Black Water at the Port

Grayhaven's port became a different city after 3 a.m. By day it was stacked with containers, forklifts, and shipping invoices. By night it was only rain, steam, diesel, and things that were not supposed to move through official channels. Ethan stood at the edge of Pier 7 with his hood up, looking at the container rows rising out of the fog like silent tombstones. It had taken him three days to get here. Three days of police searches that never stopped. The city news channel replayed his face until "suspect" blurred into "dangerous fugitive." Mayor Frank Weston stood at a press conference and swore the city would not be held hostage by violence, while Helios Guard executives smiled behind him like they had rehearsed innocence for years.