The Investigation
1885 Words
Episode 6: The Investigation
Ethan stared at the message on his phone.
I'm sorry, Ethan.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Then another message appeared.
I tried to warn you.
Ethan's heart sank.
He immediately typed a reply.
Ethan: Maya?
The message showed as sent.
No response came.
He tried again.
Ethan: Where are you?
Nothing.
Ethan stepped away from the window and looked toward the dark street below.
A cold feeling settled in his stomach.
Maya had always been careful.
She had never contacted him directly before.
Not like this.
And she certainly wouldn't disappear immediately after sending him a warning.
Ethan called her.
The call rang once.
Then disconnected.
He tried again.
This time, the number didn't connect at all.
He stared at his phone.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
A few seconds later, another notification appeared.
Not from Maya.
From the livestream platform.
Ethan opened it.
His latest stream had gained thousands of new views overnight.
Clips of the predictions had spread across social media.
People were arguing about whether Oracle_13 was real.
Others claimed Ethan was staging everything.
Some believed he was working with the police.
Others believed he was the one committing the crimes.
Ethan ignored all of it.
He opened the donation history.
His eyes immediately stopped.
Oracle_13 — $7,000
The donation was still there.
But the message attached to it was gone.
Ethan refreshed the page.
Nothing changed.
He tried opening the donor's profile.
User not found.
Ethan frowned.
He checked the previous donations.
The same thing.
Oracle_13 had disappeared.
The money remained.
The messages didn't.
His phone suddenly rang.
Sarah Bennett.
Ethan answered.
"Sarah?"
"Where are you?"
"Home."
"Good."
Her voice sounded tense.
"Don't leave."
Ethan sat down.
"What happened?"
"We found something."
"What?"
There was a pause.
"The police identified two more names from the list."
Ethan's expression changed.
"The seven victims?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"I'll explain when I get there."
"Sarah—"
"Lock your door, Ethan."
The call ended.
Ethan stared at the phone.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then he walked to the front door.
He checked the lock.
Then checked it again.
Something about Sarah's voice bothered him.
She sounded afraid.
Twenty-five minutes later, there was a knock.
Ethan looked through the peephole.
Sarah stood outside.
He opened the door.
She walked in quickly.
"Did anyone follow you?"
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
Sarah looked toward the hallway before closing the door.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
Then she placed a thick folder on Ethan's table.
Ethan looked at it.
"What's that?"
"Everything we've confirmed so far."
He opened it.
The first photograph showed the man from the first prediction.
Daniel Reeves.
Ethan recognized him immediately.
The photograph beneath it showed another person.
A woman.
Laura Bennett.
Another page.
Noah Grant.
Another.
Marcus Hill.
Another.
Thomas Avery.
Then Ethan reached the sixth photograph.
His breathing stopped.
Maya Collins.
He looked at Sarah.
"She's definitely on the list?"
Sarah nodded.
"We confirmed it."
"How?"
"Her name appears in records connected to the same investigation."
Ethan stared at the photograph.
"So the seven aren't random."
"No."
"Who are they?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
Sarah sat down.
"Every person on the list has some connection to a company called Helix Dynamics."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Helix."
Sarah looked at him.
"You've heard of it."
"Oracle mentioned it."
"When?"
"During the fourth prediction."
Sarah remained silent.
Ethan noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You know something."
"I'm still trying to verify it."
"Sarah."
She opened the folder again.
"Helix Dynamics was a technology company."
"What kind?"
"Artificial intelligence. Security systems. Predictive analytics."
Ethan frowned.
"Predictive analytics?"
"Yes."
"Predicting what?"
"Crime."
The room became silent.
Ethan slowly leaned back.
"You've got to be kidding."
"I'm not."
Sarah pulled out an old newspaper clipping.
The article was dated six years earlier.
The headline read:
HELIX DYNAMICS DEVELOPS EXPERIMENTAL CRIME-PREDICTION SYSTEM
Ethan read the first paragraph.
