CHAPTER 28: PREPARATION

Rin spent the morning at a public library in Khomasdal, one of the few places that probably didn’t have Association monitoring, he needed to think without being watched.

The library was mostly empty, a few students studying, an older woman reading newspapers, the kind of place where anonymity was easy.

He pulled up everything he could find on the Architect Collective using public databases, news archives, anything that wasn’t classified.

Not much existed, a few conspiracy theory forums mentioned them, rumors about monster trafficking, illegal experimentation, but nothing concrete, no names, no locations, just whispers.

One article from eight months ago caught his attention, a Hunter in Johannesburg had gone missing after investigating strange dungeon formations, his last known location was an abandoned research facility, authorities found no trace of him, case went cold within weeks.

The article mentioned he’d been asking questions about "artificially induced dungeon manifestations" right before disappearing.

Same thing Leo had been investigating.

[Pattern recognition: Multiple Hunters investigating anomalous dungeons have disappeared]

[Probability this is coincidence: Less than 1%]

[The Architect Collective is eliminating researchers]

’So why invite me instead of just killing me?’

[Hypothesis: You possess unique capability they require]

[Your fracture energy cannot be easily replicated]

[They need you alive and cooperative]

His phone buzzed, message from Joy.

Joy: at the gym training, you should come, take your mind off tonight

Rin: yeah, heading there now

He caught a taxi to the Association training facility, found Joy in one of the private combat rooms, she was working through combat drills with practice dummies, her movements sharp and precise.

"You look like shit," she said when she saw him.

"Didn’t sleep much."

"Yeah, me neither." She dismissed the training program. "I keep thinking about that thing in the dungeon, the way it knew everything about you, about Leo, about the raid."

"It knew too much, which means either they’ve been watching for a long time or they have someone inside the Association feeding them information."

"Or both." Joy grabbed water, took a long drink. "I talked to my dad last night."

That surprised him. "About this?"

"No, just general stuff, but I asked him what he knew about the Jin raid, he got really quiet, said it was classified, told me not to ask questions." She sat down on a bench. "My dad’s never told me something was classified before, he usually overshares political gossip, but this made him uncomfortable."

"So there is something."

"Maybe, or maybe it’s just standard protocol for missions that went bad, I don’t know, but his reaction was weird."

Tayo walked in, spotted them. "Yo, you two look serious, what’s up?"

Rin hesitated, not sure how much to share, Tayo was solid but this was getting dangerous.

Joy made the decision for him. "We’re meeting with some people tonight, might be risky, figured you should know in case something happens."

"Meeting who?"

"Organization that claims to have information about anomalous dungeons, they contacted Rin directly, want to talk." She kept it vague, didn’t mention the Architect by name.

Tayo frowned. "That sounds sketchy as hell."

"It is, but they have evidence we need to see."

"Want backup? I can come, stay out of sight, if things go sideways I’ll call for help."

Rin considered it, having Tayo nearby wasn’t a bad idea, especially since Fiona said she’d be watching too, multiple safety nets.

"Location is Sector 15 industrial area, abandoned factory district, if we’re not out by midnight, assume something went wrong."

"Got it." Tayo pulled out his phone. "Send me the exact coordinates, I’ll position myself with line of sight, anything happens, I’m calling in the cavalry."

They spent the next hour training together, running combat scenarios, working on coordination, it helped take Rin’s mind off tonight, gave him something to focus on besides worst-case scenarios.

Around 1400 Reva found them, her expression was tight. "Matsuda, my office, now."

That wasn’t a request.

Rin followed her through the facility to a small office on the administrative floor, she closed the door, activated a privacy screen.

"I’m going to ask you a direct question and I need an honest answer," she said. "Have you been contacted by the Architect Collective again?"

Rin weighed his options, lying to a Deputy Director was risky but telling the truth meant she’d try to stop him.

"Yes."

"And you’re planning to meet them."

"How did you know?"

"Because we’ve been monitoring communications, flagged keywords trigger automatic reviews, your phone received two messages containing terms associated with the Collective." She pulled up logs on her tablet. "I could confiscate your device, put you under protective custody, prevent this meeting from happening."

"But you’re not going to."

"No, because I think you need to see this for yourself, whatever they’re offering, whatever they claim to know, you won’t stop wondering unless you actually confront it." Reva sat down. "But I’m not letting you walk in there blind."

She pulled up files, started showing him information.

