The hideout was quiet—but not calm.
Screens glowed in the dim light. The hum of machines filled the air. Leo sat at the edge of the operations table, staring at the Hollow-coded numbers Whiskers had translated. They pulsed faintly on the monitor, like a heartbeat.
LEO (thoughts) It's real. The flash drive. The Hollow. Everything my parents died for. And now it's slipping away.
Across the room, Jace leaned against a wall, arms crossed, eyes scanning the agents.
JACE (thoughts) They don't trust us. I can feel it. They think we're just kids playing spy. But they don't know what we've seen.
Whiskers perched on the table, tail flicking, eyes locked on the screen.
WHISKERS (thoughts) The signal's unstable. They're moving it. If we wait too long, it's gone. And with it—everything.
Agent Arclight stepped forward. Her voice was sharp, but not unkind.
AGENT ARCLIGHT "We've got a location. Industrial zone. Building 17. The signal's faint, but it's there."
Agent Spector—tall, silent, calculating—stood behind Arclight, arms folded.
AGENT SPECTOR "They're transferring it. Probably prepping for destruction."
Leo stood.
LEO "Then we go now."
Agent Rook, the youngest of the squad, raised an eyebrow.
AGENT ROOK "You mean we go. You three stay here."
Jace stepped forward.
JACE "You'll miss it. You don't know what you're looking for."
Agent Ember, quiet and observant, finally spoke.
AGENT EMBER "They're not wrong. That paper—those numbers—it's not standard code. It's something else."
Whiskers hopped down and padded toward the terminal.
WHISKERS "It's Hollow script. You can't track it unless you understand it. And right now? We're your best shot."
Arclight looked at Spector. He didn't speak. Just stared at Leo.
SPECTOR (thoughts) He's Miles Carter's kid. That name still echoes in this place. But guts don't equal readiness.
SPECTOR "You'll go in. But you're not alone. We'll guide you remotely. You're on temporary clearance."
Leo nodded.
LEO (thoughts) Temporary's enough. I just need one chance.
🛠️ Prep Room
The trio suited up. Lightweight gear. Comms. A scanner synced to the Hollow-coded coordinates. Whiskers on Leo's shoulder, eyes sharp.
WHISKERS (quietly) "If we get caught, play dumb. If we get cornered, play fast."
JACE (thoughts) We've faced doubts, illusions, fears. But this? This is real-world danger. Just masks and bullets..
Ember handed Leo a small device.
AGENT EMBER "This will ping if the drive's signal spikes. Don't lose it."
LEO "I won't."
AGENT ROOK (thoughts) They're just kids. But something about them… feels different.
🏭 Arrival: Building 17
The industrial zone was silent. Rusted fences. Broken glass. The warehouse loomed ahead—Building 17.
LEO (thoughts) This place feels wrong. Like it's holding its breath.
JACE (whispering) "Anyone else feel like we're being watched?"
WHISKERS "Always."
They slipped inside.
Dust hung in the air. Machinery groaned somewhere deep within. And then—they saw it.
A flash drive with the words "STARWOOD HOLLOW", the one Nora and Miles Carter died trying to get. Resting on a steel table.
WHISKERS (low) "That's it."
LEO (muttering) "The flash drive..."
Suddenly—movement.
Three masked figures stepped from the shadows.
TIMEKEEPER 1 "You're too late."
TIMEKEEPER 2 "The forest will fall."
TIMEKEEPER 3 "And no one will remember it ever existed…"