Criminal Truths

Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Into the Abyss

The following days passed in a blur of constant movement and secrecy. Ivy had kept her word and delivered what little information she could find. But each piece only led to more questions, more dead ends. Blackwood’s web was vast and tangled, and Samantha was starting to feel as though it was closing in on her from all sides.

They had followed every lead Ivy had given them, each one seeming promising at first, only to be quickly shut down or redirected. The Redoubt was a ghost, slipping further from their grasp the more they searched for it. Still, Samantha couldn’t shake the sense that they were getting closer—she could feel it in her bones. They had to be.

It was late at night when the breakthrough came. Samantha and Daniel were holed up in a small, dimly lit office in a rundown building on the outskirts of the city. Ivy had arranged for them to meet with a former military officer, someone who had once been involved with Lazarus before going into hiding. The officer, a man named Paul Weston, had agreed to speak with them, though he was reluctant to give away any information.

But Samantha was determined. She wasn’t going to let Blackwood win, not after everything they had uncovered. Weston might be their only hope of finding The Redoubt.

They waited in tense silence as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Samantha glanced at Daniel, his eyes hard, focused. He was ready. They both were.

The door opened, and a man stepped inside. His hair was graying at the temples, his face lined with years of worry and regret. He wore a thick jacket, the collar turned up against the cold, his hands tucked into the pockets.

"Paul Weston?" Samantha asked, her voice calm but firm.

The man nodded, his gaze flickering between them. "You’re the ones poking around in places you shouldn’t be."

"We’re not here to cause trouble," Samantha said, leaning forward. "We need information. And we need it now. There’s a facility, a place called The Redoubt. It’s connected to Project Lazarus. You know something about it. We need to find it."

Weston didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked down at the floor, as if weighing his options. His hands tightened into fists at his sides before he finally spoke.

"Redoubt… I was part of the early stages of the project," he said slowly. "But it wasn’t called that back then. It was called ‘The Vault.’ They changed the name later on, after everything went south. They wanted to erase their tracks."

Samantha leaned in closer. "What happened? What went wrong?"

Weston’s eyes darkened. "Everything. The project… it was meant to be a way to control soldiers, to make them obey without question. But it got out of hand. They started experimenting with things that were too dangerous, even for them."

"What kind of experiments?" Daniel asked, his voice low.

Weston’s gaze flicked to him, then back to Samantha. "They were trying to alter the brain—enhance it. They called it ‘neural reprogramming.’ The idea was to turn people into living weapons—no will of their own, just obedient, like puppets. But the process was brutal. The survivors… well, they weren’t the same after. Some were completely broken. Others, though… they became something else. Something worse."

Samantha’s stomach churned. The idea of people being turned into mindless weapons, their very humanity stripped away, was horrifying. Blackwood had been working with the military, and now he was continuing the experiments on his own. But why? What was he hoping to gain?

"Where is it?" Samantha asked again, her voice more insistent now. "The Redoubt. Where is it located?"

Weston’s eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath, as if the weight of the question was more than he could bear. "I don’t know where it is exactly, but I know who does. A man named Victor Devereux. He was one of the lead scientists on the project. If anyone knows where The Redoubt is, it’s him."

"Victor?" Samantha repeated, the name sounding familiar but distant.

Weston nodded. "He’s been off the grid for years. After everything went wrong with Lazarus, he disappeared. But I’ve heard whispers—rumors—that he’s still alive, still involved in the project. And if he’s involved, he’ll know the location of The Redoubt."

Samantha’s mind raced. Victor Devereux. The name was a clue, another piece of the puzzle, but it also raised more questions. Why had Ivy mentioned him before? And why had he disappeared if he was still part of Blackwood’s operation?

"How do we find him?" Daniel asked, his tone sharp.

Weston hesitated, his eyes flicking to the door as though he expected someone to burst in at any moment. "There’s a safe house. A place where Devereux used to stay. It’s not far from here, but you’ll have to be careful. Blackwood’s people are always watching."

Samantha nodded, her mind already working through the possibilities. This could be their only chance to find Victor, and with him, the answers they needed to take down Blackwood. But it wasn’t going to be easy. They had to move quickly, before the trail went cold again.

"Thank you," Samantha said, standing up. "We’ll take it from here."

Weston looked at her one last time, his expression haunted. "Don’t go looking for him, unless you’re ready to face what you’ll find. You might not like it."

With that, he turned and left the room, disappearing into the night. Samantha and Daniel stood in silence, the weight of the information settling around them like a storm cloud.

"Victor Devereux," Samantha muttered, turning the name over in her mind. "He’s the key. If we can find him, we’ll find The Redoubt."

"And if we find The Redoubt," Daniel said, his voice grim, "we’ll stop Blackwood."

Samantha nodded, determination hardening in her chest. They had come too far to back down now. They couldn’t afford to fail. Not when so many lives were at stake.

They had no choice but to keep moving forward. The Redoubt, Victor Devereux—these were the answers they needed. And they were going to get them, no matter what it took.

-end of chapter 19