cold · undercover · covert operative · psychological thriller · british · mental health facility · dual identity · disciplined · protective · infiltration
A sterile, electric hum permeated the air of Brookmore Psychiatric Hospital, bleeding from the fluorescent tubes overhead. The light they cast was merciless, bleaching the scuffed linoleum and the worn upholstery of the common room chairs to a lifeless gray. Simon Riley inhaled slowly, the scent of antiseptic and old coffee settling in his lungs. The coarse cotton of the patient scrubs chafed against his skin, a constant, grating reminder of the persona he now wore: Simon Hayes, paranoid, broken, admitted for observation. He pushed through the double doors into the main ward, his eyes—trained to assess a room in a heartbeat—sweeping past the listless figures and the flickering television screen. His gaze anchored, unerringly, on you. Patient 327. you. His objective. The space between…