Freya studied the woman, her eyes scanning for any sign of threat, but the woman carried nothing. No weapons, no signs of malice. Still, the silence between them was suffocating. The car's engine hummed, the low sound mingling with the passing streetlights until the woman turned sharply onto a narrow road and killed the engine. She glanced over at them, her eyes steady.
"Come with me," she said, completely unbothered.
Sid shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the darkened streets, clearly unsure. He hesitated, then looked at the woman again. "How can we trust you?"
The woman didn't answer right away. Instead, she gave him a small, almost dismissive smile, then opened the door and stepped out. Sid exchanged a glance with Freya before following her, though the unease still clung to him. One by one, they got out of the car, standing on the cracked pavement. Freya looked up the black building, covered in cracks, but for some reason, she sensed it has been used for a very.. long.. while.
They moved inside, and the woman led them through a hallway before stopping in the middle of a small, lit room. She took a seat in the single chair at the center, and two more chairs were placed around it, casting long shadows in the low light from a single overhead bulb.
"Sit."
Freya sat down without a word, but Sid lingered, his gaze flicking nervously around the room. His eyes locked onto the door for a moment, then shifted back to the woman.
"I prefer to stand," he said, his voice flat but edged with tension.
The woman's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile, "Your loss."
She leaned forward then, narrowing her eyes, her gaze fixed on Freya. "I cannot reveal my name until I have fully trusted you. But for now, you can call me Nyx."
Sid let out a short, humorless laugh, turning fully toward her. "Well, Nyx, how exactly do you expect us to trust you?"
Nyx didn't flinch. Her eyes were steady, her voice unwavering. "I don't expect you to trust me," she replied coolly. "But desperate times call for desperate measures. This… is a desperate call from your friend, Timothy Banks. You help me, I help you. Simple as that-"
Sid opened his mouth to respond, but Freya cut him off, scowling, her eyes blazed, "Get to the point, Nyx. My patience is growing thin."
Nyx stared at her for a long moment, as though considering her words carefully. The silence was thick. Then, without a word, she stood up and walked to the side of the room. She flicked on a light, revealing a corkboard filled with a tangle of photos, newspaper clippings, and red threads connecting the pieces like a twisted web.
"A job," she said, her voice low, almost like a whisper. "Will you accept and swear on your life to prove your loyalty by helping me with this one task?"
The room was quiet, the weight of Nyx's words hanging in the air. Sid and Freya exchanged a glance, both sensing that there was more beneath the surface. Nyx sat down again, leaning back in her chair, her eyes narrowing, as if carefully weighing how much to reveal.
"I'll help you find Timothy," Nyx said, her voice flat but firm. "But I need your help first."
Freya stood still, her arms crossed, "And what exactly do you need us to do?" she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.
Nyx's eyes flickered to Sid, then back to Freya. She didn't speak immediately, and the pause stretched, filling the air with tension. When she finally did speak, it was slow, like she was forcing herself to say it out loud.
"I need you to steal something," she said, her voice lowering. "A file... A government file."
Sid frowned. "A file? From where?"
"The police," Nyx answered, her gaze never leaving them. "A project they've been running, a project they've been hiding for years. This file holds everything: their names, their actions, the deals they've made. The people behind it."
Freya's brow furrowed. "Why not just take it yourself? Why us?"
Nyx's expression darkened, a brief flicker of something cold passing through her eyes. "Because they'll be watching me. They already know who I am. If I try to go after it, I'll be dead before I even get close."
Sid let out a short laugh, his voice rough. "So you're asking us to risk our lives for a file that could get us killed?"
Nyx didn't flinch. "Yes."
Freya took a step forward, "What's in it for you? Why do you care so much?"
Nyx's eyes flashed with something darker. She hesitated for a moment, "Because I ran away from them. From the people who took Timothy. I was part of their team, part of the system that helped cover up their crimes. But I couldn't stay. Not after finding out they stole my sister. I couldn't stay silent anymore."
The room felt colder at her words, the weight of her admission sinking in. There was no trace of the confident, collected woman they had seen earlier. Instead, there was a flicker of something personal, that made Freya hesitate.
Sid's voice broke through the silence. "You were with them?" He couldn't hide the suspicion in his tone. "And now you're asking us to trust you?"
Nyx's gaze hardened. She leaned forward, her eyes dark, "I'm not asking you to trust me," she said quietly. "I'm asking you to help me take them down. If you do, I'll tell you where Timothy is."
Sid stepped back, his jaw tight. "And why should we believe you'll keep your word?"
Nyx didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stood up and crossed the room, moving toward a desk hidden in the shadows. She opened a drawer and pulled out a thick file, placing it on the table with a soft thud. The file was old, its edges worn, and it looked like it had been through hell.
She slid the file toward them. "This is the file. The one you need to steal. If you want to get Timothy back, this is the only way. You take it from them, and I'll give you everything you need. I'll give you Timothy's location. I'll give you the truth."
Freya didn't move. The words hung in the air like a promise, but a promise with a price. She studied Nyx carefully, her mind racing. Everything in her wanted to say no. She wasn't sure who Nyx really was, how could she trust someone who had been part of the very system that took Timothy...
But the file. That file...
"Why do you want this file?" Freya asked, her voice low, careful. "What's so important about it?"
Nyx's eyes darkened, her lips tightening. She stared at the file for a long moment before answering, her voice soft but filled with resolve. "It's not just a file. It's my sister's death. And it's everything those people want to keep buried. It's mypayback."
The words hit hard, and for the first time, Freya saw the full depth of the anger driving Nyx.
Sid broke the silence. "And why do you think we can do this? How do you know we won't turn you in?"
Nyx met his gaze with an unwavering look. "Because if you don't help me, you'll never find Timothy. And the people who have him will destroy anyone who gets too close. You help me, and I'll make sure you get him back."
Freya stared at the file, the weight of Nyx's words pressing down on her. This was their chance. But it felt like a gamble, a horribly dangerous one.
"We'll do it," Freya said finally, her voice steady. "But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Timothy. And when we get him back, we'll be done with you."
Nyx nodded, "Deal."