You’ve got to trust your instincts

The days after the news hit were a blur. I couldn’t understand it—how could they just be gone? No warning, no explanation. Everyone told me to stay calm, that I was too young to understand the full situation, that maybe it was best not to ask too many questions. But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t going to sit back and pretend everything was okay, not when my parents—my heroes—were out there somewhere, and no one could tell me what happened.

I wasn’t sure where to begin, but I knew one thing: I wasn’t going to wait for anyone to figure it out for me. My dad had always said, "You’ve got to trust your instincts, Niya. Your mind is just as powerful as your body." And right now, my instincts were telling me that my parents’ disappearance wasn’t as simple as an accident or natural causes.

I needed answers. And to get those, I was going to have to break the rules. I knew the military base had a lot of secure information, but I’d spent enough time around Commander Uncle and the other soldiers to know where some of the hidden files were kept. I’d been trained to stay unnoticed, to move like a shadow when I needed to. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing ever was.

The first step was getting to the base’s secure vault. It was heavily guarded, and I’d need to get past a few layers of security to even get close. I had no idea what I was looking for, but I figured any clue about my parents' last project could be in there—something, anything, that would give me a lead.

The night before I made my move, I sat up late, running through every lesson Commander Uncle had taught me. How to hack into surveillance systems, how to disable alarms, and most importantly, how to stay out of sight. Every move had to be perfect. I wasn’t just sneaking into a building—I was sneaking into the heart of everything that could help me find my parents.

That night, the plan was set. I waited until the lights dimmed, and the base was quiet. I pulled on my stealth gear, took a deep breath, and slipped into the shadows. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I kept my focus. I had no room for error.

Each step I took brought me closer to the vault. I bypassed security guards, dodged cameras, and even crawled through air vents to avoid detection. I knew the vault would have the answers I needed—but when I finally got to the door, I froze.

There was someone already inside. A figure in a mask, hunched over the files I’d been trying to get my hands on. My pulse shot up. I hadn’t expected anyone else to be this deep in the base at this hour. Whoever they were, they were looking for the same thing I was.

I waited, hidden in the shadows, watching them work. Was this person with the military? Or were they someone like me—someone searching for the truth? Either way, I couldn’t let them stop me. Not now.

I had to figure out what they were after, and why they were here.

What do I do next?

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