AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pacing the confined office space, Roseline weighed her options.
She could keep striking against the Game Master covertly, but without additional resources, she would just be stuck in an endless cycle of cyber-cat-and-mouse. The only way to permanently decrypt his servers, trace his digital fingerprints back to a real-world location, and build an airtight legal case for prosecution was to bring her methods out of the dark and get official sanctioning.
Her fingers ran through her hair nervously at the thought. She would have to come clean to Commander Beckner about her less-than-legal techniques if she wanted the NOPD’s specialized task force to back her efforts. Would he understand her motives, that she broke codes out of necessity to save lives? Or would he shut her down entirely for flouting the law, even with the noblest intentions? So much weighed on his reaction and discretion.
Getting the NOPD fully on board was a risk, but one Roseline realized she had to take. Gathering her courage, she picked up the phone to schedule a private meeting first thing tomorrow morning. There was no more time to lose.
Sittingacross from Commander Beckner in his crisp, spartan office, Roseline fidgeted, choosing her words with the utmost care. She needed Beckner to understand the urgency of stopping the Game Master without incriminating herself and losing his trust.
“Sir, I’ve… I’ve managed to gain access to the Game Master’s encrypted servers hosting his gambling and live stream sites.” Roseline hesitated, watching Beckner’s stony reaction. His stern face gave no indication of his thoughts.
Roseline continued cautiously, “By taking down those servers, even temporarily, I was able to disrupt his operations before he could broadcast more of his… spectacles.”
She left the precise methods used vague, hoping Beckner would read between the lines rather than force her to openly admit her own illegal actions.
At last, Beckner leaned back in his leather chair, hands folded. “You and I both know how you obtained that access, Fontenot. And I don’t need to hear you say it.”
Roseline tensed, her worst fears seeming confirmed—that Beckner would shut her efforts down for breaking codes, regardless of her motives.
But then he met her gaze, his eyes revealing a surprising pragmatism. “While I can’t officially sanction whatever means you used in the past, I think we understand each other. This Game Master needs to be stopped in any way necessary before more innocent lives are lost.”
Roseline let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, dizzy with relief. Beckner wasn’t going to stand on ceremony or demand she follow every protocol to the letter.
“Yes, sir, I understand completely,” Roseline said, hope rising within her. “No specifics on my methods from here on out.”
Beckner nodded. “You’ll have the NOPD’s full task force at your disposal 24-7. I’ll position this as an authorized operation moving forward. You and Hemlock feed us any intel needed, and we’ll strike hard until the threat is neutralized for good. Maybe you have given us the delay we need to end this. Maybe.”
“Thank you, sir, I appreciate your trust more than you know,” Roseline said sincerely. She had the backup she needed now. Together, they would unravel the Game Master’s digital fingerprints and take him down permanently.
As they finalized the plan for her to downplay her past role to the wider task force, Roseline left Beckner’s office flooded with relief and gratitude. His pragmatism had given her a path forward, even if it meant navigating ethical gray areas. She was committed to doing everything possible to defeat this monster, legal or not.
Yet where was Callan?
On her solitarywalk back to her office, Roseline’s thoughts churned as she grappled with the ethical gray area of the covert pact she had made with Beckner.
By covering up her own illegal actions, was she betraying the very moral code she had sworn to uphold when she joined the force? The internal conflict gnawed ceaselessly at her conscience with each step.
She pictured Commander Beckner’s flinty expression as he implicitly sanctioned her hacking the Game Master’s servers through unofficial channels and without prior authorization. Roseline understood why he couldn’t openly approve her breach of codes, even for the right reasons. But his willingness to turn a blind eye still felt like a compromise of her ethics.
Or was she just rationalizing her own rule-breaking? Roseline’s head ached, trying to reconcile it all.
She thought of Callan then, picturing him out there alone this very moment, still risking his life trawling the city’s dark underbelly to protect potential victims. Meanwhile, she had the relative safety of hiding behind computer screens in her small office.
If bending, or even breaking, the rules meant she could help prevent further innocent lives being lost to this madman’s brutality, then so be it. She had sworn an oath to safeguard the people of New Orleans, even from other officers who abused their power.
And if it took becoming a vigilante herself, if it meant employing the Game Master’s own ruthless methods against him—then that was a moral line she was willing to cross.
Especially with Callan in the crosshairs, on the streets hunting a killer without backup, she refused to fight this battle with one hand tied behind her back by protocols when lives hung in the balance. Callan… Where was Callan?
The thought of Callan or anyone else falling victim to the Game Master’s savagery was unbearable. She would find a way to dismantle his networks permanently, no matter what it cost her personally or professionally.
Roseline steeled her resolve as she entered the station. For now, her course was clear. She would go to any lengths to stop the Game Master, even if it meant becoming more vigilant than an officer.
Back at her cramped desk and with Beckner’s approval secured, Roseline diligently compiled her report, documenting everything with meticulous detail. As she typed, her gaze kept drifting to her phone lying nearby, hoping for some word from Callan.
They hadn’t spoken since he headed out to warn potential targets, and he’d called to say he was almost done. Each minute of radio silence that passed made it harder to focus on work, her mind conjuring worst-case scenarios. If he had been almost finished earlier, where was he now?
Roseline’s breath caught when her phone lit up with a new notification. She grabbed it with trembling hands, only to feel her heart sink. It wasn’t a call, just a text message from an unknown number.
