Chapter 9 Someone Wants the Truth Buried #2
A black sedan parked across the street.
The vehicle itself meant nothing.
The driver did.
The man remained inside despite having no visible reason to be there. His eyes never wandered toward the surrounding buildings, shops, or traffic.
They remained fixed on the entrance to Wolfe Industries.
Watching.
Damien narrowed his eyes.
Something about the man’s posture felt familiar.
Not his face.
His posture.
Another vehicle arrived several minutes later.
Different model.
Different license plate.
The passenger stepped onto the sidewalk carrying a newspaper.
Instead of reading it, he folded it beneath one arm while slowly surveying everyone entering the building.
Professional.
Methodical.
Controlled.
Damien’s heartbeat slowed.
Not from fear.
From recognition.
He had seen that surveillance pattern before.
Years ago.
Far from boardrooms and city skylines.
His office phone rang.
Claire answered before transferring the call.
“It’s Ethan.”
Damien picked up immediately.
“Where are you?”
“I’m alright.”
Ethan sounded slightly out of breath.
“I need to see you.”
“Now.”
The urgency in his voice erased any remaining doubt.
“Come to my office.”
“I don’t think that’s wise.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll explain in person.”
There was a brief pause.
“I think someone followed me.”
Damien’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly.
“Where are you?”
“A few streets away.”
“Stay where you are.”
“I’m sending security.”
“No.”
“They’ve already seen me.”
“If your people arrive now, they’ll know I’ve contacted you.”
Damien understood immediately.
Ethan was right.
“I’ll come myself.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I’m already leaving.”
He ended the call before Ethan could argue.
Claire appeared outside his office moments later.
“Mr. Wolfe?”
“Cancel the rest of my afternoon.”
She looked surprised.
“Is something wrong?”
“Possibly.”
He walked toward the executive elevators with purposeful strides.
“Ask Security to review external surveillance footage covering the last forty-eight hours.”
Claire immediately opened her tablet.
“What am I looking for?”
“Vehicles parked longer than necessary.”
“Individuals changing positions without entering the building.”
She looked at him curiously.
“You think we’re being watched?”
“I know we are.”
The words left no room for debate.
The elevator descended toward the underground parking garage.
Damien drove himself.
He rarely did anymore, preferring to work during the commute, but today he wanted complete control over every decision.
His route toward Ethan’s location remained indirect.
Several unnecessary turns.
Different streets.
Routine surveillance detection.
By the third intersection, confirmation arrived.
The same black sedan appeared in his rearview mirror.
Maintaining distance.
Never overtaking.
Never falling too far behind.
Textbook observation techniques.
Damien felt something cold settle inside him.
These weren’t corporate investigators.
Nor were they paparazzi.
Paparazzi wanted photographs.
These people wanted patterns.
He deliberately changed direction again.
The sedan followed.
A second vehicle quietly joined several streets later.
Coordinated.
Disciplined.
Professional.
Memories returned without permission.
Training compounds surrounded by high fences.
Men dressed in plain clothes instead of uniforms.
Instructors repeating the same lesson until exhaustion blurred every thought.
“Observation without detection.”
“Never become memorable.”
“The best surveillance is never noticed.”
Those techniques hadn’t been taught to ordinary soldiers.
Only selected units.
Only personnel connected to classified operations.
His hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
No…
It couldn’t be.
Project Aegis had ended years ago.
Hadn’t it?
Damien finally reached the quiet café where Ethan had taken shelter.
The omega emerged moments later, carrying a slim leather case tucked securely beneath one arm.
Before entering the passenger seat, Ethan quickly looked over his shoulder.
“They’re still there.”
“I know.”
“You’ve seen them?”
Damien pulled smoothly back into traffic.
“I’ve recognized them.”
Ethan turned toward him.
“What do you mean?”
For several moments Damien remained silent.
His eyes continued moving between mirrors.
Watching.
Calculating.
Planning.
Finally he spoke.
“The way they move.”
“The spacing between vehicles.”
“The rotation.”
He exhaled slowly.
“I’ve seen it before.”
“Where?”
“My military service.”
Ethan’s expression changed immediately.
“You think they’re connected?”
“I think…”
Damien chose his next words carefully.
“…they’re trained by the same people.”
Silence filled the car.
Rain tapped softly against the windshield.
Ethan opened the leather case just enough to reveal the encrypted drive hidden inside.
“I found evidence.”
“What kind?”
“Project Aegis wasn’t medical treatment.”
“It was experimentation.”
Damien’s grip tightened almost imperceptibly.
“I suspected as much.”
“They were developing suppressant drugs.”
“They wanted Alphas who could ignore instinct.”
He looked directly at Damien.
“The listed side effects…”
“…they’re your symptoms.”
Damien said nothing.
He didn’t need to.
Everything Ethan described fit too perfectly.
The memory gaps.
The discharge papers.
The suppressants.
The impossible compatibility results.
The awakening rut.
None of it had been coincidence.
The traffic light ahead turned red.
Damien stopped the car.
In the mirror, the black sedan stopped three vehicles behind them.
Another car remained one lane over.
Watching.
Waiting.
Not hiding anymore.
The realization settled over him with terrible clarity.
For years he had believed the worst thing Project Aegis had taken from him was his instincts.
He had been wrong.
It had never truly let him go.
Whoever created the program was still operating.
Still protecting its secrets.
And now Ethan had uncovered enough of the truth to become dangerous.
Damien looked toward the omega sitting beside him.
Without realizing it, Ethan had stepped directly into the path of people capable of erasing military records, manipulating governments, and following civilians through the city without hesitation.
The danger no longer belonged to Damien alone.
The people responsible for destroying his instincts had returned.
And this time…
They weren’t hunting the Alpha.
They were hunting the omega who had started asking the right questions.
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