The veil of hearts

•the hunt begins•

39
//•••~~~~•••~~~~•••//

Joshua strode quickly through the conference center, his mind racing faster than his feet. The "accidental" encounter with Aleksi Nordstrom had confirmed his worst suspicions about Aina's condition. Memory suppression. Neural transponders. This wasn't medical mystery—it was deliberate technological intervention.

He ducked into a secluded alcove and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found Dr. Whitaker's number.

"Sarah, it's Joshua," he said urgently when she answered. "I need you to handle the closing panel tomorrow. I'm booking the next flight back to Elmira."

"What? Josh, we're presenting joint research—"

"It's Aina," he interrupted. "She's in danger. I'll explain later, but I need to get back immediately."

Before Dr. Whitaker could protest further, Joshua ended the call and opened his flight booking app. His fingers trembled slightly as he searched for options. A red-eye to New York would get him back by early morning, and from there, a short connecting flight to Elmira.

As he completed the booking, a new text message appeared from an unknown number:

She isn't who you think she is, Dr. Bennett. For your own safety, maintain distance until we contact you. This is bigger than you understand.

Joshua stared at the message, his jaw clenching. Whoever these people were, they were watching him right now. He looked around the busy conference center, suddenly aware of how exposed he was.

He needed to warn Aina, but a direct call might be monitored. Instead, he composed a carefully worded text to his research assistant, Marcus:

Lab emergency. Need you to check on our memory study participant A.Y. immediately. Use protocol 7 for contact. Possible adverse reaction to stimulus sequence. Do NOT document in system.

Protocol 7 was their code for highest confidentiality—verbal communication only, no electronic records. Marcus would understand to check on Aina in person and keep it off the books.

Joshua pocketed his phone and headed toward the exit, fighting the urge to run. He needed to appear calm, collected—just another conference attendee heading back to his hotel. But inside, alarm bells were ringing. Nordstrom had mentioned an "extraction team." Whatever that meant, it couldn't be good for Aina.

As he stepped outside into the cool Milan evening, Joshua weighed his limited options. He could contact local authorities, but what would he tell them? That a Finnish businessman had made cryptic comments about memory suppression technology? That he suspected his patient was being hunted for stolen research files she didn't even remember taking?

No, his priority had to be getting back to Elmira and ensuring Aina's safety. Then, perhaps, they could piece together the truth about who she really was—and why Aleksi Nordstrom was so determined to find her.

///

Aina Yilmaz sat cross-legged on her apartment floor, surrounded by stacks of neuroanatomy textbooks and scattered notes. Despite the late hour, she felt oddly energized, driven by a compulsion she couldn't quite explain. Something about the brain's limbic system and memory formation had captivated her attention for hours.

The soft knock at her door startled her. She glanced at the clock—11:47 PM. No one visited this late.

"Who is it?" she called, approaching the door cautiously.

"Marcus Chen, Dr. Sarah's research assistant," came the reply. "Sorry about the hour, but Dr. Bennett asked me to check on you."

Aina frowned. The name was familiar—Dr. Sarah's  new research assistant who had been present during her tests at the lab. But she realized she wouldn't recognize him on sight since he had always worn a surgical mask during their interactions.