The tailor's measuring tape felt like a noose being fitted in advance.
"Arms out, please. Wider."
William complied, watching his reflection in the fitting room's three-panel mirror. The man staring back wore Carl Engström's face but stood with the posture of someone who'd attended too many corporate events to count. Shoulders back. Chin level. The unconscious confidence of money.
"You're building a costume. A shell for the shell you're already wearing."
The tailor—a thin Frenchman named Dubois who'd been recommended by Jansen's network—circled him with the efficiency of a man who'd dressed criminals and politicians with equal discretion.
"The charcoal, I think. With the navy pocket square. Conservative enough for banking, fashionable enough for fashion."
"How soon can you have it ready?"
"Three days. Rush fee applies."
"Fine."
Three thousand euros for a suit, alterations, and silence. The cash came from Engström's dead drops, filtered through William's consultant persona. By the time Dubois finished, William Green would look like someone who belonged at the most exclusive intelligence auction in Europe.
[IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION: In progress]
[ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 72 hours]
[NOTE: Physical presentation is one component. Digital footprint requires parallel development.]
The system was right. Clothes weren't enough.
Jansen's Amsterdam apartment hummed with server noise as William laid out his requirements.
"LinkedIn profile. Security industry publications—at least two article citations, backdated. A client testimonial from a defunct firm that can't be contacted for verification."
The data broker leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled.
"Comprehensive. You're building a legend, not just a cover."
"I need it to hold up to casual verification. Nothing that would survive a deep background check, but enough to pass muster at a high-society event."
"The IAGO auction."
William didn't confirm or deny. Jansen smiled anyway.
"The invitation alone costs more than most people make in a year. And that's assuming you can find an intermediary willing to vouch for you." He pulled up something on his terminal. "I know someone. Former Sanguine talent scout—now she brokers access for people with more money than connections."
"How much?"
"A favor. Unspecified. Plus proof of liquid assets—they don't let in anyone who can't bid."
"How much proof?"
"Six figures, minimum. Photographed, verified, preferably in a setting that suggests you're comfortable with that kind of money."
William thought about the 12,000 euros in his apartment safe. Thought about the image editing software on his laptop.
"I can work with that."
[TACTICAL ASSESSMENT:]
[OBJECTIVE: Fabricate proof of assets]
[METHOD: Digital manipulation of currency photographs]
[RISK: Moderate (detection during verification)]
[CLASSIFICATION: Tier 2 — Major Fraud]
"The digital footprint," Jansen continued. "I can have it live within 48 hours. The publications will take longer—I'll need to actually place the citations, which means bribing an editor or two."
"Do it."
"And the intermediary?"
"Set up the meeting."
Jansen nodded, already typing.
"One more thing." He pulled up a different file—an ICA internal memo with security classifications William recognized from Engström's network. "This came through my channels this morning. Thought you'd want to see it."
The memo was dated three days ago. Subject line: UNKNOWN-7 — PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT.
William's stomach dropped as he read.
INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW Classification: Handler-Level Re: Copenhagen Hotel Incident (March 2019)
Summary: Analysis of crime scene evidence indicates presence of secondary operative during ENGSTROM, C. termination window. Kill methodology inconsistent with target profile (Engstrom: data specialist, no combat training. Victim: civilian, non-target, strangulation via improvised ligature).
Assessment: Unknown individual eliminated civilian witness prior to ICA asset arrival. Motivation unclear. No known contracts active for victim. Pattern suggests either coincidental criminal activity or deliberate interference with ICA operations.
Designation: UNKNOWN-7
Recommendation: Monitor for pattern emergence. Do not engage until identified. Handler Burnwood assigned supervisory oversight.
Diana Burnwood's name sat at the bottom of the memo like a signature on a death warrant.
"They're looking for you," Jansen said. "Or rather, they're looking for whoever killed that hotel guest before 47 could reach Engström."
"How detailed is the file?"
"This is the preliminary. No physical description yet—the hotel's security cameras were conveniently malfunctioning that day. But they're building a profile. Behavioral analysis, timeline reconstruction, the usual."
William stared at the designation. UNKNOWN-7. Seven investigators? Seven files? Or just the next number in whatever sequence the ICA used for unidentified operatives?
"They know something was wrong in Copenhagen. They don't know it was me. Not yet."
