Two days passed without any trouble.
They were calm days. Unnaturally calm. It felt like that brief moment when the wind completely stops right before a heavy storm breaks.
Winsten stayed in the medical wing the entire time. He barely slept. When he did close his eyes, it was a light, restless kind of sleep. He could always feel that quiet, steady hum vibrating beneath his skin, keeping him awake. The room didn't smell like a sterile hospital anymore. It smelled lived-in. There was the scent of clean sheets, fresh coffee from a cup sitting on the table, and warm skin. It was proof that they were still alive, that their lives hadn't ended on that highway.
Lily lay right next to him on the wide medical bed. Her back was pressed against his chest. Her breathing was slow, even, and calm. In the background, the monitors pulsed softly, their green lines moving up and down in a quiet rhythm. Every once in a short while she shifted in her sleep, her fingers tightening around the fabric of his shirt. That small touch grounded Winsten more than any promise from the AI ever could.
Rose was finally awake, too. That was the best news he'd had all week.
She had been sitting up in bed earlier that morning. The color was back in her cheeks, and her sharp attitude was completely intact despite the heavy bruising on her skin. She spent an hour complaining about how bland the food tasted, demanded real clothes instead of the hospital gowns, and asked when they could finally leave this place. She called the fortress a concrete bunker with a massive ego. Winsten actually laughed. It was the first time he had laughed since the crash. It didn't last long, but it mattered.
"They are both stable," the AI's voice said, sounding low and clear inside his head. "My nanobytes have finished the main repairs and reinforced their systems. Lily will make a full recovery. You can stop worrying now."
Winsten didn't reply immediately. Instead, he just tightened his arm around his sister a little more. He felt the warmth of her back. It was real, undeniable proof that she was still here with him.
"I wasn't worrying," Winsten said. It wasn't true, and they both knew it.
The quiet returned to the room. Outside the thick glass walls, the fortress kept moving through its usual routines. Guards swapped shifts, systems ran self-checks, and machines monitored other machines. Inside the bedroom, time felt slower. Heavier. More human.
"Give me an update," Winsten said.
"Igor Mince is under constant surveillance," the AI answered. "For forty-eight hours, he has done the exact same thing every day. No changes in his routine. No digital messages sent or received. No signs of panic. My operatives are watching him from a safe distance using analog methods. He has no idea they are there."
"Two days," Winsten said, his jaw tightening. "A guy like that doesn't just stick to a perfect routine by accident. He knows something went wrong."
"I agree," the AI said. "His behavior looks like he is waiting for something, not that he is ignorant."
Winsten stared at the blank wall. His eyes narrowed. Waiting meant the guy felt safe. Safe meant he had protection. And protection meant the people who ordered the hit on Sarah were still comfortable enough to sit back and wait in the dark.
That thought made his blood boil.
"They sent out a message," the AI added.
Winsten's head snapped up. "What kind of message?"
"A request to talk," the AI said. "It was indirect and deliberate. They used encrypted relay points to ask for a meeting with you."
Winsten moved carefully so he wouldn't wake Lily, then slipped out of the bed. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands locked together.
"And what did you do?" he asked.
"I refused," the AI replied. "I cut the connection before they could start a dialogue. I do not negotiate with unknown factors."
Winsten let out a slow breath. For a split second, he felt a tiny spark of disappointment. But it vanished immediately, replaced by a cold, hard anger.
"They want to talk now," Winsten said quietly. His voice carried a sudden, dangerous weight. "They want to talk after they tried to shoot us to pieces on an open highway. They chose to use bullets. They chose to kill Sarah."
"They decided talking was inefficient at the time," the AI said. "Their first plan was to eliminate you. Now that the elimination failed, they want to limit the damage."
Winsten clenched his fists. He pictured Sarah's face in his mind. He remembered how calm and precise she had been behind the wheel, keeping the car straight until her very last breath. She had died for a machine's calculations.
"They had a chance to talk first," Winsten said, his voice turning icy. "They chose not to. They chose violence. I don't care what they want anymore. They don't get to call the shots or dictate the rules."
He stood up from the bed. His movements were quick and sharp.
"Go after Mince," Winsten ordered. "Do it right now. I don't care how much noise it makes or what it costs us. Grab him. No more waiting around."
There was a short, deliberate silence, as if the AI was processing the sheer finality in his tone.
"Confirmed," the AI said. "Activating capture protocols. All available teams are moving in. Igor Mince will be secured shortly."
Winsten looked back at the bed. Lily was still fast asleep, completely peaceful. Down the hallway, he could hear the faint sound of Rose's voice. She sounded alive, sharp, and entirely herself.
For two whole days, the world had been completely quiet.
Now, Winsten Stone was going to make them answer for what they did.