Gabriel and Mathieu's unmarked vehicle winds its way through the twisting maze of the Silo district, a working-class housing area resembling a concrete beehive. Around them, decaying apartment blocks rise toward the gray sky, enclosing inner courtyards littered with debris. Here, the sun never truly pierces the polluted haze, and a perpetual gloom reigns between the towers. It is in these urban entrails that Élias Kraft, the missing Prometheus engineer, once lived.
"Are you sure about this?" Mathieu asks, cutting the engine in front of 18 Alba Street. "If we get caught searching a citizen's place without a warrant—"
"Élias Kraft isn't an ordinary citizen anymore," Gabriel replies as he opens his door. "Officially, he's supposed to be sick at home, but no one has seen him in eight days. If he's truly missing, we're not 'searching' his apartment—we're looking for a potential crime scene."
Mathieu grimaces but nods. They both step out. A smell of mold mixed with fried grease hangs in the dark building entrance. With the elevator out of service, they climb six flights of stairs on foot, passing walls streaked with graffiti and damp stains.
At the door of apartment 612, Gabriel knocks firmly. No response. After a second failed attempt, he exchanges a look with Mathieu and pulls a set of skeleton keys from his coat pocket.
"I'll take responsibility if needed," he mutters, inserting the tool into the worn lock.
The latch gives way with a dull click. The apartment exhales a stale odor. Gabriel pushes the door open cautiously, his colleague close behind.
They enter a dimly lit living room. The shutters are closed, and the only light comes from a cracked window in the adjacent kitchen. A tomb-like silence fills the space, broken only by the faint hum of a refrigerator.
Gabriel signals for Mathieu to check the other rooms while he inspects the main area. A thin layer of dust covers the coffee table and the dark screen of an old television. Clearly, no one has been here for some time.
On a desk cluttered with papers, Gabriel spots technical diagrams and scribbled notes. He leans in, squinting at keywords: "reactor," "cooling," "emergency protocols." Terms linked to Prometheus. In the corner of one page, a name catches his eye: "Prof. Vernet – Confidentiality Clause."
He frowns. Vernet? The name rings a bell. Wasn't he the scientist who abruptly left the Prometheus project years ago? Gabriel vaguely recalls a controversial article: Vernet had denounced safety issues—and then vanished from public view.
Mathieu returns from the hallway.
"No one. The bed's made, no signs of struggle. Either he left on his own… or someone took him cleanly."
Gabriel nods thoughtfully.
"Look at this."
He hands Mathieu the page with Vernet's name.
"Vernet… yeah, the researcher. Where did he end up?" Mathieu asks.
"Voluntary exile, according to the official version. Or silenced. And now his name resurfaces in the apartment of a missing employee."
Gabriel continues his methodical search. On the desk, he finds an external hard drive connected to a laptop. He presses the power button—nothing. Dead battery. After rummaging in a drawer, he finds the charger.
"Keep searching while I see what's on this," he tells Mathieu, plugging it in.
The laptop finally boots up, displaying a generic logo followed by a password screen. Gabriel curses under his breath. He doesn't have Kraft's credentials. He pulls a small device from his pocket and plugs it into the USB port—a standard police decryptor. It begins attempting to break the lock.
As it works, Gabriel studies the room. Something feels off. The apartment is too tidy for someone who left in a hurry. Nothing really out of place, except for the cluttered work desk. If Kraft fled suddenly, why make the bed and carefully close the shutters?
A beep interrupts his thoughts. Access granted.
The desktop appears. Gabriel quickly opens the user folder and scans recent files. Many relate to Prometheus: reports, security codes, internal correspondence. Most are encrypted or corrupted.
One file, however, catches his eye: "testimony.mp4."
Intrigued, he opens it. A shaky image appears: a bearded man with dark circles under his eyes, illuminated by a desk lamp in a dark room. Gabriel recognizes Élias Kraft himself, speaking softly to the camera.
"If you're watching this, I'm probably no longer here. My name is Élias Kraft, engineer on the Prometheus reactor. What I have to say is serious.
A few months ago, I discovered by chance that the Energy Council concealed a major incident during a reactor test. An accident that killed around twenty people in the lower districts due to a radiation leak. It was all covered up. We were forced to sign silence agreements. Professor Vernet tried to alert the public, but he was removed from the project.
Recently, I was contacted by—"
The video abruptly cuts out, replaced by a blue screen filled with incoherent symbols.
Gabriel clenches his fists. The file is corrupted—or incomplete.
He searches further. An unsent email draft catches his attention. Subject: "Reveal the Truth." No recipient listed.
He opens it.
"I don't have much time. They're coming. If I disappear, look toward Warehouse 17, in the abandoned port area. The Professor was right from the beginning. Prometheus is a monster out of control…"
The rest is unreadable, scrambled text.
Gabriel's heart pounds. Warehouse 17. Port district. He quickly photographs the screen as evidence.
At that moment, a muffled cry echoes through the apartment.
"Mathieu?"
No answer.
Gabriel jumps up, leaving the laptop on, revolver already drawn, and rushes toward the sound—from the bedroom.
He finds Mathieu standing frozen in the small guest room, eyes wide. The young inspector slowly turns toward Gabriel, hands raised.
"Don't move," he whispers.
Only then does Gabriel notice the nearly invisible wire running from the doorframe to Mathieu's foot. A trap. The wire is connected to a small black device taped beneath a chair.
Cold sweat trickles down Gabriel's back. He examines it carefully. Likely a homemade explosive triggered by movement or pressure.
"Don't move," Gabriel repeats firmly. "I'm coming closer."
Mathieu swallows hard.
Gabriel crouches. Under the chair is a rectangular package wrapped in tape, a red diode blinking rapidly. The wire feeds into a small detonator.
"Damn…" Gabriel mutters. "That's definitely an explosive."
"Great… fantastic," Mathieu says weakly. "Love this job."
"Stay calm. Don't move your feet."
Gabriel lies flat on the dusty floor, pulling a multi-tool from his pocket. He carefully identifies the ignition wire, the power source, checks for anti-tamper devices. Every second feels like it might be their last.
Finally, after what seems like eternity, he cuts a blue wire.
The red light goes dark.
Silence.
"It's okay," Gabriel breathes. "You can move."
Mathieu slowly steps away, trembling.
"Holy hell… We almost died."
Gabriel nods, adrenaline shaking his hand.
"Someone rigged his apartment to cover their tracks. Kraft didn't disappear willingly… Or he knew we'd come."
"Did we at least find something?" Mathieu asks.
"Yes," Gabriel replies. "Warehouse 17. And he mentioned Vernet… and a hidden accident."
Mathieu pales.
"We should report this."
Gabriel hesitates. The messenger's warning echoes in his mind: *Be wary of your superiors.*
"Not yet," he finally says. "I want to check the warehouse first. Quietly."
Mathieu hesitates, then nods.
"Fine. But we call for backup before going in."
"Agreed."
As they leave the apartment after gathering documents, Gabriel feels a mix of anxiety and determination rising inside him. Someone tried to silence them. But it won't be enough.
Closing the door behind them, he mutters to himself:
"Warehouse 17… let's see what you're hiding in your depths."