The digital clock on Jayden's nightstand glowed 5:17 AM when his eyes snapped open. No alarm had stirred him—just the ingrained instinct of a predator who knew when to rise.
He moved through the house like a shadow, the floorboards silent beneath his bare feet. The shower ran hot and quick, steam curling around his frame before he shut it off with a decisive twist. Towel around his waist, he dressed in the dim light filtering through his blinds—black shirt, cargo pants with a sneakers.
The front door clicked shut behind him at 6:10 AM. The neighborhood slept, the streets empty save for the occasional automated delivery drone humming overhead. The cab he'd called—a sleek black autonav was waited at the curb, its interior lights flickering on as he approached.
"Jade City outskirts," he told the AI, settling into the leather seat. "Forest access point near the old quarry."
