Sydney, Behind the Glittering City

Shadow of the Past

The Crown Plaza towered over the glittering Darling Harbour, its reflected light glistening on the surface of the dark water. Leo stood on the opposite side of the street, watching the people going in and out of the luxury hotel. His watch read 2:13am-almost two hours since his encounter with Amara Blake in the narrow alleyway of The Rocks.

Marcus hadn't called. His cell phone was off, and the hospital he'd called claimed not to have any patients with his former partner's features. Something bad was going on, and Leo could feel it right down to the marrow of his bones.

With cautious steps, he crossed the street. The aluminum suitcase he had hidden in the Central station locker felt like a time bomb ready to explode at any moment. Every document inside was a piece of a puzzle he had yet to figure out-suspicious transactions, important names, and a photo of Sarah's death scene that somehow connected to everything.

The lobby of the Crown Plaza feels too luxurious for a former detective now posing as a taxi driver. The shiny marble floor reflected the light of the chandelier's crystals, creating an illusion of luxury that made Leo feel like an intruder.

“Good evening, sir. May I help you?” the young female receptionist with the name tag ‘Emily’ greeted him with a professional smile.

“I have an appointment with a guest in room 1247,” Leo replied, taking out the electronic key Amara had given him.

Emily typed something on her computer, her brow furrowed faintly. “Sorry, sir. Room 1247 is not registered for a guest tonight.”

Leo's heart seemed to stop beating. He was almost certain this was a trap, but his instincts told him something bigger was at play here.

“Maybe there's a system error?” Leo tried to smile, his hands in his jacket pockets gripping the paper Marcus had given him tightly. “I'm sure-”

“Mr. Haynes?” a voice cut off his words. Leo turned his head to find a tall man in an expensive suit standing beside him. “Welcome to Crown Plaza. Mrs. Blake is expecting you.”

Without waiting for an answer, the man walked towards the private elevator in the corner of the lobby. Leo followed anxiously, his hands not leaving his jacket pockets. They rode the elevator in silence, soft jazz music filling the eerie silence.

“Fifteenth floor,” the man finally said as the elevator doors opened. “Room 1507. Mrs. Blake will explain everything.”

Before Leo could ask any further questions, the man was already back inside the elevator, leaving him alone in the silent corridor. 1507, not 1247. Different numbers, but the same pattern-15 and 07, like the date of Sarah's death: July 15th.

The 15th floor corridor felt like a passageway to the truth she had been searching for. Each step brought her closer to the answer, or perhaps to the trap that had been set for her. At the end of the corridor, room 1507 waited like a gateway to the dark past.

Leo knocked on the door three times. There was no answer. He inserted the electronic key, the green light flashed, and the door opened with a soft click.

The suite was pitch black. Only the light from the Sydney Tower in the distance filtered through the large windows, creating dancing shadows on the walls. Leo stepped in cautiously, his hand fumbling for the light switch.

“Don't turn on the light.”

The voice-a different voice from the Amara Blake he met in the alley-came from the direction of the balcony. A woman's figure stood behind him, her silhouette cut by the city lights.

“Mrs. Blake?” Leo asked doubtfully.

“Amara Blake has been dead since two hours ago,” the woman replied flatly. “And if you're not careful, you'll catch up with her.”

Leo felt a chill run down his spine. This woman-her voice sounded both familiar and unfamiliar. Like an old melody played on the wrong note.

“Who are you?”

The woman turned around slowly. In the dim city light, Leo could see the face that made his world instantly collapse.

“Hello, Leo,” the woman smiled sadly. “It's been a long time.”

“Catherine,” the name slipped from Leo's lips like a forbidden prayer. “Catherine Walsh.”

Sarah's sister stands before him, alive and breathing-a figure he didn't even know existed until a few hours ago. In the dim Sydney city lights, Leo could see traces of Sarah in her features - high cheekbones, lips that always looked sad, and eyes that held a million secrets.

