*Aaron’s POV*

The room hummed with a clandestine electricity, the glow of multiple screens casting a spectral dance across Jake's face as he hunched over the keyboard. The hacker I enlisted was a ghost in the machine, fingers flying over keys with a deft urgency.

"Got anything?" My voice cut through the buzzing silence, a note of impatience betraying my calm exterior.

"Initial sweep's done," Jake murmured, eyes not leaving the screen. "There's a trail, ...