Necessary Lies (Rhys)

Hunting him, the city held its breath. Every passing patrol car appeared to be a possible threat, and every siren seemed personal. Rhys walked approached the dead drop spot Anya had verified via their coded signal, under the cover of the deepest night, with heightened, almost painful awareness. In the chilly, uncaring light of far-off lamps, the park was empty. It was like handling unstable ordnance to retrieve the tiny data chip from behind the historical marker. No longer than was required, he melted back into the urban camouflage, each echo a potential tail, each shadow a potential opponent. The tracker Jax had discovered a few days prior served as a sobering reminder that he wasn't just being pursued by the police; there was a chance that someone else was keeping an eye on him and was aware of his tactics.

He inserted the chip into a secure reader back in the antiseptic obscurity of a secondary safe house, a plain flat rented under a long-dead alias and used exclusively for critical examination. He felt a glimmer of something perilously near thankfulness as he decrypted Anya's packet, but it was quickly smothered. She had delivered. She had risked it.

His analytical intellect sliced through the raw facts as he immersed himself in it. A key piece of evidence pointing to manipulation was confirmed: the evidence log discrepancy. OmniCorp's network logs were considerably more instructive. They lacked the more intricate, sophisticated bypass techniques he usually used for high-security targets, even though they displayed activity that roughly mirrored his known digital signatures around the time of the detonation (the planted evidence). More tellingly, the logs revealed subtle evidence of internal administrative overrides that came from an executive-level terminal within OmniCorp only 30 minutes prior to the explosion. These traces were thoroughly wiped but could be found using forensic recovery tools. The door had been held open by someone inside, not just opened.

Next followed the wounded guard Michael Bellweather's personnel file. Longtime employee with a spotless record—aside from the most recent financial background check addendum. Online gaming caused a sizable amount of inexplicable debt to accumulate during the previous six months. More damningly, the bank reported three sizable, untraceable cash payments into his personal account in the week before the bombing, but neither OmniCorp HR nor the police appear to have looked into them internally. Motivate. Possibility (as security, he might help with access or turn off internal sensors). The likelihood of coercion or complicity seemed very high.

The frame-up's blurry outline was created by the parts clicking into place. Not only was physical evidence placed, but OmniCorp's internal operations were manipulated, and Bellweather was probably used as leverage. This was well-resourced and sophisticated. His first thought was of OmniCorp's CEO, Harrison Vance, who was renowned for brutally removing barriers. When Rhys had previously scouted OmniCorp, had he come too close? Or was Thorne using his connections to exact revenge?

He required more. He required Vance's internal OmniCorp correspondence in particular. He had to know Bellweather's conversation partner. But Anya's ongoing, perilous access was the only thing keeping this investigation going.

With an impatient expression on his face, Jax stepped through the door as it hissed open. Evidently irritated by Rhys's seclusion, he had been organizing surveillance on known police movements from their main location.

"Anything?" Jax inquired, his gaze instantly shifting to the screen that was showing network analysis. "Did your... meditations yield what you were seeking?"

With a nonchalant air he didn't feel, Rhys reclined back. "Degree. The OmniCorp job may have had corporate support, according to material that is publicly available and discussion from certain former contacts. In particular, investigating Bellweather, the injured guard, and potential executive-level network overrides. His explanation remained ambiguous, ascribed to whispers from the abyss and deduced patterns.

Unconvinced, Jax scowled. Did you learn anything particular about OmniCorp's executive network protocols from underworld chatter? What about Bellweather's finances? That sounds more like high-level intelligence than banter, Rhys. the kind that is impossible to obtain from the outside, particularly at this time when all of the city's police officers are searching for you. How are you handling this?

Rhys looked at him icily. "Jax, I have my ways. As usual. Let me take care of the strategy while you concentrate on monitoring the task force movements.

Jax retorted, taking a step closer, "Your methods seem to have changed." "Like last night, you vanish for hours without giving a reason. Information is being withheld by you. You nearly had a tracker attached to you. Even if you appear to know what you're doing, we're acting blindly here. He paused, trying to find the correct word. "...distracted. compromised.

The charge lingered in the air. Anger shot through Rhys, and he banked it fast. He couldn't hold Jax responsible for his suspicions because he was being evasive and taking unimaginable risks. "Jax, I'm focused. more concentrated than before. I'm going to find out who and why they framed me, and I'm going to burn them to the ground. "This information is our first real lead," he said, pointing to the screen. I need you to do a thorough background check on OmniCorp CEO Vance and determine whether Bellweather knew anyone in Vance's inner circle.

Jax paused, obviously wanting to press harder, but Rhys's commanding demeanor stopped him. "All right," he cut out. The relationships between Vance and Bellweather. However, Rhys, it won't go well if you're hiding something important or if you're involved in something that endangers this group in addition to the frame-up. The tension between them was evident when he turned and walked away.

With a heavy burden of command, Rhys watched him leave. He was profoundly entangled. Because of a relationship formed on a rainy rooftop, he was depending on a police officer, lying to his closest confidante, and endangering everyone. He considered Anya, who was feeding him information while balancing her own tightrope inside the task force at unthinkable personal risk. If something were to happen to her... He pushed the idea away. Feelings were a weakness.

He had to divide things up. Jax was right to warn. His judgment might be impaired. But the only way he could get the inside information he needed to break the frame-up was through Anya. Even if he mistrusted the impulse and put her in grave risk, he still had to trust her.

Back to his secret communication equipment he turned. He required more from her. Access to Vance's internal communications and appointment records from the week prior to the bombing, as well as any internal security reports about Bellweather's recent financial troubles or behavior. Pulling network logs or personnel information was far less dangerous than this enormous request. She needed more exposure and deeper access.