Chapter 05: Beneath the Surface
City: Zurich, Switzerland
Time: 11:30 AM
Setting: A secluded warehouse by the docks, the air heavy with the scent of saltwater and rust.
Hawke’s footsteps echoed in the narrow alley leading to the warehouse. The cold wind off Lake Zurich stung his face, but he paid it no mind. His focus was unwavering, the paper Kline had given him clenched tightly in his hand. The cryptic message about “The Red Horizon” had to mean something—he just had to figure out what. And the warehouse he was about to enter seemed as good a place as any to start.
He had followed the woman’s instructions, or rather, the fragmented clues she left behind. The more he learned, the less clear the situation became. There was something bigger at play here, and Hawke could feel it closing in on him. The conspiracy was deeper than just Kline’s disappearance. Every step he took led him further into a web of deceit, manipulation, and power—one that might involve people he had once trusted.
He reached the door of the warehouse, pausing to check for any signs of movement. The exterior was abandoned, worn-down, with peeling paint and a rusted steel door that looked like it hadn’t been opened in years. But Hawke knew better than to trust appearances. The place was a hub of activity for the right kind of people—people who operated in the shadows, people who had no interest in being found.
His hand hovered near his gun, just in case, but he didn’t draw it yet. The last thing he wanted was to give away his position before he knew what he was dealing with. He had been trained to read situations, to know when to act and when to wait. This was one of those times to wait.
Hawke scanned the area again, noticing the faintest movement by the broken window on the upper floor. His instincts kicked in immediately, and he moved quickly, silently, toward the side entrance he had scoped out earlier. It was a low risk—no guards posted—but that didn’t mean the area wasn’t under surveillance. Whoever was behind this knew how to cover their tracks.
Inside, the warehouse was eerily quiet. The space was vast, with only the occasional crate or box littering the floor. The distant hum of an old refrigeration unit echoed through the cavernous space. He moved further in, each step deliberate, each sense heightened. The location was too perfect, too quiet, and that made it more dangerous.
There were no immediate threats, but the air felt thick with something unspoken. He had no idea who had been here before, but the signs of recent activity were clear. It wasn’t the first time someone had entered this place.
Hawke rounded a corner and froze.
A figure stood at the far end of the warehouse, silhouetted against the light filtering through a grimy window. He was tall, wearing a long coat, his back turned to Hawke, but he didn’t need to see the man’s face to know who he was. The posture, the stance—this was no ordinary operative.
Hawke approached cautiously, his gun ready now, but he kept it lowered, not wanting to make a sudden move. The figure didn’t flinch, didn’t turn. It was as if he was waiting for Hawke to make the first move.
“I was wondering when you’d show up,” the man’s voice echoed through the silence, low and measured.
Hawke’s fingers twitched on the gun’s grip. The voice was unmistakable. It was him—Lukas, an ex-operative from Hawke’s agency, a man who had once been a close colleague. But Lukas was dead—or so everyone had thought.
“Lukas,” Hawke’s voice was cold, controlled. “I thought you were gone. Dead.”
The figure slowly turned to face him, revealing a scarred face that Hawke hadn’t seen in years. Lukas’s eyes, however, were unmistakable. They were the same—sharp, calculating, but colder now. As though the years had worn away whatever humanity Lukas had once possessed.
“Dead?” Lukas chuckled softly. “Not dead, Hawke. Just… gone for a while. But I guess you could say I’ve been living on borrowed time ever since.”
Hawke’s mind raced. Lukas had been the best—just as good as him, if not better. The two of them had been on countless missions together. They had trusted each other with their lives. But something had gone wrong, something that had broken their bond. Lukas had gone rogue, vanished from the agency, and had been presumed dead in a botched operation. But now, standing in front of Hawke, Lukas wasn’t the man he remembered. There was no warmth in his eyes, no camaraderie—just a coldness that spoke of betrayal.
“What are you doing here?” Hawke’s voice was steady, though his mind was already calculating his next move. Lukas wasn’t the only one capable of playing this game.
“Same as you, I suppose,” Lukas said, his voice laced with irony. “Looking for Kline. You’re not the only one chasing ghosts, Hawke. You’re just the one who hasn’t figured out the truth yet.”
Hawke didn’t respond immediately. His gaze never left Lukas, but the pieces were starting to come together. Lukas had known something—something vital about the disappearance of Kline, something he wasn’t telling Hawke.
“I don’t have time for games, Lukas. Where is Kline?” Hawke demanded.
Lukas’s lips curled into a smile, but there was no humor in it. “It’s not that simple, Hawke. Kline’s not the one you need to be worried about.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re part of something bigger now—whether you like it or not. There’s a game being played here, one that even your agency can’t stop.”
Hawke’s mind clicked into overdrive. Lukas had gone rogue for a reason. Something had happened, something had turned him against everything they had once stood for. Hawke didn’t know what it was yet, but he could feel the answer was close.
“What are you talking about?” Hawke asked, his patience thinning.
Lukas paused for a moment before speaking again. “The Red Horizon. It’s not just a phrase, Hawke. It’s a deadline. And when it arrives… everything changes.”
Hawke’s heart skipped a beat. The words hung in the air between them, thick with meaning, but Lukas wasn’t offering anything more.
“What happens when the Red Horizon arrives?” Hawke pressed, his voice tense with anticipation.
Lukas gave him a long, lingering look. “You’ll find out soon enough. But by then, it’ll be too late for you to stop it.”
The words were a warning, but also a threat. Hawke knew he was no longer just chasing a missing scientist. The conspiracy had expanded, the stakes had risen, and the people behind it had the power to change the world in ways Hawke couldn’t yet understand.
But he was going to find out.
And nothing—nothing—was going to stop him.
