The night things stopped being normal...

The fluorescent lights over level three fail in a staggered line, each section dropping into darkness until only the emergency fixtures near the ramps remain.

Mara ducks behind the concrete pillar beside Adam's car, one hand raised for silence. An engine crawls into the dim garage, tires whispering over damp concrete.

The vehicle stops several spaces away. Leon Mercer steps out, a broad-shouldered middle-aged man in a dark contractor jacket, close-cropped gray hair, and a trimmed beard. He carries a slim black equipment case.

Leon studies the nearest emergency light, apparently unaware of Mara and Adam behind the pillar. The case hangs at his side as he walks toward the ramp.

Mara keeps low behind the pillar, watching Leon approach the ramp. Emergency lights stripe the garage in red, leaving the parked cars and concrete columns half-hidden.

Leon pauses beside a concrete column and opens the black case. Inside, a compact laptop and several cables sit in foam cutouts. His gaze shifts toward the parked cars.

The laptop screen casts a cold rectangle across Leon's beard. A folder bearing Adam's name appears briefly before Leon turns the display away from the ramp.

Mara watches Leon through the gap between two cars. His laptop remains open, Adam's name visible beside a timestamped access record.

Leon closes the folder and removes a small encrypted drive from the case. He checks the ramp, then places the drive beside the laptop instead of pocketing it.

For the first time, Leon looks directly toward Mara's pillar. He does not raise an alarm. He simply steps back from the case and waits.

Adam waits through Leon's pause, then slips backward between the parked cars. Mara follows close, keeping the concrete pillar between them and the open case.

They move through alternating bands of emergency light and shadow. Leon remains beside the laptop, his attention fixed on the ramp and the garage entrance.

Adam reaches his car without drawing Leon's notice. He unlocks it, opens the driver's door, and keeps his body angled toward the garage while Mara circles to the passenger side.

Mara slips into the passenger seat and pulls the door nearly shut before the latch clicks. Adam gets behind the wheel, leaving the engine ready and the exit ahead.

Adam starts the engine and guns it. The car surges from its space, headlights sweeping across Leon and the open case as Mara drops the passenger window.

Adam turns toward the case. Mara leans across the opening and snatches the encrypted drive and laptop together as the car sweeps past.

Leon lunges after them, but the car is already cutting across the lane. The black case tumbles behind him, cables spilling across the concrete.

Adam drives hard toward the exit ramp. The garage barrier rises ahead, emergency lights sliding across the windshield as Mara pulls the stolen evidence safely inside.

The car bursts onto the wet street, tires chirping as Adam turns without choosing a destination. Behind them, the garage entrance shrinks beneath its emergency lights.

The sharp turn draws a horn from a passing sedan, and the garage camera catches their plate before traffic hides the car. Mara closes the laptop against her knees.

Rain beads across the windshield as Franklin Avenue opens ahead. Mara checks the encrypted drive, then watches the mirrors while the city folds around them.