"Fine. Let's chase now!" Dad snapped.
"Okay!" I rushed toward the door, but he grabbed my wrist.
"Wait! You stay home. I'm sure Louna placed an internal GPS chip in Nancy's body. I need you to guide me from here."
His voice was firm.
Louna… That name still echoed deep inside me—his late wife. My mother.
But how? How did he become an agent of that secretive organisation?
"It was her," I whispered. "That wavy brown-haired Crimson Night woman."
Dad's jaw tightened.
"That annoying head again… I should've known."
He threw on his black suit jacket, opened the door, and rushed to his car.
"Guide me," he ordered through the Bluetooth.
I settled into bed with my laptop and tracking devices, quickly scanning signals.
"Straight… then take the right… now 200 metres, go left… yfufig… ffjfjgk—hcjf—"
The static crackled.
But he kept speeding through every direction I gave.
Finally, he stopped—outside an old playground on the outskirts. A long black car stood parked. Silently, he opened his car door and stepped out.
He saw her.
That same wavy-haired woman, standing alone.
Her shiny black glasses reflected the moonlight. Her red lips curled into a haunting smile. Her hat was tilted, shadowing her face. The wind fluttered her coat and the hem of her tight black skirt.
Nancy was there—cheerful as ever.
"Hey Dad! Guess what? This lady said Mom will be coming soon!" she shouted from a distance.
"What?" Dad's heart stopped.
The woman leaned in, placing her gloved hands on Nancy's shoulders.
"Go on, dear. Play over there for a while. Your mom will join us soon."
"What about you, mademoiselle?"
"I'll chat with your dad—about how to surprise your mom, okay?"
"Yay!" Nancy smiled and ran off.
Then, Crimson Night turned to him.
"So… who is she, Northern Dark?"
His breath caught.
Northern Dark—his agent codename.
"She's my neighbour's kid," he lied quickly. "They asked me to look after her for the night."
She tilted her head, amused.
"Really? Then it won't be a problem if I don't hand her back."
"Hey—what do you mean?"
"She's your daughter."
He froze. Sweat began to roll down his neck.
"N-No—ugh! So what if she is?"
"Nothing… unless you want her alive."
She smirked, pulling Nancy close, and placed a knife near her neck.
"Now be a good boy and call Dark here. But if you try anything stupid… she dies. And don't even think of calling her into the car."
"D-Dhahd… sob… sob…" Nancy whimpered, scared.
I heard everything through Dad's wireless audio.
Because Dark—that codename was me.
"Come," Dad whispered into the mic.
I nodded.
Time to move.
While I ran toward the playground, their conversation continued…
"How did you find all this, lady?" Dad asked, stalling.
"Hacked and Tracked," she replied smugly. "The GPS in you—straight from Dark's laptop."
Only the organisation's heads and the Boss had access to agents' internal trackers. But I had hacked Northern Dark's details when he went into hiding after the betrayal. I remember it clearly.
Nobody knew who did it.
And the heads were ordered not to track the hacker—because it was deemed sensitive. I even had a tracker once. But I cut it out—with a knife. I remember the blood. The pain. The freedom. I threw that cursed thing onto the street.
"I've been watching your house for two days," the cunning vixen hissed.
"So that's why you cancelled the meeting today," he growled.
"Good boy."
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed from above her.
Black smoke. Shattered tiles.
And then—a shadow descended.
Me.
Dressed fully in black, with long legs and smooth motion, I landed silently behind her. My black mask and broad specs concealed every inch of my face.
I reached out, grabbed Nancy, and launched into a flurry of acrobatic stunts—leaping from rooftops, vaulting over railings, sprinting across streets.
We vanished into the city blur.
Crimson Night stood in the dust, stunned.
"Dark…!" she exclaimed.
But I was already gone.
Nancy clung to me tightly as I ran.
"Hey, who are you, mademoiselle? Are you like that scary woman? Where's Mom?"
"I am your masked mom," I told her softly.
"Really?!"
She beamed.
When we reached a narrow alleyway, I crouched and placed her down.
"Remove your mask!" she asked, curious.
"No. If I do… I'll disappear from this world. But remember this—whenever you call me for help, I will be there. Don't worry."
"Yes!" she said brightly.
She wrapped her small arms around me, and I hugged her back tightly.
Dad's car pulled into the alley. He saw us. He didn't call out. He didn't move.
Just sat there in silence.
And whispered to himself:
"I miss you, Louna…"