Chapter 1: Introduction

There had been paintings stolen. A highly functional art museum was now facing extreme security and financial crisis, because 'Dark Fist' had decided to strike again. The police were in bits. This had been going on for so long, and no one knew how to catch this guy. The insult had to be even huger for the police, because like always, the criminal mastermind had left a token...an untraceable card that mocked the police to catch him.

All the officers were gathered around the crime scene. The art museum had been so beautiful. It had included abstract paintings, pictures of greenery and unanimated things. It was the most famous in town, and just in one night, all of its pictures had been stolen.

The police had arrived at this place in the morning and felt so surprised at the sight of the security system functioning in a completely fine manner. There were no fingerprints, no lasers disturbed and even the security guards hadn't been tied up or anything. Just the paints...they had been harshly pulled off from nails.

The museum's owner, Mr Ali, was almost in tears as he started as one torn pieces of pictures still hanging from the nails. Black Fist had been so ruthless. But, how to catch this guy...no one had any clues. The police studies the empty halls, looked for clues until a woman walked in.

"Detective Maria from the Lahore team" she showed the police her id card.

"Ma'am, you are of no authority to be here. " One of the policemen tried to stop her until she pulled out a file from her bag and spoke out.

"I have been studying this case for long. The person you are looking for a man in his late twenties. He is smart and tall. Judging from his attacks, he holds a strong hatred for the police and has an insider to stalk the police's move. Also, he committed this robbery by using some underground gadget that got into this museum from the garden inside. I noticed a patch of green slightly lighter than the rest...and one of the tiles near the entrance had its edges standing out. So, given it is clear that no human entered this museum, it has to be work of technology."

Everyone listened to her in shock.

Who was this woman? Did she just give them some head-starts and clues about this extremely complicated case? The police only knew that 'Black Fist' was a man who enjoyed messing around with her, but for this woman to reveal so much about his identity was astonishing.

Listening, as her footsteps headed out of the building, they could only look at each other in confusion and tiny smiles. Maybe, just maybe...they had found the key.

Detective Maria

A top-researcher in college, passionate about justice, I had always been a person who enjoyed standing up for justice; not many sided with me. Since I was little, I used to wonder about how corrupt people managed to gain power, how justice was decided by brought courts, and how many sided with the bullies, instead.

My mother used to tell me that this was just part of the system...corruption and taking it as a norm was just what civilians had to do. But I didn't want to accept that. I would be mocked by my class fellows. So many times students had crushed my glasses under their feet and slapped my heavy books out of my arms. I was a reader, a writer, and a person mostly lost in her mind, and that just made many come after me. My teachers ignored the bullying, children mocked me, and I could see people with authority doing nothing about it.

For years, I remained calm until that heartbreaking day. The ashes of wood and the ruination of dreams still wouldn't leave my mind. That is the day that I decided that I would work to fight for justice. I would stand up for sanity, humanity because those who didn't were just cowards or fools. Corruption and injustice shouldn't be the norm. People should stand up for it.

I graduated with the first position from the Police Academy, worked day and night to be hired as a detective, and finally after years of effort...I managed it. I had to move out of my parents' house to meet my dreams. They were worried about me, so concerned that this field was too dangerous for women, but I had to do this.

My first and top-most target was 'Black Fist'. That man deserved to be put behind bars, made to pay for all the destruction that he did. It was horrible how cruel he was...how darkly he had been terrorizing this town...this country.

I had to find him, catch him and bring him to justice. This man was going to rue the day he decided to turn towards the dark side.

Now walking into the police women's quarter, I smiled as many staff ladies greeted me. They had already been informed about my arrival.

"Ma'am," one lady escorted me to a desk placed at the very back of the room. This place included a huge hall with so many desks and chairs placed in a row. Women officers were walking around, filling their coffee mugs from the coffee machine, studying cases. I was now going to be part of this team until we managed to catch 'Black Fist'. I had already asked my previous boss to make some calls.

Observing and taking time to notice, I had now decided to spring into action. It was officially time to begin this chase. Black Fist had no idea what he was up against.

Settling down on the table, I raised an eyebrow at the officer who had escorted me here and pointed at the over-flowing table.

"Oops." Nervously, she started gathering all the files from the table, leaving only a pen holder and some sticky notes behind. I sat down on my chair. It was dark at this part of the hall, but the dim lamplight sitting on my desk was enough for me to study case files.

"Can you bring me some coffee and 'Black Fists' case study files." I then looked up at the woman. She quickly started nodded.

"Sure. Of course,"

There were officers around me solving so many cases one by one. The atmosphere of this office was friendly. People were talking to each other, laughing around, pasting clues on a brown board and studying the hints together. I could feel these women were close to each other. Yet, I stayed quiet and simply pulled out my laptop from my black bag.

I wasn't here for friendships, laughs and getting distracted. I had to do just one job here, and that was to catch 'Black Fist'. I had never really made friends, never actually knew how to make friends because people hardly gave many a chance. They were particularly selective when it came to befriending a shy and guarded woman who had her walls too high up. But, I didn't bother about it now.

I was done letting society influencing me...so I was working on changing its ways, instead of desperately trying to attain its affection.

Scowling as my laptop windows started to update. I looked at its pink screen in boredom, grabbing a pen and clicking it. What had happened at the museum today made me smile. The police offers had seemed so shocked. They were probably thinking of me as an amateur. Maybe, I was...but I had done my works. None of these offices had spent as many years on gathering information about this man, as I had.

I was ready, eager and almost excited.

I just needed to get to study the profile prepared by the police, and I was all ready for catching this criminal. Soon, my laptop started, and I quickly clicked on to the first word-file posted on my desktop screen. I had made many files to categories of different findings of this guy.

Right now, I clicked on the file named 'IQ'. I had to add more to it. If my theory was correct, this man knew his gadgets. I had to note it down. Quickly typing, I watched the woman whom I had asked for a coffee cup now walk up to me with a tray gripped tightly in her hands. A huge kettle, Styrofoam cup and a file were placed on it. The woman was smiling now. She seemed like an intern, in her early twenties. I was twenty-six years old.

"Thank you..." I stood up to grab the stray from her.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Asmara..." she beamed, rolling back on her heels. I nodded.

"Post?"

"I am an intern here." She informed. So, I was right about her being an intern.

Nodding, I sat down again and got started with the case study. A small smile appeared on my face, as I picked the coffee cup. My mom would get so angry if she knew that I was drinking coffee next to my laptop. I had once dropped a bottle full of lemonade on my old laptop. After that, I was forbidden to bring drinks near my laptop. So being a good daughter, I placed the coffee in a compartment that was located under the desk and opened the file.

Let's get started.