The hum of the plane’s engines was a constant background noise, but to Nathan, it felt like an impending storm. Paris was a city of elegance and chaos, a place where secrets had a way of slipping through cracks and hiding in plain sight. It was the perfect setting to track down someone like Cipher—if they were even still there.

Nathan leaned back in his seat, his fingers resting lightly on the armrest. Across from him, Mason was flipping through a folder of old intel, Axel stared out the window, and Lila was lost in her thoughts, her eyes distant.

Eli, as usual, was silently observing, taking in everything around them.

“Paris,” Mason muttered, shaking his head. “This place always makes my skin crawl. Too many hidden eyes, too many people with something to hide.”

Nathan didn’t reply. He had spent enough time in places like this to know that shadows weren’t just found in dark alleys. In cities like Paris, shadows could be anyone, and they could be everywhere.

They touched down just before dawn, the soft glow of the city’s skyline a far cry from the dirty streets and back alleys where their journey would soon take them. They collected their things and headed for the outskirts of the city, where the black-market tech exchange Jonathan had mentioned was rumored to be located.

The marketplace was situated in an abandoned warehouse, far from the tourist-filled districts. The area had been converted into a sprawling underground market for illegal technology, data trading, and, as Jonathan had put it, “anything and everything that would make The Syndicate sit up and take notice.”

They parked a few blocks away, staying low and out of sight. Nathan surveyed the area, his eyes scanning the shadows for anything out of place. He had been in enough dangerous situations to know that every corner could hide a threat.

“Do you think Cipher is still here?” Lila asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

“I’m sure they are,” Nathan replied. “But we’ll have to be careful. Cipher isn’t someone you just walk up to. They don’t like to be found.”

Axel grinned. “That’s why they need to be found.”

Mason, who had been keeping to himself, suddenly spoke. “If we’re doing this right, we’ll have to make them an offer they can’t refuse.”

Eli nodded. “That’s assuming they don’t just disappear before we even get the chance.”

They moved through the narrow, dimly lit streets, the sound of their footsteps muffled against the cracked pavement. They reached the entrance to the warehouse—an unmarked metal door hidden in the back of a crumbling building. Nathan pressed a hidden button on the doorframe, triggering a low mechanical hum as the door slid open.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of burnt wires and metal. Rows of tables were cluttered with computer screens, hard drives, and various high-tech gadgets. People milled about, some huddled in small groups, while others kept to themselves.

Nathan and his team blended into the crowd, careful not to draw attention. Their objective was simple: find Cipher, get the information they needed, and leave without anyone knowing they were there.

But the closer they got to the heart of the marketplace, the more Nathan realized how dangerous this mission would be. There were too many eyes, too many potential threats. This was no longer just about finding Cipher—it was about surviving in the heart of enemy territory.

Lila tugged at Nathan’s sleeve. “I see them,” she whispered.

Nathan followed her gaze to a small booth at the far end of the warehouse. A figure sat behind a laptop, their face obscured by the hood of their jacket. Their hands moved quickly over the keyboard, their focus intense.

“That’s Cipher,” Nathan murmured. “Stay close, and don’t make a sound.”

They approached cautiously, keeping their distance as they watched Cipher work. Nathan’s instincts told him to wait, to observe, but every second that ticked by felt like an eternity. He needed to know who this person was, what they could offer, and how to get them on their side.

But as they got closer, a new realization hit him.

This wasn’t just a person with access to information.

This was a ghost—a figure who operated in the same shadows Nathan had once called home. The difference was that Cipher knew how to stay hidden, and they were damn good at it.

Nathan’s thoughts were interrupted when the figure behind the booth suddenly looked up. Their eyes scanned the room, sweeping over the crowd, before narrowing as they locked onto Nathan.

For a split second, the world seemed to freeze.

Cipher didn’t flinch. They didn’t flinch because they had already made their decision. Nathan knew this look—this was the look of someone who had already decided if you were worth their time or not.

Before Nathan could react, Cipher stood up from behind the booth, their hand moving quickly to the side, as if activating some kind of hidden mechanism. The surrounding crowd seemed to part instinctively, leaving a clear path for Cipher to walk toward them.

Axel stiffened, Mason’s hand drifted toward his gun, but Nathan stopped them with a quick shake of his head.

“I told you,” Nathan muttered under his breath. “You’ll need something valuable to trade.”

Cipher’s lips curled into a smile.

“Looks like you’ve come to the right place,” they said.