The system was described as software capable of analyzing patterns in human behavior and identifying situations with an increased likelihood of criminal activity.
He looked at Sarah.
"Is this what Oracle is using?"
"We don't know."
"But it's possible."
"Yes."
Ethan stared at the article.
"What happened to Helix?"
"It disappeared."
"Companies don't just disappear."
"This one did."
Sarah turned the page.
"Three years ago, Helix closed its offices."
"Why?"
"No public explanation."
"Bankruptcy?"
"No."
"Scandal?"
"No."
"Government investigation?"
"Nothing official."
Ethan frowned.
"So they just shut down."
"That's what it looks like."
Sarah handed him another photograph.
It showed a large modern building surrounded by fencing.
A sign above the entrance read:
HELIX DYNAMICS
"This was their research facility."
"Where is it?"
"About forty minutes outside the city."
Ethan studied the photograph.
Something about the building felt familiar.
Then he noticed a symbol in the corner.
A circle.
A vertical line running through it.
His stomach tightened.
"That's it."
Sarah looked at him.
"What?"
"The symbol."
"What symbol?"
"Oracle's."
Sarah took the photograph.
She stared at it.
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Where have you seen it?"
"Every time Oracle sends a donation."
Sarah's expression hardened.
"Then we have a problem."
"What?"
"Because this photograph was taken six years ago."
Ethan looked at the symbol again.
The same symbol.
Years before Oracle_13 ever appeared.
Sarah spread the remaining documents across the table.
"The seven people didn't all work for Helix."
Ethan looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Daniel Reeves worked in security."
"Helix?"
"Yes."
"Laura?"
"Medical research division."
"Noah?"
"Engineering."
"Marcus?"
"Data analysis."
"Thomas?"
"Systems administration."
Ethan looked at Maya's file.
"And Maya?"
"Freelance designer."
"So why is she connected?"
"She worked for a company that was contracted by Helix."
Ethan frowned.
"What about the seventh?"
Sarah hesitated.
Ethan noticed immediately.
"Who?"
She slowly turned the final photograph around.
A man stared back at them.
Ethan froze.
The name underneath the photograph was:
Ryan Cole.
Ethan didn't speak.
Sarah watched him.
"You know him?"
"No."
"You recognize him?"
Ethan shook his head.
"I've never seen him."
But that wasn't entirely true.
There was something familiar about the man's face.
Not enough to remember meeting him.
But enough to make Ethan uncomfortable.
He picked up the photograph.
"What's his connection to Helix?"
"Software engineer."
"When did he disappear?"
"Eight months ago."
Ethan looked up.
"Disappeared?"
"His apartment was found abandoned."
"Any sign of a struggle?"
"No."
"Body?"
"No."
"Phone?"
"Destroyed."
"Computer?"
"Missing."
Ethan looked at Ryan's photograph again.
"And he's on the list."
"Yes."
"So what does that make him?"
"The seventh victim."
Ethan slowly lowered the photograph.
"Or the person who knows why the other six were targeted."
Sarah didn't answer.
That silence told Ethan everything.
She had considered the same possibility.
That evening, Ethan returned to his apartment alone.
He couldn't stop thinking about Ryan.
Seven names.
Six people whose lives had already intersected with the predictions.
One missing man.
And all of them connected to Helix.
He opened his laptop.
He began searching for Ryan Cole.
Most of the information had already disappeared.
Employment records were incomplete.
Social media accounts were inactive.
News reports were short.
LOCAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER REPORTED MISSING
That was all.
Ethan searched deeper.
Old forums.
Archived company pages.
Cached documents.
He spent nearly an hour searching before finding something.
A photograph.
Ryan standing beside several Helix employees.
Ethan zoomed in.
Behind them was a whiteboard.
Most of the writing had been erased.
But one word remained visible.
ORACLE
Ethan's pulse quickened.
He took a screenshot.
Then another.
He zoomed further.
There were numbers beneath the word.
