It's not you who they wanted to begin with

The next day…

Stephen sat across from his son, studying the haggard look on Sven's face. They only had a few minutes together, but half of it passed in silence. Sven wouldn't meet his father's eyes, keeping his gaze down. His expression was blank, the life in his eyes dim.

It was the same for Stephen.

'Did they… did those people also ask you to do this for them?' wondered Stephen, suspecting that someone had pushed Sven into doing what he had done. 'And now that you're here… or was this their plan all along? To rope you in all of this?'

Stephen might not be as clever or innovative as Atlas, but he was sharp enough to piece things together. The people who'd approached him last night had dropped him off at home without laying a hand on him. Yet Stephen couldn't sleep, their offer weighing heavily on his mind.

He had spent the night thinking, questioning, assuming.