As the first light rays emerged from behind the horizon, the sun began its majestic ascent, casting warm light upon the earth. Its brilliance gradually spread, illuminating every corner, including Tim's room, as he had unfortunately forgotten to pull down the blinds when he collapsed into bed at dawn. The sweet sound of birdsong filled the air as the feathered creatures awakened to a new day, their melodies harmoniously blending with the tranquil atmosphere... yet something seemed off, Tim thought, still dreaming, because there were no birds here. Or were there only no birds in Heine?

In this half-dream, the rhythmic melody of the waves gently caressed the shore, orchestrating a symphony of calm and wrapping the environment in a serene atmosphere. Tim felt that everything was good around him. He thought of checking on Mara and waiting for her outside the hotel to greet her, but he wasn't sure what time she started work. And Tim didn't want to seem weird. So, after thinking this through, he fell back asleep into this strange dream of waves and birdsong, waking up only at noon. He remembered that Maria had invited him for a hamburger, so that became his goal for the day, and he also recalled something about a confrontation they had agreed upon—against Dash.

Around noon, he walked into the restaurant with a pounding headache, and when Maria saw him, she laughed and said something like, "If you can't handle alcohol, why drink so much?" There was some truth to that, but he didn't want to reveal that he rarely drank.

In the restaurant, he sat in the same spot he used to with Judith. For the first time, he thought of his boss or former boss. He hoped everything was fine with the girl and there wouldn't be any trouble.

As he pondered this and drank his coffee, he marveled at the two older adults at the counter, who always seemed to be there. The lady now seemed to be knitting something different, a different color, but he wouldn't have sworn to it. When Maria came back out, she sat across from him. "So, a hamburger? You liked it quite a bit last time!"

"Yeah, and do you happen to have any headache pills?" Tim squinted.

"Sure, I'll bring some... and Tim! I'm glad you're with us!" the waitress smiled at him.

"These folks," Tim gestured around. "Are they always here? Are they part of the staff, too?"

"Well, something like that, they keep an eye on us." Maria stood up and rummaged behind the counter, returning with some tablets. Meanwhile, Tim imagined the old lady protecting Maria, and then it struck him that there might be something to it because the last time she handled that weapon quite confidently, it was likely still hidden in her knitting bag.

"Do you get other guests besides them?"

"We're usually full, but our reputation has taken a hit due to supply issues," Maria apologized.

"I vaguely remember agreeing to some brawl. With Guldar and his crew?"

"Yeah, you did," Maria laughed. "I think they'll be here soon, too; they usually have lunch here when they're not working."

Then Maria brought out his hamburger, and Tim reminded the one Judith had eaten in the car. When he got into the car that day, he could still smell the onions; maybe he should clean it.

The same taste, only this time, he didn't have to rush. He savored the food and even managed to eat his fries. The world was nearly perfect. When he ultimately finished his meal, Peter came out to greet him. Seemingly, he just wanted to say hello and express how glad Tim had joined them.

"Guldar will fill you in on the plans for tomorrow. He may want you to accompany us; we'll transport the item tomorrow. I'm off work tomorrow, but unfortunately, I can't join you today..."

"Oh yes, something about a scuffle," Tim nodded, beginning to feel better.

"Do you know when Mara finishes?"

"Well, she's working a twelve-hour shift on Saturdays, so she'll be done by 9 PM. But you'll probably find her in the basement after that. You remember the place from last night. That's where we usually hang out."

Tim thought the basement was a fitting name. Then he remembered something else. "And tell me, how did you manage to get across? I was worried when the inspectors dragged you out of the line..."

"Oh, don't even mention it! I nearly had a heart attack. I thought you had snitched on me. But it turned out they just pulled everyone whose destination was Heine. My papers were in order, or at least they thought so. But I still needed help to cross there, and then I found a gatekeeper in Farlington who would let anyone through for the right price. Once in Heine, I managed to join the staff legally."

"That was lucky! After that, they kept a close watch on me, but fortunately, I got an assignment just in time, but let's leave it at that..." Tim found it hard not to be honest because Peter seemed likable and had a winning manner.

"Mara mentioned that you want her to go with you on Sunday because something is happening after that?"

"Yes, it's a long story, but she could get into big trouble, partly because of me, since I let her through." Tim tried to give convincing reasons why he was so insistent on Mara going with him. And Monday is my deadline."

"So, they're looking for her? But she's working legally, she has papers, a job..."

Tim felt he needed to explain more. "I can't say much more... but you should lay low here too. Something's brewing... they caught your big boss, and their goal is to silence the whole organization. My cover is in danger, having a name in the system that I let through despite it being prohibited."

Peter understood and nodded. "If we succeed with our plan and manage to handle the invention, our organization's presence here will become unnecessary. We can practically dissolve the whole thing."

