Central Park, Star Harbor.
Evening had settled over the city.
The crowd inside the park was thinner than usual.
A few joggers were still moving along the main path.
But the quieter side of the park remained mostly empty.
The same two benches were there.
Placed back to back.
Facing opposite directions.
A hooded man sat on one.
Another man sat behind him on the second bench.
Neither turned around.
Neither acknowledged the other.
For anyone passing nearby...
They looked like two strangers who had happened to choose neighboring seats.
NULL leaned back.
Then sighed loudly.
"What now?"
The agent didn’t react.
NULL looked toward the pathway.
"You know I’ve been waiting here for an hour."
"Something came up."
NULL slowly turned his head slightly.
"Something came up?"
The agent remained facing forward.
"Graveyard is always busy."
NULL smirked.
"That sounds cool when you say it like that."
No response.
NULL continued,
"So?"
"What happened?"
The agent stayed quiet.
NULL smiled.
"Something I can help with?"
This time, the agent laughed faintly.
"Unfortunately for you..."
He paused.
"...you don’t qualify to get into Graveyard."
NULL sighed dramatically.
"Looks like I have no chance."
The agent tilted his head slightly.
"Why Graveyard?"
NULL became quiet for a moment.
His tone changed slightly.
"Childhood dream, you can say."
The agent waited.
NULL continued,
"When I was younger..."
"I liked the stories about mercenary groups."
"So I started digging the internet and then darkweb."
"Most were exaggerated."
"Some were completely fake."
"But Graveyard..."
He smiled beneath the hood.
"Graveyard was different."
The agent said nothing.
NULL continued,
"They didn’t advertise."
"They didn’t show off."
"They didn’t care whether the world knew they existed."
"And still..."
"Everyone dangerous knew the name."
The agent finally replied,
"That’s still not an answer."
NULL chuckled.
"Later Ghost became an inspiration too."
That got a reaction.
Not much.
Just enough.
NULL noticed.
"I always wondered what kind of people actually qualify."
"To work inside Graveyard."
"To get close enough to work directly under Ghost."
The agent replied flatly,
"I don’t have to prove anything to an outsider."
NULL laughed.
"Yes, yes."
He raised both hands slightly.
"I may be weak physically."
The agent glanced down briefly.
NULL wiggled his fingers.
"But these are enough."
"For what?"
NULL smiled.
"To do lethal damage."
"anyways."
"Get to the point."
The agent’s tone became serious.
"We have information."
NULL immediately became attentive.
"Miles Sterling is appearing tomorrow."
NULL stopped moving.
"At the Convention Center?"
"Yes."
NULL smiled.
"Finally."
The agent continued,
"But he won’t reveal his identity."
NULL’s smile only widened.
"That makes things easier."
The agent frowned.
"Easier?"
NULL nodded.
"Think about it."
"If he stands on a stage, everyone knows where to look."
"If he’s hiding..."
He tapped his fingers against his knee.
"...then I only need to identify which face doesn’t belong."
The agent remained silent.
NULL continued,
"Patterns."
"Security movement."
"Who gets treated differently."
"Who walks without being checked."
"Who people unconsciously make space for."
The agent smirked faintly.
"You really enjoy this."
"Of course."
NULL looked ahead.
"That’s why people hire me."
The agent waited a moment.
Then asked,
"You seem to be in a hurry."
NULL’s expression changed.
"What do you mean?"
"You postponed your return flight."
NULL slowly turned his head.
The agent continued,
"After we gave you this assignment."
NULL didn’t speak.
"And now..."
The agent added,
"It looks like you’re planning to finish something else tomorrow too."
NULL’s eyes narrowed.
"That’s client privacy."
The agent remained calm.
NULL continued,
"More importantly..."
"How do you know about my flight?"
The agent smiled.
"If you have fingers..."
NULL waited.
"...we have fists."
NULL stared at the back of the agent’s head.
Then laughed.
