A sterile interrogation room in the Summit's security complex. One-way glass. A metal table. Two chairs. Simone sat on one side, perfectly composed, her eyes fixed on the wall as if it were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.
James entered, carrying a file folder. He sat across from Simone, studying her for a long moment before speaking.
"We've been at this for six hours. You haven't said a word."
Simone didn't respond. Didn't blink.
"Oliver Khan has been very talkative. He's told us everything about the Wolfsbane he stole. The lab he worked at. The 'personal projects' you asked him to supply."
Simone's lip twitched—barely.
"He thought you were making an abortion drug. He had no idea what you were really doing. He's not the mastermind. He's just a pawn."
Still nothing.
James leaned forward. "But here's the thing, Simone. I don't think you're the mastermind either. I think you're another pawn. A more valuable one, sure. But still... expendable."
Simone's eyes flickered to his, a flash of something—anger? Fear?—before the mask returned.
"Who are you working for?"
Silence.
"What are they making?"
Silence.
James slammed the folder on the table. "People are dead, Simone! Your pack members! And you're sitting here playing games!"
Simone finally spoke, her voice calm and cold. "You think I care about low-ranking wolves? They're nothing. They're the past. We're building the future."
"What future?"
Simone smiled. "You'll see. Everyone will see. And when you do... it'll be too late."
She leaned back, closing her eyes, done with the conversation.
James stared at her, his jaw clenched. Then he stood and left.
------
An adjacent observation room. Eleanor stood behind the one-way glass, having watched the entire exchange. Gareth was with her, his expression hollow.
James entered. "She's not going to talk. Not yet."
Eleanor turned to him. "What about Oliver?"
"He's in the next room. He's... more cooperative."
They moved to the next observation window. Through the glass, they saw Oliver Khan, disheveled and weeping, talking to a security officer.
Oliver's voice came through the speaker, desperate and broken. "I didn't know! I swear I didn't know! She said it was for personal use! She said she wanted to... to terminate a pregnancy! I thought I was helping her!"
James's voice was grim. "He's told us everything he knows. Which isn't much. He stole baseline Wolfsbane from his lab. He gave it to Simone. She paid him. He has no knowledge of the murders."
Eleanor nodded slowly. "So Simone modified it. Created Wolfsbane-722."
"With help. Someone with advanced biochemical knowledge. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing."
Gareth spoke for the first time, his voice raw. "Who?"
"That's what we need to find out."
Eleanor's phone buzzed. She looked at it, her expression shifting from confusion to shock.
"James. The autopsy results from the third victim. I asked the lab to run a full scan."
"And?"
She read from the screen, her voice tight. "They found something. At the base of the skull. A microscopic implant. A neural interface."
James's blood ran cold. "A what?"
"It's broadcasting a signal. A low-frequency pulse. James... the killer isn't using the drug on themselves. They're using it to control someone else."
James's eyes widened as realization dawned. "They're creating a Hound. A chemically-induced, mindless..."
Eleanor finished for him. "Killer. Someone who can be triggered remotely. Someone who doesn't remember what they've done."
Gareth's voice was quiet. "The perfect weapon."
They stood in silence, the horror of the revelation sinking in.
James spoke first. "We need to find that signal. Trace it back to its source."
"I'm on it," Eleanor said.
"And we need to figure out who's behind Prometheus Biotech. The human CEO. The one pulling Simone's strings."
Gareth stepped forward. "Let me help."
James and Eleanor looked at him. He was broken, exhausted, but there was a fire in his eyes—a need for redemption.
"I know Simone. I know the pack's secrets. And I know the contested property—the one from the lawsuit. If there's a facility there, I can find it."
James was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But you follow my lead. No heroics."
Gareth nodded. "No heroics."