Rain softened the city.
The cyber crime office dimmed under emergency lights. Generators hummed unevenly.
Arjun sat in his chair, shawl pulled close, listening to the rhythm of rain against glass.
Officers moved around him with urgency, chasing data that slipped away every time they thought they understood it.
No one spoke to him.
That was fine.
He closed his eyes.
For years, sleep had betrayed him. Dreams replayed twisted metal, unanswered phones, hospital corridors that smelled like disinfectant and guilt.
That night, there were no dreams.
Just darkness.
Not empty.
Restful.
When Arjun opened his eyes, dawn was beginning to color the sky faintly.
He stood up slowly, joints protesting softly, and signed out in the register.
A. Arjun. Duty Completed.
He did not know it yet, but this was the last time he would sleep without carrying someone else into the fight with him.
Soon, Priya would learn the truth.
Soon, silence would no longer be enough.
But for now, the watchman walked home, unnoticed, carrying the weight of a world that had finally started to shift.