When Judith returned to the hotel room, she didn't look cheerful. Tim wasn't cheerful either because he was worried that his boss would find out that he had behaved like a disobedient child, leaving the hotel room despite his boss's orders. The assignment they were on was a high-stakes mission, and any deviation from their boss's instructions could have serious consequences.

Judith sat grumpily on her bed, a bit away from Tim's, separated by an armchair. She didn't even say hello; she was lying on her back in bed with her clothes on. When Tim tried to make a sound, clearing his throat, she didn't react. Tim got up and approached her to see if something was wrong, but he immediately smelled alcohol, which surprised him. Tim had never seen her like this and, secretly, was somewhat pleased by this turn of events because it stripped away a facade he had likely attributed to his boss. Maybe she wasn't as fearsome and unapproachable as he had thought, and this vulnerability made her more human to him.

It was late, and he didn't want to wake her, so he carefully draped a blanket over her. But when she felt this, she suddenly sat up, looked around, stared into Tim's astonished eyes, and then, as if understanding everything, lay back down, throwing the blanket off. Later, she even started snoring. This was too much for Tim, so he went to the balcony with his blanket and a small pillow, pushed two relatively comfortable chairs together, and decided to sleep there. The snoring and the smell of alcohol were too disturbing for him.

Surprisingly, he felt very comfortable on the balcony. It wasn't cold, and the city was still bustling, with people walking and chatting below. This pleasant background noise lulled Tim into a deep sleep, and he couldn't remember when he had slept so well. And fortunately, he didn't dream at all, waking up to the cool morning breeze feeling as if he had slept for a thousand years.

As the morning dawned, Tim was greeted by an eerie silence. No birds chirping, no frogs croaking, no buzzing of insects. Just an unsettling quiet. The tranquility was shattered by the soft hum of a drone, its presence jarring in the stillness. Tim's gaze was drawn to it, his unease growing. Was someone watching them? He resisted the urge to throw his small pillow at the buzzing device and decided to retreat indoors.

Judith was still snoring, so he went to shower. As he looked at his lanky face in the mirror, preparing to shave, he wondered what he was actually doing. Mara came to his mind, her sweet little face watching him, and he remembered the moment he missed the kiss and regretted not having the courage.

His electric shaver suddenly stopped as he pondered and drifted into his thoughts. It was charged, but it was useless no matter how much he pressed the buttons. With his face half-shaved, he started rummaging through the hotel toiletry cabinet and found a disposable pink plastic razor. He unwrapped it and turned it over in his hand. It was undoubtedly a woman's razor, but he had no choice.

Unfortunately, he cut himself a few times and had to put tissue paper on the wounds to stop the bleeding. He looked fantastic, with three minor cuts on one cheek.

Tim's stomach rumbled, a reminder of his hunger. He was eager to start the day, but without knowing Judith's plan, he felt a sense of anticipation. He decided to head down for breakfast, hoping that Judith would join him soon and reveal their next move.

It was already past ten when Judith appeared in the hotel dining room, a cup of coffee in her hand, and sat down in front of Tim wearing sunglasses. "Yesterday didn't go so well for me... I have a terrible headache." She took a big sip of her coffee and immediately spit it back into the cup. "This is completely cold!" She lifted the cup and looked around to catch a waiter's or someone's attention. A young boy came forward and took the cup. "Shall I heat it up?" he asked kindly.

"Could you bring a new one, please?" Judith asked. The boy nodded obligingly, but Tim had his doubts. Would he really bring a new one? And where did Judith get that coffee from anyway? She had come in with the cup already in her hand.

"I still don't feel well, and I'll tell you everything soon. The main thing is, today we're going to meet my contact, who gave me the assignment. I'll introduce you to him." Tim had been waiting for this since yesterday. He was eager to meet the person who had given them this important assignment, hoping to gain some insight into the mission and his role in it.

Tim was excited but didn't want to bring it up or rush things; instead, he passively endured Judith's scrutinizing gaze. "You look quite a sight... what happened to you?"

"Oh, this? Nothing, my shaver broke, and I found a disposable one among the toiletries."

Judith shook her head. "That wasn't your best decision. It would have been better if you'd come with stubble." Just then, the waiter reappeared with a steaming cup of coffee. Judith eagerly took a sip, but of course, it was too hot, and she hissed as it burned her mouth.

"Let's go!" Judith said, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head.

She confidently approached a small two-seater electric car parked at the hotel entrance. It was so tiny that Tim, being a tall man, felt uncomfortable, hugging his back and lowering his head a bit. On the way, Tim mostly looked around, observing the buildings and the majestic statues, while Judith remained silent. They had been driving for a while when the buildings started to thin out as if they were leaving the luxurious city center. The blocks of flats became more frequent, the kind Tim used to live in, and Judith finally parked in front of one of these. But she didn't get out; instead, she turned to Tim. "The person we're meeting now is our liaison with Zack. I was with him yesterday, and we had a bit of a disagreement. We've known each other for a long time. I wouldn't say we've settled our issues, but if you sense any tension between us, that's why. I'm telling you this because we have some fundamental disagreements."

Tim was curious about these fundamental disagreements, but his boss fell silent again. It seemed she had to work hard to get out of the small car. Was it just her hangover making her move so uncertainly?

They didn't enter the block of flats but went around it. Attached to the side of the block was a small shack, a one-room place, and as soon as they entered the shabby hovel, the smell of alcohol hit Tim here as well.

As he stood there uncertainly, he suddenly remembered what Judith had said. "Did you say Zack?" he leaned closer to her. "The head of the authorities? He's the one who hired us?"

