Marcus woke to the sound of his cell door opening. Not the methodical clang of regular rounds. Quick. Urgent. Wrong.
He sat up, instantly alert. A figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the corridor lights.
"Get up. We're leaving."
Marcus recognized the voice before his eyes adjusted. "Tommy?"
Detective Tommy Reeves stepped into the cell. Not the lawyer, the cop. Sarah's old partner from narcotics. Heavy-set, fifty-something, with a face like a bulldog and loyalty that ran deeper than regulations.
"Yeah. And we've got maybe three minutes before this gets real complicated, so move."
Marcus stood. "What's happening?"
"Sarah called in a favor. Said you needed to disappear for a few hours." Tommy jerked his head toward the corridor. "I'm officially taking you for a medical evaluation. Possible concussion from processing. There's a van in the loading bay."
"Tommy, if you do this, your career…."
"Is already fucked six days from Sunday, but that's my problem." Tommy grabbed Marcus's arm. "Sarah said you're innocent. That's good enough for me. Now let's go before the cameras cycle back on."
They moved quickly through the corridor. Tommy had timed it perfectly; the security feeds were on a fifteen-minute rotation, and he'd chosen the dead zone. They passed two other guards. Both looked away. Either Tommy had called in favors, or they didn't want to see what was happening.
The loading bay was empty except for a white panel van. Engine running. Back doors open.
"Get in. Stay quiet. Don't move until someone comes for you." Tommy handed Marcus a burner phone. "Sarah will call. Maybe an hour. Maybe three. Just wait."
Marcus climbed into the van. The interior smelled like cleaning supplies and old takeout. "Tommy. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Just prove Sarah right about you." Tommy slammed the doors shut.
The van lurched forward. Marcus braced himself against the metal wall, mind racing. Sarah had broken him out. Which meant she'd found something. Something important enough to risk everything.
The van drove for twenty minutes. Marcus counted turns, tried to track direction, but lost the route after the fourth intersection. Finally, they stopped. The engine cut off.
Footsteps. The back doors opened.
Not Sarah. A man Marcus didn't recognize. Early forties. Sharp eyes. Tactical gear under a civilian jacket.
"Detective Kane. I'm Agent David Ellis. FBI. Your partner contacted us about Project Blackout."
Marcus's stomach dropped. "FBI?"
"Keep your voice down." Ellis climbed into the van, closed the doors behind him. "Chen brought us evidence. Documents from Dr. Raymond Foster's house. Before you ask, Foster's dead. Killed approximately ninety minutes ago by Detective Rachel Moss, who was then killed by Chen."
The world tilted. "Sarah killed someone?"
"She didn't have a choice. Moss was activated. Killed Foster and tried to kill Chen." Ellis pulled out a tablet, showed Marcus a photo. Documents with the Meridian Institute logo. "Foster was one of the original researchers on Project Blackout. He was going to go public. They eliminated him."
Marcus stared at the documents. Technical language. Neural pathway diagrams. Behavioral conditioning protocols. "This is real. It's actually real."
"Yes. And it's worse than you think." Ellis swiped to another image. A list of names. Twelve of them. Marcus's name was third from the top. "These are the activated subjects. All cops. All treated at Meridian between two and three years ago. All of you have been used as weapons without your knowledge or consent."
Marcus scanned the list. Recognized some names. Whitmore from the 9th. Moss, now dead. Others he'd seen around the precinct but never worked with directly.
"How does it work?"
"According to Foster's notes, you were all implanted with behavioral override protocols. Specific audio frequencies transmitted through your phones to trigger the programming. Once activated, you become fully functional but operating on autopilot. You complete your assigned target, then the protocol releases you with no memory of what happened."
"Who's controlling it?"
Ellis's expression darkened. "That's where it gets complicated. Foster's documents indicate the program originated as a military black ops project. Defense Department funding. The goal was to create soldiers who could carry out assassinations without psychological trauma. The program was officially terminated four years ago after ethical violations."
"But someone kept it running."
"Yes. Someone with resources, access, and motivation. Foster believed the program went private. That someone inside law enforcement adopted it for their own purposes."
Marcus's hands clenched. "Devereaux."