“You must have a lot of questions,” Catherine stepped closer. “But our time is limited. They will soon-”

The sound of shattering glass cut off her words. A bullet pierced the suite's window, hitting the vase of flowers on the side table where Catherine stood. In an instant, the room turned into a war zone.

“Get down!” Leo shouted, pulling Catherine behind the sofa just as a barrage of bullets began to rain down on the hotel room. Glass shattered, curtains fluttering wildly in the night breeze coming in from the shattered windows.

“How long have you been watching me?” Leo asked over the sound of gunfire.

“Since Sarah died,” Catherine replied, her hand deftly removing a pistol from her handbag. “Both of us-me and Sarah-are part of something bigger. Something we're not supposed to know about.”

Leo peeked over the couch. Two black-clad figures were descending using ropes from a helicopter hovering above the hotel. “Back door?”

“Locked. The only way out is through the corridor,” Catherine shot at their attackers, making the two figures seek cover. “Leo, you should know-Sarah didn't die in an accident. She was killed because she found something. Something about Project Oracle.”

“What project?”

Before Catherine could answer, the suite door slammed open. Three armed men entered in a battle formation that Leo recognized as a high-level military tactic.

“Catherine Walsh,” one of them shouted. “Surrender. You know we don't want to do this the hard way.”

Catherine smiled bitterly. “Like the way you killed my brother?”

Shot after shot was exchanged. Leo and Catherine moved in perfect coordination, as if they had practiced for this situation for years. They managed to take out two attackers, but more were coming.

“Project Oracle,” Catherine whispered amidst the chaos, ”is a secret government experiment. They were trying to create something-a system that could predict the future. Sarah found evidence that they were using humans as guinea pigs.”

Leo remembered the files in the aluminum briefcase-suspicious transactions, important names. “That transaction...”

“Payments to the families of silenced victims,” Catherine fired again, knocking one of the attackers over. “But Sarah found more than that. She found that some of the experimental subjects were successful-they could actually see the future.”

The sound of helicopters approached. A strong wind blew away the documents on the desk, creating a paper storm in the ruined room.

“We have to go now,” Catherine tugged Leo's arm. “I know the secret passage.”

They ran towards a large wardrobe in the corner of the room. Catherine pushed the panel behind her, revealing a narrow hallway that seemed to lead to the hotel's service area.

“Sarah left something for you,” Catherine said as they ran down the dark hallway. “Something that could destroy them all. But we have to go to Newcastle to get it.”

“Newcastle?” Leo frowned. The port city was about two hours away from Sydney.

“That's where it all began,” Catherine paused at a metal door. “And it's also where we'll end it.”

The door opened into the hotel's underground parking lot. Among the rows of luxury cars, a black Subaru WRX waited with its engine running.

“You planned all this?”

Catherine smiled mysteriously. “I've been planning this for ten years, Leo. Since the day they killed my sister-your wife.”

They got into the car just as the gunshots echoed again. Catherine stepped on the gas deeply, tires squealing loudly as the car sped out of the parking lot.

“Marcus Chen,” Leo remembered his former partner. “He was wounded in the crossfire at The Rocks. Is he-”

“Marcus is fine,” Catherine cut in, her eyes focused on the road. “He was part of this plan. Now he's on his way to Newcastle with the evidence he's collected over the years.”

Leo looked at Catherine with a mixture of disbelief and anger. “You planned all this without telling me?”

“We had to protect you, Leo,” Catherine turned sharply toward the northbound freeway. “They're watching you 24/7. One false move, and you'll meet the same fate as Sarah.”

The car sped through the darkness, leaving the glitter of Sydney behind. In the sky, Leo could see the helicopters chasing them starting to fall behind.

“What exactly did Sarah find in Newcastle?” asked Leo, his hand gripping the dashboard as Catherine dodged a truck with a dangerous maneuver.

“Not what,” Catherine replied, ”but who. Sarah found one of the successful subjects - a little girl who could see the future with 100% accuracy. The girl is now an adult, and she has predicted something that has them terrified.”

“What is it?”Catherine gave Leo a quick glance, her eyes implying deep concern. “The death of the Australian Prime Minister, next week, at the hands of one of Project Oracle's rebellious subjects.”