Judith nodded. "Max, are you here?"

Due to the semi-darkness in the room, their eyes only slowly adjusted to the lighting conditions. When something moved and wobbled towards them, they identified it as a person, and both looked in that direction expectantly. A light turned on, and a small nightstand lamp illuminated only half of the figure sitting in the nearby armchair.

Max didn't stand up but stared at them suspiciously, mainly sizing up Tim. Judith broke the silence. "As I mentioned, I trust Tim. You can tell him everything. I haven't told him much about you yet."

The figure gestured towards the sofa opposite, with a blanket and pillow haphazardly placed, indicating it served as his bed. Judith tossed the blanket aside to make room for them, and they sat down.

"So, you haven't told him who I am?" asked Zack, taking a can of beer from the cooler beside him. "Want some?" he offered, but they both shook their heads, so he continued. "I'm the undercover guy who betrays everyone..." he laughed, then took a swig of his beer.

Judith took over the conversation. "Max knows the local groups and is on good terms with FYI. From them, we know that the new invention, the actual prototype, might be sold to them. Because the inventor, Bernard, is selling the invention's description to the authorities, the crucial task is to acquire the prototype to prevent it from falling into the hands of the resistance group."

Max shifted in his seat and leaned closer. "It's almost certain that the prototype has already been sold and bought directly from the inventor, which is odd since Zack and Bernard know each other well, and so far, the inventor hasn't shown any inclination to waver. But we need to confirm whether the teleportation device is with this group."

"So, that's the mission," Judith continued, "to retrieve the teleporter and bring it to Zack."

"I still don't understand why you're so determined to undertake this mission," Max objected. "And why do you have to bring a complete novice with you? I'd rather go alone..."

Judith shook her head. "We've already discussed this. Zack also believes that we need new people whom the group members don't know. Local inspectors aren't an option. And no one has come over from Tim's area."

Tim pressed his lips together, choosing to stay silent. He wondered about someone who knew him and what the consequences might be if Mara wasn't the girl he thought she was. What if she exposed him? He barely paid attention to the rest of the conversation, hearing it only as a murmur, lost in his thoughts. He knew he was doing crazy things.

Max suddenly stood up. "Alright, it's your call!" he said, heading over to his coat and hanging it on a hook Tim had only noticed. He fished a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Judith. "Here's the address. Go there. If they have the prototype, it'll be there. Take weapons; you might need them."

In the small car, Judith surprisingly became talkative. Tim wondered whether he should tell Judith about his adventure with Mara, just as it had happened. As he wrestled with this decision, he listened to Judith.

"So, Max and I were a couple once, but our convictions and worldviews didn't align. He was a full-fledged member of FYI for a while, and we have yet to hear from him during that time. In the past few years, he's been working like this, a bit here, a bit there. Of course, he sells the information for good money, which I also disagree with..."

"Isn't it dangerous then? How can we be sure he's giving us good info?" Tim asked worriedly.

"Others have thought of that, too. But I know he wouldn't deceive me. He promised me once, and I know he keeps his word. And you understand now why I was given the assignment. He only told me about the prototype thing... Of course, besides money, I also had to give him some info."

"So, you're a double agent too?" Tim asked, astonished.

"Not exactly. I'm not. I just give Max partial information, so he has something."

"But that's still called double-dealing! You're playing both sides!" Tim insisted.

"No! A double agent infiltrates the enemy; I don't. They don't even know who I am. I'm more of an informant if you want to label it. But above all, I'm an inspector leader."

Tim needed to be convinced that Judith fully understood the insignificance of her own role. To him, aside from the incident with Mara, an inspector's role was to ultimately serve the authorities. This didn't align with providing the enemy with some information.

"You can swim, right?" Judith asked as they drove into the center of Heine, evident by the luxurious decorations on the buildings.

"I can, yes. Why?" Tim asked.

"There's a small island not far away, Iop, where Bernard's lab is located, and the address we received is there, too. Unfortunately, it's well-guarded now to prevent anyone from the outside world from entering or leaving. But everyone who matters has gathered there. The FYI group and, as I understand, Zack are already there because of the invention."

"So, how do we get there?" Tim's legs were beginning to feel numb.

"By swimming. Teleporting is impossible, even for us, because it's completely sealed off. Boats are also not an option, as the traffic is monitored. There's one place where no one is watching, but due to the terrain, using a boat isn't possible either, so swimming is the only option."

Tim thought about how he vaguely remembered swimming, but that was during his childhood. "Can I practice swimming? It's been a long time since I've done it. Can I go down to the shore and swim a bit?"

Judith smiled as she got out of the car. "I was informed that you went out against my orders yesterday. And I'm not trying to encourage you with this, but you have a certain boldness that one wouldn't expect from you. Maybe that's why I think you'll make a good inspector... yes, you can go, but only for an hour, and I have to log the time you'll be out."

Tim regretfully trailed beside his boss. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble with yesterday..."

"Yes, you did. I told them I forgot to mention it, so next time, let me know, and I can handle it officially. Sleeping on the balcony isn't allowed either..."

"Well, the fresh air was nice..." Tim stammered, not thinking he could get in trouble for that, too.

"Look, Tim, you need to understand something," Judith said seriously as they entered their room. This place is for wealthy tourists to spend their money. You don't belong here, and you can't do as you please. For us to be left alone, the authorities need to know our every move so that they don't mistake us for unauthorized intruders."

Tim began to understand what Judith had said earlier—that if Mara had come over, they would catch her anyway. How had she managed to slip away or avoid the cameras and drones everywhere?