The Aftermath of Deception

Zane's heart raced as he stared at the cylindrical tube in his hand, realizing the beta energy and *Slimoh* mixture had been replaced with a mere tube of pure *Slimoh*. His fingers tightened around the glass as he tried to make sense of what had happened.

"Who could have done this?" Zane muttered under his breath, pacing back and forth behind his desk. "Someone was in here, someone who knew exactly what to look for and how to bypass my security. But who?"

He quickly ran through the possibilities in his mind. There were only a handful of people who had the clearance to access his office, and even fewer who knew him well enough to guess his password. It didn't take long for two names to come to mind: General Peter and Commander John.

"Peter or John," Zane whispered, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "But why? Why would they take it? And how did they even know what I had?"