1 — THE NEW EYE
Her name is Dr. Eliza Greer — city forensics prodigy, known for tracing the truth through maggots, metal filings, and blood spray patterns no one else sees.
Tonight she stands under harsh fluorescent lights at the newest scene — Lyric's latest canvas: a night watchman displayed like a crucifix on rebar, chest cavity open to the salt air.
Ward stands beside her, badge low, shoulders heavy.
Greer runs a gloved finger along a carved edge near the victim's ribs — notes the angle.
Dr. Greer:
"Same blade width, same depth. This is Lyric again — no doubt. But…"
She flicks her penlight into the torn muscle — spots a single black feather pinched under the sternum.
Dr. Greer (flat, cold):
"And someone wants you to think the Raven's part of it."
Mendoza steps up — teeth bared, adrenaline humming.
Mendoza:
"She is part of it. She hunts, they hunt — same shadows, same monster."
Greer doesn't even look up.
Dr. Greer:
"No. This cut is surgical. Raven's kills are fieldwork — sloppy but efficient. Whoever did this wants you blind."
Ward hides a small breath of relief — but his eyes flick to Greer. He knows she's too sharp for her own good.
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2 — MENDOZA DOUBLES DOWN
Outside, Mendoza lights a cigarette she'll never finish — the parking lot wind pulls at her ponytail.
Ward leans on the cruiser beside her. Mendoza jabs a finger into his chest.
Mendoza:
"She's slipping. Greer's good — but not perfect. Sooner or later, the Raven's mask comes off. And when it does, she's mine."
Ward says nothing. He looks past Mendoza — sees Greer inside, back bent over blood-slick evidence, eyes a storm of guilt and brilliance.
He wants to tell Mendoza: The mask's already cracking. You just don't know who's holding the pieces.
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3 — GREER'S PRIVATE WAR
Later, in her tiny lab — basement level, humming with freezers and bright blue halogens — Greer scrubs her hands raw at a steel sink.
Pinned to her corkboard: dozens of feather fragments, splatter photos, half-burnt fibers Micah missed scrubbing.
In the middle: a blurry photo — the Raven mid-glide, cloak open like wings.
She whispers to herself:
Dr. Greer (murmured):
"You're not a ghost. You're someone's daughter. Someone's lie."
She knows. Not everything. But enough to feel dirty every time Ward deflects her theories — every time he steers her to "accidents" instead of truth.
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4 — MICAH AND THE DEN
In the Nest, Micah clicks open the new schematics — Dock 47's sealed tunnels and hidden chambers. The feed flickers — old CCTV, rats crawling over steel cages.
His breath fogs the screen when he sees a claw mark burned into the concrete wall: TALON WAS HERE.
Micah (half to himself):
"Boss, I swear, you better come back with both arms this time."
He pings Selene's comm — his voice clipped, but the jokes still sneak in.
Micah:
"Pro tip — bring the good blades. And maybe a rocket launcher. Just saying."
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5 — SELENE'S ENTRY
Selene stands at the sewer grate behind Dock 47, mask down, talons locked on her wrists.
She thinks of Jess's soft hand on hers at the morgue sink. Thinks of Greer's eyes on a slide she'll never wash clean. Thinks of her father — Never become the thing you hunt.
She drops down — water slaps her boots, darkness swallows her whole.
Micah's voice in her ear:
Micah:
"Ten feet ahead. Tunnel splits. Right is quieter — so it's the wrong choice. Left is teeth."
Selene cracks her neck, rolls her shoulders.
Selene (low, iron):
"Left it is."
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6 — RAFI'S RETURN
Rafi lurks at street level — hoodie pulled tight, new bruises on his cheekbone.
He clutches a burner phone to his chest — footage of Selene vanishing into Dock 47's shadows.
He types a new post, trembling:
"Raven Nation — tonight I show you everything. She's more than a mask."
He presses upload — but halfway through, he deletes it. Terror and hero worship at war in his skull.
He wants to be her — but he's still just Rafi.
---
7 — WARD AT THE EDGE
Ward pulls his cruiser up to the pier — alone, away from Mendoza's eyes.
He knows Selene's down there — knows Greer's evidence would bury her.
He opens the trunk — his old service revolver gleams back. He checks the chamber — six rounds, none for her.
He whispers to the cold salt air:
Ward:
"Stay alive, kid. I'll clean up the bodies if I have to. Just don't become one."
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8 — TALON WAITS
Deep in the tunnel, Selene steps over bones — some human, some not.
A whisper of metal against stone echoes through the dark — her talon blades tighten in her fists.
A shape flickers at the end of the passage — eyes like polished chrome, claws that scrape sparks off the wall.
Selene steadies her breath — wings braced wide.
Selene (a promise to herself):
"One more monster. One more lie cut out."
The tunnel fills with her heartbeat — and the city's last hope, hidden behind feathers and rage.
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END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR