Location: HQ – Interrogation Room and Secure Communications Hub, Late Afternoon
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The cold glow of the monitors cast long shadows over the room as Kiaan, Tara, Rehaan, and Dev huddled over a video call with a young woman sitting nervously in a small café halfway across the city.
Her name was Rhea, a close childhood friend of Maya Bishop's—someone deeply intertwined with the tragedy they were unraveling.Tara had tracked her down after scouring Maya's encrypted messages, and now Rhea sat on the other side of the screen, her voice trembling but determined. Rhea(softly):"Maya and I… we grew up together. She was always brave—never afraid to speak the truth. But this…" she swallowed hard, "this is darker than I thought."Kiaan leaned in, his tone calm but intense."We found out Lt. Major Daniel Mace was suspended around the time Maya died. Did Maya ever mention him to you? Was he the one she was worried about?"
Rhea shook her head slowly, eyes haunted.
Rhea:"No, no… not Mace. Maya barely mentioned him. The person she feared was someone else entirely. A camp officer—someone who had been there for years but kept under the radar."Dev (curious):"Why wasn't he reported earlier?"Rhea (bitterly):"Maya saw him assaulting some of the younger boys at the camp. She couldn't stay silent. She gathered evidence, she informed the higher officers—she pushed for his suspension. They did suspend him, yes. But within a week…" her voice broke, "Maya was dead."Kiaan's eyes narrowed as the pieces started fitting together like a deadly puzzle.
Kiaan (voice low):"So, the real killer… is this officer she reported. The one who was suspended but not Daniel Mace."
Rhea nodded, biting her lip.Rhea:"Yes. Everyone thought Maya was paranoid. But she was onto something. She wanted to expose him, but she didn't get the chance."
Rehaan clenched his fists.
Rehaan:
"And now he's targeting the cadets she tried to protect."
Tara's fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up surveillance logs and military personnel files.Tara:"I'm cross-referencing officers suspended around that time… anyone with a history of complaints. There's a pattern of quiet settlements and disappearing files."
Kiaan (fierce):"He's using the system's blind spots. Using silence as his shield."
Dev looked over at Kiaan.
Dev:"We need to find this officer's current whereabouts—fast."Kiaan's gaze hardened, every muscle coiled with the weight of the hunt.Kiaan:"This ends now. For Maya. For those boys. We bring him down before he kills again."Rhea wiped a tear away, her voice barely a whisper.Rhea:"Please… don't let his shadow swallow anyone else."The screen went dark. The team sat in a heavy silence, the truth now clearer, but the stakes darker than ever.