Episode 12: The Partner

Zoe stepped forward, looking the man directly in the eye. "What's your name?"

He met her gaze, the authority returning to his voice.

"It's Jax."

Just as he spoke, a soft, digitized voice, audible only to him, whispered from his Ear-Com.

“Unknown call incoming.”

A small, discreet holographic screen flickered to life in front of Jax’s face. He paused, his focus elsewhere for a brief moment, then made a gentle declining gesture.

The screen dissolved, but not before a list of missed notifications flashed into view: eight missed calls. Three were from a contact named Olivia. The other five were from an unknown number.

Time passed smoothly as he spent the next half an hour with them, planning their immediate steps. The conversation was soft but tense.

“Hey, do we have to start moving to another place?” Kael asked, his eyes never leaving the file projected on the NODE.

“You’re not going anywhere yet,” Jax replied firmly, scanning the dusty room. "You're safe here. No one knows you're hiding in this place."

"What do you mean by that?" Kael asked.

"I was the only one working on the case from the Phantom Division," Jax replied.

"The only one?" Zoe asked, confused.

Jax explained. "When a case is transferred to the Phantom Division, it doesn't mean every officer works on it. The number of officers is based on the case."

He continued, "But for every case, a Phantom Division officer is paired with a partner from the Ghost Division. That pair continues for the whole case."

“So you have a partner from the Ghost Division,” Zoe said confidently. “Someone working on this case alongside you.”

“Yeah,” Jax said. “She’s the one who sent me this location. A digital operative from The Ghost Division named Rhea.”

“Is she that talented?” Kael asked.

Jax leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Yes. She's the best digital mind we have."

"So what are you going to do now?" Zoe asked.

“I’ll report to my partner, Rhea, that there is nothing suspicious here. I’ll slow down the investigation by feeding her false leads, away from this place,” Jax confided.

Kael and Zoe leaned closer.

"But to do that, your activities from this house have to be drastically decreased. You are safe here only if you give them nothing to trace."

He looked at Ethan. "Especially you. Stick to the perimeter. Bring supplies back here—nothing traceable. No more hoverbike or taxi to this place. And don't bring your Ear-Com here."

His eyes moved to Kael and Zoe. "That goes for both of you, too. Do not use your Ear-Coms in this place. If you do, I’ll have to come here to arrest you. Understand?"

"Yes," the three of them nodded.

Jax checked the time. It was already midnight. He stood up to leave.

“And remember this,” he said, his voice a final, heavy whisper. “I am risking my job and my life for this. Do not miss this opportunity.”

Kael nodded sharply. “We will do our best.”

Jax left the house, walking toward his car—a sleek, unmarked black vehicle—parked a block away. He unlocked it and slipped inside. When he started the engine, the car began hovering above the road, the chassis settling into a silent, seven-inch gap above the asphalt. He started the drive home.

When he reached home, He parked the hovercar in the attached garage, secured it, and moved to the inner door. He knocked softly.

A moment later, his wife, Olivia, opened it. Her face was sleepy, her eyes tired. She wore a nightdress.

“Why are you so late?” she asked, her voice heavy with weariness.

“I’m sorry, it was an urgent meeting,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. He asked gently, "Did he sleep already?"

“Yeah,” Olivia said. “He was waiting for you until eleven.”

Jax started walking toward their bedroom, removing his jacket.

“They called me again today,” Olivia said, her voice dropping. “Four times.”

“Did you answer?” he asked, folding the jacket over a chair.

“No, as usual,” she replied.

“Hoo. Maybe that’s why they called me from an unknown number,” he muttered, thinking of the five missed calls.

Olivia turned, her hands pressed together in anxious frustration. “Jax, if this continues, someday they will come directly here and make an issue! We have to give them their money back.”

“I know, I know,” Jax sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But we don't have that much money to pay back right now. That last payment took everything we had left.”

“And what about our son’s next prosthetic maintenance? Where will that money come from? You told me this job in J-COD was secure! Now you’re telling me you have to risk everything for an urgent meeting that lasts until midnight?”

“It wasn’t about the job, Olivia, it was about—” He cut himself off, unable to reveal his treason. “Look, I have a new lead. It’s high-risk, but it could solve everything at once. Just give me a few days.”

“A few days? Jax, we don’t have a few days!” she choked out, fighting tears.

He pulled her into a tired hug. “We do. I promise.”

He quickly changed into his night clothes and slid into bed. He slept, but the quiet anxiety of his family's debt was a heavy weight on his chest.