Chapter 143: Item: TARS-38604
After days of investigation, Jessica had finally pieced together the rough picture behind Ed’s mysterious disappearance.
It all started when Mason Industries tried to transport a device—one so dubious in legality and nature that it couldn’t go through official channels. Instead, they turned to smugglers, offering them a hefty sum to move the goods under the radar.
From what Jessica had gathered, it wasn’t just her landlord’s nephew who’d vanished—every single person involved in this smuggling job had disappeared without a trace.
And Jessica, being who she was, always prepared for the worst. Her gut told her this case was bigger than it looked. Perhaps the device was so important—so dangerous—that the people behind it had broken all the unspoken rules and silenced everyone involved, permanently.
Michael, her usual informant, agreed. He believed Mason Industries had plenty of skeletons in its closet. After all, wasn’t their rise to power far too smooth?
In just four years, Gene Mason had turned nothing into a technological empire. And any obstacle that came his way? Gone—mysteriously. Like Norman Osborn, the CEO of Oscorp. He had clashed with Gene... and not long after, he was found dead in his home from what was officially described as a "gas explosion." There were rumors, of course—that Norman had been the Green Goblin.
And that was just one example. The list was long.
Jessica wasn’t new to the shadows of society. She’d seen enough to know the world wasn’t as clean as it pretended to be. Still, she never abandoned a case. No matter how bizarre, no matter how deep the rabbit hole went, if she took a job—she finished it. That was her code.
Michael had told her the goods—whatever they were—were supposed to land at a specific dock in New York. That’s where she was now.
The docks were pitch black, swallowing every sliver of light like a hungry beast. The air was damp and cold, making her shiver as she pulled her jacket tighter.
"Well... at least they know how to make an entrance," she muttered, squinting at the containers. Her eyes locked on one.