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, her red eyes tracking nothing in particular. Jasmine had her head down on the table, half-asleep, exhausted from the mission. Lucius scrolled through his phone, moving a bit stiffly as the phantom ache of his violently reset ribs lingered.
At the front of the room, Benedic stood with arms crossed, looking every bit the authority figure. Robert leaned against the wall beside him.
The door opened. Amber walked in. Her long, white hair hung loosely around her face, contrasting sharply with her pale skin and striking yellow eyes. She wore a casual light green shirt beneath a dark, unzipped jacket, looking just as exhausted as Jasmine felt. She crossed the room, positioning herself next to Robert.
Benedic turned slightly, his 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 let out a long sigh and pulled out a small data pad. "I'm working on it. Bypassing the biometric lock on that case took three hours. It was rigged to a localized thermobaric charge—if we hadn't spoofed the recipient's exact fingerprint, the case would have vaporized itself and leveled our entire sub-basement. But I got in."
She swiped through the data. "I haven't fully extracted the contents yet. There are encrypted sections written in a language of unknown origin. It's going to take me a few days. But from what I have pulled? 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. 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, already picking the scenario apart. "Amber, what exactly did you extract so far?"
"Blueprints for some kind of advanced suit. Intel on lower-ranked Big Boys enforcers. Locations of a few hideouts." She tapped the pad. "It's a lot."
A brief pause settled over the room.
Lucius frowned, leaning forward. "That's awfully suspicious, even more so than just being an obvious trap. If you want to catch a rat, you don't hand it the blueprints to the maze. You give it just enough cheese to make it feel smart before the cage drops. They're feeding us this intel intentionally."
Rose spoke, her voice flat. "They're trying to make it believable."
Benedic nodded. "Whether they want us to have it or not, we assume it's a trap and prepare accordingly. 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 supposedly manifested his abilities. He went missing shortly after," Benedic said, his expression darkening. "The speed and resources they put into covering it up suggests this might be serious. I need one of you to investigate."
Lucius's eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place. "Wait. He supposedly manifested while we were out? At the exact same time we were fighting the Brute and Snake Eyes?"
"Yes," Benedic confirmed.
"Son of a bitch," Lucius muttered. "It wasn't a coincidence. They used the harbor courier route as a massive, loud distraction to keep our heavy hitters busy while they quietly secured this kid in the shadows."
Benedic's hand moved to a document folder that had been resting on the table the entire time. He slid it smoothly across the dark surface toward Lucius. "So who's going to track him down?"
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, waving his hand in resigned acceptance. Of course.
He walked over and 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, feeling a dull throb in his knuckles. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it."
---
The mountain road was serpentine, carved into the rock face. Lucius pushed Robert's aggressive, black-chrome bike hard through the curves, enjoying the speed despite himself.
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."
The line went quiet. Lucius descended into the city proper, the neon bleeding into the night sky as he navigated the dense streets.
---
Three men stumbled out of a dimly lit bar, bringing the heavy scent of stale beer and cheap cologne with them. The man in the middle was completely wasted, his legs practically made of rubber as he leaned heavily on his two friends to stay upright. They laughed, loud and careless, their words slurring as they staggered toward a vehicle parked on the street.
Suddenly, snow began to fall.
The drunk man stopped dragging his feet and blinked heavily, tilting his head back to stare at the sky. He squinted as a flake landed on his nose. "Guys... I think I'm losing it. 'Cause I'm seeing snow fall at this time of year."
The friend supporting his right side squinted upward, shivering slightly as the temperature rapidly dropped. "You're not the only one, bud. But this is New Kong. Weird shit like this happens all the time."
The third man—Tony—stopped walking. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "You guys go on ahead. I just remembered I had something to do."
His friends piled into the car with a heavy slam of doors and drove off into the thickening snowfall. Tony turned and walked into a nearby alley.
He was a man who looked exactly like the life he lived. Late forties, carrying a slight paunch under a rumpled, cheap trench coat. His face was a roadmap of broken capillaries and a cynic's permanent squint.
Tony reached into his coat, pulled out a cheap cigar, and struck his lighter. The flame caught, but as he puffed, the damp tobacco just sizzled, sputtered, and died in the freezing air.
"Ah, whatever," Tony sighed, tossing the ruined cigar into a nearby puddle. He looked deep into the shadows. "It's been a while."
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?" Lucius asked. "Wouldn't the missus be mad?"
Tony grinned, showing yellowed teeth. "Haven't you heard? Finally separated from that nag. I'm out celebrating my newly found freedom."
"Well, congratulations are in order."
"She might've taken the house, but at least she no longer takes my freedom." Tony leaned against the damp brick wall. "So. I'm pretty sure you didn't freeze my balls off just to catch up."
Lucius allowed himself a small smile. "I need intel on the kid who supposedly manifested today."
"So that's what you're here for. Yeah, I know of that. Police were en route after he manifested, but we were called off by the NovaBreed Containment Corp. The boy went missing right after," Tony said, his voice dropping. "I assume the NCC handed him directly to you-know-who. There was something special about him."
"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 and slick. "But you're in luck. I was interrogating a couple of low-level crooks we busted last night. They were bleeding rumors about the Big Boys looking for new members. The unofficial kind. An underground tournament."
Lucius considered this. "How does one get to partake in such a tournament?"
"It's invite-only, apparently. Strictly guarded. But the guys we busted pointed me toward someone who might know a backdoor," Tony said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "I'll have to look into it. And you know me... that requires a certain incentive."
"Damn. You're probably the most corrupt cop I've ever met," Lucius said, shaking his head.
"Still the most useful one, though," Tony smirked.
"Look into it," Lucius said. "Set everything up with this guy. Once you've got a confirmed entry, we'll discuss your incentive tomorrow."
Tony laughed lightly. "I'll see to it. Everything will be done by tomorrow."
He walked out of the alley, waving a hand without looking back.
Lucius watched him go. Tony was oblivious, just a greedy cop looking for a payday. But the timing? A backdoor into the exact tournament run by the exact syndicate he was hunting, falling into his lap the very same night?
'It was a breadcrumb trail,' Lucius thought. 'Someone behind the curtain wants me in that tournament.'
Lucius activated his comm. "Amber, you still awake?"
"Yeah."
"Looks like I'm gonna be out for a while. Can you book me a place to crash for the night? I'm staying in the city."
"Sure. 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 in a bit. Good luck."
Lucius looked up at the snow still falling from his lingering moisture manipulation. He let his focus drop, and the flakes faded into nothingness.
He knew it was a trap. But sometimes, the only way to find out who is holding the strings is to walk straight into the snare.
---
TO BE CONTINUED