"Your brute force is kinda different from mine."
The agent sighed.
"Stop with the clichés."
NULL immediately replied,
"Who started it?"
The agent didn’t answer.
NULL smirked.
"Exactly."
The agent said,
"Do you want more information or not?"
NULL leaned back.
"Why didn’t you just bring me an envelope?"
The agent was silent for a second.
Then,
"Like I said."
"Something came up."
NULL waited.
The agent continued,
"You really wanted me to bring you an envelope with bullet holes through it?"
NULL stared forward.
A second passed.
Then another.
He finally nodded.
"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that."
"Good."
"Please continue."
...
One hour earlier.
Sea Shell Homestays, Star Harbor.
Inside one of the rooms reserved for Sterling Launchpad participants...
Six students were gathered around a table.
Cables.
Two laptops.
Portable networking equipment.
Small monitors.
Storage drives.
A few tools.
And one larger screen showing the internal surveillance feeds of the homestay.
The room was quiet.
Most of the students were tired.
The day at Sterling Launchpad had been longer than expected.
One of the boys was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Another was checking something on the laptop.
Then...
A soft notification sounded.
Unusual motion detected.
One student looked toward the screen.
"Check."
The boy near the system immediately opened the alert.
The corridor camera appeared.
Empty.
He stared.
"No one."
Another student looked over.
"Maybe false detection."
The boy waited a few seconds.
Nothing moved.
He was about to close the feed.
Then...
Unusual motion detected.
Again.
He stopped.
"What?"
Three of them moved closer.
The corridor was still empty.
One student frowned.
"That’s weird."
The girl closest to the screen leaned forward.
"Replay it."
The boy dragged the timeline back.
Normal corridor.
Nothing.
Then...
A blur crossed the far side of the frame.
Very fast.
The students became silent.
"What was that?"
"Slow it down."
The video replayed again.
This time at half speed.
Then slower.
There.
A person.
A hood.
A shoulder.
Part of a leg.
Then gone.
One of the girls moved closer.
"Show me."
The boy replayed it again.
The figure was still barely visible.
The girl frowned.
"These cameras are useless."
Another boy looked toward her.
"What?"
"They’re low quality."
She pointed at the screen.
"Someone runs fast and everything turns blurry."
One of the boys whispered,
"What was that?"
Then jokingly,
"A ninja?"
The girl gave him a look.
"Shut up."
No one laughed.
Another alert appeared.
Everyone turned back.
A different camera this time.
The figure crossed farther down the corridor.
Again too fast.
Again only visible for a moment.
The girl immediately pointed.
"Direction."
Someone looked at the floor layout beside the screen.
Then back at the feed.
"They’re coming toward this side."
The room became quiet.
Another student moved toward the door.
"Should we call him?"
"Wait."
The girl kept watching.
Another feed flickered.
Then another.
Static.
Then...
Every screen turned black.
The students froze.
The girl stepped back.
"We lost the signal."
"All of it?"
"Everything."
One boy pulled out his phone.
"Lock the door."
Another rushed toward it.
"Call him."
The boy checked his phone.
Then frowned.
"No signal."
"What?"
He moved closer to the window.
Still nothing.
"No cellular."
The girl pulled out her own phone.
Checked.
Nothing.
Her expression changed.
"We’re cut off."
Another student immediately whispered,
"Close the curtains."
Someone rushed toward the window.
"Pull everything down."
"Hide the equipment."
They moved instantly.
Cables were unplugged.
The extra monitor disappeared into a bag.
The network device was pulled from the table.
A hard drive was shoved underneath folded clothes.
One student grabbed the portable terminal.
Another closed every open laptop.
The room became frantic.
Then...
Knock.
Everyone froze.
No one breathed.
A second knock.
Still no one moved.
One of the boys slowly stepped toward the door.
Another grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
"Don’t."
The boy whispered,
"We need to see who it is."
"Don’t go near the peephole."
The knocking stopped.
