Chapter 11 Missing Family

Kyrian stood in the warm, brightly lit foyer motionless for a long moment as the front door closed, the sound echoing with a hollow finality. He gave a long exhale, listening to the fading sound of Van’s sedan retreating down the street. He had made the only choice a man could make, putting the safety of his family over loyalty to his former superior, but the decision felt like betrayal.

He turned the deadbolt, the locking mechanism sliding into place with a satisfying click. He engaged the secondary biometric lock, the security panel blinking a reassuring green. The house was a fortress, equipped with the most advanced countermeasures his security firm could provide. Nobody could get in without him knowing.

Kyrian entered the sprawling living room, the familiar scent comforting him. He stepped onto the plush Persian rug and called to his wife.

“Maya?” Kyrian called out, his voice easily carrying up the wooden staircase.

They had just come back from their daughters' school PTA meeting. As the PTA president, Maya was the last of the parents to leave the meeting and he had gone with her to support and also as a parent. Maya had gone upstairs to freshen up. It was too late to prepare dinner so they had ordered online.

There was no answer from her. It was to be expected. He knew his wife. She probably wanted him to join her upstairs.

Nice play darling, nice play but first where are these sneaky little rats. Kyrian smiled.

He hoped they weren't doing anything suspicious because the house was entirely too quiet for a set of twins.

He saw two pairs of shoes and backpacks by the corner. He frowned, his brow furrowing. He had always told them to be responsible girls and take their belongings upstairs rather than leaving them lying around. He picked up the bags and shoes.

I guess they're up for another round of lessons concerning the importance of taking care of personal belongings, he thought.

He glanced at the digital grandfather clock standing in the corner of the room. It was getting past dinner time. The food delivery rider was supposed to be here. He hated late dinners.

He gave the living room one last sweep with his eyes to see if his daughters had put anything else out of place before joining them upstairs. Near the edge of a side stool he saw something that was not supposed to be there or anywhere around the house.

Blood.

He hadn't noticed it earlier even when Van was around. His heart raced. It was still fresh.

“Maya? Johann? Kat?” Kyrian called out.

No answer.

He dropped the bags and shoes running upstairs, his leather shoes making a squeaky sound on the hardwood floor.

He went to his daughters' rooms. No one.

He went to the master bedroom. Maya wasn't there. In the bathroom, the bath was filled with water and spilling onto the tiles.

He feared the worst. Someone had broken into the house and his family was nowhere to be found.

He turned off the bath and went to the safe beside the bed. He unlocked it and pulled out his firearm.

He went round the house one room after the other looking for them, looking for clues to hint at what happened.

He found nothing except the blood near the stool.

He went back to his study and turned on his PC. He went through the security feed from the cameras and he found nothing. Everything was blank like they were hacked and wiped clean.

He sprawled out on the chair behind his desk running his hand through his hair. He retraced his steps trying to understand how his family would disappear without his notice.

He didn't have enemies. He hadn't wronged anyone. He never had any direct contact with his clients. He had people for that.

The silence of the house was no longer regular quiet. It was now a manufactured void.

Inside the pocket of his tailored trousers, his mobile phone began to vibrate.

Kyrian's hand felt numb as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the device. The screen did not display a caller ID. It only showed a string of shifting alphanumeric characters.

“Hm,” Kyrian grunted. This was highly encrypted. Totally untraceable. He doesn't need to run it through his firm to confirm.

He clicked the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. He didn't speak. He simply breathed into the receiver.

“Commander Kyrian Doker,” a voice said.

The voice was distorted. Mechanical. No identity.

“Your service number is A-9071, Military call sign Birdie. Your-”

“Where are they?” Kyrian rasped, cutting the caller mid-sentence. The caller had stated its point. They knew everything about Kyrian. His private life. Which meant they were responsible for his wife and daughters' abduction.

“Your wife and daughters are currently unharmed,” the voice replied, laying emphasis on ‘currently’.

“They are resting comfortably. Whether they remain that way depends entirely on your next action.”

“I swear, if you hurt them I will tear this world apart until I find you,” Kyrian said, dropping the corporate shield.

“Threats are irrelevant, Birdie. You have one choice here which is,” the voice stated. “Van Zero. Provide us with every detail you can about him. You will act as our eyes, or you will never see your family again.”

Kyrian closed his eyes, the weight of his previous refusal crashing down on him. He had told Van he was choosing his family. He had believed he was protecting them.

“How did you bypass the perimeter grid?” Kyrian demanded, stalling, trying to get enough digital signatures of the call so he could run a trace through his company's network. Even though he knew that his luck would turn low. “My company designed that system. It's impenetrable.”

“Your home was never impenetrable, Birdie. We have been watching you for a very long time,” the voice answered.

“So what do you say? Do we have a mutual understanding?" the voice asked, the cold transaction nearing its end. “Van Zero or your family. Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok.”

The line disconnected.

Kyrian opened his eyes. He looked at the cam feeds displayed on the computer screen. He saw the arranged beds in his daughter's room. He saw the undisturbed order that had been stolen from him.

Then he stood up. He pulled the desk away from the wall. He looked behind it, nothing.

They have been watching me?

His home had never truly been safe. Every intimate moment, every dinner, every bedtime story had been carefully logged and analyzed by unknown watchers. They had been living inside the walls of his life.

Kyrian searched his study. Then he saw it. A small black dot behind the frame of a photo hung up on the wall.

He crushed it with the sole of his shoe.

He got out of the study with his security scanner. Moving round the house he found another one behind a smoke detector. A small lens. He crushed it too.

Kyrian checked the lights, vents, and air-conditioner. He checked everywhere with the scanner until he was sure he cleared out all the bugs.

He would also need to bring in his tech guys to have a look at his security camera.

Whoever called had used his own security against him.

He realised that if they could take his family with such ease, giving them Van would not save Maya or the girls. It would only ensure that all of them died.

But then again he could give them information on Van's whereabouts. Try his luck to save his family.

He walked to the kitchen counter. He opened the drawer and took out the hammer.

He set the phone on the counter and smashed it with the hammer.

He swept the pieces into the dustbin. He went to the sink and washed his hands.

His stomach grumbled and he realised that the delivery person hadn't brought the food but that was the least of his worries.

Right now he needed to find and save his family. There were other ways. There had to be because he couldn't save them by giving away Van. Or could he? Maybe. If push came to shove. He didn't know.

But he refused to play their game on their terms.

And they were making a grave mistake messing with Van. General Van Zero.

Banging his hand hard on the counter, Kyrian promised.

“I will find you, all of you. I'm getting my family back.”