Went missing

Went missing
Zero pov

I reach Justin’s place in no time.

He lives in one of the most crowded neighbourhoods, perfect for taking cover as he indulges himself in computers.

The house has no windows and no car parked outside, just a steel door with a small camera eye staring down at me. I press the bell. A second later a flat machine voice speaks from a hidden speaker.

“Disarm.”

I pull the gun from my waist, pop the clip, and set both pieces on the little shelf that slides out from the wall. The door clicks open on its own and I step inside.

Justin’s room is a cave of screens. Three walls are covered in monitors, some showing lines of code scrolling like rain, others frozen on maps, grainy traffic cams, faces. Cables snake across the floor and a single desk lamp burns over his chair. He sits hunched, fingers flying over two keyboards at once, eyes locked on the center screen. He doesn’t look up.

“Give me thirty seconds. I have to set this up.” He mutters.

I stand there, my hands shoved into my pockets as I look around. The place looks nothing like somewhere I would live. I'd rather be surrounded by guns and knives than a place filled with beeps. I could go crazy staying a day in a place like this.

When something beeps thrice repeatedly, Justin pushes back from the desk, his chair rolling smooth on the mat.

He stands slowly and stretches first before finally meeting my eyes.

He has dark circles under his face, a clear indication that he hasn't been sleeping well.

He looks tired and hair sticking up like he’s been pulling it.

“Something to drink?” he asks.

“The last thing I need is alcohol.” I reply. I can't afford to have anything influencing my thoughts. I need all the sanity I can afford at this point.

Justin snorts, “Who said anything about alcohol? I was asking if you’d like a glass of water.”

We both laugh but it dies shortly after.

Justin disappears through a side door and comes back with a glass of water.

He hands it over and I drink half in one pull.

He leans against the desk, arms folded.

“Who gave the order to hit the Luca family?”

The sudden question has me pausing mid mouth.

I blink. “All jobs come from headquarters.” I reply then set my glass on the table.

“ Are you sure about that?” He asks and I frown.

“ Let me rephrase my question. Are you sure that mission came from the headquarters and not someone else?”

The water turns sour in my throat. “What are you saying?”

He rubs his eyes with the heel of his hand. “If I’m right, the order was fake. Someone outside or inside the headquarters faked it. Someone familiar with the head office and Mason. That someone wanted the Luca’s dead and he chose to use Shadow Riders. At the end of the day, Viper would bear the consequences.” Justin explains.

“ I am thinking it's someone who wants to eliminate the Luca among the head office. Now, that man thinks Mason was bought to hurt his family.”

“ What are you saying?” I ask, confused by the information.

Justin sighs, “ Exactly what you think I mean. The Luca family has remained untouched for years, growing strong because they have someone protecting them.

I have done my research, Shadow Riders is registered as a government secret agency but in real sense, it's run by those in government who have interests to protect.

The missions you have been receiving all your lives are not government related, just people who threaten the interest of the ruling class and must be eliminated.

If my guess is right, someone within the headquarters wanted the Luca's gone so they fabricated everything, send a fake mission to get their dirty work done without getting blood on their hands.”

“ Then Shadow Riders or should I say Mason gets to take the fall for the annihilation of the Luca's?” I ask and Justin nods.

My pulse kicks hard. “ So it's a Luca coming after us?” I ask

Justin nods slowly. “And he has got a dog doing the dirty work. Someone who arranged that accident.”

The room feels smaller suddenly. I set the glass down before I crush it.

“ So the accident was…” I trail off, unable to finish the statement.

“It was a message, a declaration that he is coming after all of you.” His voice cracks on the last word. He turns away, like he hates saying it.

A sharp ping cuts the air. One of the screens flashes red, then green, then red again. Justin lunges back to the chair, fingers blurring over keys. Lines of code explode across the monitor. His breathing goes shallow. I step behind him, close enough to see sweat beads at his temple.

“Come on, come on,” he whispers to the machine.

Numbers, symbols and patterns flash on the screen, overlapping.Then a single frame freezes: a figure in black wofgyhis good pulled up and a face covered by a smooth black man

A moment later, a red warning banner slams across the screen “ SIGNAL JAMMED.

Justin slams a fist on the desk and the keyboard jumps. He slumps, shoulders sagging like someone cut his strings.

I touch his arm. “What was that about?”

He drags in a shaky breath. “Two days before the crash, this ghost was on Hera’s tail. Same mask every time. I pulled footage from different cameras.

When I try to run facial recognition, the mask fries the signal. Some kind of active jammer built in. It looks like a custom made military mask. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

My stomach drops. “He is protecting himself, guarding his identity.”

“He is very intelligent and cunning.” Justin spins the chair to face me. “Zero, listen. If they survived the river, then this guy is still hunting. And if the headquarters is compromised…” He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t have to.

I stare at the frozen image. The blank mask stares back, cold and empty. My hands curl into fists without me telling them to.

“Mason and Hera are out there. I know Hera enough, she can't go down so easily. She is probably waiting for us to find her.” Justin says and I nod.

“ Mason wouldn't die so easily, not when he has a life awaiting him ahead.”

Justin nods.

“ Right now, I am locked out. Whoever’s helping the Luca just burned my back door. I’ve got maybe an hour before they trace this place.”

I pull out my phone, thumb hovering. “I need everything you have. Photos, timestamps, license plates and anything else that didn’t get fried.”

“I have already copied everything.” He yanks a small drive from the tower and presses it into my palm.

“Everything is encrypted.

The access key is Hera’s birthday. You’ll figure it out.”

I slide it into my pocket. It feels heavier than the gun I left at the door. “You need to move.”

“I know.” He starts yanking cables, stuffing laptops into a backpack. “I’ve got a bolt-hole two states over. I’ll keep digging from there.”

I turn to leave. At the door I pause. “That mask. Have you ever seen it before Hera went missing?”