Rain fell steadily across the capital as the presidential convoy cut through the darkness.
The windshield wipers moved with mechanical precision, pushing away sheets of rain that seemed determined to swallow the road ahead.
Inside the lead vehicle, no one spoke.
Sebastian sat beside Director Hayes, reading the intelligence file for the third time.
It wasn't because the report was long.
It wasn't. It was because every page raised more questions than it answered.
Deputy Warden Marcus John Decorated officer .Fifteen years of service. No disciplinary record. No unexplained wealth.
No suspicious travel history.
On paper, he was exactly the kind of man entrusted with guarding the country's most dangerous prisoners. Hayes closed the folder. "I don't like clean records."
Sebastian glanced sideways.
"You prefer guilty people?"
"I prefer honest paperwork."
He looked through the rain-covered window.
"Nobody stays spotless for fifteen years."
