Thunder rolled across Ravenswood as Alex stepped out of the station.Rain hammered the streets. The city seemed darker than usual, as if it somehow sensed what was coming.Daniel's words replayed endlessly inside his head.Someone is rebuilding the network. Not someone rebuilt it, not someone tried but someone was rebuilding it right now, which meant every second mattered. Alex slid into his car and started the engine then Brooks immediately opened the passenger door before he could leave."You're not doing this alone."Alex didn't argue cause at this point, he was too tired, too worried and too aware that Daniel's warning had changed everything. Brooks settled into her seat… "So where are we starting?"Alex pulled away from the station."The survivors."An hour later they sat inside a conference room reviewing every known connection to Eclipse. Victims covered one side of the board and survivors covered on the other side. Alex stared at the second list.Mina Lee. Captain Eleanor Voss

Alex didn't sleep.The photograph remained on his desk long after midnight. Daniel, and Elara standing together alive. It's was recent, not six years ago, not before the harbor fire, but recent. And Alex had examined the image at least twenty times, searching for signs of manipulation. Anything at all, whether it's a shadow out of place, an altered timestamp, or a distorted background but there was nothing like that. The photograph appeared genuine which made it worse, because if it was real, then one question refused to leave his mind, Why hadn't Elara told him? The answer could be simple or devastating, but neither possibility sat well with him.By morning, Ravenswood was waking beneath a blanket of fog.Alex arrived at the station early, too early. But Ramirez was already there, surrounded by empty coffee cups and glowing monitors."Please tell me you slept."Ramirez laughed."You first."Alex tossed the photograph onto the desk and Ramirez studied it. His expression immediately ch

The knock came again but slower this time and measured. As if the person outside already knew they were being watched.Alex didn’t move neither did Elara.The apartment had never felt this small before. The silence between them stretched, fragile and tight, like it could snap at any second.Then the voice came again."Elara."No emotion, no urgency, just recognition.Alex slowly shifted his position, moving slightly to the side of the doorframe. Hand near his weapon, eyes locked on Elara. She wasn’t looking at him anymore. She was staring at the door like it held something she had been trying to avoid for a very long time."Don’t open it," Alex said quietly.Elara didn’t answer.Another knock. This one softer. Almost patient.Then a pause and finally"I don’t have much time."That sentence changed everything because it didn’t sound like a threat, it sounded like truth.Elara closed her eyes for a brief second, she looked like someone carrying too much weight for too long. Then she mo

The drive back to the station was silent. Alex kept one hand tight around the steering wheel, the other holding the photograph of Mina. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd arrived only minutes too late.Daniel had always been one step ahead, now he is two.Brooks met him outside the operations room. "You found her?"Alex handed her the photograph. She studied it, her face hardening. "They took her.""They wanted me to know."Ramirez hurried over. "I've already sent patrol units to every road leading out of the city."Alex shook his head. "They won't use the roads."Ramirez frowned. "What makes you so sure?"Alex looked toward the evidence board. "Because Daniel knows how we think."The room fell quiet, cause everyone knew he was right.Hours later, the station buzzed with activity. Officers searched abandoned warehouses, traffic cameras were reviewed, border alerts went out but they caught nothing. It was as if Mina had vanished into thin air.Alex stared at the city map. Every lo

"Dad..."The word escaped Alex before he could stop it. His grip on the gun loosened for the briefest second.The hooded man didn't move. He simply stood beneath the dim warehouse light, watching Alex with calm, unreadable eyes. Then he smiled a tired smile."You're seeing someone else, Detective."Alex blinked. His heartbeat slowly began to settle.The man stepped fully into the light. The resemblance was undeniable, same height, same broad shoulders, even the same gray streaks in his hair. But it wasn't Samuel Mercer. The jawline was different. The eyes weren't the same and the scar running across his left cheek had never belonged to Alex's father.Alex tightened his grip on the pistol again. "Who are you?""My name is Thomas Grayson." The name meant nothing to Alex. "I worked with your father for nearly fifteen years."Alex's expression hardened. "You expect me to believe that?""I don't expect you to believe anything."Thomas reached slowly into his coat. Alex raised his weapon in