I drew in a deep breath, my lungs filling with the cool, exhaust-ridden air of the parking garage. Very few cars were parked there at this time of night, most of the volunteers and specialists having already gone home to warm beds or research papers. My nose had long ago adjusted to the lingering smells of burnt oil, old rubber, dirt, and stale urine, a sickening combination which led me to battle nausea every time I came here. So he’s working late again. I sighed. Probably forgot it was his “birthday” today. No one new or interesting had been by in nearly an hour. I was beginning to get bored.

Beep. The door mechanism chirped happily as it accepted the exit code. Ever since an attempt was made on the lives of several key employees, the facility had cracked down on security, installing not only card locks, but also assigning every staff member two access codes: one to enter the building, another to leave it. I crouched behind one of the concrete columns that supported the roof and waited.

A lone figure made its way in my general direction, clutching a file folder awkwardly in one hand. As the person stepped under one of the dim lights, I caught a glimpse of his face. It was him, finally. Young, handsome, determined, he had been my constant fixation since the first time I saw him in the alley. I smiled slyly. His guard was down. The fool thought he’d finally outsmarted me. You just wait, boy. I’ll show you who the real master of the night is.

But it was not time yet. First, I wanted to watch him at work: to see that fearsome grace within him, to marvel at the cold rationality and fiery passion which dueled for control in his cerulean eyes. I slipped quietly from behind my pillar and followed him as he walked calmly out of the garage, unaware of my presence.

Dr. Alexander Grace, a name I had only recently learned, seemed not the least bit frightened, although the walk from the laboratory to his flat was a dangerous one this time of night. I didn’t really expect him to be. He was too arrogant, too proud of his abilities to worry about someone getting the drop on him. Fool.

At the end of the street, he paused, lifting his head as if sniffing the air. I froze, unsure of whether he had noticed my presence or that of someone else. Stealthily, he turned the corner into a shadowy alley. I waited, listening carefully lest he try to sneak up on me.