Inside the brightly lit lobby of Central City Bank, the atmosphere had turned suffocating. The robbers had rounded up over two dozen hostages and gathered them near the middle of the marble-floored lobby. The large security shutters had been brought down hours ago, cutting the building off from the world outside—except for one thing: the cameras. Every move inside the bank was now being watched by police drones and security feeds tapped by law enforcement.
Ethan Black, pacing steadily, looked tense but calm. The pressure outside was mounting—he could feel it. Sirens screamed, helicopters circled, and media vans lined the street like hungry wolves. But that's exactly what he wanted. The more attention, the more leverage.
"Camera 3," Ethan said into his comms. "Get the girl to the phone. We're making our second call."
Emily Hale stand up.
She looked confused, frightened, but didn't resist.
"You're going to help us," Ethan said gruffly. "Pick up the phone and say exactly what I tell you. Got it?"
Emily nodded slowly, heart pounding.
---
The Call
At the mobile command unit, Detective Hale was adjusting the live feeds when a call came through on the secure line.
"Sir," a tech called out, "It's coming from inside the bank. Hostage line."
"Put it through."
Static buzzed for a second. Then—her voice.
"This is… this is Emily Hale. I'm being held hostage. The robbers want to talk again."
Hale froze.
That voice—his daughter. Fear crawled up his spine, but his voice remained steady. "Emily… are you okay?"
There was a pause. Ethan leaned in over Emily's shoulder and spoke clearly.
"No games, Detective Hale. You've seen the crowd out there, the press, your SWAT teams. Good. That's what we want. Public pressure. Now we're going to raise the stakes."
"Ethan" we called for demands some stuff is coming for me so deliver to me without checking. If you try to play any games you what I can do!
The line went dead.
---
Inside the Van
A few blocks away, inside a discreet black surveillance van parked in an alley, the real leader of the operation Ran Donovan—sat watching the scene through hidden monitors. Clean-shaven, wearing a headset and black gloves, he adjusted his microphone.
"Ethan is pushing things faster than we planned," Marcus murmured, eyes scanning multiple feeds. "But the more pressure, the faster the past unravels for Hale."
Next to him, A.D. remained quiet as always. He sat still, eyes locked on the screen that showed Emily. His jaw tightened—but he said nothing.
Beside Marcus sat Logan Vance, the one team member besides Ray trained to understand A.D.'s signs and patterns. Logan leaned forward and tapped Marcus's shoulder.
"A.D. thinks Hale won't break easily. He's watching every move."
Marcus nodded. "Good. Let him think he's in control. For now."
---
Police HQ: Internal Confusion
Back at the perimeter, Hale stepped away from the media cameras. His mind was spinning. He didn't understand why they had chosen Emily to make the call. It didn't feel random.
And worse—he recognized something else. The voice that followed Emily's... it felt familiar.
No. That's impossible.
The guilt from last year clawed its way back into his chest. Was this really about money? Or was there something more?
Hale's phone buzzed again. A secure message:
"Captain, an old colleague of yours—Lt. Marcus Vale—is showing up in recent background reports."
He stared at the name.
Marcus Vale.
Dismissed. Dishonored. Forgotten.
Until now.
---
To Be Continued