THE BLACKLIST SYSTEM: REBIRTH OF NOAH VALE

CHAPTER 7 – NEW ENEMIES, SAME GAME

"Why are they all staring at you like that?"

Noah didn't look away from his screen. His hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the desk.

"I don't know….Maybe because I stopped being useful."

Sarah pulled a chair closer. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

She lowered her voice. "Ever since yesterday, management's been asking questions. Not normal ones though."

Noah's stomach tightened. "What kind of questions?"

"About you. Your access habits. Your work hours. Who you talk to." She paused. "What you said in meetings. What you didn't say."

Noah finally looked at her. "And what did you tell them?"

Sarah hesitated. "Nothing. I just said that you're good at your job."

"That's enough to make people nervous."

She frowned. "You're acting like you're waiting for something bad to happen."

"I am."

She leaned closer. "What did you do, Noah?"

He shook his head. His throat felt tight. "I didn't do anything. That's the problem."

Sarah stood slowly. She looked scared. "Ok then. Just... watch your back."

He nodded. Couldn't speak.

She walked away. Kept glancing back like she was already saying goodbye.

The system flickered.

OBSERVATION STATUS: INCREASED

INTERNAL MONITORING: ACTIVE

Noah leaned back. Let out a slow breath that shook at the end.

"So now they're watching huh?" he whispered.

INTERNAL MONITORING ACTIVITIES: INCREASED BY 40 PERCENT

They'd flagged his behavior. Stepping away from traps looked suspicious. Being careful looked guilty.

"Of course it does."

LATER THAT DAY

"Mr. Vale."

Noah's head snapped up. Linda stood beside his desk. Arms crossed. Face blank.

"Yes?" His voice came out rougher than he wanted.

"Come with me."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

Around them, keyboards stopped tapping. Conversations died mid-sentence. No one looked up, but everyone was listening.

Noah stood up, his legs felt unsteady. He followed her into the glass office.

Linda closed the door.

"Sit."

He didn't. "What's this about?"

She folded her arms. "You've been very careful lately."

"That's not a crime."

"It is when it disrupts workflow."

"Whose workflow? Can you explain further?" He asked, feigning confusion.

She ignored that. Moved closer. "Why did you really decline Julian's project?"

"I already told you."

"I want the real reason."

Noah met her gaze. His heart was pounding but he kept his voice steady. "I didn't trust it."

Linda's lips pressed into a thin line. "You don't get to decide what to trust."

"I do when my name is on the line."

She leaned forward. Close enough that he could smell her perfume. "Kevin Hale is being investigated."

"I know."

"He's claiming he was set up."

Noah said nothing. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"And he mentioned your name."

"Oh…that's unfortunate then."

Linda's eyes went hard. Dead. "Be careful, Noah. Patterns are forming."

"What patterns?"

"Like you stepping away just before things collapse." She tilted her head. "You, knowing things you shouldn't know."

Noah's chest tightened. She was too close to the truth.

"Luck," he said.

She laughed. Once. Soft and cold. "There's no such thing."

The system pulsed.

MANAGEMENT SUSPICION: RISING

"You're free to go," Linda said.

Noah turned to leave. His hand was on the door when she spoke again.

"One more thing." Her voice dropped. "If you're planning anything... don't."

He paused. "Planning what?"

She didn't answer.

Noah walked out. His shirt was damp with sweat.

"Dude, what did you do?"

Mark grabbed his arm near the break room. His grip was too tight.

"Good morning to you too," Noah said.

"Don't play dumb." Mark's face was red. "Everyone's talking about you."

"Let go of me, man."

Mark didn't. "You embarrassed Julian."

"That wasn't my intention."

"But it happened," Mark hissed. "And now he's asking questions. About you. About me. About everyone who talks to you."

Noah pulled his arm free. "That sounds like a you problem."

Mark stepped closer. Too close. "You think this is funny?"

"No." Noah's voice went quiet. Flat. "On the contrary…I don't think this is funny at all."

"You're making powerful people uncomfortable."

