The Untitled Case

The Loop And The Lie

The tunnel was cold, damp, and endless.

Or so it felt.

Laura's boots crunched on the gravel again, for what felt like the tenth time. Ahead of her, Shiny's light flickered as she scanned the walls with her device, frowning.

"We've passed this mark already," Betty said, pointing to a symbol scratched into the metal wall. "I remember the smudge."

"We're in a loop," Daniel muttered. "It's like the path is redirecting us to the same place over and over."

Shiny tapped rapidly on her tablet. "The signal's bouncing. The tracker says we're heading forward—but we keep ending up back."

Laura exhaled. "My dad said to use our brains. To think more like him."

She paused, eyes narrowing.

"This whole place is built on tech. If we're trapped, it's not physical. It's programmed."

"Finally," Nathiel said, swinging his bag around to unzip his laptop. "Was wondering when you'd get to that."

He scanned his face to unlock the screen and looked at Shiny. "Hand me your device, genius girl."

"Don't call me that," Shiny said, tossing it to him anyway.

Then, with absolutely no regard for the mounting tension, Nathiel slipped a candy into his mouth and began playing music softly in the background—upbeat, jazzy.

Laura stared at him. "Are you seriously vibing right now?"

"Relax," Nathiel said, chewing, eyes locked on his code. "Stress wrinkles are not a good look for you."

Laura's mouth curled. "Says the guy wearing a hoodie with five knife holes."

"Character," he said, winking. "Keeps me humble."

Daniel chuckled beside them, whispering to Betty, "He always does this. Annoys you while saving the day."

Betty, eyes still scanning the walls, gave a small, worried nod. "Just hope he doesn't joke through our funeral."

Nathiel's fingers blurred on the keys, syncing the inputs from both his laptop and Shiny's device. Laura stepped behind him, watching the rapid movement of his code window, and despite herself, she was impressed.

Daniel smirked. "He's a tech maniac. Always been that way."

"I'm hearing a lot of compliments today," Nathiel said. "You guys okay? Should I check for fevers?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Less talking, more miracle-working."

"Bossy," he muttered. "I like that."

Then something shifted.

A ripple in the tunnel ahead, like light dancing through water. The illusion flickered, and the tunnel walls shimmered—briefly revealing glass instead of stone.

Betty gasped. "Wait—did something just move?"

Shiny's screen blared. "There! Visual anomaly—refractive layers hiding the real exit!"

Laura stepped forward, hand out. The tunnel wall in front of her rippled again as her palm passed through it.

"It's not real," she whispered. "It's all been an illusion. Keeping us trapped here."

One by one, they stepped through.

And the world changed.

On the other side was open sky.

Real sky.

They emerged onto a runway carved into the mountainside. The air was sharper. Real. Above them, stars blinked behind clouds.

And in front of them stood a private jet.

Sleek. Black. Engines humming softly.

Flanked by six people in black suits, motionless.

No weapons. No words. Just... waiting.

Daniel instinctively stepped in front of Betty, eyes hard. She clutched his arm, brows furrowed.

"Who are they?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Daniel murmured. "But they've been expecting us."

Nathiel stepped closer to Laura. "So. You think they're friendly?"

"They have a jet," Laura said dryly. "That usually means money. And trouble."

Nathiel and Daniel exchanged a look, then stepped forward, slightly ahead of the others.

One of the suited figures stepped forward, hands behind his back in military-like precision.

Daniel's voice was firm. "Who are you? And why are you here?"

The man gave a small nod. "Boss. We're here for you."

Laura blinked. "Boss?"

Nathiel arched a brow. "Wait... us?"

The man nodded again. "We received the signal. Your clearance reached Command Tier Four. We were deployed for extraction. Direct orders."

Daniel grinned. "Huh. That's new."

Nathiel's mouth curled up into a mischievous smirk. "Ohh. So you're new recruits?"

"Yes, sir," the suited man answered. "We were trained under the new Shadow Wing protocol. It's been exactly one month since deployment began."

Nathiel let out a soft chuckle. "Figures. That's why we didn't recognize any of you."

Daniel tilted his head. "No wonder you looked like extras in a spy movie."

The suited man almost cracked a smile. "We get that a lot, sir."

Behind them, the three girls stood frozen in place.

Laura's arms were still crossed, but her eyebrows were halfway up her forehead. "Okay, I'm sorry—boss?"

Betty stepped up beside her, whispering, "Did we... miss something? Is this part of the plan?"

Shiny's jaw dropped. "They have followers?"

Nathiel turned, tossing a smug look over his shoulder. "Didn't I tell you I had layers?"

Laura gave him a sharp look. "You also once said your most prized possession was a vending machine key you stole in tenth grade."

"Ah, memories." He winked.

Daniel turned back to the group. "We'll explain. Maybe. On the plane."

Nathiel added with a grin, "If you behave."

Laura narrowed her eyes, walking past him with a smirk of her own. "If you survive the next five minutes."

"Ohhh," he said, mock-shivering. "Scary when you're bossy. I like it."

As the team stepped toward the aircraft, Betty held onto Daniel's sleeve for a second longer.

"Are we safe with them?" she asked quietly.

Daniel looked down at her, his expression softening. "With me? Always."

The doors of the jet hissed open.

A wind swept across the mountain ridge.

And just like that, the path forward wasn't just open—it was airborne.

But behind the confidence, the flirtation, and the dry humor... one question still lingered in the air:

Who exactly had they become?

And who had been watching all along?