It was a grey Monday morning. City Z's skies hung heavy with fog, the air thick with the weight of things unspoken.
Lynn sat on the edge of her bed, holding the encrypted drive from her mother's old vault. The casing was worn, but the lock was still intact—a symbol of how tightly the past was buried.
Across the room, Serene typed rapidly on her laptop, trying to break the encryption. She had always been the more reserved sister, the one who preferred shadows over spotlights. But now she moved like a blade—precise, sharp, dangerous.
"There's a layer of government-grade security on this," she said, not looking up. "Mom was hiding something massive."
Lynn leaned back. "Something Suzie didn't want found."
"Something Dad didn't want found," Serene corrected, voice quiet but firm.
That stung more than Lynn wanted to admit.
---
At school, Lynn's friends were already in motion.
Dianne handed her a sealed folder during second period.
"From a contact at the archives. It's official—Anton Greaves was declared dead two years ago. DNA-confirmed after an explosion in Cyprus."
Lynn opened the file.
Photos. Reports. Ashes.
"So the man Suzie was seen with—?"
"An imposter. Or a setup."
Gallagher leaned in. "They want us chasing ghosts."
Peter slid beside them. "Well, maybe we chase better."
---
By lunch, everyone gathered again on the rooftop garden. The wind was sharp, slicing through the clouds, but the group's focus was sharper.
"We have two main objectives now," Lynn said, unfolding a blueprint of the Kays corporate network. "Uncover what Mom was protecting—and use it before Suzie or her people can twist it."
Alex studied the blueprint beside her.
"What if your mom's files don't just expose Suzie?" he asked. "What if they expose your dad, too?"
Lynn didn't blink. "Then we burn it all."
Silence.
Gallagher shifted uncomfortably. "Lynn… that's your father. The same man who built your life."
"No," she said. "He built an empire. Not a life."
---
That evening, Serene cracked the encryption.
What unfolded on the screen wasn't just data.
It was a map.
Names. Transactions. Hidden accounts. Coordinates. Surveillance. It stretched across three continents.
But at the center?
John Kay. Her father.
Next to his name: a file labeled "Raven Protocol."
Lynn clicked it.
A video played.
It was her mother.
Seated in a sunlit room, dressed in white, voice low but calm.
"If you're watching this, it means I've failed. Or been silenced. Either way, you deserve the truth. Not just about Suzie—but about your father. About the deal he made with Zelar. About what's buried beneath the school... and what will rise if no one stops it."
Lynn froze.
"What's buried beneath the school?" Serene whispered.
But the video ended.
---
Later that night, Lynn met Alex at the basketball court behind the school.
She handed him a copy of the drive.
"Hold onto this. If anything happens to me—"
"Don't talk like that," he cut in.
"I have to. We're not just fighting Suzie now. We're up against something deeper. Something my mother tried to stop."
He stepped closer.
"I won't let you face this alone."
"I know," she said, resting her forehead against his. "But if this gets darker—promise me you'll protect your sister first. Even if it means running."
His hands tightened on her waist. "You are not my second priority, Lynn."
"I know," she whispered. "That's why I'm scared."
---
In the dark, a pair of headlights flared in the distance.
Someone was watching.
And they weren't just observing anymore.
They were preparing.
Because Raven Protocol wasn't just a project.
It was a warning.
And the Kays?
They were sitting on a ticking clock.