The first casualty wasn't blood.
It was trust.
Within six hours of Aarav Kane's public confrontation, the city fractured into controlled chaos. News feeds ran conflicting narratives. Some called it a whistleblower scandal. Others dismissed it as a rogue cadet's conspiracy. The Bureau issued a statement claiming "ongoing internal review."
Cipher Dawn didn't deny anything.
They didn't need to.
They responded with precision.
Aarav watched the screens from a safehouse—an unmarked apartment Soren had arranged before everything went wrong. Rain hammered the windows. The city outside glowed with restless light.
Nisha paced. "This is bad," she said. "They're spinning it."
"They always do," Aarav replied calmly. "Spin creates heat. Heat reveals shape."
Soren stood by the door, jaw tight. He hadn't slept.
"My access just got downgraded," he said. "Internal systems flagged me as 'under evaluation.' That's Bureau language for don't trust this man."
Aarav glanced at him. "You still with me?"
Soren met his eyes. "Until I'm not allowed to be."
The screen flickered.
Breaking news.
SENIOR SENTINEL STRATEGIST RUDRA MALHOTRA FOUND DEAD – SUSPECTED SUICIDE
Silence filled the room.
Nisha whispered, "No…"
Aarav didn't react immediately. He stared at the screen, expression unreadable.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"They cleaned their own board."
Soren shook his head. "That's impossible. Malhotra was too valuable."
"Not anymore," Aarav said. "Dead men don't talk. And suicides end investigations."
The image shifted to Malhotra's apartment.
Bathtub.
Aarav closed his eyes.
Cipher Dawn had returned the message.
Justice costs blood.
The phone on the table vibrated.
UNKNOWN: Balance restored. Now you learn restraint.
Aarav picked it up.
"Wrong lesson," he murmured.
Another alert interrupted.
BREAKING: Whistleblower witness Nisha Rao declared missing.
Aarav stood so fast his chair fell backward.
"What?" Soren snapped.
Nisha's phone lay on the table.
Still there.
Aarav's blood ran cold.
She had been five steps away. Five seconds. No sound. No struggle.
Cipher Dawn had walked into the safehouse like it belonged to them.
Soren cursed. "They had inside access."
Aarav turned slowly.
Soren froze.
"Say something," Soren said carefully.
Aarav's voice was calm. Too calm. "Who set up this location?"
Soren hesitated.
"…I did."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Aarav didn't move. "Who else knew?"
"No one," Soren said quickly. "I swear."
Aarav stared at him. Searching. Measuring.
Then he nodded once.
"Then you're not the traitor," Aarav said.
Soren swallowed. "You're sure?"
"Yes," Aarav replied. "Cipher Dawn doesn't steal witnesses to scare me."
His eyes hardened.
"They steal them to train replacements."
Soren paled.
"They'll break her," Soren whispered.
Aarav grabbed his jacket. "Then we don't let them finish."
He pulled up Nisha's burner phone logs. One outgoing signal had registered—less than a second long.
A location ping.
Partial.
Docklands.
Aarav smiled grimly. "They're rushing. That means they're afraid."
Soren grabbed his weapon. "You're going in alone?"
Aarav shook his head. "I'm going in loud."
Siren lights reflected off the rain as Aarav stepped onto the street.
Cipher Dawn thought Phase Two was punishment.
They were wrong.
Phase Two was escalation.
And this time, Aarav Kane wasn't chasing shadows.
He was coming for blood.