Chief Investigator Vesper, though unaware of Ruhl's deeper political machinations, was not easily distracted by the staged chaos. She operated strictly within the boundaries of the new law, and her current target remained the Architect of Ruin- the source of the systemic instability.
Vesper noticed the anomalies: the ADO traces, the engineered collapses, and Joric's odd presence near every major incident. She began tightening her net, not through grand gestures, but through meticulous forensic accounting and relentless pressure on known associates.
Her prime lead was the first stage of the vengeance: Cassian Kaelen's financial collapse, and the obscure digital courier who delivered the access key: Malthus.
The Hunt for Malthus
Vesper's team traced Malthus through old municipal debt records and his low-level clearance access. They knew he was a small, expendable gear in the Architect's initial machine, but he was a physical weakness in Elara's network.
Vesper found Malthus hiding in a derelict tenement in the lower wards, a place where the new government's reach was still weak. She deployed a small, efficient squad. They cornered Malthus in a cramped, dark alley.
"Malthus," Vesper's voice was devoid of emotion, "You delivered a micro-chip to the Records Bureau three weeks before Cassian Kaelen's system collapsed. Tell me who employed you."
Malthus, pale and shaking, understood the gravity of his situation. He had already betrayed Elara once to Sio Rey, but that information hadn't saved him. He knew that revealing Elara Vane, the Architect, would condemn her to prison for murder and expose him as a central cog in the corruption that brought down the Kaelens.
The Complication of Bad Intelligence
In his panic, Malthus was almost caught, but he bolted. He scrambled onto a fire escape, scaling the rusted metalwork with desperate speed. He was not a fighter, but pure, animal fear fueled his escape.
The squad pursued, but Malthus, fueled by the terrifying knowledge that he was linked to both the Kaelen collapse and now the Judge's murder, vanished into the labyrinthine rooftops.
Malthus, however, had to tell Vesper something. From the shadows, he anonymously leaked a piece of old, compromised intelligence: he claimed the Architect used a high-frequency communications link tied to a specific industrial sector near the docks, an area Elara had scouted months prior but never used.
The consequence of Malthus's panicked escape was immediate: he was lost to Vesper as a credible witness, but he had complicated the investigation with bad intelligence. Vesper's Net, previously focused on the Archives and internal government leaks, was now temporarily redirected toward the noisy, chaotic docks- an area far from Ruhl's political targets and Elara's current, deep-seated sanctuary.
This misdirection bought Elara critical time, but Malthus, now truly alone and hunted by both the law and Ruhl's team (who feared what he knew about the frame), became a high-risk, unpredictable factor in the looming conflict.