The hallway outside the interrogation room felt colder than it should.
Inspector Lila Nox walked out slowly, the metal door closing behind her with a dull click.
She didn't go far.
Just a few steps.
Then she stopped.
Her fingers tightened around the tablet.
"That's not me."
Marcus's voice echoed in her mind.
Calm.
Too calm.
Not the voice of a desperate man.
The voice of someone who knew something.
"Rough first round?"
Lila turned.
Detective Aron Bale leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a faint smirk on his face.
"Or did our soldier crack already?"
Lila ignored the tone.
"He didn't deny being there."
Aron raised an eyebrow. "But?"
"He denied the assault."
Aron scoffed. "They all do."
Lila hesitated.
"…He says the footage was replaced."
A pause.
Then—
Aron laughed.
Not loudly.
Just enough to dismiss it.
"Replaced?" he repeated. "What is this, some conspiracy movie?"
Lila didn't smile.
"He believed it."
Aron studied her face for a moment.
Then his smirk faded slightly.
"Lila… don't tell me you're buying that."
"I didn't say that."
But her voice wasn't as firm as she wanted it to be.
"Come on," Aron said, pushing himself off the wall. "Let's show you something."
EVIDENCE ROOM
The room buzzed with low electricity.
Screens lined the walls.
Footage.
Angles.
Time stamps.
Truth… captured in pixels.
Or so it seemed.
Aron plugged Lila's tablet into the system.
"Same camera," he said. "Different time."
The screen flickered.
New footage appeared.
Same street.
Same flickering light.
Different night.
Lila crossed her arms.
"What am I looking at?"
"Watch."
The video played.
Empty street.
Wind brushing trash along the pavement.
Then—
A figure entered.
A woman.
Same hood.
Same posture.
Lila leaned closer.
"…It's her."
Aron nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
The woman stopped under the streetlight.
Just like before.
She looked around.
Waiting.
Then—
Another figure entered the frame.
Lila's breath caught.
It was Marcus.
Same clothes.
Same walk.
Same everything.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Lila stepped closer to the screen.
"…Play that again."
Aron rewound it.
Played it slower.
Frame by frame.
Marcus walked into the light.
And for a split second—
He glitched.
Not like bad camera quality.
Not like lag.
His body… shifted.
Like a reflection trying to catch up.
Lila's voice dropped.
"…Did you see that?"
Aron didn't respond.
For once, he looked unsure.
They watched again.
This time, Lila focused on the woman.
And that's when she saw it.
The woman didn't react.
Not at all.
Not when Marcus entered.
Not when he stood too close.
Not even when—
The footage froze.
Lila blinked.
"Why did it stop?"
Aron frowned. "I didn't pause it."
The screen flickered.
Static.
Then—
The image changed.
Same street.
Same light.
But now—
No Marcus.
No woman.
Just empty pavement.
Lila stepped back.
"What the hell—"
Aron unplugged the tablet quickly.
The screen went black.
Silence filled the room.
"Tell me that's a glitch," Aron said.
But his voice didn't sound convinced.
Lila shook her head slowly.
"No…"
Her eyes were fixed on the blank screen.
"…that was edited."
A voice spoke from behind them.
Cold.
Controlled.
"You're looking in the wrong place."
They turned.
Director Hale stood at the doorway.
Hands behind his back.
Watching them like they were part of the experiment.
Lila straightened.
"Sir."
Hale walked in slowly.
His eyes moved to the screen.
Then to Lila.
"Inspector Nox," he said, "this case is no longer under standard jurisdiction."
Lila frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Hale said calmly,
"you will stop analyzing that footage."
Aron stepped forward. "With respect, sir, we just saw—"
"I know what you saw."
His tone cut through the room like a blade.
Silence.
Lila's jaw tightened.
"Then you know something is wrong."
Hale looked at her.
For a long moment.
Then—
He smiled.
Just slightly.
Not reassuring.
Not kind.
Calculated.
"Inspector," he said,
"…nothing is wrong."
A pause.
Then he added:
"Everything is working exactly as intended."
Lila felt it again.
That shift.
That crack in reality Marcus had hinted at.
"Sir," she said carefully,
"what exactly are we dealing with?"
Hale turned toward the door.
Stopping just before he left.
Without looking back, he said:
"You're dealing with a man…"
A beat.
"…who saw something he wasn't supposed to see."
The door closed.
Silence returned.
But it wasn't the same silence anymore.
Lila turned slowly toward the interrogation room.
Where Marcus Vane was still waiting.
And for the first time—
She wasn't sure if he was the suspect…
Or the only one telling the truth.