A New Age, of old strength and allies (ONC 2023)

2. Who are you...

The muffled music still pulsed with a life-blood of its own, reaching out as though to draw me back as I wound my way up the metal staircase in near total darkness, but for the odd dim bulb.

The upper floors of the passages spanned the space between the interior and outer walls of the warehouse. They were often only used by the security guards to access all areas of the club.

That’s if they could be bothered to actually do their jobs, and weren’t too busy getting laid instead. I’d seen it before, where they’d chosen someone at random and thrown them out in an attempt to look efficient.

I snorted. ‘I’m pretty sure they were more bent than most of the patrons.’

Once I reached the top floor, which they seemed to have forgotten existed, I was still a fair ways down from the roof. Touching the wall as I’d done so many times before, I removed the two loose bricks which revealed the familiar metal tube. Sliding it out, I placed my middle and third fingers together upon the cylinder, and heard the anticipated soft click.

‘A perfect example of breaking the rules, but as I’d said before, only in a minor way.’

Emptying out the slender pieces, I wasted no time in connecting them together. My reflexes and muscle memory working in tandem, as I remembered all of the times that I’d done exactly the same thing, blindfolded.

The cool, almost delicate, sniper-like rifle, felt as light-weight as always as I slid it into my belt. Kneeling, I opened my clutch and took out the small case of minute darts, loading two of them. The ones that would deliver a tiny tracker beneath the skin.

Stopping, I listened for a moment, the music still muffled and the steps silent of their typical rattle when climbed. Rising, I paused, and then jumped, catching hold of the bars on a metal framework. The climb was careful as I reached the ceiling, and gently stretched out in a cat-like limberness across the extended framework. The suspended skeletal rungs felt like metal bones, reminding me of their angular ledges with every press of my hands and knees.

Looking down from such a height, I could only see writhing bodies and flashing lights, along with one long and continuous stream of colour. I’d need to activate my augments to see anything of real worth. Finally, having made my way out into the centre of the club, I carefully sat back, having brought one knee up to gently rest the rifle on. Breathing out slowly, I activated my augs and checked the time. The numbers flashing up in the corner of my eye, as I switched to looking down into the club once more.

If my target was on time, he should be somewhere here by now. Gazing down, it was a while before I finally spotted him. Fairly tall like a beanpole, his dirty-blonde hair flopping into his eyes, he stood watching a group of younger guys and women. According to the acolytes, he was well known for luring the naive into illegal activity of one kind or another. Although first, he would often find a way for them to become indebted to him, conveniently telling them that they could work it off. Drugs, prostitution or the harvesting of nature, the last of which carried the death penalty.

‘It would be easier if I could simply shoot him...’

Watching him for a moment, it was easy to tell that he was in no hurry to move, he had fallen back into the shadows. No-doubt he was waiting for an opportunity. Straightening up, I lowered my head, looking through the scope.

He turned slightly as I zeroed in on the skin just below his right ear. Waiting for the natural pause after breathing out, my finger rested on the trigger. Prepared, I began to squeeze with a firm but even pressure, when another abruptly appeared directly in my line of fire. Pausing, I carefully looked away from the sight.