Abuja, Nigeria
.
Years had passed since the Defence Intelligence Agency first discovered the mysterious blue residue.
The investigation had grown far beyond the original train attack.
Thousands of hours of surveillance.
Hundreds of transactions.
Dozens of false identities.
And countless dead ends.
But they had finally built a profile.
A name.
A face.
A network.
A business.
And a reputation.
.
The conference room was quiet as the General studied the files spread across the table.
Photographs of an ordinary-looking sanitation worker sat beside images of warehouses, vehicles and unidentified men entering and leaving various locations.
At the centre of the table was a single folder.
BLUE DEVIL.
.
The lead investigator opened it.
"We've confirmed his identity."
A photograph appeared on the screen.
"His real name is still being verified, but we've established his primary operating area."
Another image appeared.
"He's moved the product through several cities over the years."
"Lagos."
"Abuja."
"Port Harcourt."
"And several locations outside Nigeria."
The screen changed again.
A list of seized products appeared.
"These are the products we've been able to identify."
"Devil Pops."
"Lilith."
"Blue Devil Dust."
"Several inhaled compounds."
"Injectables."
"And a number of experimental substances that haven't been properly classified."
A colonel leaned forward.
"How many?"
"At least twenty-seven confirmed variations."
The General studied the list.
"And his influence?"
The investigator brought up another map.
"This is where we've been able to confirm his distribution network."
The map displayed dozens of points.
"He's not the manufacturer."
"He's a does have a source but the amount he uses in his product is minuscle compared to what someone with the resources on his hands would use."
"His influence extends much further than we initially believed."
Another officer spoke.
"And every product traces back to the same substance."
The room fell silent.
Everyone looked toward the small sealed evidence container on the table.
Inside was a faint blue powder.
The same substance recovered from the train.
The same substance found in Blue Devil's products.
.
The General finally spoke.
"So the Blue Devil isn't our target."
He looked at the evidence.
"He's a piece of it. We find his source we are closer to finding our 12 mystery people"
.
The investigator nodded.
"We believe his product is derived from the same material we're looking for."
"Which means the substance has existed outside the Sanctum's control for years."
A pause.
"Or..."
He looked at the General.
"They've been supplying him."
.
No one answered.
The possibility remained unproven.
But it was enough to keep the investigation alive.
.
Another officer opened a separate file.
"We've made several purchases from him."
The General looked up.
"Through controlled identities?"
"Yes."
"He never accepts direct transfers."
"He uses multiple payment systems and intermediaries."
"He also refuses any transaction that could expose his identity."
"He's extremely careful."
The investigator placed several sealed packages on the table.
"These were purchased over the last eighteen months."
The General looked at them.
"And he never traced the buyers?"
"No."
"That's why we haven't tried to arrest him."
"We've been learning how he operates."
.
The investigator opened a laptop.
"But three days ago, we changed our approach."
A video appeared on the screen.
A completely different account.
No connection to any previous DIA operation.
The account had contacted Blue Devil through the same encrypted marketplace.
But this time...
They hadn't asked to buy anything.
.
The investigator played the message.
A gloved hand placed a small container on a table.
Inside was blue powder.
"Your product isn't as unique as you think."
The video continued.
"We've been watching the market."
"We know what you're selling."
"We also know you control most of the supply."
The gloved hand pushed the container toward the camera.
"We don't like monopolies."
A pause.
"We have something you don't."
The container was opened.
A small amount of the powder was poured onto the table.
"Consider this an invitation."
"We want to talk."
The video ended.
.
The room remained silent.
The General looked toward the cyber analyst.
"Response?"
"Nothing yet."
"How long?"
"Thirty-six hours."
The analyst closed the laptop.
"We're monitoring the account."
"If he responds, we'll know immediately."
The General leaned back.
For years, they had followed Blue Devil's money.
His shipments.
His customers.
His movements.
Now...
For the first time...
They had given him something he wanted.
Something he couldn't easily obtain.
Something that might convince him that whoever contacted him was more than another buyer.
.
The General looked at the screen.
"Wait."
No one moved.
"Let him decide what this is worth."
.
The room slowly emptied.
The laptop remained open on the table.
The anonymous account sat waiting.
And somewhere in Lagos...
Blue Devil's screen was about to receive a message.
Lagos, Nigeria
.
Blue Devil stared at the message on his screen.
He read it again.
Then again.
.
A competitor.
That was the first thing that came to mind.
Someone else had access to the blue powder.
Not a rumor.
Not a claim.
They had sent him a sample.
Real powder.
.
He leaned back in his chair.
For years, he had controlled almost everything surrounding the product.
He didn't own the source.
He didn't even know where the substance ultimately came from.
But he controlled enough of the supply chain to make himself rich.
That had been enough.
.
Now someone else had appeared.
And if they were planning to enter the market...
That could become a problem.
.
Blue opened his sales records.
His prices.
His major customers.
His distribution routes.
Everything he'd built over the years had one advantage.
He had been there first.
But that advantage wouldn't last forever.
If this new competitor had access to the same material...
They could sell cheaper.
And cheaper always attracted customers.
.
Blue's fingers tapped against the desk.
"Who are you?"
He stared at the anonymous account.
There was no name.
No location.
No history he could reliably connect to a real person.
Exactly what he would have expected from someone who understood the business.
.
He considered the invitation.
Meeting them could provide answers.
It could also get him killed.
If they were serious competitors, they wouldn't be stupid enough to bring their entire supply.
And he certainly wouldn't bring his.
A meeting would have to happen somewhere neutral.
Public enough that neither side could simply attack the other.
Private enough that they could actually talk.
Security would be necessary.
Lots of it.
But too much security would make the other party suspicious.
.
He opened the video again.
The powder was unmistakable.
Real blue devil dust.
Not one of his products.
Not diluted.
Not stolen from one of his shipments.
Something else.
.
Blue frowned.
If they had enough to send him a sample...
How much did they actually have?
That was the question.
.
He closed the video.
There was another possibility.
Perhaps they weren't trying to sell anything yet.
Perhaps they wanted information.
Perhaps they wanted access to his customers.
Or perhaps they were simply testing him.
.
Blue leaned back.
A slow smile appeared.
Whatever the answer was...
He wasn't going to panic.
Competition wasn't necessarily a threat.
Sometimes...
Competition could be an opportunity.
.
He picked up his phone.
"Get me everything we can find on this account."
The voice on the other end answered immediately.
"How much?"
"Everything."
He ended the call.
.
His eyes returned to the screen.
The message was still waiting.
.
Blue Devil had spent years building his empire.
He wasn't about to hand it over to the first person who showed him a bottle of blue powder.
But neither was he going to ignore someone who possessed the one thing he had spent his entire life trying to acquire.
More supply.
.
He opened the message.
His finger hovered over the keyboard.
Then stopped.
.
Not yet.
First...
He would find out who they were.