Heaven

 "You're gonna miss your flight," the taxi driver called out, glancing at his watch. His voice was a blend of concern and annoyance, echoing in the confined space of the yellow cab.

"I know, I know," Rachel murmured, her eyes glued to her phone screen. The GPS said she had five minutes to spare, but she didn't trust the notoriously unreliable New York City traffic.

"You're going to Vegas, right?" the driver asked, trying to make conversation. Rachel nodded, not looking up.

"Gonna hit the jackpot?"

"Doubt it," Rachel replied, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Just a work conference."

The taxi lurched to a stop in front of the bustling airport. Rachel handed over the fare, her heart racing as she checked the time again. She was cutting it closer than she liked. With a deep breath, she stepped out of the car and into the chaos of the terminal. The air was thick with the smell of jet fuel and the mingling of a hundred different perfumes, each trying to mask the underlying scent of stress and impatience.

As she sprinted through the sliding doors, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. Rachel paused, mentally ticking off her checklist. Phone? Check. Passport? Check. Laptop? Check. But the nagging feeling remained, a tiny prickle at the back of her neck.

The line at security snaked around the corner, a sea of weary travelers with their shoes in hand. Rachel's eyes scanned the horizon of bobbing heads, searching for an end in sight. Her heart sank. This was going to be tight. She had to get on this flight. The conference was her chance to prove herself to the bosses, to show them that she was more than just a cog in the machine.

But as Rachel approached the line, she heard a voice. It was faint at first, a soft melody that seemed to dance on the edge of her hearing. As she got closer, she realized it was a child, a little girl with golden curls, standing by the wall. She was singing a tune Rachel hadn't heard in years. The girl looked up and locked eyes with Rachel, her voice as clear and sweet as a bell. Rachel felt a strange pull towards her, as if the song was a lifeline thrown into the stormy sea of her thoughts.

The girl's mother, a frazzled-looking woman with a harried expression, rushed over and grabbed her hand. "Come on, honey," she said, tugging her away. "We're going to miss our flight."

For a brief moment, Rachel felt a jolt of kinship with the mother, both of them racing against time, chasing after opportunities that seemed to hover just out of reach. But as the mother and daughter disappeared into the crowd, Rachel's focus snapped back to her own mission. She had to get through security.

As Rachel approached the TSA agent, she noticed a peculiar look on the woman's face. It was a mix of curiosity and something else, something that sent a chill down Rachel's spine. The agent held up a hand, indicating for Rachel to stop. Rachel's heart skipped a beat.

"Ma'am," the TSA agent said, her voice calm but firm, "I'm going to need you to step aside."

The words hung in the air, a sudden and unwelcome plot twist in Rachel's already hectic day. But she had no time to protest. The clock was ticking, and she had to figure out what was wrong before it was too late. Rachel took a step back, her eyes darting around the terminal, searching for a clue, a way out, anything that would explain the sudden detour.

And that's when she saw it. On the floor, half hidden under a discarded newspaper, was a USB drive. It was sleek and black, with a silver latch that gleamed under the fluorescent lights. Rachel felt a strange tug in her chest, a sudden understanding that this small device was the key to something much, much larger. But what?

The story of Rachel's Vegas trip had just begun, and she had no idea that it would lead her down a path she never could have imagined.