Ethan shed his heavy, insulated jump suit, stuffing it into his tactical drop bag.
Beneath the layers of black nylon, he was dressed in exceptionally ordinary civilian clothes—a simple knit sweater and dark denim. He pulled a pair of thick, wire-rimmed reading glasses from his inner pocket and slid them onto his nose, instantly softening his features to look like a quiet, bookish university student.
"Entering the museum's perimeter now," Ethan whispered into his collar-mic.
"Copy that. I've just stepped onto the main plaza in front of the museum," Liam's voice crackled back. "Beginning a localized sweep of the exterior boundaries. Let's hope we can find a clue."
"Allen, maintain your elevation from the high-angle vantage point," Liam instructed. "Report any, any, structural or vehicle anomalies."
"Understood," Allen replied, kneeling on the shadowed rooftop. He pulled a compact pair of high-resolution military binoculars from the secondary pack Liam had brought. He pressed the lenses to his eyes, scanning the dark gothic stonework and the plaza below. "Everything looks entirely clear from up here. There are no visible shifts in anything..."
Ethan pushed through the heavy steel doors of the roof of the Canadian Museum of Nature, instantly blending into the evening crowd of tourists and families. He casually paused in front of the building's directory board, adjusting his glasses to play the part.
Fourth Floor: Canada Goose Arctic Gallery / Special Exhibition Wing
Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Ethan stepped onto the escalator. He navigated the polished marble floors, occasionally pausing to feign fascination at a fossil display or a taxidermy gallery to maintain his intellectual façade.
People nearby were in busy discussing about the gallery and other stuff present. Ethan was observing both the people and the surroundings.
Nearly thirty minutes passed in silence.
"I'm currently sweeping the Fourth Floor," Ethan transmitted quietly, his head tilted toward an exhibit. "Everything up here looks completely standard. Moving down to the third. What's your status?"
"Nothing but heavy civilian foot traffic from my vision," Allen reported, sweeping his binoculars across the street lights. "The surrounding area is quiet. Honestly... it's a little too quiet."
"Yeah, the atmosphere is incredibly peaceful," Liam agreed from the plaza. "It makes you wonder if a high-level syndicate asset like the Third Branch could actually exist under a public roof like this."
Two hours later, the museum's overhead PA system chimed, politely announcing the impending closure of the galleries.
"I've run a full structural diagnostic," Ethan's voice cut through the comms, laced with frustration. "There is nothing wrong here. I didn't detect a single physical security anomaly or hidden threshold."
"Where are you now, Ethan?" Liam asked.
"Heading toward the main exit lobby. The facility is shutting down for the night."
"What? Already?" Allen chimed in. "Isn't it barely eight o'clock?"
"Yeah, the early hours caught me off guard too," Ethan replied, weaving through the exiting crowd. "The receptionist told me they only stay open this late on Thursdays. Otherwise, they lock up even earlier, at 5:00 PM ."
"Did you run inspection of every single sector?" Liam pressed.
"All four main gallery floors are entirely clean," Ethan confirmed.
"Ethan... there are five floors, in the museum." Liam stated flatly.
Ethan froze near the exit turnstile. "What?"
"The architectural blueprints show a massive subterranean level," Liam explained. "The basement archive."
"Damn it," Ethan muttered, checking his surroundings. "I'm already at the main gates, and the guards are actively funneling the last of the public outside."
As he kept walking, his eyes scanning the crowd, his shoulder abruptly collided with a passing figure moving in the opposite direction.
"Oh, sorry—" Ethan began, instinctively stepping back.
"No, my apologies. I wasn't looking where I was going," a soft, familiar voice replied.
That voice... Ethan's chest tightened.
He bent down, retrieving a small notebook and a set of keys that had fallen to the floor, and handed them back to her.
As she took the items, their eyes met. Under the bright lights of the lobby, Ethan's breath hitched.
"Thank you," she murmured, offering a polite, brief smile before turning to walk past the security barrier.
Ethan stood frozen for a fraction of a second before forcing himself to walk briskly out into the cool night air.
What on earth is she doing here? Ethan's mind raced. Finn's girlfriend...