CHAPTER 101: THE BREAK IN.

Marcus Sterling crouched in the cramped surveillance van, his headphones pressed tight to his ears, his notebook filled with scribbled details of Mira’s conversations. For forty-eight hours, he and Rajesh had watched and listened as Mira systematically rebuilt Raquel and Liam’s memories, and it was both fascinating and chilling. She asked them questions, waited for their confusion, then fed them false answers, weaving a new reality they accepted without question.

"Do you remember our high school?" Mira’s voice came through the audio feed, calm and deliberate.

Liam’s response was hesitant, "I... no, I can’t picture it."

"The Whitethorn Academy, a private school in the woods, we have a big football field, you love playing there, Liam," Mira said, her tone gentle but firm.

"Did I?" Liam asked, his voice uncertain.

"Yes, you were on the varsity team, don’t you remember the championship game, the one where you scored the winning touchdown?"

Sterling’s pen moved fast, documenting every word, every pause, as Liam mumbled, "Yeah, I think so, the crowd was loud, right?"

"Exactly," Mira said, "you were the star that night."

Sterling exchanged a look with Rajesh, who was monitoring the video feed from a hidden camera across the street. "She’s rewriting their lives," Sterling said, his voice low, "and they’re buying it."

Rajesh nodded, his eyes on the screen, "It’s like brainwashing, but she’s so smooth, they don’t even question her."

Sterling leaned back, rubbing his eyes, exhausted from days of nonstop surveillance. Mira was seventeen, but she operated with the precision of a seasoned operative, planning this for months, buying exotic materials, hiring someone to help her vanish, and now manipulating her friends’ minds with terrifying skill. He couldn’t figure out why, and it gnawed at him.

"She’s protecting them from something," Rajesh said, adjusting the camera feed, "maybe their real lives were dangerous, some threat back home."

"Or she’s using them," Sterling countered, his voice hard, "building loyal puppets who won’t question her, it’s control, not protection."

"That’s darker," Rajesh said, frowning.

"Yeah, it is," Sterling said, "but it fits, she’s too calculated for this to be just about saving them."

On the third morning, Sterling noticed a shift in the apartment’s activity, the conversations sharper, more focused. Mira was testing her work, asking specific questions to see if the false memories had rooted.

"What was our favorite restaurant in San Francisco?" she asked Raquel through the audio feed.

"That Italian place," Raquel answered, her voice confident, "on Market Street, we went there every Friday, right?"

"Good," Mira said, "and why did we come to Mumbai?"

"The cultural exchange program, through school," Raquel said without hesitation.

"Exactly, and who organized it?" Mira pressed.

"You did, you’ve always been good at planning things," Raquel said, her tone warm, like she was proud of Mira.

"Oh, you’re so lovely Raquel," Mira said, clutching her chest. "But now, the program is over and we have to get back to school okay?"

"Mm-hmm." Raquel nodded eagerly.

Sterling’s stomach turned, the ease in Raquel’s voice making it clear the false memories were real to her now. He scribbled the exchange in his notebook, his hand shaking slightly. "She’s got them," he said to Rajesh, "they’re not even doubting her anymore."

Rajesh shook his head, "It’s like they’re new people, she’s erased who they were."

Sterling’s headphones crackled with a new sound—Mira on the phone, her voice low but clear. "Yes, they’re ready, the extraction team is complete right?" A pause, then, "I understand the risks, just have the arrangements ready."

Sterling yanked off the headphones and called Koker, his voice urgent, "She’s planning to move them, within twenty-four hours."

"Where?" Koker asked, his tone sharp.

"Don’t know yet," Sterling said, "but we’re running out of time, once she moves them, we might lose them for good."

"Then get inside now, today," Koker said, his voice hard, "no more waiting."

"The building inspection cover isn’t ready," Sterling said, glancing at Rajesh, who was already packing equipment.

"I don’t care," Koker said, "find another way, pose as a delivery guy, a friend, a lost tourist, anything, just get in that apartment before she moves them."

Sterling hung up and turned to Rajesh, "We need to accelerate the timeline."

Rajesh nodded, pulling out his phone, "I can arrange something, but it won’t be clean like the inspection plan."

"Don’t need clean," Sterling said, "at this point we need anything that can work, fast."

While Rajesh made calls, Sterling kept monitoring, hearing packing sounds—zippers closing, furniture shifting, Mira preparing to leave. But then a new sound stopped him cold, a knock on Mira’s door, sharp and unexpected.

