Chapter 5: Blood Ties and Burning Truths
The air inside the safe house on 79th was thick with dust and ghosts. Morning light trickled through the broken blinds, casting stripes across Von's face as he sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by old CIA documents, photographs, and flash drives that once belonged to his father.
Every file he opened felt like peeling back another layer of betrayal.
James Royner hadn't just been hunted—he'd been groomed, tested, then discarded. The documents painted a dark picture of a program buried deep within the CIA: Project Oracle. What began as scientific curiosity about precognitive cognition spiraled into a covert operation to create super-soldiers. And Von's father had been their prototype.
One file stood out—labeled "Phase 4: Inheritance." Inside were genetic scans, behavioral charts, and a chilling summary:
"Subject's son exhibits heightened awareness. 93% probability the ability passed genetically. Subject Von Royner is considered high-risk. Must be contained or terminated."
Von clenched the paper so hard it crumpled in his fist.
His father hadn't been a threat. He had been the answer they were too afraid to embrace. And now they were after him, the son trying to erase a legacy they couldn't control.
Von plugged in one of the flash drives. A video flickered to life. Grainy security footage. He recognized the voice immediately—Agent Carter Mays.
"…if the father won't comply, terminate him. The son must not awaken."
The voice sent a chill down his spine.
Across town, Agent Carter sat at his desk, staring at the static-filled monitor. Surveillance drones still hovered near the 79th street property, but Von had gone dark inside. No movement. No sound.
Carter was tense—restless. He hadn't heard from Shanice since last night. Something inside him twisted.
He pulled up her location tracker. It pinged in the same spot it had for hours—her apartment.
"You're too quiet, baby girl," he muttered.
He tapped his desk, eyes narrowing. The more time he spent chasing the Royner boy, the less time he had to protect his daughter.
And that irony wasn't lost on him.
Carter stood and walked to the evidence wall—an array of pinned photos, maps, and sticky notes. In the center, two faces stared back at him.
James Royner.
Von Royner.
Both surrounded by red thread.
He took a thumbtack and added another photo—Shanice, smiling at her high school graduation. It pierced his heart. But it reminded him what was at stake.
If Von had made contact with her… it was more than a security risk.
It was personal.
At the safe house, Von watched the video loop a second time, eyes burning. Agent Carter wasn't just a CIA pawn—he was the puppet master. He had orchestrated the betrayal, signed off on the firebomb that destroyed Von's life.
But something didn't add up.
Why had Carter been so close to his father before the fall? Why had James trusted him enough to keep him in family photos?
He reached for another folder labeled "Field Notes – Chicago 2005."
Inside, he found something that made his blood run cold.
A medical report.
Tiana Royner: Subject pregnancy confirmed.
Below that was Carter's name.
Investigator: Agent C. Mays
Von's vision blurred. His hand trembled as he read the attached memo.
"Subject Tiana Royner is not to be alerted to our surveillance. Probability remains that child may carry advanced gene. Father presumed unaware of full extent."
Von dropped the page. His breathing grew shallow.
Carter had been watching them even before he was born.
A knock on the back door pulled him from the haze. He darted to the side and peeked through the curtain.
It was Trell—his BD lieutenant, face tight with urgency.
Von let him in and locked the door.
"What's up?" Von asked.
"Word's out. They know you back. CIA's got dudes sniffin' around—drones, undercover sedans. I saw one parked near the block."
Von nodded. "Then it's time to go public."
Trell looked confused. "Public?"
"They think I'm hiding. We flip the script."
Von walked over to the table, grabbed one of the USB drives, and handed it to Trell.
"Get this to Black Ice," he said. "Have him leak it to every underground channel on the net. They wanna hide the truth? Let's see how they handle the whole world knowing."
Trell grinned. "Bet."
Von nodded. "Also… check on Shanice."
Trell raised a brow. "You catchin' feelings?"
Von didn't answer.
"On it," Trell said before disappearing out the back door.
Carter Mays wasn't sleeping.
He was watching.
The feed from the surveillance drone glitched, then returned. The CIA's tech team had picked up movement—Trell entering the safe house, then leaving moments later.
Carter's instincts flared.
He switched to another feed—satellite intel from South Side block chatter. Keywords spiked: Oracle, Royner, CIA, truth, safe house.
Then, a red alert hit the screen.
DATA LEAK IN PROGRESS. FILES LABELED "PROJECT ORACLE" FOUND ON DARKNET CHANNELS. SOURCE: UNKNOWN.
"Son of a bitch," Carter hissed.
He slammed a fist against the table and turned to his team.
"Get a black ops unit to 79th now. No more waiting. I want that boy in custody—dead or alive."
"But sir," one agent protested, "he just leaked classified data. If we go in heavy, the media"
"Do it!" Carter snapped. "Before this city explodes."
As the agents rushed out, Carter stared one last time at the photo of Von on the screen.
"He doesn't know what he's started," he muttered.
But deep down, Carter feared the boy knew exactly what he was doing.
And that terrified him more than anything else.
Back inside the safe house, Von finished packing what he needed. The walls had ears now. He couldn't stay. Not here.
As he zipped up his bag, he heard the soft vibration of a phone on the counter.
A new message.
From Shanice.
I know who you are now. Come back. I don't care what my father says. I want the truth too.
Von stared at it, his jaw clenched.
The world was closing in, but she still chose him.
He slid the phone into his pocket, looked around the room one last time, then opened the back door and vanished into the Chicago dawn.
War had begun.
And it was only the fifth chapter.