Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMHKXX3ZCSXAN5Y6DJ4KRK

Detective Harlow Quinn stepped into the abandoned Tube station, her boots crunching on the shattered glass that littered the platform. The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and something else, something unnatural that made her nostrils flare in distaste. She surveyed the scene with a critical eye, taking in the overturned stalls, the scattered goods, and the peculiar absence of blood. "What have we got?" she asked, turning to the young officer who'd been assigned to assist her. He looked green around the gills, his.faces pale and clammy. "It's the Veil Market, Detective," he said, swallowing hard. "They were forced to relocate after an altercation with a rival house. Looks like they left in a hurry." Quinn arched an eyebrow. She was well aware of the Veil Market and its nefarious dealings in enchanted goods and black market information. But something about this scene rubbed her the wrong way. She knelt down to examine a scrap of cloth that had been singed at the edges, her sharp jawline tensing as she pondered its significance. "They didn't leave because of an altercation," she said slowly, rising to her feet. "They were chased out. By something powerful." The officer looked at her in confusion. "But the patrols would have reported any unusual activity in the area..." Quinn silenced him with a sharp gesture. "Use your eyes, lad. What do you see?" He glanced around, his gaze skittering over the debris. "I... I don't know, Detective." "They're not just scattered," Quinn said, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. "They've been pushed aside. In a straight line." She pointed to the far end of the platform, where a tattered curtain billowed in an unnatural breeze. "And that entrance was sealed. From the inside." The young officer frowned, struggling to comprehend. But Quinn was already striding towards the curtain, her mind whirling with possibilities. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small brass compass, its face etched with protective sigils. The needle twitched wildly as she approached the entrance, then settled into a steady point towards the dark tunnel beyond. A portal. Something had come through a portal. Quinn's heart raced as she stepped through the curtain, her hand automatically reaching for the weapon at her hip. But her watch began to vibrate against her skin, warning her of danger. She paused, her eyes adjusting to the gloom, and saw a faint glow emanating from the ground. A sigil. Infernal in nature, and drawn in blood. Her breath caught in her throat. She had seen this symbol before, three years ago when her partner had been ripped away from her by forces she couldn't comprehend. Forces that had left no trace, no body to bury. Her grip tightened on her compass as she backed away from the sigil, her mind reeling with dread. She needed to get out of here, needed to call in reinforcements and a cleanup crew. But as she turned to leave, her eye caught a glint of something metallic hidden in the shadows. A book. Bound in leather and clasped with brass, its pages warped with moisture. Quinn approached it cautiously, wary of traps or wards. But her compass remained still, and after a moment's hesitation, she scooped up the book and slipped it into her satchel. She had just turned to leave when a sound echoed through the tunnel, a scraping of metal on stone that made her skin crawl. She froze, her hand hovering over her weapon, and waited. But the sound did not repeat itself, and after a moment, she began to creep back towards the entrance. That was when she saw it. A scrap of red cloth, torn and bloodied, lying on the ground just beyond the curtain. Quinn stooped to pick it up, her fingers trembling as she recognized the pattern. Freckles. She had seen them a hundred times before on the fair skin of the girl who wore glasses and laughed like a hyena. "Eva," she whispered, her voice cracking with fear. She had sent her friend into the archives to research this very symbol, never imagining that the danger might find her there. "Oh god, Eva..." Her watch vibrated again, more insistently this time, and Quinn knew she had to move. She staggered out onto the platform, her heart pounding in her ears, and saw the young officer staring at her in horror. "Detective," he stammered, his eyes wide with fear. "What is it? What did you find?" Quinn shook her head, trying to clear the fog of panic that threatened to overwhelm her. "We need to evacuate the area," she said, her voice tight with control. "Now. And then we need to find Eva Kowalski." She pushed past him, striding towards the exit with single-minded purpose. She had to get to the British Museum, had to find her friend before it was too late. But as she stepped out into the cool night air, she felt a heavy hand descend on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "Harlow Quinn," a voice growled in her ear, thick with menace. "You are under arrest for treason and conspiracy with the enemy." Quinn's blood ran cold. She knew that voice, knew the man who had spoken it. She had worked with him for years, had trusted him with her life. But now, as she looked into his eyes and saw the cold resolve there, she knew that everything had changed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice steady even as her heart raced. "I'm just doing my job." The hand on her shoulder tightened, and she winced in pain. "You've been consorting with the enemy," he hissed, his face twisting with anger. "We have evidence. The Council has spoken." Quinn's mind reeled. The Council? She had heard whispers of their existence, had even suspected some of her superiors of being involved in their sinister plots. But she had never dreamed that they would turn on her like this, that they would accuse her of treachery. "I swear to you," she said, her voice trembling with emotion, "I have done nothing wrong. I am loyal to the Crown and the people of this city. I would never betray them." But even as she spoke the words, she knew they were futile. She saw the truth in his eyes, saw the certainty of her guilt. And as the cold metal of the handcuffs snapped around her wrists, she knew that her fate was sealed. She had barely registered the sound of the bells tolling midnight when the world faded away, and she was left alone in the darkness, the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. She had failed. Failed to protect her friend, failed to uncover the truth behind the symbols that had haunted her for so long. And now, as the weight of the compass in her pocket seemed to grow heavier with each passing second, she knew that she had lost everything. Her freedom. Her reputation. Her life. All for the sake of the truth. And as the darkness swallowed her whole, she let out one final scream of rage and despair, a sound that echoed through the empty tunnels like the cry of a dying animal. A sound that would haunt the dreams of those who heard it for the rest of their days.