Jay POV
The mansion was silent again.
The same hallway.
The same broken chairs.
The same ropes scattered across the floor.
But this time… Hex wasn't here.
I stood near the center of the room, staring at the small silver bracelet in my hand.
The metal felt cold against my palm.
Hex's bracelet.
Keifer walked over beside me.
"You sure that's his?"
I nodded.
"He never takes it off."
Felix leaned over my shoulder.
"Maybe it fell during the fight."
Ci-N shook his head.
"Hex dropping his favorite bracelet? No way."
"That's what I'm thinking," I said quietly.
Nathan dragged a table into the middle of the room and placed his laptop on it.
Carlos immediately sat down and began opening programs.
Hannah crossed her arms.
"So… what now?"
I walked over and placed the bracelet carefully on the table.
Carlos picked it up.
He turned it over slowly.
Then again.
Something in his expression changed.
"…Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" Miguel asked.
Carlos pointed at the inside edge of the bracelet.
"See this tiny mark?"
We leaned closer.
A small engraved symbol was inside the metal.
Felix squinted.
"…What is that?"
I recognized it instantly.
A small lightning bolt.
Hex's personal mark.
Then I remembered something.
My eyes widened slightly.
"…He has two."
Everyone looked at me.
"Two what?" Yuri asked.
"Bracelets," I said.
Carlos blinked.
"He does?"
I nodded slowly.
"Yes Yes."
Keifer frowned.
"Why would someone wear two of the same bracelet?"
"Because Hex is paranoid," Ci-N answered.
Felix laughed.
"True."
I pointed at the bracelet on the table.
"This one has the transmitter."
Carlos sat up straighter.
"And the other one?"
"The receiver."
Silence filled the room for a second.
Then Carlos grinned.
"Oh that's clever."
Nathan leaned closer.
"So if we track this one…"
Carlos finished the sentence.
"We'll find the other one."
Meaning…
We'd find Hex.
Carlos quickly connected a small scanner to his laptop and placed the bracelet under it.
"Let's see if your genius friend really planned ahead."
The laptop screen flickered as the program started scanning.
Lines of data appeared.
Signals searching.
Signals bouncing.
Everyone watched the screen
Waiting.
Felix whispered dramatically, "Come on little bracelet…"
Then suddenly—
A small dot appeared on the map.
Blinking.
Endrix leaned closer.
"Well I'll be damned."
Keifer's eyes locked onto the screen.
"That's him."
David studied the location.
"Industrial district near the harbor."
Miguel nodded.
"Old shipping warehouses there."
Ci-N sighed.
"Of course there are."
Felix rubbed his hands together.
"So… rescue mission round two?"
I stared at the blinking signal.
Then shook my head slowly.
"No."
Keifer glanced at me.
"No?"
"This is exactly what Kaiser wants."
Kaiser Watson
Carlos tilted his head.
"You think he knows about the bracelet?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe not."
"But if Hex left this for us…" I said quietly, "…then he knew we'd figure it out."
Hannah leaned forward.
"So we go anyway?"
I crossed my arms.
"Yes."
Keifer pushed away from the wall.
"Good."
Nathan looked around the room.
"Then we do it smarter this time."
I nodded.
"We split roles."
Everyone straightened slightly.
"Keifer," I said.
"You lead the boys ."
His eyes sharpened immediately.
"Fine."
"Nathan and Miguel."
"Perimeter security," Nathan guessed.
"Exactly."
He nodded.
Carlos and endrix raised their hands.
"Tech guys?"
"You guys track the signal and watch for surveillance."
Carlos grinned.
"Easy."
"Hannah."
"Yes?"
"Bring every gadget you have."
Her smile appeared instantly.
"Oh this is going to be fun."
Felix raised his hand like a student in class.
"Felix?"
"Question."
"What?"
"Can we punch Kaiser this time?"
Ci-N nodded immediately.
"I support this request."
Yuri added, "Strongly."
I looked at them for a moment.
Then answered calmly.
"Yes."
Felix slammed his fist into his palm.
"Best mission ever."
Keifer grabbed his jacket.
"When do we move?"
I looked at the blinking dot on the laptop again.
Hex was still there.
Still waiting.
Still trapped.
I closed my hand around the bracelet.
"Very soon."
Because this time…
We weren't escaping Kaiser's trap.
We were coming for him. ⚡