Rogue Nation

Krist stared at the massive screen in front of him. It wasn't just any security footage; it felt as though he had the entire city under surveillance. The realization chilled him to the bone. His eyes darted between feeds, some capturing areas where cameras were never supposed to exist—blind spots even the best surveillance teams couldn't penetrate. One feed, in particular, caught his attention: the dark alley where he had parked his car the night he snuck into the school to extract incriminating footage of Mr. Adams and Bellatrix.He distinctly remembered checking the area. There were no cameras. Yet, here it was, clear as day on the screen. He knew that alley had no cameras. Or so he thought.

He leaned back in the worn chair, the faint glow of the screens casting eerie shadows across the cave-like safe house. It was dark, the monitors the only source of light, bathing the room in a cold, electric hue. The walls and furniture were covered in a sleek, black leather-like material, giving the space an almost futuristic feel. Krist's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Curiosity pulled him from his thoughts. He moved to a smaller table near the main console, its surface similarly cloaked in the black material. Pulling it back a light flickered on above the table, illuminating the table revealed a concealed laptop. It bore the same mysterious logo as the one he'd seen earlier. He powered it on, but before it could fully boot, a sharp beeping sound jolted him.

His eyes snapped to the main monitor. The feed had shifted to a live view of his mansion's front door, where Maya, Mai, Harrison, and Evelyn stood, ringing the doorbell. Without hesitation, Krist slammed the laptop shut, grabbed it, and spotted a small drive tucked behind it. Snatching the drive, he bolted out of the safe house and hurried back home.

When he reached the door, he found his friends waiting. Swinging it open, he stepped aside to let them in. He dropped the laptop on the nearest table and made a beeline for the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with a bottle of milk and four bottles of water, handing them out before taking a sip from the milk. He sank into the couch and fixed his gaze on Harrison.

You sounded serious," he said. "So, what happened? Did you find anything?"

Harrison took a deep breath. "Do you know how no one has visited Mr. Adams since…well, since what you did to his wife last year?"

Krist nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, today he had a visitor," Harrison continued, his tone grave. "And do you know who it was?"

Krist leaned back, feigning indifference. "Let me guess. Billy?"

Harrison shook his head. "If it were Billy, it wouldn't be a problem."

"Then who?" Krist asked, his tone sharper now.

"Devon Fluonia," Harrison replied.

Krist raised an eyebrow. "And who is that?"

Mai cut in, her voice tinged with apprehension. "Devon Fluonia is an artist—or at least, that's what he claims to be. But I dug into his record. He's been arrested before, suspected of being an assassin. Not just any assassin, Krist. The best in the state. They call him 'Blood.'"

Krist's gaze hardened. "And why was he released?"

Evelyn chimed in, "The police never released those details. And since our case is against Adams, not Devon, they won't share the files with us."

Krist's fingers danced across the keyboard. "Blood has two signature methods. If you're an easy target, he'll hang you and drain your blood. If you're harder to reach, he'll use a sniper to put a bullet in your heart. Now…" He glanced at the others."When Devon was locked up, a government official was assassinated—drained of blood. It matched Blood's pattern perfectly."

Krist smirked and turned back to his laptop. "Sounds convenient. But if he's Blood, why would he come here?"

"How do you know that?" Mai's eyes widened.

Krist grinned slyly. "I hacked into the police server."

"You what?" Mai leaned forward.

That's not important right now." Krist dismissed her shock with a wave of his hand. "The real issue is Blood. He came into town three days ago. And last night, there were three assassinations."

The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the weight of Krist's words.

"If his job is done, he'll leave the city," Harrison finally said.

Krist shook his head. "No. He's not done."

"Why not?" Evelyn asked.

Krist sighed. "Remember the old lady we visited last month? The one Adams was paying off? The one who changed her testimony at the last minute?"

Evelyn's eyes widened. "The one who turned up dead?"

Krist nodded, pulling up a picture of the woman on the TV screen. "I've been digging into her death. Six people have been assassinated this month—more than ever before in this city. Someone's cleaning up Adams' mess."

Maya frowned. "But this isn't Blood's style and These targets aren't high-profile enough for him."

Krist agreed. "Not all of them. But one of the six matches his signature. Drained of blood, hanging like a grotesque trophy." He paused, pulling up an article. "This victim? A nightclub owner and gang member tied to Adams. Coincidence? I don't think so."

As he spoke, he tried to access Adams' bank records. The system resisted, demanding an AI passphrase: Black Veil. Krist's eyes narrowed. The name felt familiar, but he couldn't place it. He glanced at the table beside him and spotted the drive he had grabbed earlier. Plugging it into his laptop, the system suddenly opened up.

Krist's screen filled with transaction records. "Harrison, what do you think Blood's reason was for visiting Adams?"

Harrison shrugged. "A job."

Krist smirked, then hacked into the prison's surveillance system, pulling up footage of Adams' meeting with Devon. The video showed them speaking in hushed tones, their expressions serious. Though there was no audio, the tension was palpable.

After a moment, Krist leaned back and exhaled. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Why?" Evelyn asked.

Krist's voice dropped. "I think Adams hired him to take me out."

His friends froze.

"Why would you think that?" Maya asked, her voice trembling.

"It's just a feeling," Krist said, his eyes still glued to the screen. "But if Adams has a backer—and it looks like he does—we have to stop them before they take out any more witnesses. And if possible, we need to capture Blood alive."

Krist shut the laptop and stood.

"Isn't your uncle going to help us?" Harrison asked.

Krist shook his head. "He's already helped by pointing me in the right direction. According to him, this is my training. Adams is too small for him to bother with."

"That's ridiculous!" Mai exclaimed.

Krist gave her a wry smile. "That's family for you." He climbed the stairs, pausing halfway. "Sorry, guys. I need some rest. Lock up on your way out."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving his friends alone in the dimly lit living room, each of them grappling with the weight of what they had just learned.