"We don't have proof yet. But Captain Richard Devereaux was military intelligence before joining CPD. He has the background. He recommended you for the Meridian program. And according to Foster's records, Devereaux visited the facility multiple times during your treatment."
"Son of a bitch." Marcus leaned back against the van wall. "He's been controlling us. Twelve cops. Using us to kill whoever he wanted eliminated."
"That's our working theory. But theory doesn't hold up in court. We need evidence. Proof of communication between Devereaux and Meridian. Financial records. Activation logs."
"Where's Sarah?"
"Safe. For now. But she's a fugitive. Shooting Moss was justified, but she fled the scene before patrol arrived. That makes her look guilty." Ellis put the tablet away. "Kane, I need to know. Can you remember anything from your activation? Any details about who gave you orders, what you were told?"
Marcus closed his eyes, pushed against that black wall in his memory. The voice he'd remembered earlier; Devereaux's voice, was still there. But was it real? Or was his mind filling in gaps with what it expected to hear?
"I heard a voice. Giving instructions. It sounds like Devereaux. But I can't be certain. The memory is…" Marcus struggled for the word. "....wrong. Like watching someone else's dream."
"That's the programming. It compartmentalizes the experience to prevent conscious access." Ellis checked his watch. "We have maybe two hours before Devereaux realizes you're gone. Before he activates damage control."
"Damage control meaning what?"
"Meaning if he knows we're onto him, he'll either run or eliminate all the evidence. Including the remaining activated subjects."
"He'll kill them?"
"Suicide activations. Make you kill yourselves and call it guilt over the murders you committed." Ellis met Marcus's eyes. "Foster's notes indicated that capability exists. A failsafe to protect the program if it was ever discovered."
Marcus felt sick. Eleven cops. Eleven people who'd been turned into weapons without consent. All of them, potential casualties if Devereaux panicked.
"What do you need from me?"
"Right now? Stay hidden. Don't contact anyone except Chen or me. We're moving you to a safe house. Chen will meet you there." Ellis handed Marcus a card with an address. "Memorize that. Then destroy it."
Marcus looked at the address. Apartment building on the north side. He committed it to memory, then tore the card into pieces.
"Agent Ellis. If Devereaux realizes I'm gone, won't he suspect Sarah helped me?"
"Probably. Which is why she's already burned. But she knew that risk when she called us."
"And Tommy? The detective who got me out?"
Ellis's expression softened. "Officially, he logged you out for medical evaluation. Your disappearance happened during transport. He'll face questions, but we've built him a cover. He'll survive."
The van's engine started again. Ellis opened the back doors, preparing to leave.
"Agent Ellis." Marcus stopped him. "Moss. The detective Sarah killed. Was she aware? Did she know what she was doing?"
Ellis hesitated. "According to Foster's research, subjects experience the activation consciously but can't control their actions. They're aware, but trapped. Watching themselves kill from inside their own heads."
Marcus felt that knowledge settled over him like ice. "So she knew. She knew she was killing Foster. Knew she was trying to kill Sarah. And couldn't stop herself."
"Yes."
"Christ."
"Yeah." Ellis climbed out of the van. "Get some rest, Detective. When Chen arrives, we'll figure out our next move. But right now, you need to stay breathing. Because if Devereaux gets to you before we get to him, you won't get a chance to clear your name."
The doors closed. The van started moving again.
Marcus sat in the darkness, Foster's research playing through his mind. Twelve cops. Twelve weapons. And a man they'd all trusted, using them like puppets to eliminate threats.
How many people had Marcus killed during his activations? Not just Reyes. The message on his phone suggested there had been others. Seventeen times activated, Reeves had said.
Seventeen murders Marcus couldn't remember committing.
Seventeen people dead because someone had decided to weaponize his trauma.
Marcus pulled out the burner phone Tommy had given him. No messages yet. Sarah was still out there, on the run, risking everything to prove he wasn't a monster.
But the terrible truth was, he was a monster. Just not by choice.
And somewhere in Chicago, Captain Richard Devereaux was watching his carefully constructed program fall apart, trying to decide whether to run or burn it all down.
Marcus hoped Sarah was ready.
Because when Devereaux made his move, it was going to be bloody.