Episode 2 – The Court of Shadows
Cold Open
The city's courthouses looked majestic from the outside, marble pillars towering like monuments to truth. But Theo Mercer had already learned in just one week at the Wicked Spies Division that those halls were dirtier than the gutters outside.
He adjusted his tie, following Marisol through the wide double doors. Her heels clicked sharply against the stone floor, the sound echoing with power. Detectives Briggs and Vega trailed behind, the four of them escorting their suspect — the black-sedan driver from the previous night.
The arraignment was supposed to be simple. But nothing in this world was simple.
Judge Halloran sat on the bench, smirking like a man who owned the city. His eyes flicked from Theo to Marisol and lingered on her blouse a little too long. "Ah. Wicked Spies Division. My favorite degenerates."
Marisol's lips curved. "Always a pleasure, your honor."
Theo's HUD flickered faintly at the edge of his vision:
[Case Continuation: Potential EXP 150–350]
His pulse quickened. The game had already started.
⸻
Act 1 – Behind Closed Chambers
Halloran called a recess after the opening statements, inviting Marisol into his chambers. Theo wasn't supposed to follow, but instinct pulled him close. He pressed against the wall outside, hearing muffled voices through the door.
"You drive a hard bargain," Halloran's oily tone slipped through.
Marisol's voice came next, low, husky, calculated. "I know what you want. I also know what we need. Those warrants won't hold without your blessing."
Theo's breath hitched as the sounds shifted — the shuffle of fabric, a stifled moan. His stomach knotted. She was buying justice the only way Halloran accepted currency.
The HUD flickered.
[Court Manipulation: +25 EXP]
Theo closed his eyes. Every corrupted act fed him power.
When Marisol emerged minutes later, hair slightly tousled, she lit a cigarette like nothing had happened. "Stop looking at me like that, rookie. Justice doesn't pay for itself."
⸻
Act 2 – Jury of Fools
Back in the courtroom, jury selection began. Theo watched as names were pulled "randomly." He didn't know how, but the moment his eyes fell on certain faces, dice rolled in his mind, odds shifted.
A man who'd been hostile to police suddenly got called to another case. A woman who lost her daughter to trafficking was "coincidentally" selected.
[Probability Break: +10 EXP]
[Probability Break: +15 EXP]
Theo clenched his fists under the desk. He wasn't choosing — the world bent around him. And no one noticed.
Vega leaned over, whispering, "You've got the weirdest fucking luck, Mercer. Don't waste it."
⸻
Act 3 – Betrayals
During lunch break, Theo caught Vega in the parking lot, handing a brown envelope to a man in a leather jacket. The exchange was quick, dirty.
Theo confronted him. "What was that?"
Vega lit a cigar, unbothered. "CI payoff. Confidential informant sold out. You think justice is free? Grow up, rookie."
[Betrayal Witnessed: +20 EXP]
Theo's chest tightened. Everyone here was rotten. Was he the only one still pretending the badge meant something?
Back inside, Marisol was whispering sweet nothings into the ear of the DA, her hand sliding along his thigh under the table. He flushed, flustered, nodding to whatever demand she made.
Theo turned away, pulse hammering. Everything was sex, bribes, betrayal. And somehow, it all pushed the case forward.
⸻
Act 4 – The Trial
The defense attorney was sharp, ruthless, tearing into the detectives' testimonies. One witness, a young woman from the trafficking ring, froze on the stand, clearly coached to lie.
Theo's heart pounded. He felt it again — the dice rolling.
The woman shifted nervously, and as she reached into her purse for a tissue, a folded piece of paper slipped out. It fluttered to the ground. Marisol snatched it up instantly, unfolding it with a smirk.
It was the defense's playbook: names, times, instructions to lie.
The courtroom erupted.
[Probability Break: +50 EXP]
The judge pounded his gavel, demanding order. The witness wept under cross-examination, the defense attorney sputtering.
Theo sat frozen, realizing: he hadn't willed it. But reality itself bent to ensure the truth — or at least his side's version of it — surfaced.
Act 5 – Alley Retribution
Court recessed late into the night. As Theo and Marisol walked toward the precinct parking lot, shadows peeled from the alley. Three men stepped out — leather jackets, brass knuckles, the stink of rage on them.
"You cops think you can ruin Calderon's name?" one hissed.
Theo froze. Marisol sighed, flicking her cigarette away. "Really? Do we have to do this now?"
The first thug lunged. Theo barely ducked. A pipe whistled past his ear. He stumbled, certain the next blow would crush his skull.
Then — a car alarm blared. The thug spun, startled. His foot caught on a loose brick. He went down hard, his own pipe smashing his nose.
[Probability Break: +35 EXP]
Another thug grabbed Marisol, pinning her against the wall. She kneed him hard, then hissed, "Theo!"
Theo swung wildly — and at that exact second, the thug slipped on the slick pavement, his jaw slamming into Theo's fist harder than physics should've allowed. Blood sprayed.
The last thug ran. But fate wasn't on his side. A delivery truck screeched around the corner, blocking his escape. He froze as Marisol leveled her gun.
They hauled the men in. Theo's HUD blazed:
[Case Solved: +350 EXP]
[Total EXP: 625/1000]
⸻
Closing Cliffhanger
Theo sat alone in his apartment that night, staring at his reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror. His eyes glowed faintly under the flickering bulb.
The HUD appeared, undeniable now:
[Level 3 → Level 6]
His breath caught. He was growing stronger. Every case, every betrayal, every act of corruption fed him.
In the precinct lockup, the artifact pulsed violently, red veins crawling across its surface.
And in his dreams, he heard the voice again:
"Luck is an illusion. You are inevitability."