C424 Attack First

I thought for a while before looking at them seriously. “He knows we are alive. He saw Chenfeng in that Footage. He knows the story does not make sense. That means we no longer have to protect the illusion that we are dead or missing from the outside world.” Bighead raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a very dangerous interpretation of good news.” “It is not good news,” I replied. “It is an opportunity.” Survivor leaned forward. “Explain.” “We have spent weeks hiding because we wanted the enemy to believe we were vulnerable, missing, and unable to respond. But Willy's attack suggests he is already questioning that story. If we continue doing nothing, he will keep investigating until he finds another family member.” Cipher's eyes narrowed. “You think we should use his suspicion against him.” “Yes.” “How?” “By allowing him to believe that we are moving.” Chipmunk looked confused. “We are not moving.” “Not physically. But if we clone Charlie's phone and follow the communications around her, we may discover what Willy is looking for. We might also find out whether Charlie knows anything about the Harris family.”

Pixel considered the idea. “And if we succeed?” “Then we gain information without having to return to the city.” Survivor shook her head. “Unless the cloning itself exposes us.” “That is the risk.” Bighead sighed. “Everything seems to be a risk lately.” Kiddo looked at me. “Cracker, if Charlie is already being watched by Harris, won't they notice someone trying to access her phone?” “They might.” “And if they notice?” “We deal with it.” Cipher immediately interrupted. “No. We do not simply deal with it. We calculate the consequences before we do anything.” I looked at her. She was right. I knew that. The difference between acting and surviving was often nothing more than understanding what came after the first move. Chipmunk broke the silence. “We still have a month left of training. Do you want us to return now?” Everyone looked toward Cipher. She leaned back in her chair and gave us a tired smile. “Why do you guys always think I have an answer for everything?” Bighead pointed at her. “Because you usually do.” “I do not.” “You are Cipher,” he replied. “That is practically your job.”

Cipher rolled her eyes. For a brief moment, the tension in the room eased. Then she became serious again. “No. Going back now would be dangerous.” Survivor frowned. “Why?” “If Willy discovers that we have returned, everything will connect.” She looked around the room. “He already know the kidnapping was staged. He already know Chenfeng is alive. He will know we have access to weapons, resources, and people willing to protect us. If we suddenly appear in the city, it will confirm every suspicion he has.” “And then he will start searching for us directly.” Chipmunk looked at the floor. “But staying here does not make us safe either.” “No,” Cipher admitted. “It only keeps us together.” Bighead glanced at me. “That is supposed to make me feel better?” “It should,” I replied. He shook his head. “It does not.” Survivor remained focused on Cipher. “Isn't it already too late? Think about it. They know we were not kidnapped. They know you did not kill Chenfeng. Tell me what is stopping them from coming after our families to interrogate them?”

The atmosphere changed immediately. Nobody made a joke. Nobody moved. The question had been sitting silently in all our minds. Cipher looked down for a moment before answering. “If they do that, they will be torturing innocent people for information they do not have.” Her voice was quiet. “But if we return, we give them a better chance of reaching us.” Survivor shook her head. “That sounds like choosing between our families and ourselves.” “It is not a choice I want to make.” Cipher looked down. “We cannot protect everyone by being everywhere at once.” Chipmunk lowered her eyes. “My parents would never tell them anything.” “No,” Cipher replied. “They probably would not. But Harris does not need certainty before hurting someone.” The words struck all of us. She continued. “They could take someone from Silver's family. They could take Chipmunk's parents. They could go after Survivor's husband or Kiddo's father. They could threaten a child.” Nobody interrupted her. “These people do not have mercy,” Cipher said. “They will do anything to make someone speak, even when that person has nothing to say.”

I felt my hands tighten into fists. Cipher looked toward Silver. “Imagine if they went after you while you were alone with your family.” Silver's expression changed. Cipher continued before she could respond. “You would not be able to fight them and protect everyone at the same time. You might be forced to watch someone suffer because they want information about us.” Silver looked away. The room remained frozen. I understood what Cipher was trying to say, but I also understood Survivor's fear. If we stayed hidden, our families remained vulnerable. If we returned, we would bring danger directly to ourselves. Neither path was safe. Neither option gave us what we wanted. Bighead finally spoke. “So what do we do?” Cipher looked at him. “I do not know yet.” It was the first time she had admitted it so openly. I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. She looked at me. “We have one advantage,” I said. “What advantage?” “We are together.” She gave a faint, tired smile. “That is not enough to defeat everyone.” “No,” I replied. “But it is enough to make sure nobody has to face this alone.” “If we leave then we will lose that advantage,” I continued. “The moment we separate, Harris can choose who to attack first.”

Pixel looked toward the others. “Then we should remain together until we know more.” Kiddo nodded. “But we cannot stay hidden forever.” “No,” Cipher said. “We cannot.” She looked toward the new equipment on the table. “Which is why Cracker's plan matters.” Everyone turned toward me. I took a breath. “Tomorrow, Hammer brings the phone. I will prepare everything tonight. We will not contact Charlie directly unless necessary. First, we observe. We find out who she communicates with, whether her husband is involved, and whether Harris is watching her.” “And if we discover something?” Chipmunk asked. “Then we decide our next move with facts instead of fear.” Survivor gave a small nod. Bighead leaned back in his chair. “I hate to admit it, but that is probably the first sensible thing anyone has said tonight.” Cipher looked at him. “Then try saying something sensible yourself.” He thought for a moment. “We should eat before Silver burns dinner.” Silver immediately turned toward him. “Excuse me?”

Bighead smiled. “I am simply saying that if we are about to risk our lives, I would prefer to do it on a full stomach.” Despite everything, a few of us laughed. The sound did not last long, but it reminded us that we were still human. As everyone began preparing for the evening, I remained beside the computer. The investigation into Charlie Kinlore had failed. The attack on Mark had changed everything. Willy Harris was no longer simply searching for us. He was searching for the truth behind our disappearance. Tomorrow, I would begin looking for him as well. But for the first time since we disappeared, I understood something clearly. We were no longer hiding from the enemy. We were preparing to find them before they found us.