As furrowed his brows, staring at the endless stream of code running on theputer screen. It was all Greek to him, so he lifted his gaze to the car window instead. The world outside was swallowed by darkness, except for a distant building casting a faint glow.


    "We''ve got to crack this, or we won''t know if Mr. Nick''s in trouble inside," As said, his voice cold and steady.


    The technician''s fingers danced frantically over the keyboard, the immense pressure evident in the beads of sweat forming on their forehead. "I''ll give it another shot," they replied.


    "Yeah, I know you can do it," As encouraged, his eyes shifting back to the building shrouded in night, a seriousness settling in his gaze.


    As he listened to the frustrated murmurs of his team, As''s mind drifted to Miss Mira. Herputer skills were top-notch; he''d seen them in action once. It was a shame he couldn''t loop her into tonight''s mission-she could''ve been a real game-changer.


    As let out a quiet sigh, wondering how Mr. Nick was holding up. If they couldn''t take down the medical research institute''s surveince, Nick might get caught, and that''d spell trouble...


    Just as his thoughts grew heavier, the technician let out an excited gasp. "The block''s been lifted!"


    As felt a wave of relief wash over him, his clenched fingers rxing. His eyes twinkled with a hint of joy. "Keep at it," he urged.


    The technician nodded, rapidly typing away to break into the institute''s surveince system. "It''s weird-I don''t even know how I managed to lift the block," they admitted, a trace of bewilderment in their voice.


    As paused, puzzled. "What do you mean?"


    "It just... happened, like magic," the technician said, doubt creeping into their tone.


    Even though they were confident in their hacking skills, they knew their limits.


    "Could we have been rumbled already?" As''s concern resurfaced.


    "No," the technician shook their head. "The institute wouldn''t just drop their defenses for no reason. If they''d spotted us, they''d be doubling down, not easing up."


    "Maybe there''s another hacker out there?" As wondered aloud.


    "Could be, but I didn''t find any signs of another yer in the game," the technician replied, though not entirely convinced.


    "Let''s not get sidetracked. Focus on disabling the base''s surveince and infrared scanners. I''ll try to reach Mr. Nick," As instructed.


    He tapped his earpiece, attempting to connect to Nick''s signal.


    *


    Meanwhile, Mirabe had lifted the interference, and the red dot reappeared on her map, creeping along slowly. She paused, examining its location-it was indeed the medical research institute.


    This quick check revealed a fortress of defenses and infrared surveince, making her frown.


    It was tighter than she''d imagined, every nook and cranny a potential death trap.


    Rubbing her temples, Mirabe suddenly realized why Nick had left those cautionary words before heading out and asked Marian to look after her. He''d seen thising and nned ordingly.