"The Architect Collective has existed for approximately eighteen months, emerged shortly after the fracture event, their operations focus on anomalous entity research, modification, deployment, they fund themselves through black market sales of modified monsters, custom dungeon formations, biological weapons."

She swiped through photos of modified creatures, some similar to what Rin had fought, others were far worse.

"They’ve abducted at least eleven Hunters that we know of, all of them had unique abilities, rare classifications, most were never recovered, the two who escaped reported extensive experimentation, invasive procedures, forced ability extraction."

"Why haven’t you shut them down?"

"We’ve tried, multiple operations over the past year, they’re extremely mobile, compartmentalized, no central location, every time we close in they disappear, relocate, change tactics." Reva’s expression was frustrated. "They’re also well-funded, have access to advanced technology, possibly military-grade equipment, whoever’s running this has serious resources."

"Do you know who the Architect is?"

"No concrete identity, we have theories, suspects, but nothing proven, the name might not even be a single person, could be a collective leadership, could be a front for a larger organization."

She closed the files. "What I’m about to tell you is classified, if you repeat this I’ll deny it and you’ll face charges, understood?"

"Understood."

"We think they have someone inside the Association, high-level access, someone feeding them information about Hunter operations, capabilities, assignments, too many times they’ve known things they shouldn’t." Reva met his eyes. "That’s why I’m not stopping your meeting, if you go, if they reveal something, it might help us identify who’s compromised."

"You want me to be bait."

"I want you to be careful, armed, and aware that everything they tell you might be manipulation, but yes, if you can gather intelligence while you’re there, it would help our investigation."

"What about Leo’s investigation, the recordings they claim to have?"

Reva’s expression shifted. "What recordings?"

"They sent me an audio file, Leo detailing anomalous dungeon patterns, filing reports with Ashford, dated three days before the Jin raid." Rin pulled out his phone, showed her the file.

She listened to the entire recording, her face getting progressively more concerned.

"This is Leo’s voice?"

"Yeah, I’d know it anywhere."

"I haven’t seen any reports like this in our system, if Leo filed something with Ashford it should be in the database." She made notes on her tablet. "I’ll investigate this, see if reports were suppressed or misfiled."

"Or if someone deliberately hid them."

"That too." She stood up. "Tonight, when you meet them, wear this."

She handed him a small device, looked like a button. "Tracker, works independently of your shoulder implant, if you press it twice rapidly, it sends a distress signal, S-rank response teams will be deployed to your location within five minutes."

"Five minutes is a long time if someone’s trying to kill me."

"It’s the best we can do, Sector 15 is outside our immediate response zone, we’ll have teams staged nearby but they need authorization to move, pressing this gives them that authorization."

Rin attached the button to his jacket. "What if they detect it?"

"They probably will, but that’s fine, sends a message that you’re not completely isolated, that backup exists, might make them think twice about hostile action."

She walked him to the door. "Matsuda, whatever they show you tonight, whatever evidence they present, remember that truth can be manipulated, context can be removed, audio can be edited, don’t accept anything at face value."

"I won’t."

"Good, now get out of here, prepare however you need to, if I don’t hear from you by 0100 tomorrow I’m sending in the teams anyway."

Rin left her office, his mind racing, the Association was compromised, Leo’s investigation had been suppressed, someone high-level was working with or for the Collective.

This was bigger than he’d thought.

He met up with Joy and Tayo, they grabbed food at a place in town, nobody talked about the meeting, just normal conversation, forced normalcy before walking into danger.

By 2000 they were gearing up, Rin wore his reinforced tactical clothing, kept the emergency beacon hidden, brought his phone despite knowing it was probably monitored.

Joy wore similar gear, her pink hair tied back, she looked nervous but determined.

Tayo had his sound equipment ready, planned to position himself on a building overlooking the factory, would have line of sight without being obvious.

Fiona sent a message: "In position. Eyes on the factory. Three armed guards posted outside, two on the roof, professional setup. Be ready for anything."

At 2130 they headed out, caught separate taxis to avoid being tracked together, agreed to meet two blocks from the factory.

Sector 15 was industrial wasteland, abandoned factories and warehouses, the area had been declining pre-fracture event, now it was mostly just empty buildings and squatters.

The factory was a massive concrete structure, five stories, broken windows, graffiti covering the walls, the perfect place for a secret meeting.

Tayo split off, found his vantage point on a nearby building.

Rin and Joy approached together, the guards saw them coming, raised weapons but didn’t fire.

"Names," one guard demanded.

"Rin Matsuda and Joy Castellanos, we’re expected."

