Liv knew something was wrong even before she opened her door.
Not because of a sound. Not because of movement.
Because of its absence.
Too clean. Too still.
Like the room had been touched… and then put back exactly the way it was.
Her hand paused on the handle.
Instinct took over.
Her breathing stayed steady, but her focus shifted. This wasn't just returning from a briefing anymore.
She opened the door slowly, stepping inside without closing it all the way.
Everything looked normal.
The bed was made. The desk untouched. Curtains in place.
No forced entry. No disturbance. No mistake.
And that was the problem.
Liv moved silently, her eyes scanning every corner. Fast. Precise. Trained.
Nothing was obviously out of place.
But something was off.
A detail.
Small.
Just enough to break the rhythm of the room.
She just hadn't found it yet.
Then she smelled it.
Faint. Almost gone.
A trace of something unfamiliar, like a stranger's scent that didn't belong.
She stopped in the middle of the room, listening.
No footsteps. No breathing. No presence.
Empty.
Her gaze shifted to the desk.
Her laptop.
Closed.
Exactly how she left it.
But slightly… off.
Barely noticeable.
Most people wouldn't see it.
She did.
Liv approached slowly. She didn't touch it right away. Just observed, confirming.
Then she opened it.
The screen lit up.
No password.
That was the first mistake.
The second —
the file was already open.
Not hers.
A folder with no name. No label. Just a small symbol in the corner.
Liv held her breath.
She didn't open it.
Not yet.
"Don't."
The voice came out of nowhere.
Calm. Flat. Close.
Liv turned instantly, her weapon already raised before the thought fully formed.
Empty.
No one there.
But the voice was real.
Not from comms. Not from outside.
Inside the room.
"If you open it now, you won't be able to close it again."
"Get out," Liv said coldly.
No response.
Just that unseen presence.
"I'll count to three."
Silence.
"One."
"Two."
She turned sharply.
Still nothing.
But the air shifted.
"Your reflexes are still the same."
Closer now.
Liv didn't fire.
Because something clicked.
The voice —
wasn't unfamiliar.
"Who are you?"
"Wrong question." A slight pause. "The right question is… why they've started looking for you."
Her heartbeat shifted.
Just slightly.
"Show yourself."
"Not yet."
And then —
it was gone.
Not fading.
Not retreating.
Just… gone.
Like it had never been there.
Liv didn't move.
Her weapon stayed raised.
The room returned to normal.
Too normal.
Her eyes dropped back to the laptop.
Still open.
Waiting.
Now she understood.
This wasn't a trap.
It was a message.
Liv sat down slowly, her gaze sharp. Her fingers hovered over the touchpad for a second —
then she opened the folder.
The screen flickered.
Black.
Then a single line appeared.
WELCOME BACK, AGENT HART.
Her breath caught.
Not because of the words.
But because of one thing —
She had never used that name on this system.
Which meant —
someone had already gone deeper than they should have been able to.
And now —
they weren't just watching her anymore.
They were inside.
---