The entire precinct had fallen dead silent; not a single phone rang, not a keyboard clacked.
Officer Braddock stared at the floor, realizing his law enforcement career was effectively terminated before it had truly begun—a direct casualty of his own unchecked bias, arrogance, and refusal to observe the reality right in front of him.
Marcus Sterling didn't wait for a response. He adjusted the collar of his hoodie, turned on his heel, and walked out of the precinct with the exact same easy, rolling gait he had entered his own building with. The heavy glass doors swung shut behind him, leaving a terrified young cop standing in the wreckage of his own making, bracing for the storm that was only just beginning.