Chapter 4 – The Watchers Beneath
Inside an underground government facility, the air hummed with the constant buzz of machines. The lights flickered, revealing walls lined with massive digital displays—each one showing live feeds of different cities across the world.
A red alert blinked on one of the monitors. A man in a lab coat, Dr. Roland Havers, leaned closer, adjusting his glasses. The footage showed a dock—the same dock where Andrew had seen the mysterious figure vanish.
> "Another one is gone," Roland muttered. "No human technology could disappear that fast."
Across the room, a stern woman in a tactical uniform, Commander Iris Vale, folded her arms. "It's not technology. It's them."
Her voice echoed through the cold chamber, heavy with dread.
> "Do you think it's the same entity?" Roland asked. "The one from the Gulf incident?"
Iris gave him a look that silenced him. "We don't think, Doctor. We know. The Justicar protocol is active again."
For a moment, the room went silent except for the steady hum of servers.
Roland's hand trembled as he opened a file labeled PROJECT: NOCTIS LAW. Inside were classified reports—deaths of high-profile criminals, corrupt politicians, and gang leaders—each one marked with the same glowing black symbol.
> "But the protocol was shut down years ago," Roland said. "Who reactivated it?"
Iris turned toward the large observation window. Beyond the glass, deep inside a containment tank filled with dark, shimmering fluid, something moved—slowly, like a shadow learning how to breathe.
Tiny waves of black light pulsed through the tank, reacting to their presence.
> "Someone decided justice needed a reminder," she said coldly.
"And if we don't control it… the world won't survive its definition of justice."
The shadow in the tank opened what looked like an eye—vast, inhuman, and aware.
The monitors flickered, showing glitching faces—criminals, politicians, soldiers—all merging into one black blur.
And somewhere above the surface, Andrew Blake stood on the same dock, staring at the water, unaware that the next chapter of his life had already been written… beneath him.