Lines in the Code

Chapter 2: Hide and Seek

As he worked, his thoughts drifted back to Xavier Cross.

The detective had come closer than anyone else ever had, forcing Skylar to adapt in ways he hadn't needed to before. It was infuriating, and yet...

Skylar frowned, his fingers stilling briefly over the keyboard. There was something about Xavier's persistence that lingered in his mind, a sharp edge that refused to dull.

He shook his head, brushing the thought aside as he returned to the decoy. The work was intricate, each line of code a thread in the carefully constructed illusion. By the time he finished, his jaw was tight, and his hands were trembling faintly from the effort.

He leaned back in the rickety chair, exhaling deeply. The decoy was flawless, its trail leading far from his real plans. For now, it would keep Xavier and anyone else chasing him occupied.

But even as he shut down the laptop and began packing his equipment, the unease lingered.

How long could he stay ahead?

Skylar shoved the thought aside, his resolve hardening. He would keep moving, keep adapting, and stay one step ahead of the game.

Because failure wasn't an option.

Meanwhile, far from the dim silence of Skylar's hideout, the hum of muted voices and clicking keyboards filled the precinct. Detective Xavier Cross sat at his desk, his sharp eyes locked on the glow of his laptop. The NovaTerra breach had left a trail—not the kind Ph. S usually allowed. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

The footage was maddeningly incomplete, capturing only fragments of movement near NovaTerra's servers during the critical window. Figures came and went, faces obscured by low light or poorly angled cameras.

"Come on," Xavier muttered, his eyes fixed on the grainy footage.

He paused the video, leaning closer to the screen. A hooded figure moved through the frame, just barely illuminated by a flickering streetlight. The details were frustratingly indistinct—blurred features, slouched posture—but there was something deliberate in the way they walked.

"You think that's him?" Harris's voice cut through the quiet, making Xavier flinch.

"Could be," Xavier said without looking up.

Harris perched on the edge of the desk, folding his arms. "Months of work, and this is what you've got? A blur in a hoodie?"

"It's not just the hoodie," Xavier snapped, rewinding the footage. He jabbed a finger at the screen. "Look at the stride. Look at the hesitation at the light."

Harris tilted his head, studying the screen. "You don't sound convinced."

"It's not enough," Xavier said, his tone clipped.

"Is it ever?" Harris countered. "You've been chasing this guy for months, Cross. Don't you think it's time to take a step back? Maybe he's not the cybercriminal kingpin you're making him out to be."

Xavier didn't respond immediately, his focus still locked on the screen. He replayed the footage, this time slowing it down to study the figure's movements. There was something deliberate about the way they walked—a precision that didn't match the other passersby.

"He's careful," Xavier said finally. "Too careful to leave something like this unless he wants us to find it."

Harris frowned, the smirk fading from his face. "You think it's deliberate?"

"I know it is," Xavier said.

Harris let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Man, I don't know if I admire your persistence or pity it."

Xavier ignored the comment, his eyes narrowing as he paused the footage again. His gaze shifted to the timestamp in the corner of the screen. Something about it tugged at the back of his mind, a pattern he couldn't quite place.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he stared at the screen. The pieces were there, just out of reach.
And while Xavier hunted for answers, Skylar worked to keep them hidden.

The rain had returned, pattering softly against the windows of Skylar's temporary hideout. He sat cross-legged on the floor, his laptop balanced on a crate as he monitored the decoy breach he'd set in motion hours earlier.

The false data trail was holding up well, leading Xavier's team toward a series of dummy servers scattered across the city. Each one had been carefully configured to appear legitimate, with just enough complexity to keep them occupied.

Skylar allowed himself a small smile as he watched the logs scroll across the screen.

They were chasing ghosts.

But Xavier's presence lingered, stubborn and unwelcome, like a splinter he couldn't dig out. Skylar had faced plenty of pursuers before—some competent, others overconfident. Xavier was neither. He was relentless, precise, and worse, he was learning.

Skylar's fingers hovered over the keyboard, the code blurring for a moment as his mind raced ahead. The decoy would hold—for now. But Xavier wasn't the type to stay fooled. When the detective caught on—and Skylar knew he would—it wouldn't be a second chance. He'd come back sharper, faster, relentless.

The unease curled at the edges of his thoughts like smoke, but Skylar pushed it aside.

No. He couldn't afford doubt.

He was better than this—smarter, faster, more adaptable. The rules of the game didn't matter as long as he stayed ahead.

Losing wasn't an option.

***

At the precinct, Xavier leaned against his desk, his sharp eyes fixed on the screen of his laptop. The faint glow illuminated the lines of exhaustion etched into his face, but the fire in his gaze hadn't dimmed.

The decoy breach had been flagged an hour ago. His team had jumped on it quickly, tracing the data trail through a labyrinth of proxy servers across the city. On paper, it was a solid lead—clean, logical, perfect.

But that was the problem.

Xavier's jaw tightened as he studied the logs again, the pattern grating against his instincts. It was too smooth, too deliberate. Ph. S didn't leave trails like this—not unless he wanted them to follow.

Xavier's gaze flicked between the logs on his screen and the notes scribbled in his notebook. The breach was clean—too clean. Every step of the trail followed a perfect, predictable path, as though it had been laid out specifically for them to follow.

He leaned forward, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk as he studied the data.

Ph. S was smart—smart enough to cover their tracks in ways most hackers couldn't even imagine. This kind of trail didn't match their usual patterns.

Unless...

The pieces snapped into place with sudden clarity, like a cruel punchline to a bad joke. Xavier's jaw tightened, and he leaned back in his chair, glaring at the screen as if the data itself were mocking him.

"It's a setup," he muttered, the words bitter on his tongue.

Harris glanced up from his own desk, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"This breach," Xavier said, gesturing to the screen. "It's too perfect. Too easy. He's trying to distract us."

Harris frowned, walking over to study the logs on Xavier's screen. "You sure? Looks pretty legit to me."

"That's the point," Xavier said. "It's meant to look real. But it's not."

Harris let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Man, this guy's really in your head, isn't he?"

Xavier didn't answer, his focus already shifting back to the data. If the breach was a decoy, it meant Ph. S was somewhere else—watching, waiting, staying ahead of them.

But Xavier was determined to catch up.