The morning felt too normal to be safe.
Frank was up before sunrise, sitting at the kitchen table with his usual mug of black coffee, eyes tracing the city skyline through the half-open blinds. The air was still; the silence was staged. Across the apartment, Zoey moved quietly, her hair tied back, dressed in formal corporate black. Both looked like professionals heading to work — but both knew they were walking straight into a minefield.
Zoey: "Feels strange, pretending to be normal again."Frank: "Normal's just another kind of disguise."
She poured coffee, her hand trembling slightly as the liquid filled the cup. Frank caught the shake but didn't say anything. He simply checked his watch, the same habit he'd never lost since his mercenary days. 07:05.
They left the apartment separately, no goodbye, no small talk — only the sound of two doors closing seconds apart.
Arrival at Vertex