The guard checked a list on his tablet, nodded. "Weapons?"

"Just our abilities."

"That’ll do, follow me, any hostile action and you’ll be neutralized, clear?"

"Clear."

They followed him inside, through a corridor lit by portable lights, past more guards, into a large open space that used to be a factory floor.

Equipment had been set up, tables with computers, monitoring devices, screens showing various data feeds.

And in the center, sitting in a simple chair, was a man.

He looked ordinary, maybe forty, wearing a nice suit, glasses, brown hair going gray at the temples, he could’ve been anyone, a banker, a professor, completely unremarkable.

Except his eyes, they were wrong, too aware, too intelligent, like looking into something that wasn’t quite human.

"Mr. Matsuda, Ms. Castellanos," he stood, extended his hand. "Thank you for coming, I’m Dr. Elias Thorne, though most people call me the Architect, please, sit, we have much to discuss."

Rin didn’t take his hand, didn’t sit, stayed standing with fracture energy ready.

"You said you have evidence about Leo’s death."

"Direct to the point, admirable." Thorne gestured to one of the screens. "Everything I’m about to show you is verified, authentic, sourced directly from Association internal systems, I’ll provide copies for your own analysis."

The screen lit up, showed documents, communications, reports.

"Your friend Leo Penzerio began investigating anomalous dungeon patterns three months before his death, he documented seventeen instances of dungeons manifesting outside normal parameters, energy signatures that didn’t match classifications, distribution patterns that suggested intentional placement."

More documents appeared, Leo’s reports, detailed analysis, observations.

"He filed preliminary findings with Director Ashford, requested authorization for expanded investigation, that request was denied, he was told to focus on standard operations, to stop wasting resources on conspiracy theories."

A communication log appeared, Ashford’s response to Leo, exactly as Thorne described.

"But Leo didn’t stop, he continued investigating on his own time, discovered that the anomalous dungeons weren’t random, they formed patterns, clusters around specific locations, all within proximity to Hunter Association facilities or training grounds."

Maps appeared showing the patterns, it was undeniable, the dungeons formed rings around Association infrastructure.

"He compiled this data, filed a second report, this time with evidence, this time with proof that something was deliberately creating these dungeons, possibly for research purposes, possibly for testing."

Another report appeared, Leo’s second filing, more detailed, more concerning.

"That report was received by Director Ashford on April 3rd, Leo died on April 6th during what was supposed to be a routine A-rank raid." Thorne paused. "Except it wasn’t routine, the dungeon had been reclassified the day before from E-rank to A-rank, no explanation given, no warning provided to the raid team."

Communication logs showed the reclassification, a single line from an administrator account, no justification.

"Jin Hanazawa’s team was assigned despite the sudden upgrade, despite having insufficient information, despite multiple red flags in the preliminary scans, they were sent in anyway."

"Why?" Joy asked, her voice shaking. "Why would they do that?"

"Because Leo had become a problem, his investigation was getting too close to something the Association wanted hidden, someone made the decision that he needed to be eliminated, they chose a method with plausible deniability." Thorne’s expression was cold. "The Jin raid wasn’t supposed to succeed, it was an execution disguised as a mission."

Rin’s hands clenched, fracture energy crackling around his fingers. "You’re saying they murdered him."

"I’m saying someone within the Association decided Leo was expendable, arranged circumstances that would result in his death, then classified the aftermath to prevent investigation." Thorne gestured to the screens. "All of this evidence exists, I’m giving you copies, verify it yourself, trace the sources, you’ll find it’s authentic."

He pulled out a data drive, set it on the table. "Everything’s here, reports, communications, classifications, timelines, take it, investigate, make your own determination."

Rin stared at the drive.

Everything in him wanted to grab it, to have proof, to know the truth.

But this was too convenient, too perfect, too exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Why?" he asked. "Why show me this, what do you actually want?"

Thorne smiled slightly. "Smart, questioning motives, good, shows you’re thinking clearly." He sat back down. "I want your cooperation, Mr. Matsuda, you possess something unique, fracture energy in its pure form, uncorrupted, stable, you’re one of perhaps three people globally with this capability."

"And you want to study it."

"I want to understand it, yes, the fracture event changed everything, tore holes in reality, introduced energies we don’t comprehend, if we can understand fracture energy we can control dungeon formations, prevent catastrophic breaches, save millions of lives."

"By experimenting on people."

"By working with willing participants, I’m not asking to dissect you, I’m asking for your cooperation in controlled research, we take energy samples, run non-invasive tests, you walk away compensated and unharmed, everyone benefits."

