Three weeks later, rain blurs the windows of the Kingston Evidence Exchange, a discreet records facility beneath a municipal archive. Elijah stands with Sarah in a secured review room, while the sealed AEGIS case rests inside a clear custody cabinet.
Sarah
The relocation never started. The vehicle was still secured when the custody record changed, and someone removed the case using an authorized Northstar credential.
A monitor displays the transfer log: timestamp, vehicle seal, credential authorization, then a blank interval where the case should still have been. Sarah keeps one hand beside the keyboard without touching it.
Sarah
I protected the residents by keeping the relocation quiet. That also means nobody outside our chain knew the route was changing. Whoever waited for it had access closer to Northstar than we expected.
The exchange’s ventilation hums around them. A second window shows the credential’s fragmented trail, bouncing through Northstar systems before terminating at an unregistered relay near Kingston.
Sarah
I need you to determine who was waiting for the case before this trail disappears. The record is all we have, and someone may already be cleaning it.
Sarah turns the monitor toward Elijah and steps back, leaving the evidence, the unanswered timestamp, and the silent case between them. Outside, a delivery truck rolls past, briefly masking every other sound.
Identify who stole the AEGIS case
Recover the stolen AEGIS case