The hours melted away. At 8 p.m., Derek returned. His mouth was open, but no sarcasm came out. On Maya’s screen, the ID 265452 sequence played: a thunderous whoosh of sound design, the world map assembling like a high-tech jigsaw, and finally, the anchor’s name sliding in with a polished reflection.
“That’s the one,” she whispered.
“It is now,” Maya smiled.