They didn’t wait for the ten minutes.They didn’t wait for backup.—Carl moved.And the rest of the room had no choice but to catch up.—“Track their route,” President Leo ordered, already walking. “I want live updates every second.”—Sophia kept pace beside Carl.“…You really don’t do patience, do you?”—Carl’s voice was calm.“…Not when it costs people.”—They stepped into the transport bay.Engines already warming.Doors sliding open.—Leo paused beside Carl for a brief second.“…If this goes wrong—”—Carl didn’t let him finish.“…It won’t.”—A beat.—Leo studied him—then nodded once.“…Bring something back we can understand.”—Carl gave a small, almost unreadable look.“…I’ll bring something back that can choose.”——The vehicle cut through the city faster than traffic could react.—Sirens cleared the path.But the streets weren’t the real problem.—People were.—Clusters forming.Standing still.Watching.—Sophia noticed it immediately.“…They’re not moving out of

The city breathed again.Not in perfect rhythm, not in clean symmetry—but in something far more fragile, far more real.Noise returned first. Car horns. Conversations. Laughter. Arguments. The uneven music of a world that refused to be simplified.Carl stood still, taking it all in.Sophia glanced at him from the side. “You look like you’re waiting for something to break.”Carl let out a quiet breath. “I am.”She folded her arms. “That’s comforting.”A faint smile touched his lips. “You’re still here.”“Unfortunately.”She tried to sound annoyed, but there was something softer underneath it now.Something steady.They walked.No destination. No urgency.Just movement.For the first time since everything began, Carl wasn’t chasing an outcome. He wasn’t racing toward a fixed point in the future.He was… present.Sophia broke the silence. “So what happens now?”Carl glanced at the people around them. A couple arguing over directions. A kid laughing too loudly. A vendor calling out to pas

Carl didn’t sleep that night.Not because he couldn’t.Because he didn’t trust what would happen if he did.The city outside had quieted, but not completely. It never really did anymore. Not since everything changed. There was always a low hum now—like something thinking in the background.Sophia sat across from him, legs pulled up on the chair, watching him in that way she did when she already knew he wasn’t going to admit anything.“You’re waiting for him,” she said.Carl didn’t deny it. “Yeah.”She tilted her head. “You think he’s just going to knock on the door?”Carl’s gaze drifted to the window. “No.”A pause.“…He doesn’t need to.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just heavy.Sophia sighed. “You know what I hate the most?”Carl glanced at her. “There’s a list?”She ignored that. “You’re treating this like it’s inevitable.”Carl leaned back slightly. “It is.”“That’s not very ‘choice matters’ of you.”That made him pause.Just for a second.“…It’s not

Carl didn’t leave right away.He stayed just long enough to make sure the girl’s breathing evened out, that her pulse settled into something normal—human, not hijacked. Her brother hovered close, whispering her name like saying it enough times might anchor her back.Sophia leaned against the doorframe, watching Carl.“You’re thinking again,” she said.Carl didn’t look up. “Yeah.”“That dangerous kind?”A faint exhale. “Always.”He stood, turning toward the window. Outside, the neighborhood looked untouched—kids running, someone arguing over parking, life continuing like nothing had almost gone wrong upstairs.But Carl knew better.“He’s not testing anymore,” Carl said quietly.Sophia straightened. “You said that already.”“I know.”A beat.“…This time, he was measuring response time.”She frowned. “That’s worse.”Carl nodded. “Yeah.”Sophia pushed off the wall. “So what—he’s going to keep jumping from person to person until you slip?”Carl glanced at her. “Or until I hesitate.”Silenc