13 — 07 — 11:17
Ethan stared.
11:17.
The same time that had appeared repeatedly in the predictions.
His phone suddenly buzzed.
He jumped.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
STOP LOOKING.
Ethan stared at it.
Another message appeared.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR.
Ethan typed:
Who are you?
The message remained unsent.
The number disappeared.
Ethan's screen went black.
He slowly looked toward his webcam.
The tiny indicator light was on.
Someone was accessing his computer.
He immediately unplugged it.
The light went out.
Silence filled the room.
Then came three knocks.
Ethan froze.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
He moved toward the door.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
He looked through the peephole.
The hallway was empty.
Ethan waited.
Nothing.
Then his phone vibrated.
A new message.
MAYA HAS THREE HOURS.
Ethan's heart stopped.
A second message appeared.
FIND HER BEFORE THE NEXT PREDICTION.
Then a photograph arrived.
Ethan opened it.
His blood ran cold.
It was Maya.
She was sitting in a dark room.
Her hands were tied.
Her mouth was covered.
And behind her was a wall.
On that wall was the same symbol.
The circle.
The vertical line.
Underneath it were three numbers.
13:07:11:17
Ethan stared at the photograph.
Then another message appeared.
DON'T TRUST SARAH.
Ethan's eyes widened.
Before he could react, the photograph disappeared.
The messages disappeared.
The unknown number disappeared.
Everything was gone.
Ethan stood motionless.
Then his phone rang.
Sarah.
He answered.
"Ethan?"
He didn't speak.
"Ethan, are you there?"
"Where are you?"
"At the station."
"You need to tell me the truth."
Silence.
"What are you talking about?"
"Ryan Cole."
Sarah stopped breathing for a moment.
Ethan heard it.
That tiny hesitation.
He tightened his grip on the phone.
"You know him."
"Ethan—"
"You know what happened to him."
"Ethan, listen to me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was going to."
"When?"
Sarah didn't answer.
"Tonight?"
Still nothing.
Ethan's voice became quieter.
"Sarah, who is Ryan Cole?"
Another long silence.
Then Sarah finally spoke.
"He's not just a missing engineer."
Ethan waited.
"He's the reason we started investigating Helix in the first place."
Ethan's heart began pounding.
"Why?"
Sarah took a breath.
"Because eight months ago, before he disappeared, Ryan contacted the police."
"What did he say?"
"He claimed Helix had created something that could predict crimes."
Ethan closed his eyes.
"Oracle."
Sarah didn't respond.
"And he said someone was using it."
"Yes."
"Who?"
Sarah's voice dropped.
"We never found out."
Ethan looked at the dark computer screen.
"Then why am I involved?"
Sarah didn't answer.
"Sarah."
Her voice finally came through.
"Because Ryan mentioned you."
Ethan froze.
"What?"
"Before he disappeared..."
Sarah paused.
"He gave us one name."
Ethan's heart hammered against his chest.
"Whose?"
Sarah whispered:
"Yours."
The call ended.
Ethan stood alone in the darkness.
His phone remained pressed against his ear.
Ryan Cole knew his name.
Ryan Cole had contacted the police.
Ryan Cole disappeared eight months ago.
And somehow, Ethan had become part of the investigation.
He looked down at the photograph still burned into his memory.
Seven names.
Six known victims.
One missing man.
And now Ethan.
His phone buzzed one final time.
A message appeared from an unknown sender.
WELCOME TO PROJECT ORACLE, ETHAN.
Then another line appeared.
PREDICTION NUMBER SEVEN HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
Ethan stared at the screen.
For the first time, he realized something terrifying.
The predictions weren't simply warning him about crimes.
They were leading him somewhere.
And whatever waited at the end of that path had known his name long before he ever heard of Oracle_13.
End of Episode 6
Cliffhanger: Ryan Cole knew Ethan before he disappeared—and now Ethan must discover why his name was connected to Project Oracle long before the first prediction ever appeared.
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