Silence.
Then a calm voice came from the other side.
"Owen Brooks."
Owen froze.
His face immediately changed.
Everyone looked toward him.
The voice continued.
"Ryan Mitchell."
Ryan’s eyes widened.
"Caleb Foster."
Caleb slowly stood straight.
"Connor Hayes."
Connor’s fingers tightened.
"Hannah Reed."
Hannah stopped breathing for a second.
Then...
"Lucy Bennett."
Lucy covered her mouth.
No one said anything.
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Owen looked toward Ryan.
Ryan looked toward Hannah.
Everyone was pale.
Lucy whispered,
"I told you."
Nobody answered.
She repeated,
"I told you we should never have done this."
Her voice shook.
Hannah immediately looked toward her.
"We don’t know who that person is yet."
Lucy stared.
"Then how does he know all our names?"
Hannah had no answer.
The voice came again.
"I know you’re in there."
No response.
"I’m from the Military Police."
Ryan looked toward Owen.
The voice continued,
"I’m not here to harm you."
Still silence.
"Your fake escort has been detained by the authorities."
Every face changed.
Caleb looked toward the door.
"What?"
The voice continued,
"Sterling Foundation has already arranged legal protection for all of you."
Hannah’s expression shifted.
"We have made sure you’re not treated as the primary offenders."
"But we have questions."
Caleb whispered,
"He..."
His throat went dry.
"He got caught?"
Ryan looked terrified now.
"If our parents find out..."
Lucy started tearing up.
The voice outside remained calm.
"I only want one hour of your time."
The students listened.
"That’s all."
"A conversation."
"Nothing more."
Then,
"You can check through the peephole."
"I’m holding my badge."
Everyone looked at Owen.
Owen immediately shook his head.
"Why me?"
Ryan whispered,
"You’re closest."
Owen glared at him.
Hannah said,
"Just check."
Owen swallowed.
Then carefully moved toward the door.
Slowly.
He leaned toward the peephole.
A red identification card was visible outside.
Military insignia.
Haven Army.
Official markings.
At least...
It looked official.
Owen turned.
Everyone stared at him.
He nodded.
"It looks real."
Lucy started breathing faster.
The voice continued,
"You have two choices."
Everyone became still.
"I can call your parents."
The reaction was immediate.
Ryan’s face went pale.
Caleb lowered his head.
Lucy covered her face.
"I have their contact information right here."
The voice continued,
"Or..."
"You open this door."
"And talk to me."
Nobody moved.
Then the voice became firmer.
"Ryan."
Ryan looked up.
"Hannah."
Hannah clenched her jaw.
"All of you should understand something."
The room went completely quiet.
"Working with an Interpol wanted criminal..."
"...can destroy your careers before they even begin."
The students stared at each other.
"And if you refuse to cooperate..."
"Sterling Foundation can withdraw its protection."
Lucy started crying quietly.
Ryan whispered,
"We’re finished."
Owen looked at him.
"Don’t say that."
The voice continued,
"I’m giving you a fair chance."
Ryan suddenly stood.
"I’m opening the door."
Owen grabbed his arm.
"No."
Ryan looked at him.
"We don’t even know if he’s telling the truth."
Ryan pulled his arm back.
"Don’t you understand?"
His voice cracked.
"There’s no way out."
Owen remained silent.
Ryan continued,
"If they already know our names..."
"Our university..."
"Our professor..."
"Our parents..."
He looked toward the dark screens.
"And they shut everything down..."
"What exactly are we going to do?"
Lucy wiped her face.
Hannah took a deep breath.
Then stepped forward.
"Open it."
Owen looked toward her.
She nodded.
"Open it."
The lock clicked.
Then the door slowly opened.
A hooded man stood outside.
Tall.
Calm.
Hands relaxed.
The students stared.
For a second...
No one moved.
Then the man lifted one hand.
Pulled the hood back.
Miles smiled.
Everyone froze.
