The hallway lights dimmed slightly as Kiaan Verma walked down the long corridor of the HQ, his boots hitting the marble with precise, echoing thuds. The intensity in his eyes hadn't left since the briefing. His jaw was tight. His mind was miles away — perhaps in the alleys where Maya died, the tunnels where Victor knelt in death, or the greenhouse where Isaac hung like a puppet.
His black coat swayed with each sharp step as he pushed through the glass doors. He didn't turn. He didn't speak. He vanished around the corner like a storm holding back lightning.
The heavy silence he left behind in the conference room cracked open the moment the door shut behind him.
Rehaan exhaled dramatically, slumping into a chair.
"Man, he really doesn't blink when he's in that zone. It's like his brain runs faster than MI6's database."
Dev was still staring at the board.
"And yet… he's right. Every goddamn word he said just made the killer clearer in my head. This guy isn't experimenting — he's finishing something."
Tara leaned forward, flipping through her notes with a growing frown.
"But what happened at that seminar? Why are the files ghosted? And why target only the boys?"
Zid, still seated, finally spoke — his tone calm, but edged with something darker.
"Because something went wrong. And boys between nineteen and twenty-three? That's the peak age for high-stakes military grooming. They were being prepared for something—maybe even tested."
Rehaan raised a brow.
"You mean… like the killer thinks they failed?"
Zid's eyes stayed locked on the pictures.
"No. Worse. The killer thinks he was failed."
The room fell into a tense hush.
Tara looked toward the door, where Kiaan had disappeared.
"Have you noticed something?" she said slowly. "He's not surprised by any of this. It's like… he's chasing something he's seen before."
Dev looked at her. "You think he's hiding something?"
Rehaan leaned forward again, voice hushed like they were being recorded.
"C'mon, the guy walked into the forensic lab like he owned it. He already knew Mia. The files he had? Too clean. Too fast. Either he has connections we don't know about… or this case is more personal to him than he admits."
Zid's voice cut through again. Low. Precise.
"If this is personal to Kiaan… then the killer isn't just a target."
Tara turned to him.
"What do you mean?"
Zid stood, grabbing his own file.
"I mean — the killer might not just be hunting old seminar candidates. He might be sending a message. And the real message?" He paused, gaze sharpening.
"It's for Kiaan."
Just then, all their phones buzzed at once.
Incoming alert: Another body found. Age: 22. Male. Connected to Red Crest Seminar.
Rehaan swore under his breath. "He struck again."
Tara whispered, "Four now… and counting."
Dev stood quickly. "We need to call Kiaan—"
Zid stopped him with a gesture. "He already knows."
And outside the HQ, Kiaan was already in his car, engine humming. His phone screen glowed as he stared at the new alert, his eyes darkening further.
He didn't flinch. He didn't curse. He only whispered,
"You're getting close, aren't you? But so am I…"
With a sharp flick of his wrist, the car sped off into the London dusk.