He Thought It Would Just Be Another Ordinary First Day Walking Into Ironwatch Regional Command, a Place Supposed to Be a Model of Modern Coordination, Only to Realize Within Minutes That the Building Itself Was Broken, the Officers Were Careless, and Something Dark and Unseen Was Waiting in the Shadows for Someone Like Him to Notice

Part 1: The Arrival

Ethan Harper adjusted the strap of his tactical bag as he stepped into the glass-and-steel lobby of Ironwatch Regional Command, a place designed to be the pinnacle of modern coordination: police, SWAT, dispatch, traffic control, and crisis logistics all working under one roof. On paper, it was a marvel. In reality, it reeked of exhaustion, apathy, and disorder.