The afternoon on Griffin Rock was unusually quiet — the kind of silence that made even the hum of distant engines sound suspiciously loud. Hayley parked her red convertible just outside the Burns family firehouse. She had arranged to meet Kade that afternoon — just a short visit, she told herself, maybe coffee afterward — but he hadn’t shown up. No calls, no messages. Her worry deepened as she stepped out of the car.

Standing in front of the firehouse door was a towering red-and-white Rescue Bot — Heatwave. His posture was rigid, almost guarded, though a faint trail of smoke behind him suggested he had been doing something… not entirely regulation-approved.

Hayley blinked up at him, sunlight glinting off his armor. Despite the imposing size difference, she spoke with that calm, polite confidence that had always disarmed even the most mechanical personalities.

“Excuse me,” she said, folding her hands together. “I’m looking for Kade. The man who drives you.” Hayley confirmed gently, smiling as if this conversation were the most normal thing in the world. “He said he’d meet me here.”

Behind the smile, though, there was genuine concern — a quiet tightening around her eyes. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt something was off. Even the Bot seemed… nervous.