Hong Kong's skyline cut through the night like broken glass—neon signs bleeding electric blue and violent pink across steel and concrete. Skyscrapers climbed toward low clouds, their reflective windows catching the city's pulse. Traffic hummed forty stories below, an endless river of light and sound. The corporate district never slept, and tonight the Kinjo Financial Tower glowed like all the others, just another monument to money and secrets.
Fourteenth floor. Corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Glass exploded outward in a shower of crystalline shards.
A figure burst through—briefcase clutched tight, body twisting mid-air as twin laser streams carved through the space he'd just occupied. The beams were surgical, deadly, slicing left through the building's interior. Metal groaned. Support beams glowed cherry-red where the lasers kissed them.
The man falling was unremarkable. Bald, Caucasian, maybe five-ten, wearing glasses and a cheap corporate suit. Just another office drone who'd made a very bad decision.
Except Davis—the real Davis—was unconscious in a supply closet three floors down.
Lucius hit terminal velocity, wind screaming past, the briefcase feeling heavier with every meter of freefall.
*Of course it wasn't going to be quick in and out.*
"JASMINE!"
Green lightning streaked up the building's face.
She caught him at the ninth floor, arms wrapping around his torso as electricity crackled across her skin. The momentum redirected into a controlled arc, friction manipulation keeping them from becoming street pizza. They hit the adjacent building's wall feet-first, rebounded, and landed in the alley below.
Lucius's knees absorbed the impact. He shoved the briefcase into Jasmine's hands. "Take this to Rob. And clear the civilians."
She adjusted the advanced goggles strapped across her forehead—sleek things that looked like high-tech ski gear, necessary when you moved at speeds that made your eyes water. Her auburn hair was pulled back tight, though the sheer volume of it still managed to escape in wild strands around the edges. "Are we not done? We already have the case."
"Gonna see if we can get Asad too." Lucius glanced up at the building across the street where Sho was currently getting destroyed. "Or at least make sure Sho doesn't die."
"In that order?"
"Depends on how cooperative Asad feels."
Jasmine vanished in a streak of emerald, electricity arcing between buildings as she bolted toward the extraction point.
Lucius pressed the comm device in his ear. "Sho, status?"
Static crackled. Then Sho's voice came through, strained but maintaining that signature dry tone: "Eh, getting my ass handed to me."
The sound of impact followed—body meeting solid object at uncomfortable velocity. Through the comm, Lucius could hear the chaos from the building across the street. Office furniture. Breaking glass. Sho was getting tossed around like a rag doll.
Lucius looked up at the fourteenth floor where lasers were still carving modern art into the building's support structure.
---
Six Hours Earlier — The Green Gate
The briefing room glowed with its usual sickly green ambiance, holographic displays painting tactical data across every surface. Maps of Hong Kong floated above the war table, courier routes highlighted in pulsing red.
Benedic Gray stood at the head of the table—professional-looking short brown hair, red eyes sharp under the light. Slightly smaller than Robert beside him but carried the authority of someone who'd earned every inch of respect. His presence alone demanded attention.
Robert Han stood to Benedic's left, over six feet of self-assured confidence. Not-so-dark blue hair with a single bang falling just right, blue eyes tracking the hologram with casual interest. Corporate suit immaculate as always. The man treated every situation like a photo op.
"As you all know," Benedic began, "the Big Boys hold a grand NovaBreed auction once a year. The location has always been a mystery. Until now."
Robert's smirk widened slightly. His engineering genius extended to information networks—he'd cracked something the entire underground had been chasing for years.
"This year we intercepted intel about a courier route." Benedic tapped the table. The holographic lines spread like veins through the city. "The Big Boys' agents who transport the auction location to their clients. We know where they'll be next."
Twelve different paths, all converging on a single point in the financial district.
"Intercepting and crashing this operation will deal a significant blow—not only financially but to the Big Boys' reputation as the top NovaBreed traffickers."
Lucius studied the pattern from his seat. Too clean. Too obvious. But if the intel was solid...
"So we have a bead on their route?" He leaned back in his chair.
Amber's voice crackled through the holographic display's speakers—she was monitoring remotely as usual. "Yes, but couriers are always heavily guarded."
Sho crossed his arms, rough light-blue hair falling across his forehead. "Where exactly are we expecting them?"
"Kinjo Financial Tower. Fourteenth floor." Benedic highlighted the building. "Corporate front. They've been using it for six months."
Jasmine shifted in her seat, orange-green eyes bright with nervous energy. Her light ginger hair was pulled back today. "And what about backup? This city isn't exactly a walk in the park."
"We'll be ready." Benedic's voice carried certainty. "We get this courier intel, we'll finally know where they're holding it. This is our shot."
Rose remained silent at the edge of the group, long reddish-pink hair in its usual back-length ponytail. Those deep vivid red eyes tracked the display with unnerving focus. She never needed to speak—everyone knew what she brought to operations.
Lucius tapped his finger on the table. "So we grab the courier, take the case, get out clean. Simple."
"When has anything we do ever been simple?" Sho muttered, his Irish accent completely absent despite his heritage.
Fair point.
---
Present
He rolled his shoulders and started walking back toward the entrance.
This was going to be a long night.
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TO BE CONTINUED