The city remained active even late at night; its lights glimmering like stars in a sky that did not want to give into the night. Layla had been awake for a while, her mind chaotically thinking about the consequences of her actions. Aidan had kept his promises, but she knew—somewhere deep inside; nothing came without sacrifice.
She stood contemplating herself in the mirror, gazing into her reflection. The woman staring at her was different from the one she had walked into the mess a few weeks ago. No, because of what she had uncovered, the people she put trust into, the deception, the trust had changed her. She could feel the change; the fire burning in her veins, the change or perhaps the steel in her heart.
The raven project is no longer a means to an end for Kamal. No, it was a fully baked weapon – one that could obliterate everything her father had worked for. More dangerously, it could destroy her.
The text felt like a sudden jolt, pulling her back to reality. With a buzz from her phone, she saw a new text from Aidan awaiting her on the counter.
"Meet at the safe house. Move forward. Bring everything."
Aidan operated with rigid efficiency. The lack of formalities was striking. Sighing, Layla grabbed her jacket. It was clear to her that there was no other way but to trust Aidan, even with his reckless decisions.
Her focus shifted as soon as she drove through the dark streets. Deep down, Kamal was a horrifyingly skilled mastermind. A man that could control anyone in an elaborate chess game. All of her attention focused algorithmically on taking him down, but what would the ramifications of her actions be? What if Aidan was right? What if the only way out of the mess was to eradicate Kamal and everything else?
The industrial district was new to her, which meant the safe house was out there somewhere. The building was inside a row of abandoned old buildings, all physical structures of crumbling society, and its door looked like it hadn't been opened in years. It squeaked painfully as she stepped inside, and Aidan unhurriedly turned to face her, showering her in the dim light of a bulb hanging from the ceiling.
The peace was shattered by Aidan's voice saying, "You're late. Did you bring everything?"
Deep breaths consumed Layla as she set her bag on the table. "Everything's here." The words came out steady, but inside, she was nervous. "So what's the next step?"
Aidan went quiet for a bit. He chose instead to walk towards a wall with a set of screens showing a variety of different images such as spreadsheets, pictures of money changing hands, and even videos from the cameras set up around the grounds. All of these together made Kamal's empire.
"Kamal's movements have been tracked for weeks," Aidan said, watching the many screens in front of him. "He is ready for something. The Raven Project is something we can't let him move forward with. If we don't act now, he will be able to control everything."
With a softened gaze, Layla moved closer. "What do you want me to do?"
"A mole has already been planted, but I need another. Someone close to Kamal's inner circle," Aidan said, turning to face her, brows furrowed. "I need you."
A chill snaked up her spine that sent her blood cold. "A mole? You need me to get close to Kamal?"
"He is not a psychopath," Aidan answered. "You possess the skills. I need you to use them to access the most secured files. The ones locked away from view. If those files are in our possession, we can dismantle him. And the Raven Project will stand no chance."
A punch to the gut was how Aidan's words landed on Layla. She wasn't ready for something like this. But it quickly became clear that she had indeed overextended her reach. This, felt like a step too far. Risky, considering how unrelentingly brutal and dangerous Kamal was.
Moving closer to him would mean stepping into the lion's den.
"I don't know if I can do this," she confessed, sounding smaller.
Aidan advanced, his expression smoldering. "You can. You have to. This is the only way."
Between the two, there seemed to be an electric tension of things left unsaid. The burden of the choice was palpable, like an anchor pressing down on Layla. This was no longer just about revenge—now it was about survival. Kamal was relentless in his appetite for destruction, and now, so was she.
And even as she made up her mind, a tiny voice in the back of her head taunted her. The only person whose judgement she had always trusted was herself, but was making the righ decision in trusting Aidan? Could he truly be trusted, or was he doing everything under the guise of betrayal?
The next few hours were a blur of chaotic preparations. Layla combed through the files, memorizing every detail and password, every single cipher that could grant her the upperhand. She couldn't afford to make a misstep. One miscalculation, and everything crumbled to ruins.
Whenever she was about to move, Layla's nerves were extreme. There was anxiety because Aidan set his gaze on her one last time. She could feel the ice and blueprint his stare radiated.
"Tonight there's no turning back first step you are all set to take," Aidan said in his signature blunt way.
"It is time," Aidan sighed. The sheer weight behind those words would be something that needed to be dealt with. It was evident that what was waiting ahead was uncertain, but now what was clear to her was the fact she had made up her mind. The objective was quite easy and direct: utterly Kazam and his initiatives were ready. There is nothing she wouldn't pursue when it comes to her father's dignity being squashed. She was set to prepare herself to take on head on whatever reality awaited her, even if the light at the end looked black.
During the last moments of her preparations, this nagging feeling didn't leave her alone that the full course defining finale for her was waiting at the end of the path. The spiraling series of events fueled by pure darkness that led up to reframing a lot of more things weren't easy.