Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTRCGSZCJJGPAFABNV3AQYN

Detective Harlow Quinn ducked under the caution tape strung across the entrance to the abandoned Tube station. Her shoes crunched on the gritty concrete as she descended into the stale, musty air of the underground. The place had been out of service for decades, but something had drawn her here tonight. In her eighteen years on the force, she'd learned to trust her instincts. The beam of her torch swept over the tracks and platform, revealing a chaos of graffiti tags and discarded rubbish. Ahead, dim lights bobbed in the gloom. Quinn quickened her pace. "Evening, Detective," a clipped voice greeted her as she approached the small knot of officers. It was Eva Kowalski, the civilian consultant attached to the case. "I see the Market's drawn you in as well." Quinn nodded curtly. "What've we got?" Eva pushed her round glasses up her nose and adjusted her satchel. "Looks like a deal gone bad. One dead, three injured. No one's talking." "Figures." Quinn stepped around a rusted bench and crouched beside the body. It was a young man, early twenties, dressed all in black. His eyes stared sightlessly at the curved ceiling. Her gaze swept the scene, taking in the details – an intricate bone token clutched in one hand, a scatter of broken glass, dark splashes of blood. "Any ID?" "Not yet. We're running his prints now." Quinn straightened up, her leather watch creaking on her wrist. She scanned the survivors huddled against the far wall, their faces pale and blank with shock. Something niggled at her, an inconsistency that refused to be pinned down. "Something doesn't feel right," she muttered. Eva pursed her lips. "A bit off?" Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Color me surprised. Your lot usually jumps at the chance to rub our noses in this sort of thing." "Different sort of off. It's almost too neat, too... staged." Quinn felt a tingle run up her spine. "You think it's a setup?" Eva shrugged noncommittally, her red curls bouncing. "Wouldn't be the first time." Quinn pressed her lips together. Three years ago, she'd faced a similar situation – strange evidence, conflicting stories, an investigation that spiraled into something far darker and more dangerous than they'd anticipated. She still didn't have all the answers, but she'd be damned if she let it happen again. "All right. Let's take a closer look." Eva produced a small brass compass from her satchel and flicked it open. The needle spun lazily before settling on a point to the east. "The Veil Market's never in one place for long," she explained as Quinn frowned at it. "It's got a way of twisting reality around itself." Quinn snorted. "That's one word for it." They moved carefully through the scene, Eva's compass keeping them anchored. They worked in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Slowly, the pieces started to come together – a cluster of footprints here, a scrap of cloth there. Strung together, they told a story at odds with the evidence in front of them. Quinn tapped a finger against her chin. "Right. Let's try this again. Our victim comes to the Market, bone token in hand. He's nervous, but excited. It's his first time. He meets his contact, they haggle, they argue..." "They fight," Eva finished, her voice tight. "But it's not our victim who throws the first punch. It's his contact." "He never stood a chance." Quinn's eyes were hard. "The contact takes whatever it was they were here for and vanishes into the dark. Leaves his buddies behind to tell the tale." Eva nodded slowly. "It's as good a theory as any." Quinn turned to face her. "But?" "But... I've seen this before. Members of the Veil Market don't fall out like this. There's too much at stake." Quinn's jaw clenched. "Then what are we missing?" Eva hesitated, then met her gaze. "You're not going to like it." "Try me." "A setup. A patsy. Somebody wanted us here, wanted us to see this." Quinn's eyes narrowed. "Another move in the game." "Afraid so." Eva glanced over her shoulder at the survivors. "But we've got witnesses. We can track them, link them to the other cases." Quinn shook her head sharply. "Too risky. We'll find another way." Eva's mouth twisted, but she nodded. "Your call." Quinn turned away, her mind racing. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't. But if Eva was right, they were running out of time. She took a deep breath. "All right. Let's wrap this up. I want eyes on the survivors, twenty-four seven. We'll hold them on trespassing charges for now, buy ourselves some time." Eva nodded, already moving towards the huddle of officers. "On it." Quinn watched her go, her thoughts a whirl of possibilities. Somewhere out there, a clock was ticking. And if they didn't find the answers they needed? She pushed the thought away. Failure wasn't an option. The Market had made its move. Now it was their turn.