G.R.O.W.T.H

~ 10:42 PM – Ethan's Apartment ~

I shut the door behind me and let out a slow breath. The dim glow of the city leaked through the blinds, painting long shadows across the floor. The apartment was still, the only sound my own heartbeat thrumming in my ears.

Ryan had done a decent job of distracting me, but now that I was alone again, the weight of everything came crashing back down.

I tossed my jacket onto the couch and ran a hand down my face.

'Vance Tech. Project Argus. The attack.'

And now, an unknown number texting me out of nowhere...

I pulled out my phone, staring at the last two messages;

Unknown Number:

[We need to talk. Now.

Check the news.]

I glanced at the time. Almost 11 PM. Whoever they were, they hadn't followed up. No calls, no extra messages. Either they were waiting for me to respond, or they figured I already got the point.

I exhaled slowly. I needed to think.

Heading to the kitchen, I grabbed a glass and filled it with water, my mind still tangled in a mess of half-formed theories.

Who the hell was I supposed to be in all of this?

This morning, I had woken up not even knowing my own name. By noon, I found out I was working in a corporate tech division for one of the most powerful companies in the city. And now? I was apparently tied to hero-related technology—tech that might've just been used in an attack.

And the worst part?

I had no idea what Ethan's actual role in all of this was.

Was he just a tech guy caught in the middle? Or was he involved somehow?

I took a slow sip of water, my free hand gripping the counter.

'I needed to go through his files. All of them.'

I grabbed the company tablet and sank onto the couch, pulling up the Project Argus folder again. The text swam in front of my eyes—diagrams, logs, notes from different engineers. A lot of it was technical jargon, but one section stood out.

A log entry.

[Project Argus Internal Notes – Last Modified: Three Days Ago]

-Ongoing integration successful. System prediction accuracy at 82%. Increasing database for higher threat assessment coverage. Future implementation dependent on upcoming field tests.-

I frowned. Upcoming field tests?

Scrolling further, I found something worse.

[Restricted Access File – Security Clearance Required]

I tapped it. A small loading icon spun in place before flashing red.

Access Denied.

I clenched my jaw, 'Damn it.'

This was it. This was where the real answers were.

And I was locked out.

I leaned back against the couch, staring at the screen. My fingers drummed absently against my knee.

There had to be a way around this.

Ethan had to have notes somewhere. If I couldn't access the internal system, maybe he kept backups. Personal files. Anything.

I got up, scanning the apartment. If I were Ethan Vaughn—a guy who half-assed his job and had Ryan covering for him—where would I stash work files?

My eyes landed on the small desk in the corner of the room.

Bingo.

I moved toward it, opening the top drawer. A few loose papers, some pens, an old company ID. Nothing important.

The second drawer, though? That's where things got interesting.

A flash drive.

I pulled it out slowly, turning it over in my fingers. No labels, no markings. Just a plain, black USB.

This has to be it.

I grabbed my laptop, plugging it in. The drive popped up immediately—one single folder.

ARGUS – Backup Files

My breath caught.

I clicked it open.

And then—

BZZT~

The lamp beside me flickered.

I froze.

The hum of electricity wavered, the TV screen flashing to static for a split second before going dark again.

A chill ran down my spine.

Something was wrong.

I stood up, heart pounding, scanning the apartment. The air felt... off.

Still. Too still.

I moved toward the window, fingers twitching as I pulled the blinds apart.

The street below was quiet, cars parked along the sidewalk, a few pedestrians moving in the distance. Nothing seemed unusual.

But then I noticed it.

A black car. Parked directly across the street.

Its engine was off. No lights. No movement.

But it had been there when I got home.

And now, I was pretty sure someone was inside.

My grip tightened on the blinds.

I'm being watched.

I let the blinds fall back into place, my pulse drumming in my ears.

I had two choices.

1. Ignore it. Act normal. Play it safe. Whoever they were, they hadn't made a move yet. Maybe they were just keeping tabs on me. Maybe if I stayed quiet, they'd leave.

2. Be proactive. See if I could find out who they were—before they found out more about me.

I exhaled slowly, my fingers hovering over my phone.

Then, almost on instinct, I pulled up Ryan's number.

If anyone knew how to handle sketchy situations, it was him.

I hesitated for a split second. Then, I hit Call.

The line rang once.

Twice.

Then—

"Yo, what's up?"

I swallowed hard. "Ryan... I think someone's watching me."

______________________________________________

~ 10:57 PM – Ethan's Apartment ~

Ryan went silent for a beat. Then—

"Okay, what?"

I swallowed. "I think someone's watching me."

"Watching you how?"

"There's a car outside. Black, been parked there since I got home. No lights, no movement, just… sitting there." I moved back toward the window, peeking through the blinds again. The car hadn't moved. "I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but—"

"Text me your address."

I hesitated, "What?"

"Dude. Send me your address. I'll be there in like fifteen minutes."

I frowned, wondering if he was even taking this, or me seriously; "Ryan, you don't have to—"

"Are you kidding? This is the most interesting thing you've ever said. Stay put. I'm coming over."

The call cut off.

I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face before quickly typing out my location.

Ryan's reaction should've reassured me, but it just made the situation feel more real.

____________________________________________

~ 11:12 PM – Outside Ethan's Apartment ~

Fifteen minutes later, true to his word, Ryan's old, dented blue sedan pulled up down the street.

He parked half a block away, stepped out, and casually glanced around before making his way up to my door.

Three knocks.

I let him in.

"Alright," he said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. "Tell me everything."

I gestured toward the window. "Car's still there. I noticed it after I found something I probably wasn't supposed to."

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh, so this is a you problem?"

"Most likely."*

"Great. Love that for us."*

He moved toward the window, carefully pulling the blinds back just enough to peek outside. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by something more serious.

"Yep."* He let the blinds fall. "That's sketchy as hell."*

"I wasn't overreacting?"

"Nope. That's a definite stakeout car."*

I frowned. "How do you know?"

Ryan gave me a flat look. "Because I watch movies, Ethan."*

I sighed. "You think they're waiting for something?"

"Maybe. Or maybe they're just here to scare you."*

That didn't make me feel any better.

Ryan crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. "Alright, let's game this out. Either they know you saw them, in which case they're waiting for a reaction, or they don't know, which means we can use that to our advantage."*

"Like how?"

"We could go out there and confront them."*

I instantly brushed the idea off, "Yeah, that's a hard no."

"Or..." he continued, ignoring me, "You know, we could like leave separately and see if they follow you. Find out if this is actually about you, or if you're just paranoid."

That second option made more sense.

"You up for it?" Ryan asked.

I hesitated for a second, but didn't find fault in his logic, "And if they do follow me?"

"Then we handle it."* He said it so casually, like this was just a normal Friday night.

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "Al... Alright. Let's do it."*

Ryan grinned. "That's the spirit. Now grab your stuff—we're going for a little drive."

I feel like I'm gonna have a long first day...

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END