"And the Hunters you’ve abducted?"

Thorne’s expression didn’t change. "Unfortunate necessities, some subjects were unwilling to cooperate, required containment for safety purposes, mistakes were made in early operations, protocols have since been improved."

"That’s a corporate way of saying you tortured people."

"That’s a dramatic interpretation of clinical research, did some subjects experience discomfort, yes, were they permanently harmed, no, all recovered subjects were released with compensation."

Joy stepped forward. "What about the ones who didn’t recover?"

"Regrettable losses, research involves risks, participants were informed, consented to procedures, complications arose, we learned from those experiences." Thorne stood again. "But I’m not asking either of you to undergo anything dangerous, simple sample collection, basic observation, you’d be compensated fifty thousand credits for a single session, more if you agree to ongoing cooperation."

Fifty thousand credits, that was more than Rin made in six months of missions.

"I need time to think about it."

"Of course, take the data drive, verify the evidence, make an informed decision." Thorne walked closer. "But Mr. Matsuda, understand this, the Association is not your friend, they view you as a tool, a weapon to be controlled and directed, if you become too powerful, too independent, they’ll eliminate you just like they eliminated Leo."

"Or you’re lying and trying to isolate me from the only structure keeping me alive."

"That’s possible too, which is why I’m giving you evidence to verify, I’m not asking for blind trust, I’m providing information and asking you to think critically." He extended the data drive again. "Take it, investigate, decide for yourself, if you conclude I’m lying, don’t contact me again, if you conclude I’m telling the truth, we’ll discuss next steps."

Rin took the drive, slipped it into his pocket.

"One more thing," Thorne said. "Be careful who you share that information with, if someone in the Association is willing to kill to protect secrets, they won’t hesitate to kill again, trust carefully."

"We’re done here," Rin said, turning to leave.

"Mr. Matsuda," Thorne called after him. "The tracker Reva gave you, the emergency beacon, you can press it if you want, bring the S-rank teams, I won’t stop you, but ask yourself, if the Association is clean, why am I not afraid of their response?"

That made Rin pause.

Thorne smiled. "Contact me when you’re ready to discuss cooperation, or don’t, either way, you now know the truth about your friend’s death, what you do with that truth is your decision."

They left the factory, the guards didn’t stop them, walked back to where they’d parked, Tayo met them halfway.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rin said, but he wasn’t sure that was true.

Joy was quiet the entire taxi ride back, finally spoke when they were alone. "Do you believe him?"

"I don’t know, he gave us evidence, said we can verify it, but evidence can be faked."

"But what if it’s real, what if the Association really did kill Leo?"

"Then everything changes."

They arrived back at his house, Rin immediately went to his computer, plugged in the data drive.

Files opened, hundreds of documents, communications, reports, all seemingly authentic.

He spent the next four hours reviewing everything, cross-referencing dates, checking file metadata, looking for signs of forgery.

Everything checked out.

The communications had correct encryption signatures, the timestamps matched known events, the document formatting matched Association standards.

Either this was incredibly sophisticated forgery or it was real.

At 0300 he found something that made his blood run cold.

A communication dated April 2nd, from Director Ashford to an unknown recipient, classified level beyond anything Rin should have access to.

"Subject L. Penzerio investigation approaching critical threshold. Recommend permanent removal. Suggest raid deployment scenario. Confirm authorization."

Response from unknown recipient: "Authorized. Minimize collateral. Ensure narrative control."

Leo’s death had been ordered.

Approved.

Executed.

Rin stared at the screen, hands shaking, fracture energy crackling around him without conscious control.

His phone buzzed, message from Reva.

"Status check. Are you okay?"

He stared at the message, thought about the evidence on his screen, thought about her warnings, thought about who to trust.

Finally typed a response: "I’m fine. Got what I needed. Will report tomorrow."

He shut down his computer, sat in darkness, thinking about everything.

The Association had killed Leo.

Or the Architect had manufactured incredibly convincing evidence to make him think they did.

Either way, the leash around his neck just got a lot tighter.

Or maybe it was time to break it entirely.

He wouldn’t decide tonight, tonight he was too angry, too compromised, too likely to make a mistake.

Tomorrow he’d think clearly, analyze options, make rational decisions.

Tonight he’d just sit in the dark and grieve his friend all over again.

The data drive sat on his desk, containing either truth or the most dangerous lie he’d ever encountered.

Time would tell which.