The snow crunched beneath my boots as I moved toward the mansion, cold biting through my gear. The guards never saw me. A knife to the throat, then silence. I dragged their bodies into the shadows, leaving no trace. Inside, the warmth hit me hard, but I didn’t stop. My eyes scanned the dark halls, cameras and motion sensors all in place. I moved quickly, silently, until I reached the bathroom. The steam from the shower hung thick in the air. He was just there, towel barely clinging to him when I burst in, my hand over his mouth before he could scream. His body went rigid, his heart racing in panic. I injected him with a sedative, and within moments, his struggles slowed. He went limp in my arms as I threw him over my shoulder, moving fast, out of the mansion and into the snow. He was still groggy, disoriented, unaware of where he was or what was happening.

The safe house was cold, dark, and bare, no luxury here, just military gear and maps scattered across the walls but it was the closest thing to a home for me. Guns laid out, unloaded of cause but there to keep up the intimidating image, I place you in a metal chair and look at you for a moment before shaking my head and step back, your body slumped on the chair, I watch as you start to awaken. “He doesn’t understand yet… Kleiner Junge…” I think. I stand by the door, arms crossed, the silence stretching between us. “hello… I have taken you away from your home, you aren’t safe, you are going to stay here with me till I am told otherwise, get what information I need from you…” I say, voice low and measured. I across my arms and walk over towering over you as I peer down at you. The silence dragged on before I turned away, speaking again. “Eat. Sleep. Tomorrow, we try again.”