Chapter 15: Murder

Elias slipped the elastic strap over his head, adjusting the cheap hero mask he'd come to rely on. Right now, he was the so-called "password expert"—racing to catch with Claw before the real password hacker, Cipher, showed up to claim him as her pawn.

From a distance, Elias spotted a burly figure prowling around, face hidden behind a Rhine Cat mask. That had to be Claw.

He approached with deliberate urgency. "Claw!"

"Huh?"

Claw spun around, startled. He blinked at Elias's hero mask with confusion. "Huh? Didn't even tell you my name—how'd you know…?"

"Listen up." Elias cut to the chase. "Not only do I know who you are, I also know you plan to kill everyone once you get the money and keep it all yourself."

"I— I would never—"

But Elias kept stalking toward him, voice low and tense. "That so-called 'password expert' you're waiting for? She's playing you. There's no money in the bank vault. She's just using you to crack security. Once you're no longer useful, she'll put a bullet in your head."

Claw's eyes went wide behind the cat mask. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

He reached for his waist—likely where he holstered his gun.

Smack.

Elias's hand landed on the grip first, pinning Claw's palm in place. Their masks nearly touched as Elias stared him down.

"If you want revenge for your daughter," Elias said calmly, "listen to me. I know a place where we can actually get you the money you need."

"Y—you know about my daughter too?!" Claw's voice cracked with disbelief.

In one quick motion, Elias pulled the handgun from Claw's belt and slipped it into his own pocket. "Get in your van," he ordered.

***

Soon enough, they were barreling down a deserted roadway in Claw's beat-up van. Claw kept glancing in the rearview mirror at Elias—now sitting shotgun, wearing the hero mask.

"Uh…buddy?" Claw ventured. "You mind explaining who you are? Are you… actually some kind of computer genius?"

Elias opened his eyes, sitting up straighter. "No, I'm not."

Claw's jaw tensed. "Then why the—"

"But I can get you the money to avenge your daughter," Elias interrupted calmly. "So let's just say, for tonight, I'm the guy who's on your side."

Claw exhaled shakily, eyes on the road. "All right, man. Talk."

"That 'expert' who contacted you told you the bank's vault was packed with cash and gold, right?"

"Yeah, said there'd be gold bars."

"She lied. The vault is filled with safety deposit boxes—no actual currency or gold. She just wants you to do the heavy lifting and then kill you off."

Claw drummed his fingers on the wheel, torn. "But you're just saying that. How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Because I'm here to save your life, Claw. Once you see that vault is empty, you'll believe me." Elias paused, taking a steady breath. "At that point, I need your help against her. Name's Cipher, by the way—the real password hacker."

Claw raised a hand in question. "Two things: first, without a real password expert, how do we bust into that vault?"

Elias allowed himself a small smirk. "I'm better than an expert. Ten seconds, tops."

"T-ten seconds, huh?" Claw's voice cracked at the bold claim. "Okay. Second, you said you'd help me get the cash for my daughter's revenge. That for real?"

Elias nodded. "There are plenty of targets in this city loaded with valuables—money, jewels, gold bars. More than you'd get from any bank, and with less risk. I know exactly where to hit, how to fence it… But," Elias checked the digital clock on the dash, "tonight we're out of time. I can lead you to the goods tomorrow."

"Ha! A day's nothing. Tomorrow it is," Claw said, snorting a laugh and twisting the steering wheel. "Today, you're the boss, brother. I'm yours to command."

***

Before long, they pulled onto a side street facing a large, silent bank. One of Claw's henchmen was already at the front doors, fiddling with the locks.

Claw tapped the window. "We're here. C'mon."

"Hold up." Elias grabbed Claw's arm before he could exit. "Something's been on my mind…"

"Huh?"

Elias took a breath. "I know your daughter died at six—murdered, you said. But it's so strange—why would anyone target a little girl? I can't wrap my head around that."

Claw's eyes darted away, and he said nothing, rummaging for a cigarette. Mask or not, his posture screamed tension.

"It must be painful," Elias went on gently. "But you see how much I already know about this city. I might actually help, not just with money. Let me in on the details. Maybe there's more we can do."

Smoke began to swirl inside the van, as Claw took a drag through the opening in his mask. His big face gave him enough space to smoke without removing it.

"It's not that I don't trust you… it's that talking about it…" Claw's voice trailed off.

Elias, sensing how close he was to an answer, pressed on. "Go ahead, man. The bank can wait. I've pulled these roles before; we'll do a fast run. Trust me."

After a tense beat, Claw sighed, shoulders sagging. He bowed his head, the cat mask tipping forward, seemingly reflecting his sorrow. "All right. I guess there's no harm in telling you."

***

"I used to be a real nobody," Claw said quietly. "But my father… you'd never guess. He was a famous mathematician. Won the Fields Medal—yes, that Fields Medal. Hard to believe with me in this van, huh?"

Elias sat very still. "So, your father was quite the scholar, then."

Claw nodded slowly. "Yeah, and my little girl lived at his place most of the time. I was off working odd jobs around the city. Then one night, she got a fever, started convulsing. My father picked her up and ran to the hospital. But on the way…" Claw's voice cracked, a tremor running through him, "…a truck hit them, rolling right over their bodies. It… flattened them. It was brutal."

He paused, breathing unevenly. Elias waited, letting him gather himself.

"At first, I thought it was just a horrible accident," Claw continued, "I investigated for a long time," Claw said, jaw clenched behind the Rhine Cat mask, "only to discover it wasn't just an accident. It was murder—targeted. They wanted my father dead, and my daughter… she was just collateral."

Elias's hand rested gently on Claw's shoulder, quietly urging him to continue.

"At first, I thought it was some mafia. But I followed leads for years. Nothing. No normal group leaves zero evidence behind." Claw exhaled shakily. "All I found was a name. Not some local gang, not a normal syndicate… something bigger. They call themselves the Variant Correction Bureau. Some folks whisper they're connected to an organization that monitors the timeline—like some cosmic enforcers. But these guys do the dirty work off the books."

Elias felt a chill. "Are you saying they're tied to… time travel?"

Claw nodded grimly. "I know it sounds crazy—like sci-fi garbage. But they're rumored to have technology that shouldn't exist in our era. My father must have stumbled on something huge in his research—something they didn't want him revealing. So, they… got rid of him."

His fists balled against the steering wheel. "I found mentions of the TVA in my father's notes—the Time Variance Authority. But I don't know if that's real or not. All I know is, I want them to pay."