The Doctor's Trail"
Rourke Investigates Jack Dawkins and the Criminal Network
Captain Jonathan Rourke had reached a new stage in his investigation: it was time to dig deeper, beyond rumors and whispers, into the shadowed corners of Port Victory.
He had to know exactly who the Doctor was — and whether Jack Dawkins was that man.
1. Interrogating Minor Criminals
Using his authority as a captain, Rourke began visiting the small-time criminals and informants Jack had helped over the months.
He started gently, asking about simple favors, hidden injuries, or impossible recoveries.
One trembling smuggler finally spoke:
"He… he saved me… from a bullet.
I should've bled out in minutes. But… he just touched me.
And the pain… vanished. I swear, he knows every inch of your body. Every vein. Every bone."
Rourke leaned in.
"Every vein? Every bone?"
The criminal nodded, terrified.
"And… the amputations. He… he can remove a limb… without spilling blood.
And the ones who die? He sees them before they do… before anything goes wrong."
Rourke's notebook filled fast. Each entry confirmed what the rumors had hinted at: the Doctor's skills were beyond human. Almost inhuman.
2. Investigating the Children
Rourke used his military clearance to check the colony's records on youth delinquency. Jack Dawkins had once been a pickpocket in London — and rumors suggested he still moved among children in Port Victory.
Rourke investigated local street kids who claimed to know "Jack Dawkins," asking subtle questions about his habits, personality, and movements.
The kids were careful, but patterns emerged:
Jack Dawkins acted as a mentor.
He taught survival skills, but also morality in a world without law.
The children spoke of a man with a peculiar calmness — never cruel, never reckless, but capable of terrifying decisions when cornered.
Rourke jotted in his notebook:
Jack Dawkins is more than a criminal mentor. He is someone who manipulates shadows… perhaps for his own protection.
3. Discovering the Old Investigation
With military clearance, Rourke accessed decades-old legal records. Among the dusty, abandoned files, he found a shocking discovery:
A closed investigation into Jack Dawkins.
A warrant for his arrest for crimes he could not have committed.
Old testimonies, letters, and records of witnesses claiming he was guilty — but someone had mysteriously cleared his name.
And there, yellowed with age, was an old photograph of Jack Dawkins as a young man — labeled as a criminal, wrongfully imprisoned, and dead in the records.
Rourke ran a finger over the faded image.
This man… survived death. Someone ensured the law couldn't touch him. Someone wanted him free.
The notes detailed a strange anomaly: though convicted, he had been mysteriously pronounced innocent after years of imprisonment. Nothing explained why — only that someone or something powerful had erased his past.
Rourke's eyes darkened.
So the Doctor, or Jack Dawkins, isn't just a ghost of medicine… he's untouchable. Somehow, he's untouchable. That explains the children, the criminals… the clinic.
4. The Conclusion of His Findings
Rourke closed the files carefully, almost reverently.
The man he was hunting was not ordinary.
Not just a surgeon.
Not just a criminal.
Not just a mentor.
He was:
A genius operating in a century too small for his knowledge.
A man protected by shadows, rules, and loyal allies.
Someone who could vanish from justice itself — and still return stronger.
Rourke finally understood:
If I confront him head-on, I will fail.
If I corner him, he will disappear.
I cannot capture him without a deal.
He wrote in his notebook one final note:
"Jack Dawkins. Or the Doctor.
I am beginning to understand.
I will need patience… and a plan."
And with that, he left the archives, already plotting his next move — one that would test the Doctor's rules, his loyalty, and his shadows.
"A Subtle Trap"
Rourke Sees the Doctor at Work
Captain Jonathan Rourke had pieced together enough to know Jack Dawkins was the Doctor — or at least intimately tied to him.
But knowledge alone wasn't enough. He had to see him in action.
And fate provided the opportunity.
1. The Setup
Rourke had learned from minor criminals that the Doctor operated quietly, moving through the shadows, helping the hopeless.
He discovered a miner badly injured in a shaft collapse — thought by everyone in Port Victory to be beyond repair.
Broken ribs, crushed arm, severe internal bleeding.
No local surgeon dared touch him.
Rourke knew this was the perfect lure. Not to harm, but to watch.
He disguised himself as a wealthy benefactor — someone who would pay handsomely for the man's survival.
2. Witnessing the Doctor's Rules in Action
Rourke followed the miners' stretcher to a hidden side entrance near the hospital. He crouched in shadow, unseen, and watched as Jack Dawkins appeared almost silently.
The doctor moved with calm precision:
Examined the miner without hesitation.
Identified internal injuries instantly — before anyone else could even take a pulse.
Cleaned wounds, set bones, and applied techniques that seemed impossibly advanced for the century.
Rourke saw a hand move through the miner's chest — a simple pressure that somehow stabilized the breathing.
Impossible, Rourke whispered to himself.
He's seeing the inside of the body… he can't be human.
And then Jack whispered something to the miner:
"Stay calm. Listen to me. You will survive."
The miner's chest rose steadily, his pulse normalizing.
Rourke's jaw tightened. This was beyond skill — this was power.
3. Observing the "Five Rules" in Practice
Even under Rourke's watch, Jack never spoke more than necessary, never revealed his methods, and avoided any unnecessary interaction.
No guards were summoned.
No names were recorded.
The miner was treated and then sent quietly back to his home.
And when a soldier approached too closely, Jack vanished, leaving only his mask and a faint scent of medicinal herbs behind.
Rourke took careful notes:
The Doctor hides in plain sight. He helps the hopeless. He obeys rules that protect him.
He cannot be cornered. He cannot be forced.
4. Realization: The Trap Will Not Be Physical
As the miner sat up, fully alive and astonished, Rourke stepped back into the shadows.
He is untouchable.
I cannot corner him without losing my target.
I cannot capture him. But… I can negotiate.
Rourke had seen the Doctor at work — saving the hopeless, defying the limits of life itself.
And he finally understood the stakes:
If I try to force him, I will fail.
If I try to ambush him, he will vanish.
The only way… is to lure him willingly into a deal.
He scribbled a note in his journal:
"Observe, respect, prepare a deal. This is no ordinary surgeon.
Jack Dawkins, or the Doctor… I will need patience."
5. The End of the Day
Rourke disappeared into the night, leaving the colony unaware of the Captain who had witnessed a miracle.
Jack Dawkins, hidden from sight, cleaned his instruments in silence, unaware that someone had been watching his every move.
The chessboard was set.
The Doctor's rules were intact.
And the hunter now knew he had to negotiate with a shadow, not a man.