The Chase Begins

The airport was busier than Maya had anticipated. She kept her head down, gripping the strap of her satchel where the artifact was hidden, her mind racing through everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

Cassius's final moments, the mysterious scroll, Novus Corp sniffing around her work she was walking a thin line between discovery and danger.

She approached the check-in counter, trying to act natural. The attendant took her passport and typed something into the system, giving her a polite but distracted nod.

"One moment, please," the woman said, before picking up a phone and whispering something too quietly for Maya to hear.

A knot tightened in her stomach.

She turned slightly, scanning the terminal. Most travelers were caught up in their own worlds, but one man dressed in an unremarkable gray suit stood near the security checkpoint. He wasn't looking at her, but something about him set off alarm bells.

Her instincts screamed at her. Leave. Now.

The attendant looked back at her. "I'm sorry, Dr. Chen, but there seems to be an issue with your booking. Can you step aside for a moment?"

Maya forced a tight smile. "Of course."

She grabbed her passport and turned away, walking at a normal pace but the moment she was out of direct sight, she cut toward a side hallway.

She needed to get out of the airport.

Quickly.

A Dangerous Pursuit

Maya weaved through the crowd, moving toward a service exit she had spotted earlier. She kept her posture casual, but her mind was racing. Novus Corp must have flagged my passport. That means they know I'm trying to leave.

As she rounded a corner, she caught another glimpse of the man in the gray suit. He was walking in her direction now, speaking into an earpiece.

Her stomach dropped. I'm being followed.

She turned sharply and nearly ran into a janitor pushing a cart. "Sorry!" she mumbled, using the distraction to duck through an unmarked door.

She found herself in a dimly lit maintenance corridor. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows against the concrete walls.

No time to think she sprinted forward.

Footsteps echoed behind her.

They're coming.

Maya scanned the hallway ahead. A red exit sign glowed at the far end. Almost there.

She burst through the door and into a staff parking lot. The cool night air hit her, but there was no time to breathe.

A black SUV idled nearby. The tinted windows made her skin crawl. No doubt Novus.

She needed a way out fast.

Then she saw it a motorcycle parked near a delivery van. The keys were still in the ignition.

Bless you, reckless owner.

Maya darted toward the bike, threw a leg over, and twisted the throttle. The engine roared to life just as the SUV doors flew open.

Two men in dark suits emerged, their hands moving toward concealed weapons.

Maya didn't wait. She kicked the bike into gear and tore out of the parking lot.

Gunshots cracked behind her, but she was already speeding down the road, weaving through late-night traffic.

She didn't know where she was going yet.

But she knew one thing she couldn't stop.

Not until she reached London.