Chapter 4: The First Attack
The threat wasn't empty.
Evelyn knew that the moment the screens went dark.
Whoever controlled the Raven Circle hadn't panicked when Victor Hale was arrested.
They had acted with precision.
They had infiltrated a secure government network in seconds.
And they wanted everyone to understand one thing.
They were always watching.
Just before midnight, Special Agent Rebecca Monroe ordered every piece of evidence removed from the temporary command center.
"No wireless connections," she instructed.
"No cloud backups."
"No outside access."
"If they want these files, they'll have to come through us."
The team quickly packed hard drives, documents, and Victor's phone into sealed evidence cases.
Damian walked beside Evelyn.
"You should leave the city."
She shook her head.
"If I disappear now, they win."
"You don't know what they're capable of."
She met his eyes.
"I've spent months learning exactly what they're capable of."
Before Damian could respond, Rebecca's phone rang.
She answered immediately.
After only a few seconds, the color drained from her face.
"What happened?" Damian asked.
Rebecca lowered the phone.
"The evidence transport."
Everyone stared at her.
"It never reached headquarters."
Ten minutes earlier...
An armored government SUV sped through the rain-soaked streets under police escort.
Inside were two federal agents and three locked evidence cases.
The streets were nearly empty.
The convoy had followed the approved route for less than six minutes.
Then every traffic light ahead turned green at the same time.
The lead police vehicle accelerated through the intersection.
A black delivery truck suddenly burst through a side street.
It didn't strike the armored SUV.
Instead, it slammed into the lead cruiser.
Metal screamed against metal.
Airbags exploded.
The convoy stopped instantly.
Before the agents could react, the streetlights went dark.
Everything disappeared into darkness.
Then came the sound.
Footsteps.
Calm.
Organized.
Professional.
Night-vision lasers swept across the vehicles.
The rear doors of the armored SUV were cut open with military-grade tools.
The operation lasted less than ninety seconds.
When backup units finally arrived...
The evidence cases were gone.
Not a single shot had been fired.
Back at the command center, silence filled the room.
Rebecca slammed her fist onto the table.
"They knew the route."
Damian frowned.
"That information was classified."
Rebecca looked around at her own team.
"Which means someone leaked it."
No one spoke.
No one even breathed.
The enemy wasn't just outside.
They might already be inside the investigation.
Across the city, Victor Hale sat alone in his holding cell.
A correctional officer approached.
"You have a visitor."
Victor looked surprised.
"I didn't request one."
The officer unlocked the interview room without another word.
Inside sat an elderly man wearing a charcoal-gray suit.
His silver hair was neatly combed.
Black leather gloves covered his hands.
Victor froze.
"You..."
The man smiled politely.
"I warned you years ago."
Victor's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I never betrayed you."
"No."
The stranger folded his hands.
"You failed me."
Victor leaned forward.
"They have the files."
"They had the files," the man corrected.
Victor stared.
"The convoy."
A faint smile crossed the stranger's face.
"It has been handled."
Victor released a slow breath of relief.
Then the stranger added quietly,
"Unfortunately..."
"You've become a liability."
Victor's heartbeat quickened.
"What does that mean?"
The man stood.
"It means your usefulness has ended."
He walked toward the door.
Without looking back, he said,
"Goodbye, Victor."
The door closed.
Victor suddenly noticed something sitting beside his untouched cup of coffee.
A small silver raven.
Folded from paper.
His face turned white.
"No..."
He lunged toward the door.
"Guard!"
No one answered.
Seconds later, the lights inside the detention wing flickered.
An alarm blared.
Smoke poured through the ventilation system.
Officers rushed in every direction.
By the time emergency teams reached Victor's cell...
He was unconscious on the floor.
The paper raven rested in his hand.
Meanwhile, Evelyn couldn't stop thinking about the stolen evidence.
Something about the robbery felt wrong.
"It was too clean," she said.
Damian nodded.
"They knew exactly what to take."
Rebecca suddenly looked up from her laptop.
"Wait."
"What is it?" Evelyn asked.
Rebecca typed several commands.
"The inventory list."
Her eyes widened.
"They stole two evidence cases..."
She paused.
"...but left the third."
Damian frowned.
"What was inside it?"
Rebecca slowly opened the remaining case.
Inside was Victor's phone.
Still sealed.
Still untouched.
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
"They risked an entire operation," Damian said.
"They eliminated security, hijacked an armored convoy..."
"And they didn't take the phone?"
Evelyn stared at the evidence bag.
"No."
She carefully lifted it from the case.
"They wanted us to think this was their target."
Rebecca's eyes widened.
"You think the phone is bait?"
Evelyn nodded.
"They left it on purpose."
At that exact moment...
The screen of Victor's phone lit up by itself.
No one had touched it.
A new notification appeared.
1 NEW MESSAGE
Rebecca carefully unlocked the display.
There was no sender.
Only six words.
LOOK INSIDE THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT.
The room fell silent.
Damian slowly looked at Evelyn.
"This phone doesn't have a removable battery."
Evelyn's expression hardened.
"Exactly."
She turned the device over in her hands.
"Unless someone modified it."
Minutes later, a forensic technician carefully removed the back panel.
Hidden beneath the battery was something no one expected.
Not a tracking device.
Not cash.
Not another phone.
A tiny encrypted memory chip.
Smaller than a fingernail.
The technician carefully inserted it into an isolated forensic computer.
A single video file appeared.
Its timestamp was dated...
Twenty-three years earlier.
The title consisted of only four words.
PROJECT NIGHTFALL — BEGINNING
Evelyn felt her pulse quicken.
She had spent months exposing Victor Hale's crimes.
But deep inside that tiny memory chip...
Was evidence that suggested Victor had merely been one piece of a conspiracy that had begun decades before.
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And whatever Project Nightfall was...
It was important enough for people to kill to keep it buried.