Leo felt his world spin. Ten years he had lived in the belief that Sarah's death was just a tragic accident. Now, overnight, his entire belief came crashing down. His wife was killed because she was involved in a high-level conspiracy involving illegal experiments, premeditated murder, and a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.

“Catherine,” Leo called softly, ”why now? Why not ten years ago?”

“Because,” Catherine sighed heavily, ”that girl also predicted something about you, Leo. Something that will change everything.”

The car continued to drive north, bringing them closer and closer to the center of the storm that had been churning for a decade. Behind them, Sydney slowly disappeared into the darkness, keeping its dark secrets for the time being.

But Leo knows, this is just the beginning. And somewhere in Newcastle, a girl with the ability to see the future is waiting to open a Pandora's box that will shake the foundations of this country to its roots.

The road to Newcastle felt like a time warp that took them back in time. A light rain began to fall, creating a curtain of water that made the view outside hazy. Leo stared at the water droplets running down the window, his mind raging with unanswered questions.

“You haven't told me,” Leo broke the silence, “what did that girl predict about me?”

Catherine tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her eyes remaining focused on the winding road before them. “She said you were the key to everything, Leo. That you have something you don't even realize - a memory buried deep inside your mind.”

“What memory?” Leo frowned, trying to recall every detail of his last days with Sarah.

“The night before Sarah died,” Catherine slowed the car as it passed a truck, ”she called me. She said that you accidentally saw something at the scene of a serial murder investigation in Newcastle ten years ago. Something you shouldn't have seen.”

Leo tried to remember the case Catherine was referring to. Yes, the serial murder that rocked Newcastle - four victims found dead in the same way, all with Roman numerals tattooed on their left wrists. The case was never solved, and shortly afterward Sarah died in what he now knew was no ordinary accident.

“There was a warehouse in the harbor,” Leo muttered, pieces of memory starting to pop up like puzzle pieces falling apart. “I checked the location alone, waiting for the forensics team to arrive. There... was something there.”

Catherine gave Leo a quick glance, her face tightening. “What did you see in that warehouse?”

“I don't remember.” Leo shook his head in frustration. “Every time I try to remember, my head hurts like crazy. The doctor said it was the traumatizing effects of Sarah's death, but...”

“They did something to you,” Catherine interrupted. “The Oracle project isn't just about creating future clairvoyants, Leo. They also developed a way to manipulate memories. Sarah found it in the secret files she collected.”

Their car passed a sign that said Newcastle was 50 kilometers away. In the distance, flashes of lightning lit up the darkening sky, creating eerie shadows in the trees along the road.

“That girl,” Leo asked again, “who is she?”

“Her name is Aurora,” Catherine answered after a long pause. “She's one of the five children who were the first subjects of the Oracle Project. The only one who survived. And the only one whose prophecies never missed.”

Leo was about to ask further when Catherine's cell phone rang. She activated the speaker, and Marcus Chen's voice filled the car.

“Catherine, we have a problem,” Marcus' voice sounded breathless. “They've arrived in Newcastle first. Aurora-she's missing. There were traces of a fight in her apartment, and I found this.”

There was the sound of paper being torn up, and Marcus read: “'Meet me where it all began. Bring Leo Haynes. Only he can stop this.' Signed with Roman numeral IV.”

Leo felt his blood rush. IV-the same Roman numeral that was on the wrist of the last victim of the serial killer case ten years ago. Suddenly, his head was assaulted by an excruciating pain, as if someone was trying to break down the memory door that was locked tightly in the corner of his mind.

“Leo?” Catherine shook his shoulder in concern. Without realizing it, their car had stopped on the shoulder of the road. “Leo, are you okay?”

But Leo didn't hear her. In front of his eyes, a memory began to unravel in the harbor, a secret room underground, and a little girl who looked at him with eyes too old for her age. The girl said something, a prophecy that he had forgotten for ten years.

“I remember.” Leo whispered, cold sweat running down his forehead. “I remember what Aurora told me that night.”