Shadow Contract Chapter 37: Yoru Kikan Moves First

The alarm did not sound. Alarms were for amateurs. Alarms were for people who wanted to be noticed.

Lisa sat in the server room. The lights were off. Only the glow of the monitors illuminated her face. Her hands were frozen over the keyboard. On the central screen, a red icon pulsed. It was a small dot. Located in Jōkan. Sector Three. It was one of their primary intelligence assets. A contact. A safe drop. A listening post. It was gone. Not destroyed. Not raided. Compromised.

Lisa typed a command. She accessed the feed. The cara showed the room. It was empty. The equipnt was still there. The files were still on the desk. But the encryption key had changed. Soone had walked in. Soone had copied the data. Soone had left the door open. It was a ssage. We were here. We are still here.

Lisa closed the feed. She stood up. Her chair scraped against the floor. She walked out of the room. She did not run. She walked with purpose.

The briefing room was full. The crew sat around the table. The air was thick. Heavy. Isaac stood at the head. He had the data on the screen. Kisuke leaned against the wall. He was not smiling. He was spinning a knife. Eikichi stood by the door. His arms were crossed. His eyes were dark. Sophie sat next to Dante. She was watching him.

Lisa entered the room. She closed the door. "It is confird," Lisa said. "Sector Three is burned." Isaac nodded. He did not look surprised. He looked tired. "Casualties," Dante asked. "None," Lisa said. "They did not touch the people. They took the data."

Kisuke stopped spinning the knife. He caught it. He sheathed it. "They left the people," Kisuke said. "That is arrogant." "It is precise," Isaac corrected. "They do not want blood. They want leverage." Isaac tapped the screen. A map appeared. Jōkan. The safehouse location was marked. The asset location was marked. "They are inside our periter," Isaac said. "This is not retaliation. This is a demonstration."

Dante looked at the map. The distance between the two points was small. "They can reach us," Dante said. "Yes," Isaac said. "Anyti. Anywhere."

Kisuke pushed off the wall. He walked to the table. He placed his hands on the surface. "Then we hit them back," Kisuke said. "We find the team that took the data. We remove them." "We do not know who they are," Isaac said. "They were ghosts. No signatures. No tracks." "Then we draw them out," Kisuke said. "We use the asset as bait. We wait for them to co back." "And if they do not," Isaac asked. "If they watch from afar. If they report back to Edward." "Then we hunt Edward," Kisuke said.

His voice was rising. The calm mask was slipping. The anger underneath was showing. "This is our city," Kisuke said. "They do not get to walk in here."

Isaac looked at Dante. "Emotional response increases risk. We need to consolidate. Move the safehouse. Cut the links." "Running," Kisuke said. "That is your plan." "Surviving," Isaac said. "That is my plan."

The tension snapped. The room went quiet. Everyone looked at Dante. He sat at the center of the table. His hands were clasped. He was not looking at the map. He was looking at his hands.

(Kairo): "Kisuke is right. Aggression asserts dominance."

(Mūn): "Isaac is right. Conservation ensures longevity."

(Dante): "Both are wrong."

Dante looked up. The room waited. "We do not move," Dante said. Isaac frowned. "Dante. The security is compromised." "We do not hide," Dante said. Kisuke smiled. It was a sharp smile. "Finally."

Dante looked at Kisuke. "And we do not hunt the team." Kisuke’s smile faded. "What," Kisuke said. "We let them keep the data," Dante said.

Lisa stepped forward. "That data contains movent logs. Schedules. Weak points." "I know," Dante said. "Then you are giving them an advantage," Isaac said. "No," Dante said. "I am giving them a target."

Dante stood up. He walked to the screen. He erased the safehouse location. He left only the asset location. "Edward wants to know where we are," Dante said. "He wants to know when we sleep. When we eat. When we move." He turned to the crew. "So we will show him."

Sophie spoke. Her voice was quiet. "You are using us as bait." "I am using the network as bait," Dante said. "We stay here. We keep the schedule. We act normal." "And when they co," Kisuke asked. "Then we take them," Dante said. "All of them."

Isaac shook his head. "This is reckless. It violates every protocol." "Protocols are for people who can afford to lose ti," Dante said. "We cannot." He looked at Isaac. Then at Kisuke. "Isaac. You wanted to conserve. This conserves movent. We do not waste energy relocating." He looked at Kisuke. "Kisuke. You wanted to fight. This guarantees a fight. They will co to verify the data."

The room was silent. Isaac looked at the board. He calculated the odds. Kisuke looked at Dante. He saw the resolve. It was not a compromise. It was a trap.

"Fine," Isaac said. "But I am doubling the sensors. And I am encrypting the real logs." "Good," Dante said. "And I want a team on the asset," Kisuke said. "If they touch it, I want to know." "Agreed," Dante said.

Dante walked to the door. He stopped at the threshold. "Edward thinks he is pressing us," Dante said. "He thinks we are reacting." He looked back at them. "We are not. We are waiting." He opened the door. He stepped into the hallway.

The crew remained seated. Isaac exhaled. He rubbed his face. "He is taking a risk," Isaac said. "He is taking the only shot we have," Kisuke said. He pushed off the table. He walked to the door. "I will check the periter," Kisuke said. He left.

Lisa closed her laptop. She looked at Sophie. "Do you agree," Lisa asked. Sophie stood up. She picked up her chair. She placed it under the table. "No," Sophie said. "Then why did you not argue," Lisa asked. "Because he is not doing it for us," Sophie said. "He is doing it for them." "Who." "Kairo and Mūn." Sophie walked to the door. She stopped. "He needs them to co. He needs the conflict." "Why." "Because conflict justifies the cost."

Sophie left the room. Lisa sat alone. She looked at the screen. The red icon pulsed. She typed a command. She initiated a trace. She would watch the bait. And she would wait for the bite.

Dante walked to his room. He closed the door. He locked it. He sat on the bed. He took out the notebook. He opened it. He looked at the list. Item Three: Missing. He touched the page.

(Kairo): "You are inviting danger."

(Dante): "I am inviting truth."

(Mūn): "Truth hurts."

(Dante): "I know."

Dante closed the notebook. He put it under his pillow. He lay back. He closed his eyes. He would sleep. He would dream. And he would wait for the wolves to co.

A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 37! Dante turned the trap around on Edward. But is he walking into a bigger danger? The crew is tense. What happens when Yoru Kikan takes the bait? Drop your theories in the comnts! Don’t forget to add Shadow Contract to your library and vote with power stones. See you in Chapter 38!