The heavy iron door of the abandoned mine slammed shut with a weary echo, sealing off the refuge that had protected them for seven long days. The cold morning air brushed against Arthur's face, carrying the scent of wet grass and distant smoke.
Erik Heller led the group, advancing silently through the pine trees until they reached a gray utility vehicle he had hidden two kilometers away, camouflaged under a thick tarp and dry branches.
In the series' original timeline, Erik and Hanna were heading to Berlin burdened by an implacable loneliness, facing every danger with their hands tied and unsure of whom to trust. But this time, the formation was different. Arthur occupied the front passenger seat, while Hanna sat in the back, her blue eyes fixed on every reflection in the rearview mirrors and every road sign on the back road.
"The CIA is reorganizing the siege at the main entrances to Berlin," Erik said, keeping his eyes on the road as he turned the key in the ignition. The engine hummed softly, breaking the silence of the early morning. “They know we’re in the area. They’ll use checkpoints on federal highways and electronic scans at train stations. We’ll need to enter through the old industrial zone.”
“That gives us an advantage,” Arthur commented, looking at the detailed maps Erik had spread across the dashboard. Thanks to his enhanced perception and [Social Engineering/Civic Disguise] skills, he could predict the blind spots of patrol routes with surgical precision. “Marissa’s field agents prefer clear routes. If we cross through the abandoned warehouse sector to the north, we’ll pass right by the traffic cameras without triggering facial recognition alerts.”
Hanna, seated just behind, leaned slightly forward, resting her chin on the back of the driver’s seat. She looked at Arthur, her eyes softening for a moment before returning to the hardness necessary for the mission. The trust between them was total; She knew that if anything went wrong, Arthur would be there to cover her rear with the same precision as always.
The car sped off, cutting through the fog of the road toward the heart of Germany.
About two hours later, the vehicle was skirting the decrepit industrial warehouses on the outskirts of Berlin. The urban landscape began to take shape on the horizon under the grey dawn sky: transmission towers, grey concrete buildings, and the chaotic traffic of the main avenues.
Erik stopped the car on a side street, surrounded by rusty shipping containers and low vegetation.
"This is it," said Erik, turning off the engine. "We'll walk from now on. I have an old contact, a man who owes me favors from my time in East Berlin. He can get us new passports and a safe place to hide while we figure out where Utrax's central files are."
Hanna opened the car door and nimbly jumped onto the asphalt, adjusting the strap of her tactical backpack. Arthur left immediately afterward, stretching his muscles and feeling the cold stability of the system in his mind. His skill level was solid, ready for any eventuality that might cross their path in the big city.
As they walked toward the pedestrian overpass leading to the central district, a black intelligence car, disguised with civilian plates, slowed down two blocks from them. The CIA's thermal and mobile reconnaissance sensors were active in the area.
"Eye contact to the left. Two agents forty meters away, exiting a civilian vehicle," Arthur murmured, using his [Tactical Empathy/Behavior Reading] ability to anticipate the enemies' movements before they even drew their weapons.
Hanna didn't hesitate. Without showing panic, she took a side step, positioning herself naturally beside Arthur, pretending to adjust the hood of her coat while blocking the agents' direct line of sight to Erik's face.
"This way." “Let’s go into the municipal market,” Arthur said calmly, guiding the group into a pedestrian tunnel crowded with market vendors and morning workers.
The crowd swallowed the three instantly. By the time the CIA agents turned the corner of the commercial street, the she-wolf, her shadow, and Erik had already disappeared into the chaotic flow of the city.
The urban hunt had begun, but this time, the prey was armed, united, and ready to fight back.