This line of reasoning reassured Tim, and apparently, Peter also accepted Tim's explanation. Peter then went back to work, although no new guests arrived. Tim didn't have to wait long for the others; he had just finished an apple pie when Guldar and five other young men walked through the restaurant door. They sat down with Tim, joking about whether he was ready for a little scuffle. Guldar always referred to trouble as a scuffle.

As they ate, Guldar tried to brief him on the plan and left Dash a message to meet them there.

"Here? You mean in the restaurant?" Tim was astonished. He couldn't think of a worse plan.

"Of course, here. You've got a weapon, right?" asked Guldar.

"Yeah. But why not in the forest or some deserted place?" Tim protested as he didn't like this plan. He remembered the previous scuffle here, which they only avoided because Judith talked their way out of it. What if things went wrong this time?

"Here, because people like Peter are working, they can join in on the fun too..." Guldar laughed. "Hey Maria!" he called out. "That Dash guy, I called them here, so you'll be in on the action too."

Maria came closer. "Are you going to trash the restaurant? Or what's your plan?"

"Why, are you the owner or something? Nobody comes here besides us anyway; it's on some blocklist..."

"That's true, but we need a concrete plan. If we start shooting here, well, I don't know, someone might survive. Your partner was right the other day."

"And now we're back to square one..." Tim shook his head, as he didn't like this new setup at all.

Plan or no plan, they argued so long that the group surprised them in a tense atmosphere without a solid plan. Dash, wearing black sunglasses, came in first, followed by his four companions. They stopped at the entrance and scrutinized them.

Tim had earlier tried to position himself with his back to them and placed the old lady and the always-reading gentleman behind the counter in front of him. He had a plan. Shoot as quickly as possible, giving Dash no chance to reveal anything about him or Judith. But his main plan was to ensure they didn't get out because if Zack found out what was happening here, it would complicate his life on the other side, or especially here.

And now he realized he hadn't even planned what would happen after Sunday night. They would still have to hide if Mara went with him and they started a new life. But the level of hiding and the reasons they would seek mattered. So his caution was justified, he reassured himself.

"Do you want to finish what you started here last time? But it looks like a few more of you now, aren't there?" Dash grinned and pointed outside, where men in identical suits were loitering, seemingly without reason, as if they were coincidentally standing in the small square in front of the restaurant.

Tim cautiously placed his gun in front of him and unlocked it, noticing Guldar's nervous gesture to hold off for now.

"But you came prepared..." Guldar began. "And how do you know we aren't even more numerous?"

This assumption threw Dash off a bit. He pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead and stood with his hands on his hips, confidently waiting. "So, what do you want? Why are we here?"

"There's a little incident, a story about a little girl whose parents you killed. And now we know it was you... We are here for revenge or a lesson; call it what you want."

"So it is true, the resistance hotspot. I thought you had the sense to disappear by now. Do you think the authorities aren't already on your trail? That they don't know who you are? In a few weeks, the whole organization will be dismantled!" Dash shouted.

And that was it. Tim stared intently at Guldar, then at the two elderly folks behind the counter, just waiting for the stocky man to nod finally. But Guldar hesitated for some reason, and Tim didn't like that. Finally, the old lady looked at him, and Tim involuntarily gave the signal. After that, everything happened so quickly that the five men at the entrance couldn't even draw their weapons. But they weren't the more significant problem; the ten to twelve guys started moving in at the sound of gunfire.

Tim found shelter behind the counter, beside the two elderly folks, figuring this was the safest spot. Everyone fired from behind cover, and he heard the kitchen's glass door shatter, with gunshots coming from there, too. The worst off were likely Guldar and those seated at the table. Judging by the silence from that direction, it didn't bode well for them.

The old lady was surprisingly decisive. Plenty of bullets were beneath her knitting needles and yarn; if anyone was prepared, it was her. She and the older man fired in excellent coordination, taking turns. Tim knew he had decided to jump over the counter before the massive hail of bullets began. He felt a bit sorry for Guldar, but he had his chance to devise a better plan.

"Is there a back entrance?" Tim whispered to the older man.

"Yeah, from the kitchen...It's a good idea to get behind their backs! Go ahead, we'll cover you," he said, and they both started shooting.

Tim quickly ran towards the kitchen and, to avoid being riddled with bullets, shouted as Maria peeked out to shoot, "I'm coming through!" Maria nodded and stepped aside from the doorway.

"Where's the back entrance? We need to surprise them!" he shouted, relieved to see Peter there and the kitchen girl whose name he really should remember, especially since she guided him.

The plan worked surprisingly well. While everyone was shooting towards the main entrance, Tim and the girl picked them off one by one from behind.