lier. His new plan required him to embed himself deeper into this new city, where no one knew his true identity. He wasn't here as the bi

ver the edge of a book. "Are you sure this is necessary?" she asked.

dar, I need to act like an average person. And that means getting a regular job. Besid

idn't seem convin

l replied. "But so

and software development-right in his wheelhouse. They were looking for a systems engineer

gh qualifications to get him the job without raising suspicion. His plan was simple: get inside, learn w

to Lila. "I've got an interview with a small

-

e was aware that he had to play the part of an ordinary job seeker-nothing too polished or arrogant.

as the tailored perfection he was used to. Today, he looked like any other person tryi

over and nodded approvingly. "You look...

inned. "That

-

uzzing with energy. Young developers sat at open desks, typing furiously or talking about the latest trends in

would take place. A few minutes later, a man in his mid-thirties walked in. He had the slightly

said, extending his hand. "I'm D

to meet you. I'm Nate." He had decided to keep his name as

he interview. "So, Nate, tell me a bit about your bac

ies. I've worked on a few smaller projects in the past, mainly optimizing systems for efficiency, but I

a lot of interest in this position, but your resume stood out. Your

erred working under the radar. I like being ha

ill small, but we're growing fast. What would you say y

. I'm good at finding inefficiencies in systems and making them work better-faster. I al

king for. We've been having some issues with our current systems, and it's

fixing their systems easily. It would give him leve

ical question with ease, giving just enough information to showcase his

hand again, "I think you're exactly what we need. I'l

a polite smile on his face. "Tha

was already spinning with possibilities. He had secured the job, and now he had access to

ing for him, sitting at the kitchen table. She looke

e floor and grinned. "I got the

ng her laptop. "Wh

ce here. I'll fix their systems, then leverage that to gain more control. Once we have a

glint of admiration in her eyes.

"I have to. The ga

into place. Zara, Project Helix, and any other threats waiting in the shadows wouldn't

this game, the only way to win was to control everythin