Friday, 7:12 AM.
It started like a normal day.
Aidan walked through the East Transit Terminal, coffee in one hand, earphones in, eyes scanning the digital board for anomalies. Finch was already nearby, waiting by the lower platform. The plan was simple: observe the surroundings, identify the tail, then react accordingly.
But something was off.
The Core had already pulsed twice since morning—quiet but persistent.
> [Hidden Signal Detected – Trail Origin Unconfirmed]
> Observation Pattern Detected: Target – Finch Reeve
Threat Level: Medium
Suggested Action: Real-time Countertrace or Proximity Defense?
Aidan ignored it. For now.
If they were watching Finch… let them.
He needed them to feel confident.
Finch stood slouched by a vending machine, acting disinterested but clearly nervous.
"Anything?" Aidan whispered as he passed.
"Yeah," Finch murmured back, lips barely moving. "Guy in the grey jacket. Followed me from the train. Didn't even buy a ticket—just jumped on when I boarded."
Aidan's eyes flicked.
He saw the man.
Mid-thirties. Average build. Wearing an ID badge that didn't match his coat. Pretending to scroll on a phone, but glancing up every few seconds.
Amateur.
They're testing us, Aidan realized.
Not kidnapping. Not interrogation.
Provocation.
Aidan didn't hesitate.
---
He approached the man directly.
"Nice weather for surveillance," he said flatly.
The man blinked, startled. "Excuse me?"
"You're following my friend." Aidan gestured at Finch, who had stepped back cautiously. "You've been marked by three different systems now. Want to find out which one acts first?"
The man straightened. "You don't want to—"
Aidan raised his hand.
PING.
His Core vibrated with electric sharpness.
> [Active Protocol Engaged: Threat Within 2m Radius]
> Ability Unlocked: Decision Priority Override – Class I
Duration: 60 Seconds
Effect: Heightened Perception, Compressed Timeflow, Tactical Projection Unlocked
Time seemed to slow.
The man moved to grab something from his coat.
Pepper spray? Weapon?
Didn't matter.
In that compressed moment, Aidan stepped closer and whispered:
"You're not from law enforcement. You're freelance. Low-tier contractor. If you touch him, I'll make sure the next forty-eight hours of your life are audited by four different agencies. I'll erase your debt, your identity… and replace it with a criminal's."
The man's expression changed.
He froze.
And then…
He backed away.
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
---
Finch exhaled hard. "Dude…"
"Stay close," Aidan said, eyes scanning the crowd. "That was a pressure test. They wanted to see how I'd react."
"Well you passed," Finch muttered. "What was that ability?"
"New," Aidan replied. "Triggered by proximity threat and emotional spike."
> [New Ability Acquired: Decision Priority Override – Tier I]
> Cooldown: 72 Hours
Evolution Possible
Effect: 3x Increased Cognitive Speed, 1x Real-Time Decision Tree Expansion
Aidan frowned. "It wasn't just instinct. It was a message."
---
Elsewhere, in a private surveillance room…
Mika Tanabe watched the footage play out in silence.
The feed lagged by three seconds, but it didn't matter.
The contractor was gone.
Aidan Vale had responded faster and more precisely than expected.
"Your theory was correct," the comm voice said. "He has combat reflexes without physical engagement. Psychological displacement tactics."
"He didn't blink," Mika murmured. "He let the pressure rise, then turned it into control."
"You're impressed."
"I'm curious."
---
Later that evening.
Aidan took the long route home. He wasn't paranoid—he was confirming tail patterns.
He passed a noodle cart, a convenience store, and finally stopped at a bookstore.
There, between the aisles of dust-covered nonfiction, he felt it again.
A presence.
No Core alert. No ping.
Just instinct.
He turned.
Mika Tanabe stood three feet away.
Plain clothes. Neutral expression. Holding a book she clearly didn't intend to buy.
"You're not great at hiding," Aidan said, voice calm.
"Neither are you," she replied.
They stared at each other for a moment.
"I know you're watching Finch," Aidan said.
"I was. Until today."
"Then you're here why?"
She held up a thin envelope.
"Your Core is evolving too fast," she said. "They think it's unstable. I think it's something else."
Aidan narrowed his eyes. "And who's 'they'?"
Mika tilted her head slightly. "Let's just say… we're the early adopters. And some of us aren't happy about your existence."
She handed him the envelope.
"No poison, no virus," she said. "It's a location."
"What for?"
"Tomorrow. 10 AM. Come alone."
She turned to leave.
Aidan didn't stop her.
But his Core flickered as she disappeared through the door.
> [New Location Unlocked: Echo Facility – Zone 3B]
> Estimated Risk: Unknown
Recommended: Prepare Two Countermeasures Before Arrival
---
That night, Aidan stood at the window of his apartment, envelope still in hand.
The city was starting to show its hidden face.
He wasn't alone anymore.
But neither were they.
---