Geneva, 11:45 AM
Elena sat in her office, blinds half-drawn, the envelope from Lucas still open on her desk. The witness protection application signed by her uncle lay flat before her, surrounded by printouts and scrawled notes. Her coffee had gone cold hours ago, untouched.
The words on the page haunted her:
> "Threat of execution for exposing defense secrets related to Project Firecloud, Delvaux Aerotech. Suspect involved: Adrien Moreau."
She read it again, lips tightening.
Adrien had stood in front of her just last night, accusing Lucas of orchestrating her uncle's death. But this—this suggested something far more twisted.
If Adrien had been the one under suspicion… then what game was he playing?
She opened a secure case file directory used by the firm for corporate defense intelligence and typed "Project Firecloud."
One file. Redacted. Classified clearance required.
Her login blinked—Access Denied.
But Elena wasn't just a corporate attorney. She was also Rohan Mehra's niece, and he had taught her how to find the cracks in any system. After thirty minutes and a few strategically placed override protocols (her uncle's old codes still worked in some places), the file opened.
What she read made her blood run cold.
Classified: Project Firecloud – Delvaux Aerotech Internal Brief
> "The project involved autonomous aerial systems capable of long-distance facial recognition and strike capabilities. Advanced AI built into surveillance drones. Originally commissioned for anti-terrorist operations. Internal conflict over testing ethics. Whistleblower flagged potential violations—unauthorized human trials in remote zones."
The whistleblower's name was blacked out.
But the date matched the week her uncle disappeared.
And someone named "A. Moreau" had signed off on a shipment of prototypes just two days earlier.
She closed the file and leaned back, heart pounding.
So Adrien had been involved.
But in what way?
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
One message.
> "We need to talk. Midnight. Old Observatory. Come alone. —A"
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
Adrien. Again.
Midnight – The Old Observatory
The building loomed at the edge of the city, abandoned for over a decade. Stone pillars framed rusting gates, and vines curled around its dome like fingers reclaiming the past. Elena stepped quietly through the cracked entrance, her footsteps muffled by dust.
He stood inside, facing the large, shattered telescope, a silhouette in the moonlight.
"Hello, Elena," Adrien said without turning.
"You left out a few things," she replied. "Like Project Firecloud. Like the fact my uncle tried to report you."
He finally turned. His face looked older tonight, shadows sinking into his eyes.
"He wanted to protect the world from what we built," Adrien said quietly. "But he didn't understand—Lucas had already signed deals. I tried to stop it."
"Then why was your name on those prototype files?"
"Because I was the face Delvaux used to avoid scrutiny. Lucas ran things from the shadows. He never leaves fingerprints." Adrien stepped closer, hands raised slightly. "But when I refused to authorize the second phase, Lucas staged my death. Said it was a lab fire. Sent my passport through a shredder and paid off a coroner."
"And Rohan?" Elena's voice cracked.
"He found out. He came to me for help. But by then, Lucas had intercepted him. I only know this because I found the tracking data—Rohan never made it to our meeting point. His GPS died near the old factory Lucas used for Firecloud testing."
Elena's throat tightened. "Then why didn't you go public?"
"I tried. No one listens to a dead man." He gave a bitter laugh. "And Lucas controls every board, every legal counsel. Including yours."
She flinched.
Adrien's voice dropped. "Why do you think he hired you?"
Elena's stomach turned. "I earned that job."
"You think so?" Adrien leaned in. "Lucas watched your career for three years. He only brought you in when he realized Rohan had left copies of the Firecloud logs. Guess who he suspected might have them?"
She took a step back.
Adrien pulled a small USB drive from his pocket. "I found one backup. Your uncle wasn't stupid. He knew what was coming."
He handed it to her. "You can bury this. Or you can expose the Moreau name for what it is."
Elena stared at the drive. "If this is real, why give it to me?"
"Because the moment you read that contract, you became a liability. And Lucas doesn't forgive liabilities."
Later That Night – Elena's Apartment
She didn't sleep. Again.
Instead, she sat on the floor with her laptop and headphones, watching grainy footage of unmanned drones testing facial recognition on what looked like a refugee camp. Names were blurred, but one voice—her uncle's—was clear.
"This is Rohan Mehra. If you're seeing this, I didn't make it out. Project Firecloud is beyond anything I imagined. They're using it for preemptive eliminations. Some of the faces targeted... are children."
Her breath hitched.
He continued: "Lucas Moreau is orchestrating this. Adrien helped build the tech, but he tried to stop it once he saw the test subjects. Lucas had him silenced. If I'm dead, someone needs to finish what I started."
The screen went black.
Elena closed the laptop slowly.
There it was—proof.
Lucas was not just a manipulator. He was a killer backed by a billion-dollar shadow operation.
But Adrien? Still unclear.
Victim? Accomplice? Both?
Next Morning – Parc des Bastions
She returned to the same café. Lucas sat again, this time sipping tea. He smiled coolly.
"You've been busy," he said. "I assume Adrien filled your head with stories."
"I've seen the logs," she said.
Lucas nodded, unfazed. "I thought you might."
"Project Firecloud... was real."
"Is real," Lucas corrected. "And now, so are your options."
She stared at him. "You want me to forget everything?"
"I want you to choose. Continue as a lawyer, rise through the ranks, maybe become partner. Or... join Adrien. Live off-grid, running from shadows."
"I want justice."
"No," Lucas said, leaning forward. "You want survival. Justice is a fairytale your uncle died chasing."
He reached into his briefcase and placed a new contract on the table.
"This one protects you. Keeps you quiet. Makes you very, very rich. Sign it, and Firecloud goes away. Not legally, but for you."
Elena didn't touch the pen. Not yet.
Lucas's eyes softened, almost sadly. "We all have secrets, Elena. The only difference is... some of us are smart enough to bury them."
She stood, fists clenched. "You're afraid."
Lucas's smile widened. "No, my dear. I'm prepared."
As she walked away, the contract still on the table, Lucas tapped his silver lighter again.
The sound echoed like a ticking clock.