo. Maybe that's why they called me from an unknown number," he muttered, thinking of the five missed calls.
Olivia turned, her hands pressed together in anxious frustration. "Jax, if this continues, someday they will come directly here and make an issue! We have to give them their money back."
"I know, I know," Jax sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But we don't have that much money to pay back right now. That last payment took everything we had left."
"And what about our son's next prosthetic maintenance? Where will that money come from? You told me this job in J-COD was secure! Now you're telling me you have to risk everything for an urgent meeting that lasts until midnight?"
"It wasn't about the job, Olivia, it was about—" He cut himself off, unable to reveal his treason. "Look, I have a new lead. It's high-risk, but it could solve everything at once. Just give me a few days."
"A few days? Jax, we don't have a few days!" she choked out, fighting tears.
He pulled her into a tired hug. "We do. I promise." He quickly changed into his night clothes and slid into bed. He slept, but the quiet anxiety of his family's debt was a heavy weight on his chest.
Jax woke up just before the alarm, the habit of a disciplined officer overriding his exhaustion. He lay still for a moment, watching the soft light filter through the window. Beside him, Olivia was still asleep, her breathing shallow. He turned his head, looking across the room to his son's bed. Leo, his one and only son, was already awake, sitting up and quietly playing with a programmable brick construction set. The light caught the smooth chrome lines of his robotic prosthetic leg, which lay detached beside the bed, charging. It was a constant reminder of the fight Jax had lost.
A genuine smile touched Jax's lips. "Morning, buddy."
Leo looked up, his eyes immediately lighting up. "Morning, Dad! Look! I made a Hyper-Glider!"
Jax quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Olivia. He moved to the small washroom, running a quick sonic clean over his face and shaving with a low-humming auto-razor. He found Leo in the kitchen, having already reattached his prosthetic leg and moving confidently toward the auto-chef unit. "I can do it, Dad," Leo said, programming his favorite protein paste.
"I know you can," Jax replied, pride swelling in his chest. "But today, let the old man make the coffee."
When Olivia walked in a moment later, the three settled around the small, holographic table. "Did you sleep at all?" Olivia murmured, reaching across the table to squeeze Jax's hand.
"Like a log," Jax lied easily. "Ready for your meeting today?"
"Just another parent-teacher consult with the robotics coach," she sighed. "Leo's getting bored with the entry-level prosthetics programming."
"That's because he's a genius," Jax said, winking at Leo. "You keep challenging those robots, alright, buddy?"
"I will! Are you dropping us off?" Leo asked.
"Wouldn't miss it," Jax confirmed.
Ten minutes later, they were in the car, hovering silently over the morning traffic.
Olivia sat beside him, looking concerned. "Where are you heading in such a hurry today?"
"I need to head back to Headquarters," Jax replied.
"Headquarters? Are you meeting with the Director about the case?" she pressed.
"I am. I need to make sure I have all the details straight," he confirmed.
Olivia squeezed his arm. "Just... don't try to argue with him about the case, okay? Just listen."
They arrived at The Cygnus Academy for Adaptive Learning, a sprawling campus that was the best place for Leo—and the reason they needed money so desperately. Jax leaned over and kissed Olivia goodbye. "Don't worry about the call," he whispered. "I'm working on it." He gave Leo a final, firm pat on the shoulder. "Be good, Hyper-Glider." His heart felt heavy as he watched them enter the gate. That family, that life, was what he was risking everything for.
Jax drove past the massive corporate sectors and arrived at the heavily secured J-COD Headquarters. This facility served as the administrative and coordination hub for the entire command structure, including the Phantom Division and Ghost Division, whose specialized teams often operated from dedicated remote facilities across the region. As he parked in the secure underground lot, the anxiety returned, cold and sharp. Now he had to do his first task of the day: sending a message to Rhea. A hologram screen appeared in front of him, connected to his Ear-Com which was attached to the back of his ear. He opened his chat with Rhea and sent the message: Nothing at the location. Dead end. I checked it. He closed the chat, his jaw tight, and walked straight towards the lift, heading for the top floor and the private office of Director Reyes.
He found the Director already in the room, his large desk covered in scrolling holographic data feeds. Director Reyes was a distinguished man in his late fifties with kind eyes, but his expression was weary. "Jax. Glad you made it," Reyes said, his voice dropping the professional formality. "How's Olivia? And Leo? Is he still teaching those adaptive learning bots a thing or two?"
"They're good, Director," Jax replied. "And he's keeping them busy." They spoke for a few random minutes, the familiarity of old friendship masking the tension.
"Sir, I need to ask you directly," Jax said, his tone shifting. "The Nexus Corp case. You assigned it to me. I know you remember what they did to my family. The forgery... why me?"
Director Reyes sighed deeply and waved his hand, dismissing the holographic feeds. "I remembered, Jax. Believe me. But I didn't have another choice. The urgency of the situation—"
The door suddenly burst open. A young, intense officer strode into the room without knocking, his face flushed with anger. "Dad, why did you transfer my case to that idiot?" the young officer demanded.
Director Reyes pinched the bridge of his nose. "How many times have I told you to knock before coming in?"
"First, answer my question, Dad."
The Director looked his son dead in the eye. "I transferred that case because you failed to secure the evidence last month, and you can't handle the political fallout."
"But—"
"I don't want to talk about it. Now leave," Reyes cut him off, his authority absolute.
The young officer glared but obeyed. As he was about to leave, he stopped, his posture softening as he looked at Jax. "Hey Jax," he said, his voice dropping to a weary camaraderie. "Tough luck getting stuck with the old man this morning." He gave Jax a quick, knowing nod. "Someone's been waiting for you in the waiting hall for over an hour." The door closed smoothly behind the Director's son.
"I think I have to leave now, Director," Jax said with a respectful nod. "And a small suggestion: give your son another chance. He wants to prove himself." He started for the door. "Feel free to come home with your family sometime. I won't stop you." He left the room, the door clicking shut.
Jax took the internal elevator down to the ground floor. He moved through the final security checkpoint and entered the formal waiting room, a sterile space bathed in cold light. He froze. Sitting alone on a sleek bench was a girl. Her white prosthetic right arm shone brightly, the polished material giving her a striking, artistic appearance, while her left index finger was slowly and deliberately playing with a thick lock of her black hair.
Jax approached her, his instincts on high alert. "Hey. You're the one who was waiting for me?" he asked.
She looked up, her gaze steady. "Yes, sir. It was me."
"Okay. Tell me, who are you and why are you here?"
"My name is Maya," she replied. "And I know you are the one dealing with the Nexus Leak Case."
Jax froze. Outside the immediate J-COD hierarchy, no one—absolutely no one, except the CEO of Nexus Corp—was supposed to know he was the lead operative on that assignment. "Yes," he replied slowly, the single word hanging in the air. "So?"
"I have information about the fugitives," Maya stated simply. "Kael and Zoe.