Shadows of Deception

A Dangerous Alliance

Ethan and Izzy ran through the dimly lit alley behind the re

A sudden knock on the door made them both freeze.

Ethan reached for his gun, signaling Izzy to stay back. He moved to the peephole, expecting to see more of SynTech’s men. Instead, he found a different kind of problem.

Agent Sarah Thompson.

FBI.

Ethan cursed under his breath. "Stay quiet," he whispered to Izzy.

Another knock. "I know you’re in there, Blackwood. Open up."

Ethan exchanged a glance with Izzy before unlocking the door.

Sarah stepped inside, her sharp eyes sweeping the room. She wore a black blazer over a tactical vest, her badge clipped to her belt. "You’ve been busy."

Ethan shut the door behind her. "What do you want, Thompson?"

Sarah folded her arms. "I could ask you the same thing. You break into a classified lab, steal sensitive data, and take off running. Looks bad, don’t you think?"

Izzy stiffened. "We didn’t steal anything. We uncovered something."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Izzy Martinez. I worked with Dr. Wells. Before SynTech kidnapped him."

Sarah’s expression shifted slightly. "So you think SynTech is involved?"

Ethan crossed his arms. "We don’t think. We know."

Sarah studied them for a moment, then sighed. "You’re lucky I found you before they did."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care?"

Sarah pulled out a folder and tossed it onto the bed. Ethan opened it, finding a list of names—people who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

"These cases," Sarah said, "have one thing in common. Memory loss. False identities. Missing histories."

Ethan flipped through the pages. Some of the names matched the files on the flash drive.

Sarah continued. "I’ve been tracking this for years, but I never had proof. Now I do." She looked at Ethan. "And I think you’re part of it."

Ethan clenched his jaw. "So what now? You arrest me?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I want in."

Izzy blinked. "You’re serious?"

Sarah smirked. "I don’t trust you, Blackwood. But I trust SynTech even less. And if they’re messing with people’s minds, that makes them my problem."

Ethan considered her offer. He had always worked alone. But if they wanted to take down SynTech, they needed resources. They needed someone on the inside.

He glanced at Izzy, then back at Sarah.

"Welcome to the team," he said.

Sarah nodded. "Then we better move. Because SynTech won’t stop until we’re all dead."

Ethan exhaled. This was getting bigger than he had imagined.

And they were running out of time.