He grabbed his headphones tighter, holding his breath. "Who’s that?" he whispered to Rajesh, who shrugged, eyes wide.

Mira’s voice came through, cautious, "Who is it?"

A male voice answered, muffled through the door, too soft for Sterling to catch the words.

"I’m not expecting anyone," Mira said, her tone guarded.

More muffled words, then the sound of Mira unlocking the door. Sterling adjusted his equipment, straining to hear, but the conversation was too quiet, the visitor’s voice deliberately low. After five minutes, the door closed, the locks clicked back into place, and Mira was on the phone again.

"Everett, we have a problem," she said, her voice tense, "someone came to the door asking questions, some investigator, I don’t know who, yes, I played it cool, but we need to move up the extraction, tonight if possible."

Sterling’s heart raced, he called Koker immediately, "Do you have anyone else watching your daughter?"

"No, just you," Koker said, "why?"

"Someone visited her apartment, asking questions, said he was an investigator, it spooked her, she’s moving the extraction to tonight."

"Tonight?" Koker’s voice rose, "that’s too soon, you’re not ready."

"I know," Sterling said, "but if she moves them tonight, we’re done, we’ll lose them."

Koker was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you need?"

"Authorization to breach the apartment now, no more surveillance, I go in before she can execute her plan."

"What if she resists?" Koker asked, "what if the kids aren’t in any condition to be moved?"

"Then I improvise," Sterling said, "but we’re out of time and options."

Another pause, then Koker said, "Do it, get my daughter and those kids secured, use whatever force you need."

Sterling hung up and turned to Rajesh, "We’re going in, now."

Rajesh pulled out a lockpick set, "Hope you know what you’re doing."

"So do I," Sterling said, grabbing his gear.

They crossed the street, the building’s lobby empty, the security guard distracted by his phone. They took the stairs to the third floor, moving quietly, Sterling’s pulse steady but fast. Outside apartment 304, he pressed his ear to the door, hearing movement inside, hushed voices, Mira talking to Raquel and Liam in low tones.

He knocked, firm but not loud, and the apartment went silent.

He knocked again, "Miss Koker, I’m Marcus Sterling, your father sent me, I need to speak with you."

More silence, then footsteps approaching, Mira’s voice came through, calm but wary, "My father? That’s a lie, my father didn’t send anyone."

"He did, Miss Koker," Sterling said, keeping his tone even, "he’s concerned about your safety, there are people watching this building who mean you harm."

"I don’t know who you are," Mira said, "I’m not opening this door."

Sterling expected this, "Miss Koker, I’m here to help, but you need to understand, the people watching aren’t as patient as I am, if you don’t let me help, they’ll make a move, and it won’t be friendly."

He heard Mira whispering inside, probably to Raquel or Liam, then her voice came back, "How do I know you’re working for my father?"

"Call him," Sterling said, "right now, he’ll confirm who I am."

His phone rang, Koker’s name on the screen, "She’s calling me," Koker said, "what do you want me to tell her?"

"The truth," Sterling said, "you sent me to get her and the kids somewhere safe, don’t mention what she’s doing to them, focus on the threat from the other investigator."

"Understood," Koker said, hanging up.

Sterling waited, hearing Mira’s voice grow louder on the phone, her tone sharp with suspicion. After a few minutes, the call ended, and the locks on the door clicked open.

Mira stood in the doorway, her eyes narrow, "You’re Sterling?" she asked, her voice steady but cold.

"Yes," he said, keeping his hands visible, "your father hired me to find you, I’m here to help."

She studied him, then glanced at Rajesh, "Who’s he?"

"My partner, Rajesh," Sterling said, "we’re both here for you and your friends."

Mira’s jaw tightened, "What do you know about my friends?"

"Enough," Sterling said, "I know you’re planning to move them, tonight, I’m here to make sure you’re all safe."

Her eyes flicked to the hallway, "You said people are watching, who?"

"I don’t know yet," Sterling said, "but someone came here earlier, asking questions, it’s not safe to stay."

Mira hesitated, then stepped back, "Come in, but if you try anything, you’ll regret it."

Sterling nodded, stepping inside with Rajesh, his eyes scanning the apartment packed bags, papers scattered on a table, Raquel and Liam sitting on a couch, their faces blank but alert. He took a deep breath, ready to face whatever Mira had been building in this room for the past three weeks.