Chapter 60: The Hunt Truly Begins

A biting chill swept in from the night, sending shivers down her spine as the cold air grazed her skin like icy fingers. Zeynep hesitated for a moment on the threshold, sensing the oppressive weight of the shadowy night enveloping her, before finally stepping out into the unknown.

But then, a sharp CREEEEEAK echoed from the aging floorboard beneath her feet, shattering the stillness and giving away her presence.

She froze in place, her heart thundering in her chest, hardly daring to let air escape her lungs. Straining her ears, she listened intently for any hint of movement behind her. Only an unsettling silence remained. No footsteps approaching, no heavy breaths echoing in the night—just that unnerving stillness hanging thick in the air.

After what felt like an eternity, she quietly released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and slipped outside, carefully easing the door shut behind her. Then, with a sudden surge of adrenaline, she bolted into the enveloping darkness. The frigid wind curled around her like a harsh embrace, spurring her onward into the depths of the looming forest that towered over her, its shadows stretching like monstrous fingers, ready to consume her whole.

Visibility was nearly nonexistent, as she could barely discern more than a few feet ahead. The nearby trees appeared as ominous black silhouettes against the backdrop of the night sky. Sharp branches clawed at her arms, leaving thin scratches, while gnarled roots lay in wait, threatening to trip her as she raced forward.

Her breath billowed out in steaming white clouds, each exhale a testament to her fear. Her legs quaked beneath her with every stride, but she didn’t allow herself to slow down. She simply couldn’t afford to.

"I’m sorry..." she murmured softly into the wind that whipped past her, into the impenetrable darkness that surrounded her, and to the empty night sky above. "I’m so sorry, Zayden."

The faces of her enemies, their loyal followers, their looming threats, and their relentless pursuit haunted her mind.

She was pulling him into a dangerous war, one he never signed up for. So she pushed her body to run faster, fueled by desperation.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she wiped them away fiercely. Crying was a luxury she could no longer afford. Not anymore.

She finally reached the deeper, more sinister part of the forest, a realm so forsaken that even the bravest animals dared to stay away. It was colder, darker, and altogether alien—a place she instinctively knew would be off-limits to anyone searching for her, at least for the foreseeable future.

Especially Zayden. He would never suspect that she would leave him in this way. The reality of it gnawed at her insides, a sharper pain than the biting wind, the freezing temperatures, or the dread weaving through her heart. "I had to," she whispered into the night. "I had to."

********

In Manhattan, Leo’s secret base was eerily silent, as if no one existed there. The team had discovered something far more dangerous than they had anticipated, and now they were waiting for Leo to wake up so they could inform him about it. They were disappointed by the research. Most of the team had either crashed on couches or were half-dozing at their workstations, but Sia’s eyes were wide awake. The glow of the holographic screen reflected in them as she stared at the incomplete fingerprint match that had been frustrating her all night.

She tapped the interface again.

"Two prints partially matched. Third one still unknown, unidentified..."

Her jaw tightened. Something about that annoyed her on a personal level—she hated unsolved puzzles, and this one felt personal, like the universe was mocking her skills.

She pushed her chair back and stood up.

"No," she muttered. "Not accepting that."

She turned around sharply.

"Wake up," she ordered in her clipped voice.

George, Peter, and Mateo snapped awake instantly—years of fieldwork had trained them to wake up at a single command.

"What now?" Mateo groaned. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"We’re rescanning all three fingerprints," Sia said. "But this time... I’m pushing the system beyond standard parameters."

Peter blinked. "You want to run a forensic override? That risks—"

"Yes," Sia cut her off. "Do it."

No one argued. When Sia sounded like that, she wasn’t requesting. She was declaring.

They started the second scan, and the scanner lit up with a bright blue glow that quickly changed to white, making the air around them feel all charged up with energy.

Sia set the fingerprint chip back on the glass plate, and the machine started whirring as it recalibrated before humming a low, vibrating sound that filled the room.

"Biometric Analyzer: Overclock Mode Activated," the machine announced loudly.

Heat radiated from the machine as it pushed every algorithm, forensic filter, and advanced tool to their limits, ramping up the tension in the room.

Peter shot a glance at Sia. "Are we gonna break the machine or what?"

"Only if you keep talking," Sia replied, her eyes glued to the screen.

Quiet filled the room. The monitor displayed:

Analyzing latent pattern lines... reconstructing partials... running cross-checks... scanning military blacklist... scanning erased database... scanning ex-agent denials... scanning shadow files...

Everyone sat up a bit straighter when they saw "shadow files."

That term meant they were dealing with risky people—those who were around but had been wiped from existence.

The humming sound got louder.

George whispered, "This better be worth it."

Sia didn’t blink, completely focused.

The analysis results came through from the two fingerprints they had pulled from the devices and wires. The machine beeped sharply, grabbing everyone’s attention.

MATCH FOUND.

A file popped up on the screen, outlined in red, marked as restricted and heavily encrypted, making it clear it was serious stuff.

The mood in the room tightened as everyone realized what this meant.

Name: James Robert

Status: Ex-Special Recon. Dishonorably discharged. A traitor, suspected of being involved in two operations that left no traces behind.

Current Status: Off the grid, thought to be working solo.

Another window opened up.