Chapter 5: The Oracle of Uncertainty

The rain had stopped, leaving the asphalt slick and reflecting the neon glare of the city in distorted, shimmering ribbons. Rene sat hunched in the booth of a diner that smelled perpetually of stale grease and disinfectant, twisting a damp napkin into a fibrous rope. Across the table, Dion meticulously arranged three sugar packets into a perfect, miniature pyramid, his eyes darting towards the entrance every few seconds.

“They’re watching us,” Dion murmured, his voice barely carrying over the hiss of the espresso machine. The statement wasn't delivered with his usual dramatic flair; it was a flat, exhausted declaration.

Rene nodded, carefully avoiding looking directly at the waitress refilling coffee cups at the counter. “I know. They always are. But today feels… sharper. Like they’ve upgraded the lenses.”