The move into the apartment was a chaotic, whispered affair conducted under the cloak of darkness. They moved only the essentials: Jake's high-powered computer and a stack of reference books that ranged from quantum physics to The Encyclopedia of World Mythology; Ren's collection of bladed weapons and a single, perfectly folded gi; Thea's sketchbooks and a roll of canvas. The apartment, once a symbol of Kofi and Nina's quiet domesticity, was transformed into a crowded, tense, and ridiculously overqualified command center.
The first night was sleepless. Ren sat watch in a chair by the door, his posture as still and alert as a hunting cat. The others just lay in their designated spots, listening to the unfamiliar sounds of a house full of too many anxious people.
Kofi couldn't stop staring at the glowing blue text of his quest log, which seemed to be permanently burned into the corner of his vision. *Time Limit: 47 hours, 12 minutes, 8 seconds…*
