The laptop screen cast blue light across the Amsterdam safehouse as decrypted files cascaded down the display.
William had been at this for six hours straight—coffee cold, eyes burning, the USB cloner's contents spreading across his hard drive like a digital infection. The IAGO data was more comprehensive than he'd dared hope.
[DATA ANALYSIS: IN PROGRESS]
[FILES DECRYPTED: 2,847]
[CATEGORIES: Auction records, client communications, financial transactions, operational protocols]
Client identities. Bidding records for stolen intelligence packages. Communication channels between power brokers on four continents. The kind of information that turned leverage into power.
"This is what Dalia Margolis died protecting."
William scrolled through transaction logs, matching names to payments to intelligence products. A Russian oligarch had paid 2.3 million euros for NATO submarine patrol schedules. A Chinese investment firm had acquired blueprints for an American drone prototype. A Saudi prince had purchased the private communications of three European heads of state.
The buyers were predictable—governments, corporations, criminal organizations with more money than scruples. But the patterns revealed something else. Certain purchases clustered around specific topics: Providence shell companies, ICA operational areas, a network of private military contractors with connections to both.
[PATTERN DETECTED:]
[CROSS-REFERENCE: IAGO auction data + Engström ICA client lists]
[OVERLAP: 23 entities appear in both datasets]
[SIGNIFICANCE: Unknown organizational connection (designated "Providence-adjacent")]
Providence. The name appeared in Engström's shadow client memos, always oblique, always capitalized like a proper noun. William knew the name from his meta-knowledge—the secret organization that controlled Providence, the conspiracy 47 would eventually dismantle across three games' worth of story.
"You're looking at the edge of something much bigger than spy auctions."
He didn't have enough context yet. The data showed connections without explaining them. Like seeing the shadow of a building without knowing its shape.
[ANALYSIS RECOMMENDATION: Store high-value data securely. Continue cross-referencing as additional intelligence becomes available.]
William copied the most sensitive files onto encrypted drives and powered down the laptop. The originals needed protection—not just digital encryption, but physical separation.
The Amsterdam safe deposit box took an hour to arrange. Cash payment, false name, the kind of discretion that cost extra but left no paper trail. He stored the primary IAGO drive inside, along with Engström's original USB and the backup of everything he'd accumulated since Copenhagen.
The key fit inside a hollowed-out paperback—a spy novel he'd found at a secondhand bookshop, the irony too perfect to resist.
"You're hiding stolen intelligence inside a John le Carré novel. Carl Engström would appreciate the joke."
[HUMAN ELEMENT: User engaging in self-aware humor regarding operational tradecraft]
[NOTE: This does not affect SP calculations]
William almost laughed. Almost.
Jansen's weekly intelligence drop arrived at noon the next day.
William read it on a park bench near the Rijksmuseum, the encrypted file displayed on a burner phone that would be in the canal by sunset. The data broker's network reached deep into ICA internal communications—not everything, but enough to track institutional attention.
The Paris Showstopper after-action report sat at the top of the file.
OPERATION SUMMARY: PARIS SHOWSTOPPER Primary Targets: Viktor Novikov (eliminated), Dalia Margolis (eliminated) Methodology: Staged accident (chandelier), poisoning (confirmed) Attribution: Agent 47 (confirmed), Handler Burnwood
ANOMALY FLAG: Secondary casualty — Eric Fournier, private security Cause of death: Suppressed pistol, two rounds center mass Assessment: Professional methodology, NOT consistent with Agent 47's operation
CROSS-REFERENCE: UNKNOWN-7 file Recommendation: Upgrade designation from MONITOR to INVESTIGATE Handler Burnwood notation: "Second contractor confirmed operational in proximity to Agency missions. Priority: identify."
Diana Burnwood's name sat at the bottom like a signature on a warrant.
[THREAT ASSESSMENT UPDATE:]
[ICA INVESTIGATION: Upgraded from MONITOR to INVESTIGATE]
[SUPERVISION: Diana Burnwood (direct)]
[RISK LEVEL: Significantly elevated]
"She knows someone else was working Paris. She doesn't know it was the same ghost from Copenhagen, but she will. The pattern is forming."
William stared at the report until the words blurred. Diana Burnwood was the most dangerous handler in the ICA—brilliant, methodical, the woman who would eventually guide 47 through the dismantling of Providence. Having her attention was like having a spotlight following you through a minefield.
"You need Torres. You need the frame job to work before she connects the dots."
[TACTICAL ASSESSMENT: User analysis correct]
[RECOMMENDATION: Accelerate Torres manipulation timeline]
[WINDOW: Narrowing]
The burner phone went into the canal. William watched it sink, then walked back toward the city center with Diana Burnwood's words echoing in his head.
Second contractor confirmed operational.
He was on her radar now. The only question was how long before she found his frequency.
Reviews and Power Stones keep the heat on!
Want to see what happens before the "heroes" do?
Secure your spot in the inner circle on Patreon. Skip the weekly wait and read ahead:
💵 Hustler [$7]: 15 Chapters ahead.
⚖️ Enforcer [$11]: 20 Chapters ahead.
👑 Kingpin [$16]: 25 Chapters ahead.
Periodic drops. Check on Patreon for the full release list.
👉 Join the Syndicate: patreon.com/Anti_hero_fanfic