Chapter 105 Smoke And Mirrors

• Dawn drags its pale fingers across the horizon as the train cuts through the last stretch of nowhere. The city’s skyline—razor-edged, unfamiliar—rises like a dare in the distance. No one speaks. The hum of steel wheels on track is the only heartbeat, steady and cold.
• Knox stands near the door of the car, arms crossed, eyes burning holes through the blur of rusted freight yards and chain-link fences. His duffel’s slung over one shoulder. His new ID—Mason Reid—burns like a lie in his pocket.
• Ellerei’s across from him. Hair in a braid, hoodie oversized, lips pressed tight. She hasn’t slept, but she hasn’t broken either. She holds a folder in her lap like it’s gospel, the new life they’ll live—at least for now. The name on hers? Tessa Moore. Age twenty-eight. Works remotely for a translation firm. No priors. No tethers.