Episode 106 — Shattered Calm
The hospital room had quieted again after the commotion, but the silence wasn't peaceful. It was the kind of stillness that carried tension in every molecule of air, as if the room itself was holding its breath. Aria sat beside Raian, brushing her fingers over the back of his hand gently, grounding herself in the feel of his pulse, faint but steady. After the emotional ambush that came with seeing her father's face on the news, she was trying not to unravel in front of him.
But Raian wasn't fully asleep anymore. His eyes fluttered half-open, and although his body still fought the lingering pain, the way his gaze sought her out was unmistakable.
"You're still here," he murmured, his voice hoarse.
"Always," she whispered, gripping his hand tighter.
He swallowed, then blinked slowly. "You look like you cried."
"I did." She didn't want to lie to him anymore. Not about anything.
"Why?"
"My father…" Her lips trembled, and her voice thinned. "They put his face on the news. They said… he's one of the key figures behind the whole conspiracy. They think he helped the man who shot you."
Raian's jaw clenched, a flicker of tension passing through his battered frame. "Your father… was involved?"
"I don't want to believe it," she said quickly. "But I can't ignore it either. Raian, if it's true, then—"
"Then it doesn't change anything about you," he interrupted. "You're not him, Aria."
She stared into his eyes, seeing the clarity in them, the way he never once doubted her heart even when everything else was uncertain.
A soft knock on the door interrupted their moment. Ayan and Lina walked in, their expressions drawn but gentle. Lina immediately rushed to Aria and pulled her into a quiet hug.
"I saw the news," Lina whispered. "Don't let them shake you. No matter what, we know who you are."
"Thank you," Aria murmured, gratefully returning the hug.
Ayan moved toward the bed and gave Raian a nod. "Good to see you awake, boss. We were starting to think you just liked making us all worry."
Raian let out a weak breath that was almost a laugh. "Just needed a break from babysitting you."
Ayan cracked a grin, the familiar banter slipping in like a balm over their wounds.
But as they all settled, the door opened again. This time it was Ishaan and Saira. Ishaan carried a file in his hand, his face grave.
"We got the full security footage," he said without preamble. "Of what happened at the gala. Including what the attackers were doing before the chaos began."
Raian tried to sit up straighter, and Aria moved quickly to help him adjust the bed. Ishaan walked over and handed the folder to Raian, though his eyes drifted to Aria with a twinge of hesitation.
"There's something you need to see, Aria," he said carefully. "Your father… he's not just implicated. He's confirmed. He met with the sniper the night before the attack. We have audio and facial recognition."
The room seemed to contract around her. Her legs weakened beneath her, but Raian's hand caught hers in time, his grip an anchor.
"Ishaan, are you sure?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ishaan nodded. "We checked everything three times. It's real."
Aria's heart cracked further, not because of the evidence, but because deep down, a small part of her had already known. That part of her had just hoped it wasn't true.
"I'll testify," she said suddenly. Everyone turned to her. "I'll give a statement. If it helps bring him down."
"You sure?" Lina asked softly.
Aria nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Yes. He stopped being my father the moment he pulled the trigger on Raian's life."
Raian reached up to touch her face. "You're stronger than I ever deserved."
"You gave me something to fight for," she whispered, leaning into his palm.
Meanwhile, Saira stepped forward and cleared her throat. "There's more. The footage also shows another person near the sniper — someone else from your father's team. A woman. She didn't engage, but she watched. Then vanished right before the attack."
"Someone we know?" Ayan asked.
Saira's eyes darted between the team. "We think it's the same woman who tried to tail Lina last week."
Lina's eyes widened. "The one at the subway station?"
Saira nodded. "She's careful. But not invisible. I've started facial analysis. If we can find out who she is, we might discover another layer to this whole thing."
Raian's expression darkened. "They're not done. They're testing how close they can get."
"Then we need to hit back harder," Ayan said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go offensive."
"No," Raian said, though his voice was weak. "We're not playing that game yet. We hit when they think we're too broken to fight."
He turned his eyes to Aria. "We make them believe we've lost."
"And then?" she asked.
"Then we bury them."
---
That evening, Lina sat on the rooftop of the hospital with Ayan, watching the sky as the sun dipped beneath the skyline. For the first time in days, there was a sliver of color — a reminder that even after chaos, light tried to return.
"You okay?" Ayan asked, offering her a small box of juice.
She took it, sipping quietly. "It's weird. Watching everything fall apart. And still feeling like we're part of something stronger."
"You mean Raian and Aria?" he asked knowingly.
She nodded. "They give everyone hope without even trying."
Ayan chuckled. "Yeah, and now we have to make sure we hold up our side. No more running into sniper fire."
"I didn't run into fire, you jerk."
"You walked directly into the line of fire. Which is worse."
She smacked his arm, and he laughed. But then his expression sobered, and he reached for her hand.
"Lina," he said quietly. "I meant what I said before. About staying. Fighting this together."
Her eyes softened. "I know."
"Then… stay."
She looked at him, this time with the kind of gaze that held no fear or doubt. "Always."
---
Down in the corridor, Ishaan leaned against the wall as Saira typed something on her tablet. He watched her, the glow of the screen reflecting in her eyes. For someone so composed, Saira's fingers trembled as she scrolled.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Just tired."
"You found something else, didn't you?"
Her silence answered.
"Saira."
She finally looked at him. "The woman… I ran her image through an older database. She's not a new recruit. She's ex-intelligence. She vanished five years ago during a black-ops mission."
"Ghosted?"
"More like flipped. She was declared rogue."
"And now she's working with Aria's father."
She nodded. "And that's not even the worst part. She has a history with Raian."
Ishaan stood straight. "What kind of history?"
Saira hesitated. "She trained under Raian's old handler. She was once assigned as his temporary partner. There are only two records of it… but it's there."
"Does Raian know?"
"Maybe," she whispered. "Or maybe he buried that part of his past for a reason."
They both looked toward the room where Raian now slept, Aria curled beside him protectively. The world was starting to close in again — but this time, they weren't alone in the fight.
And none of them were walking away.
---