"That's not new. They were always uncomfortable."

Mark shook his head. His hands were shaking too. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

"I know exactly who."

The system flickered.

MARK ELLIS

Threat Level: 74% → 79%

Noah felt his jaw tighten. He watched Mark's face, saw the fear there. The anger, hiding something else.

Guilt.

“ You've changed, Noah.” Mark said

"Just know that you're not as smart as you think," Mark added.

Noah leaned in. Close enough to whisper. "I don't need to be smart. I just need to stay alive."

Mark stepped back. His face went pale.

"Watch yourself," Mark muttered. Then he walked away fast. Almost running.

Noah stood there. His hands wouldn't stop shaking.

That afternoon, everything got worse.

Emails copied to supervisors who'd never cared before. Calendar invites marked mandatory with no explanation. His access logs were reviewed twice in one day.

He heard whispers when he passed.

"Something's off about him."

"I'm sure he's hiding something."

"Did you see how he looked at Linda?"

Noah kept his head down, kept walking. His chest felt too tight.

The system pulsed.

NEW HOSTILE VARIABLES DETECTED

Names appeared.

Three of them.

None familiar.

"Who are they?" Noah asked under his breath.

The knowledge came. Cold. Certain.

Secondary actors. Created by the timeline shift. Avoiding one threat made room for others.

"So I dodge one fire and get three more."

His hands went cold. He thought about Kevin. The way Kevin had looked at him. Disappointment. Betrayal.

Every person he saved meant someone else burned instead.

There was no winning. Just delaying.

The system confirmed it.

The blacklist corrected itself. Always. Forever.

He was never getting out.

"You look like hell."

Noah looked up. Julia from IT leaned against his desk. Her face was worried.

"Long day," he said. His voice cracked.

"You're trending, Noah. In a bad way."

"I figured."

She lowered her voice. Glanced around. "They pulled your system access history."

Noah's stomach dropped. "When?"

"This morning."

"Why didn't I get notified?"

She shrugged. "You were. That's what the system says."

"I wasn't."

She frowned. "That's... that's really weird, Noah."

The system pulsed sharp. Painful.

ACCESS MANIPULATION DETECTED

"Someone's editing my trail," Noah whispered. "Again."

Julia stiffened. "What?"

"Nothing." He forced a smile. It felt wrong on his face. "Thanks for the heads up."

She hesitated. Put her hand on his desk. "Be careful, Noah. Please."

He nodded. Couldn't look at her.

She walked away. Kept looking back. Like she wanted to see his reaction.

That night, Noah sat alone in his apartment.

His Lights were off. He opened his laptop open. The glow from the screenhurt his eyes.

The overlay hovered.

The list was longer now.

Names stacked beneath names.

Some dim. Some glowing.

One name pulsed harder than the rest.

Red.

Noah leaned forward. His chest hurt.

"Why is that one red?"

The system answered fast.

THREAT ESCALATION DETECTED

HIGH RISK ACTOR IDENTIFIED

The name sharpened.

JULIAN CROSS

Status: ACTIVE

Threat Level: 92%

INTERVENTION WINDOW: CLOSING

Noah's breath caught. "So it's still him."

The system confirmed.

"And the others?"

Supporting threats. Smaller. But still dangerous.

Noah sat back. His hands were shaking again. They hadn't stopped all day.

All the careful steps. All the avoided traps.

Same enemy.

Same game.

He was so tired.

His phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

"You can't hide forever."

Noah stared at the screen. Who was this? How did they know everything?

His hands shook harder as he typed. "Watch me."

The message went unread.

The red name pulsed brighter. Faster.

Like a heartbeat.

The system pulsed one last time.

DANGER WINDOW: 12 HOURS

Noah closed his laptop.

His apartment was too quiet. Too dark. He could hear even his own breathing. Too fast.

"Then I don't have time to hesitate."

He stood. Forced his hands to stop shaking.

Heart pounding. Mind racing.

The game hadn't changed.

Only the players had.

And Noah was running out of moves