[THREAT ASSESSMENT UPDATED:]
[ICA INVESTIGATION: Active]
[DESIGNATION: UNKNOWN-7]
[SUPERVISION: Diana Burnwood]
[RISK LEVEL: Elevated]
"This changes the timeline," William said.
"Does it? The auction is still in ten days. The investigation is institutional—slow, methodical, focused on pattern detection. As long as you don't create another pattern, you're a ghost in their system."
"A ghost with a code name."
"I'll need updates. Anything that comes through about UNKNOWN-7—I want to see it immediately."
"That'll cost extra."
"Add it to my tab."
Jansen smiled. Information was his currency, and William was becoming a very profitable client.
The shop debt came due at midnight.
William sat in his Amsterdam apartment, watching the system's countdown tick toward zero. Twenty SP owed. Thirty-nine SP available after the fraud he'd committed getting the asset photographs doctored.
[DEBT STATUS: 20 SP]
[TIME REMAINING: 00:04:23]
[FAILURE CONSEQUENCE: Stat degradation (-2 to lowest stat)]
[CURRENT LOWEST: VIG (5)]
His Vigor was already baseline human. Losing two points would push him into the "impaired" category—slower reflexes, reduced stamina, the kind of physical degradation that got people killed in dangerous situations.
"You need to sin. Twenty points of sin in the next four minutes."
The thought was clinical. Practical. The kind of calculation the system had been training him to make since Copenhagen.
William grabbed his jacket and headed for the street.
The car was parked three blocks from his apartment. Expensive sedan, corporate plates, briefcase visible through the rear window. The owner was probably in one of the canal-side restaurants, enjoying a business dinner while his laptop sat unattended.
William's hands moved with the confidence of someone who'd broken into worse things than a car door. A slim jim borrowed from Jansen's toolkit. Thirty seconds of careful manipulation. Click.
[SIN REGISTERED: VEHICLE BREAK-IN (TIER 1)]
[SP EARNED: 4]
The briefcase contained a laptop, a tablet, and a portfolio of documents that looked like architectural plans. William took all three, walked calmly to the nearest pawn shop, and sold the electronics for 400 euros.
[SIN REGISTERED: FENCING STOLEN GOODS (TIER 1)]
[SP EARNED: 6]
[CURRENT SP: 77]
[DEBT REMAINING: 10 SP]
Ten points. Four minutes had become two.
The tourist stumbled out of a bar on the Prinsengracht, phone clutched in one hand, the unsteady gait of someone who'd enjoyed Amsterdam's nightlife a little too thoroughly. American, by the baseball cap and the volume of his voice.
William followed at a distance. Waited for the man to turn down a quieter side street. Then he closed the gap.
"Wallet. Now."
The tourist turned, confusion shifting to fear as he registered William's posture, the hand hidden in the jacket pocket that might or might not contain a weapon.
"Please—I've got kids, man, I've got—"
"Wallet."
The man's hands shook as he handed it over. William took the cash—maybe 200 euros—and dropped the wallet at the tourist's feet.
"Walk away. Don't look back."
The man ran.
[SIN REGISTERED: ASSAULT/ROBBERY (TIER 2)]
[SP EARNED: 12]
[CURRENT SP: 89]
[DEBT: CLEARED]
[HUMANITY: 88 → 86 (-2)]
The system chimed its approval. The debt was paid. William stood in the Amsterdam darkness and listened to the echo of "please" fading into the night.
"American accent. He had kids."
[OBSERVATION: User emotional response noted.]
[CLARIFICATION: Emotional responses do not affect SP calculations.]
William found a public fountain three streets away. Washed his hands in water so cold it ached. The physical sensation helped, somehow. Grounded him in something real.
"You just mugged a tourist. For twelve points. For a system that tracks your sins like a fitness app."
[QUERY: User questioning system economics?]
[CLARIFICATION: Debt avoidance prevents stat degradation. Stat degradation reduces survival probability. User actions optimized for survival.]
The logic was circular and airtight. Sin to avoid punishment. Avoid punishment to survive. Survive to sin again.
"I could have found another way. Given myself more time."
[COUNTER-ANALYSIS: Time pressure existed. Alternative solutions required unavailable resources. User chose efficiency.]
Efficiency. That's what the system called mugging a father in an alley.
William dried his hands on his jacket and walked home. The "please" followed him all the way.
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