Bella moved closer to the metal drums, curiosity overpowering her fear. She peered inside one of them—and her breath caught in her throat. Weapons. Carefully stored, polished, lethal. Her pulse quickened. Fighting the rising dread, she turned toward the wooden crates stacked nearby. One of them was slightly open.
She knelt and lifted a small packet wrapped in plastic. Inside was a fine white powder. Hesitantly, she brought it closer, catching its sharp, unmistakable scent. Her suspicion hardened into certainty.
Drugs.
Shock coursed through her body. Her mind raced, piecing together the horrifying truth.
Weapons… drugs… Who is behind all of this?
Then a far more terrifying realization struck her.
This means someone from inside SID is involved.
Her chest tightened. This wasn't just illegal—it was betrayal.
Panic surged through her veins. She dropped the packet as if it had burned her fingers and spun toward the stairs. She had to get out—now. She had to tell Officer Ethan. He needed to know the truth before it was too late.
She had barely taken a step when a sudden blow struck the back of her head.
White-hot pain exploded behind her eyes. The world lurched violently as her legs gave way, and she crashed onto the cold concrete floor. Darkness crept in, pulling her under.
Just before she slipped into unconsciousness, muffled voices reached her ears.
"Keep her here," a cold voice ordered. "If she gets out, she'll become a threat. We'll decide later what to do with her."
As her vision faded completely, one final thought lingered in Bella's mind—
That voice…
It sounded terrifyingly familiar.
**********************************************************************************************
Ethan was walking from the officers' residential building toward his office when he noticed Ellena, Norah, Harry, and Derek running toward him. Their hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Seeing them like that, Ethan stopped short, surprise flashing across his face.
"Easy there," he said sharply. "Break your horses. What happened?"
Ellena bent forward, hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.
"Bella…" she gasped. "Have you—have you seen her anywhere?"
Ethan's brow furrowed. "No. Wasn't she with you all?"
Harry shook his head, worry etched across his face. "No. She wasn't in the room, and she didn't show up for morning exercise either."
Ethan's expression darkened. "She was with you last night."
Ellena straightened slowly, anxiety trembling in her voice. "Yes… we came back last night and went straight to sleep. After that, I don't know what happened. When we woke up this morning, she was gone. At first, we thought she'd already gone to the training ground for morning exercise—but she wasn't there either."
Norah stepped forward, her voice tight with fear. "We looked everywhere. When we couldn't find her, we went to your office, but it was locked. So we checked the condo again. She's not there."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Ethan's jaw tightened as unease crept into his chest.
"Alright," Ethan said firmly. "I'll check. You all ask the other cadets as well. If you find out anything—anything at all—inform me immediately."
With that, he turned and strode quickly toward the office building.
In the corridor, Sergeant Harris was standing with Officer Matthew, deep in discussion. Spotting Ethan approaching, Harris nodded.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Ethan replied curtly, barely slowing his pace. Then he stopped and turned to Matthew. "Have you seen Cadet Bella? Was she with you at any point?"
Matthew studied Ethan's face, immediately noticing the worry etched there. He shook his head.
"No. I just came from the officers' residential building a short while ago, and I haven't even entered my office yet. I haven't seen her. But… what's going on?"
Ethan quickly filled him in.
It didn't take long for the news of Bella's absence to spread throughout the entire SID headquarters. Officer Ace called an urgent gathering of all officers. Sergeants were dispatched to question the cadets, moving swiftly from group to group.
But no matter who they asked, the answer was always the same.
No one knew where Bella was.
*****************************************************************************************
Splash.
A jug filled with water was dumped straight onto Bella's face.
The icy shock tore her out of darkness. Gasping, disoriented, Bella's eyes flew open. Her entire body was soaked, trembling from the cold. As her vision cleared, she realized she was tied to a chair, thick ropes cutting into her wrists and ankles.
Standing before her was a man with his face hidden behind a black mask.
Bella swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay steady.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The masked man laughed—a low, mocking sound that echoed through the room.
"Cadet Bella," he said calmly, "too much curiosity is not good for you. Look where it's brought you. You've walked straight into your own death."
Bella lifted her chin despite the fear clawing at her chest.
"At least I know this much," she said coldly. "You're the black stain inside the SID department. Those weapons… those drugs—you're smuggling them. And you're using SID Headquarters to do it."
The masked man laughed again, louder this time.
"Not bad," he said approvingly. "So you finally proved that you really are Chief Luke's smart and intelligent daughter." His tone darkened. "But this will cost you dearly. Very dearly. Who do you think will come to save you?"
Before Bella could respond, he stepped forward and pressed thick tape over her mouth, silencing her protest. Then, with deliberate slowness, he pulled a mask over her face as well, plunging her into suffocating darkness.
And with that, Bella was left bound, blind, and utterly alone.