Chapter 2: Smoke Without Fire
Simon Hale didn’t sleep much that night.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. The silence of the house was heavy. Elena slept beside him. Outside, a dog barked once, then everything went quiet again.
His mind wasn’t quiet.
The next morning, Simon woke up early. He didn’t need to go to work anymore. But his body still moved like it was used to — shower, shirt, breakfast.
Except today, there was no lecture to give.
Elena noticed something.
“You sure everything is okay?” she asked while buttering toast.
Simon smiled weakly.
“I think I just need a break. I’ll fix the garage today,” he said.
She nodded. “Maybe that’ll help.”
By 10 a.m., Simon was back in the garage. He locked the door behind him.
The folder labeled “Project Catalyst” was still open on his desk.
He opened a drawer and pulled out a small blue vial. It was a chemical compound he had developed years ago — Mist-X.
It was invisible in light. It didn’t burn skin. But it interfered with most camera lenses for 3 to 5 minutes. A harmless ghost — but powerful in the right hands.
Back then, he had filed it under “Academic curiosity.” Now, it felt like… a weapon.
He placed it in a small glass sprayer. Then, he put on gloves and a lab coat. There was no one to impress. This wasn’t a university experiment.
This was real.
The Test Begins
That evening, Simon walked to a nearby ATM booth. He wasn’t planning to steal — not yet. He just wanted to see if Mist-X still worked.
There were no people around. He sprayed the mist in front of the camera above the machine. Then he stepped forward, and looked directly at it.
A red light blinked once, then turned off.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
He went back home.
Later that night, he checked the bank’s public camera feed online — something he had learned to do during a cybercrime workshop at the university.
There was no video for those 5 minutes.
Just static.
It worked.
A Dangerous Thought
Simon sat in the garage again.
He opened a notebook and wrote three words:
"Invisible. Silent. Unstoppable."
His hands trembled. Not from fear — from purpose.
He began listing ingredients.
- Mist-X formula (stable)
- Fog capsule carrier
- Delivery device
- Gloves, mask
He didn’t want to hurt people. But the world had shut its door in his face. Now he would build a new door — one no one could see.
Suddenly, there was a knock.
He quickly hid the notebook.
It was Elena.
“Hey,” she said, “You’ve been in here a lot lately. Everything okay?”
Simon gave her a calm smile.
“Just working on something… a little project. To keep my mind busy.”
She looked at him carefully.
“Alright. Just don’t lose yourself in here.”
“I won’t,” he said.
But he already had.
By Team Inspire (Click to visit)
Published by Novel Mint
Next Chapter 5th July,2024