The conference room was dim, utilitarian. One of those long tables meant for strategy meetings that never went according to plan.
Sho sat with his arms crossed, unusually serious for once. Rose occupied another chair, still as stone, red eyes tracking nothing in particular. Jasmine had her head down on the table, half-asleep, exhausted from the earlier mission. Lucius scrolled through his phone, only half-present.
At the front of the room, Benedic Gray stood with arms crossed, looking every bit the authority figure. Robert leaned against the wall beside him, blue hair catching the overhead light.
The door opened. Amber walked in, looking as exhausted as Jasmine felt, dark circles prominent under her yellow eyes. She crossed to the table, positioning herself next to Robert.
Benedic turned slightly, side profile sharp in the dim light. "Good. Now that we're all here—Amber, have you managed to figure out the location yet?"
Amber pulled out a small data pad. "Yes. I extracted the contents of the flash drive. It contains more than just the auction location—some of which I believe we can use."
She swiped through data. "However, there are sections I haven't cracked yet. They're written in a language of unknown origin. It's going to take me a while. Few days, tops."
A beat. Then: "Also, one more thing. This is most likely a trap."
Benedic didn't look surprised. "Indeed. However, it's the best chance we have to cripple the Big Boys' activities." He straightened. "So we make sure we're prepared for every possible scenario. We'll play their game and beat them at it."
Lucius glanced up from his phone. "Amber, you said the flash drive contains more than auction info. What exactly?"
"Blueprints for some kind of suit. Intel on some lower ranked Big Boys enforcers. Locations of hideouts. Other miscellaneous data." She tapped the pad. "It's a lot."
"That's odd." Lucius frowned. "Why give us this much if it's just meant to trap us?"
Rose spoke, voice flat. "They're probably trying to make it believable."
Benedic nodded. "Whether it's a trap or not, we'll assume it is and prepare accordingly." He paused. "On that note, let's hope Ryunosuke's team gets back by then. Amber, what's the date for the auction?"
"I haven't gotten to that part yet."
"Alright." Benedic's tone shifted to dismissal. "I believe that's all."
Chairs scraped. The team started rising, ready to leave.
"Wait. One more thing."
Everyone paused.
"Earlier today, while you were out on your mission, a kid manifested his abilities. He was taken by the Big Boys." Benedic's expression darkened. "The speed and resources they put into covering it up suggests this might be serious. I need one of you to investigate."
He placed a document folder on the desk near Robert.
"So who's going to do it?"
Lucius looked back toward his team.
They'd vanished. Every single one of them.
He turned toward the exit. Jasmine stood at the door, mouthing "sorry" with an apologetic smile before disappearing into the hallway.
Lucius sighed, waved his hand in resigned acceptance. Of course.
He walked over, picked up the folder. "I guess it's me, then."
He headed for the exit. "Rob. Keys."
Robert tossed them without looking. "Don't leave a scratch on it."
Lucius caught them with his left hand—the bandaged one—without breaking stride. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it."
---
Outside, Lucius stood facing a small garage built into the mountainside, spinning the keys around his finger. The door rolled open with a mechanical hum.
Inside sat Robert's pride and joy—a sleek bike, all black chrome and aggressive angles.
Lucius stared at it. "Oh shit. Here we go again." He let out a dry chuckle.
---
The mountain road was serpentine, carved into rock face. Lucius pushed the bike hard through the curves, enjoying the speed despite himself.
The bike launched off a natural ramp in the rock, caught air for a heartbeat, then landed in a controlled drift on the road below.
His comm device crackled. Amber's voice: "So do you have any idea where you're gonna start?"
"Yeah. Based on what was in the file, I think I know someone who can help."
"Alright. Let me know if you need anything."
"Nothing for now. Just inform me once you get the auction date."
"Sure. Bye."
The line went quiet. Lucius descended into the city proper, neon beginning to glow as evening settled in.
---
Three men stumbled out of a bar, one completely wasted, held up by his friends. They laughed, loud and careless, heading toward their vehicle parked on the street.
Snow began to fall.
The drunk one blinked up at the sky, confused. "Shit... I must be drunk. I'm seeing snow fall at this time of year."
His friend supporting him squinted upward. "You're not the only one."
The third man—Tony—stopped walking. "You guys go on ahead. I just remembered I had something to do."
His friends shrugged, piled into the car, drove off into the thickening snowfall.
Tony turned and walked into the nearby alley.
"It's been a while," he said to the shadows.
Lucius stepped out of the darkness, ice still clinging to the air around him—the source of the unseasonable snow. "Should you really be out here at this time drinking? Wouldn't the missus be mad?"
Tony grinned. "Haven't you heard? Finally separated from that nag."
They moved deeper into the alley, voices lowering.
"I'm out celebrating my newly found freedom," Tony continued.
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order."
"She might've taken the house, but at least she no longer takes my freedom."
Lucius allowed himself a small smile. "I'd love to stay and catch up, but I'm pretty sure you can guess why I'm here."
Tony's expression shifted to innocence. "No. I have no idea."
"Come on. You know you stand to gain something from this, so stop fooling around."
Tony sighed, the act dropping. "Fine. But you didn't hear it from me." He glanced around, habit from years on the force. "From what I know, the kid and his entire family have gone missing. Police were en route when the kid's powers manifested, but they were called off by the NovaBreed Containment Corp."
He leaned against the alley wall. "However, the NCC handed the kid to 'you know who' because there was something special about him."
His voice dropped. "As for what happened to his family... I think you know."
Lucius's jaw tightened. "Shit. So the kid's already in their hands. I guess it's too late, then."
"Usually, yes." Tony's grin returned, opportunistic. "But you're in luck, my friend. Rumor has it the Big Boys are looking for new members—the unofficial kind."
"The underground?"
"Yes. The underground. A tournament is being held just a few days from now. If you play your cards right, I think you'll be able to infiltrate their organization."
Lucius considered this. "How does one get to partake in such a tournament?"
"It's invite-only. However, as I said, you're in luck. I've got a guy. But it's going to cost you."
"And how much are we talking about, exactly?"
Tony's smile widened. "One hundred twenty-eight thousand NewWon."
Lucius did the math instantly. "So it's ninety thousand, and you take thirty-eight thousand."
"Ah, you know me too well." Tony shrugged. "The divorce wasn't exactly pretty."
"Damn. You're probably the most corrupt cop I've ever met." Lucius shook his head. "But whatever. Set everything up with your guy, and I'll wire you the money when you're done."
Tony laughed lightly. "I'll see to it. Everything will be done by tomorrow."
He walked out of the alley, waving goodbye without looking back.
Lucius activated his comm. "Amber, are you awake?"
"Yeah."
"Looks like I'm gonna be out for a while. Can you book me a hotel to spend the night?"
"Sure. So what happened? Did you find something out?"
"Yeah, a bit. But I'll explain everything tomorrow. Right now, I'm too exhausted."
"Alright. I'll send you the location once I've booked it. Good luck."
Lucius looked up at the snow still falling—his doing, lingering moisture manipulation from earlier. He let it dissipate, the flakes fading into nothing.
Just a few days until the tournament.
Few days to prepare for whatever came next.
---
TO BE CONTINUED