Night has long fallen over the megacity when Gabriel steps into Saint-Sébastien Church, a modest place of worship lost among concrete housing blocks. He is not a man of faith, but this discreet meeting was imposed on him by a mysterious caller who reached him on a crypted line earlier that evening.
"Come alone to Saint-Sébastien Church, Cobalt district, 11 p.m. You will get answers about Prometheus."
The voice had been distorted, unrecognizable. Gabriel hesitated, suspecting another trap. But he has nothing left to lose—and every reason to hope. If this is a chance to finally understand his enemy, he must take it.
His footsteps echo faintly on the old tiled floor as he walks down the dim nave, lit only by a few candles. The pews stand empty. A single figure kneels at the front, before the altar.
Gabriel approaches cautiously. The man rises at the sound of his steps. He is thin, hunched, wearing a worn overcoat and an old hat. In the flickering light, his ascetic face appears—sharp cheekbones, heavy dark circles around his eyes.
"Inspector Moreau, I presume?" the man's trembling voice asks.
Gabriel keeps his distance, hand near the revolver at his belt. He no longer carries his official weapon, but he retrieved an old personal revolver from home.
"Who are you? You mentioned Prometheus… show me your hands."
The old man slowly raises empty hands.
"I am not armed. And I mean you no harm, Inspector. My name is Emil Vernet."
Gabriel's heart skips.
Vernet.
The name from Kraft's notes. The name spoken by the messenger.
He studies the man carefully. Yes—he recognizes the features from old scientific journals. Emil Vernet, the disgraced Prometheus researcher.
Gabriel tightens his grip on the revolver.
"Vernet… You're with them?" he growls. "Are you orchestrating these attacks?"
The old scientist shakes his head wearily.
"I expected that reaction. No, Inspector. I have been involved… but I want to stop it."
Gabriel narrows his eyes. Vernet does not look like a fanatic—he looks exhausted, haunted.
"Talk," Gabriel says, lowering the gun slightly. "Explain. Quickly."
Vernet leans against a pew, burdened by his confession.
"I guided Lucien down the path of revolt," he begins softly. "Lucien Tazenec. That is the name you are looking for."
Gabriel repeats it internally.
Lucien.
Finally, a name.
"Why does Lucien Tazenec want to destroy the system?" Gabriel demands. "What story did he tell you to justify murdering my partner?"
Vernet closes his eyes; a nervous tic twitches his cheek.
"Because he carries an infinite rage born of loss and injustice. And I am partly responsible. His wife and little daughter died five years ago in an incident at a Prometheus annex in a poor district. A radiation leak."
His voice trembles.
"I had warned management of the risks. They ignored me. After the accident, they silenced me. I lost everything—my position, my reputation. But Lucien lost far more. His family. His reason to live."
Gabriel listens in silence. He remembers Kraft's fragmented testimony: twenty dead in the lower districts.
So it was true.
"Lucien came to me when he uncovered the truth," Vernet continues. "At first, he was a broken man seeking justice—like you. I helped him, believing we could expose Rochefort and the others. Émilie Rochefort, director of the Prometheus project."
Gabriel nods grimly. The name is familiar—the untouchable head of the Energy Department. He had glimpsed her earlier at the station, undoubtedly pushing to bury the affair.
"But no media outlet, no authority listened," Vernet says bitterly. "Lucien changed methods. He began recruiting the discontented, gathering weapons, explosives…"
The old man wipes his trembling forehead.
"I never wanted violence. I wanted to expose corruption. And now I am complicit in a plan of destruction. Yesterday, when I saw how far Lucien was willing to go… I knew I had to stop him."
Gabriel steps closer. He sees sincerity—and despair—in Vernet's eyes.
"He's planning something at Prometheus, isn't he?" Gabriel whispers. "Tell me everything."
Vernet nods gravely.
"Tomorrow night. The official inauguration is the following day, but tomorrow there will be a restricted full-power test attended by city executives and Director Rochefort. Lucien intends to blow up the main reactor."
The words land like lead.
"If he succeeds," Vernet continues, "the initial blast will vaporize the entire complex. The shockwave… could devastate half the lower city. Tens of thousands dead. Perhaps more."
Gabriel clenches his jaw.
"How does he intend to do it? Security must be extreme after the recent events."
"Thanks to me," Vernet answers bitterly. "I still had access and intimate knowledge of the system. We devised an infiltration plan posing as maintenance technicians. Once inside, charges will be placed at critical cooling points…"
He falters.
"Or rather, they will place them. I will not."
Gabriel's mind races. Even if he warns them, would anyone believe a suspended officer?
"We need to alert Prometheus security," he says. "Evacuate everyone. Stop the test."
Vernet gives a sad smile.
"Prometheus security is Rochefort herself. She won't listen to me—or to you."
Frustration burns in Gabriel's chest.
"Then we stop them ourselves," he declares. "How do we get in?"
Vernet seems relieved.
"There's an abandoned evacuation tunnel beneath the complex. It leads near the machine room. I kept a magnetic pass—it might still work."
He hands Gabriel a cracked badge.
"Couldn't you use the tunnel and sabotage their charges yourself?" Gabriel asks.
Vernet lowers his head.
"I am being watched. I managed to slip away tonight, but Lucien or Nadia will soon notice."
"Nadia?"
"Nadia Vasquez," Vernet clarifies. "The woman who approached you at the market."
Gabriel's stomach tightens.
So she has a name.
"I trusted her," he mutters.
"She believed in the cause," Vernet says gently. "I approached her years ago. She too was broken by the system. I think she now doubts—but she is trapped between loyalty and conscience."
Gabriel grips the badge.
"What will you do?" he asks Vernet. "Lucien won't forgive this betrayal."
The old man smiles faintly.
"I am an old man. I already carry death on my conscience. If I must meet it tomorrow to atone, so be it."
Gabriel is about to reply when a faint creak sounds near the church entrance.
Instinctively, he raises his gun.
"Who's there?"
A shadow darts behind a pillar. Gabriel glimpses a dark coat vanishing into the night outside.
Someone was listening.
"We're not alone," Gabriel hisses.
Vernet pales.
"I—I wasn't followed…"
"Go home," Gabriel orders, rushing toward the exit. "Hide somewhere safe. I'll find you."
The old man nods in panic as Gabriel bolts out of the sacred building.