The truck did not enter through AXILE's public bay.
Halden took a lower ramp that curved beneath the main structure, descending into a dimmer, restricted level where concrete replaced polished glass. The hum of the city dulled behind reinforced walls.
Security scanners swept the vehicle as it rolled to a stop.
No guards approached as it was that they were expected.
Klaus stepped out first.
He adjusted his coat once, expression already stripped of casual indifference. Whatever softness lingered outside Le Roman was gone.
Inside, the air was not anything different than colder.
Adre's operations office sat high within the internal tower core—no windows, only layered screens projecting city feeds, financial charts, transport logs.
He stood with his back to the room when they entered.
Tall. Immaculate suit. Silver cufflinks catching the ambient light.
He didn't turn immediately.
"Report," he said.
Klaus stepped forward.
"Dicoviche is confirmed alive," he began, voice even. "Currently residing in a private suite in the Saint-Germain district. Registered under an alias. Movement have been minimal."
Adre's head tilted slightly.
"Visitors?"
"None verified," Klaus replied. "He has not made convincing contact with external parties. If he is rebuilding a network, it is discreet."
A faint reflection of Adre's eyes appeared in one of the darkened screens.
"Or he is waiting, that nasty bastard," Adre murmured.
Klaus did not respond.
Halden shifted his weight subtly before speaking.
"Transport perimeter around him is light. No obvious militia presence."
"Too light," Rose added quietly.
Now Adre turned.
His gaze straightened, "Explain."
Rose met it without flinching.
"A man who survived what he did doesn't move without contingency. The absence of visible defense suggests confidence."
"Or bait, can be anything" Klaus said calmly.
A silence followed.
Adre walked toward the central console, fingers brushing over a projection that displayed Dicoviche's profile—face outlined in red.
"Continue."
Halden cleared his throat.
"There's something else."
Adre's eyes lifted.
"Two new individuals at Maison Marielle," Rose said. "Male. Recently taken in."
Adre's expression did not change.
"Transients are common there."
"These don't behave like transients," Rose replied.
Klaus remained still, but his attention sharpened.
Halden continued, "They claim to be working off rent at the bakery. Physically capable with trained movements."
Rose added, "They look more like ability users than university students on a simple education tour of France."
The room cooled perceptibly.
Adre studied them both in silence for several seconds.
"Names?" he asked.
Halden shook his head. "Didn't ask."
Rose glanced at him briefly but said nothing.
Adre gave a faint nod, as if that had been the correct decision.
"I already received a call, both call them selves Watson and crick " he said calmly.
Klaus's gaze shifted slightly.
"From whom?" Rose asked.
"Marielle."
The name carried quiet weight.
"She contacted you?" Halden asked.
"She plans to keep a close watch on them," Adre continued smoothly. "Discreetly."
Rose folded her arms.
"So she knew about it too."
Adre allowed himself a faint, almost amused smile.
"Marielle has an instinct for driftwood that washes ashore with teeth. Also their names sounded like old scientist way too obvious not to catch on "
Klaus spoke then, voice measured.
"Do you want surveillance initiated?"
Adre considered.
"No."
Rose's eyes narrowed slightly. "We leave potential ability users unmonitored?"
"We observe indirectly," Adre corrected. "Maison Marielle is not merely a boarding house."
His gaze flicked briefly toward Klaus.
"It is a filter."
Klaus held the look without reaction.
Halden exhaled slowly. "If they're connected to Dicoviche?"
"Then proximity will reveal it," Adre said. "If not, they will either integrate… or leave."
Rose wasn't fully convinced.
"They reacted when they saw me," she said.
Adre's eyes sharpened.
"In what way?"
"A pause. Recognition… maybe."
"Maybe, not certainly" he repeated softly.
Klaus finally spoke again.
"If they are trained, pushing now exposes us."
Adre's attention lingered on him a moment longer than necessary.
"Agreed."
He turned back to the projection of Dicoviche.
"For now, our priority remains Saint-Germain."
The holographic display shifted, zooming into the district map—routes, blind spots, potential extraction points.
"Rose," Adre said without looking at her, "limit direct interaction with the new arrivals."
She nodded once.
"Halden, maintain normal supply routes."
"Understood."
"And Klaus—"
The room stilled slightly.
"You will continue external observation on Dicoviche. No engagement unless authorized."
Klaus inclined his head.
"As you wish."
Adre's gaze lingered on him just a fraction longer, "he gives off a strange vibe" he thought.
Then he dismissed them with a slight gesture.
As they turned to leave, Rose spoke quietly to Halden, just low enough that only he could hear.
"He trusts her instincts."
Halden replied under his breath, "He trusts systems."
Behind them, Adre remained standing before the glowing projection.
Maison Marielle.
Saint-Germain.
Two unknown men.
One resurrected rogue asset.