He stepped inside.
Then quietly closed the door.
The room was silent.
Miles looked around.
The hidden equipment.
The unplugged cables.
The hastily closed laptops.
The bags.
The nervous faces.
Then his eyes moved across each student.
All pale.
All scared.
Miles sighed.
"Why are you afraid now?"
Nobody answered.
He walked farther into the room.
"You were brave enough to make your choice when you joined him."
His tone remained calm.
That made it worse.
Miles looked toward Owen.
"Or..."
He glanced across the group.
"...did he join you because he needed someone he could use?"
Ryan lowered his eyes.
Miles noticed.
"What did he promise you?"
No response.
Miles waited.
Then asked again.
"Money?"
Owen finally spoke.
"He..."
His voice trembled.
"He said he would help us."
Miles remained still.
"How?"
Owen swallowed.
"Our project."
Miles waited.
"He said..."
"He’d give us enough money to fund it."
Ryan looked toward Owen.
Owen continued,
"A lot of money."
"He said we wouldn’t have to worry about investors."
Miles’ expression didn’t change.
"He said he had connections."
Hannah added quietly,
"That he could help us after graduation too."
Miles looked toward her.
"Career?"
She nodded.
Owen continued,
"He said he already talked to our professor."
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"Your professor?"
"He said our professor wouldn’t be able to come."
Owen looked nervous.
"So..."
"He would replace him as the escort."
Miles remained silent for a moment.
Then asked,
"Did you verify any of that?"
Nobody answered.
Miles looked around.
"Of course not."
Ryan clenched his hands.
Miles continued,
"Your actual professor has already been taken into custody."
Every student looked up.
Miles looked toward Ryan.
"For his own actions."
Silence.
Lucy immediately asked,
"Our parents..."
Her voice broke.
Miles looked toward her.
"Don’t worry."
She stared.
"They haven’t been informed."
The entire room seemed to breathe again.
Miles continued,
"Not yet."
The relief disappeared slightly.
"Another escort will join you tomorrow."
Owen frowned.
"Who?"
"Someone from your university."
Miles looked around.
"A real one."
Hannah lowered her eyes.
Miles continued,
"Until then..."
"I want all of you to behave normally."
Ryan looked confused.
"Normally?"
"Yes."
Miles nodded.
"The man you came here with will return."
That shocked them.
Hannah immediately looked up.
"But you said..."
"He was caught."
Miles smiled faintly.
"He is."
Hannah stared.
Miles continued,
"The day he decided to go against Sterling Enterprises..."
His expression became colder.
"...his fate was already sealed."
Owen looked at him.
"Then..."
His voice shook.
"Why is he coming back?"
Miles didn’t answer immediately.
Instead...
He looked toward the equipment.
Then toward the students.
"You’ll understand soon."
Ryan looked toward Owen.
Lucy was still quietly wiping her eyes.
Connor hadn’t said a word since Miles entered.
Caleb looked like he wanted to disappear.
Miles noticed all of it.
Then Owen finally gathered enough courage to ask,
"Who..."
He hesitated.
"Who are you?"
Miles looked at him.
Then at the others.
He pulled one of the chairs away from the table.
Sat down comfortably.
"Close the door and sit."
Nobody moved.
Miles waited.
Then smiled.
"Please."
Ryan sat first.
Hannah followed.
Then Caleb.
Connor.
Lucy sat beside Hannah.
Owen remained standing for another second.
Then slowly sat too.
Miles looked at all six.
They looked like students again.
Not hackers.
Not conspirators.
Not criminals.
Just scared young people who had stepped too far into something they didn’t understand.
Miles folded his hands.
"My name is Miles Sterling."
Nobody reacted at first.
The words took a second to register.
Then...
Ryan’s eyes widened.
Hannah froze.
Lucy stopped crying entirely.
Miles continued calmly,
"Chairman of Sterling Enterprises."
Silence.
Complete silence.
To be continued...