Kage stares from his holographic profile, eyes glowing from his chalky-white face. "Don't think that your meeting with the Collective has given you any leeway, Scyther. If anything, the pressure is even greater for you to produce results. So far, I'm not impressed."
I repress a shiver. "I'm monitoring Hel's com channel. When Specter makes contact, we'll lock on his location and track him down."
Kage's face twists into a furious mask. "And you believe Dabria foolish enough to let that happen? She has him locked out of the system, or he would have already connected with his DLP. You disappoint me, Scyther. You know I don't like to be disappointed."
A sharp, agonizing sensation flares in the back of my skull, like a laser searing into the flesh. I gasp, teeth gritted to trap the cry of pain that tries to escape. Kage could be anywhere but still can torture me whenever he chooses.
His voice is deceptively soft. "Do I need to motivate you, Scyther?"
I tremble in my chair; hands clamped on the armrests. "No, Kage. I will work harder."
"Good. I have work to do on my end. I will check on your progress soon. Don't disappoint me again."
"I won't."
The connection ends along with the explosive pain in my head. I heave a trembling sigh, wiping a hand across my face, smearing red across my fingertips. Another nosebleed. I ignore it. It's not the first or last.
Dismissing it, I down a pain pill dry and trying to focus on the problem. Dabria is an expert on evading surveillance, but according to Cyber Corp's records, she's practically become a ghost, near the top of their most elusive targets. It should be impossible. Between Cyber Corp, the HSSC, countless drones and cameras, and numerous spies all transmitting information that streams directly into the computer-enhanced brains of the Sentries, it should be impossible to stay off the radar for any extended amount of time unless you're in Hinterland or one of the other few blackout zones.
Dabria moves around too much for that.
"Holo, call Zen."
Zen's face flashes up on the screen. "Hey, Enigma. Can't sleep? Neither can I. Keep thinking about what happened."
"What do you mean?"
"You know. You fought Dabria."
"That wasn't Dabria."
"Might as well have been. You could have killed her."
"She taught me that if someone's on the other side, then that person is your enemy. In combat, you can't think about the particulars. So yeah — I would have killed her. But I didn't. Nothing to worry about."
"If you say so." She doesn't look convinced, and I see the worry in her eyes.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you feel sorry for me."
"Well, I do. I can't help it. This whole thing sucks."
"How does she do it?"
Confusion flashes across Zen's face. "What are you talking about?"
"Dabria. How does she avoid surveillance? I remember when she wore the tech hood…"
"Yeah, the edges were lined with sensors that cast electronic chaff, obscuring her features. A lot of people have those, especially outside the Havens. Hoods, masks, visors — anything to avoid being spied on. I have a few myself. Dabria's was cutting edge, but even then, there are other ways to ID people with their faces hidden. Posture and gait, ear shape, heartbeat signature, odor recognition…"
"It takes a blood and eyeball scan to pass from one Territory to the next."
"Exactly. Not that crossing Territories is any real challenge. But yeah — there should be no way to just vanish."
"So how is she pulling it off?"
"Easy. She's in the system."
I pause, standing up to pace the room. "You're saying she finally pulled it off."
"She was always after a way to travel unhindered. Slide behind the curtain, as she put it."
"Yeah, she also said recovering a cloaking key intact to was like finding the Holy Grail. They're designed to self-destruct at the slightest detection of tampering or removal. That's what we were after on the last mission…"
The memories flood. The Cyber Corp ambush was precise and brutal. An army of troopers led by Scythers cut us to ribbons. We fought the best we could, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. I tried to organize a retreat, but we were cut off by a heavily armed squad led by a Scyther. He targeted me while his men finished off my unit. Their screams rang in my ears as I toppled to the ground, perforated by the Scyther's inferno rounds. Fire, blood, and agony. My body literally falling to pieces. The only thing left was death…
"You okay, Enigma?" Zen's eyes glisten with sympathy. She was lucky that day, running coms from a remote location nearby. She was able to survive unscathed, and I don't think she's ever forgiven herself for that.
I blink. "Yeah. Fine. What was I saying?"
"The cloaking key. It's an access code to go dark when you need to disappear. Only available to the highest security clearance personnel. The president. Certain members of Congress. Heads of intelligence agencies like the HSSC and Cyber Corp."
"Sentries."
"What?"
"Yeah. Kane can go completely off the grid."
"Wow. Didn't know that." Zen taps on a digital keyboard that levitates in front of her. "Well, we have to assume that Dabria has a cloaking key. She's able to mask herself from surveillance."
I nod, idly chewing on a hangnail. "She always said that was the last hurdle to her ultimate goal."
"Access to the Vault. Her El Dorado. The one place with enough reach and power to destroy Elysia."
"Right. She's going to the Los Nuevos Haven. Syn City."
"Evading detection won't automatically get her inside the Haven. It's protective by the strongest forcefield in the world, backed by the most advanced security system invented. So, what's her way in?"
"Probably this guy." I pull up Kilgore's info and send it over to her.
She purses her lips, nodding approvingly. "Kinda sexy. In a mature, sugar-daddy kinda way."
I stifle a laugh. "You mean in a psychotic, mass-murdering kinda way."
"Hey, I like my men a little on the rough side." She taps on her keyboard. "All kidding aside, this guy is the most wanted man on several high-profile intelligence lists. There have been entire campaigns dedicated to his capture. Failure on all counts. This guy is either immortal or has the best luck in the world."
"Well, intelligence indicates Dabria either is or will be allied with him. So, finding out where he is will inevitably lead to her. They want to take both of them down at the same time."
"Use one fish to lure another. Makes sense." She looks up from the keyboard. "This guy makes Dabria look like a cute little puppy, Enigma. You sure you want to do this?"
"I have to do it."
She nods. "Okay. I'll run a search. Who knows? Maybe we'll catch a lucky break for a change."
"Get back with me if you find something."
Minutes later, I'm on the rooftop. Have to get fresh air in my lungs. As clean as the air gets in a climate-controlled Haven, anyway. Advertisements immediately drift my way like approaching nightmares, clamoring for attention to their personalized wares: new tactical harnesses, weapons accessories, digital upgrades, even combat armor polish. They know I'm not in the market for anything else. No surgical enhancements, no trendy new outfits, not even the latest enticing junk foods.
I block ads on my holoband, forcing them to wink out of existence or search for easier prey.
The city breathes around me. Always moving, always fluid. Bright lights, dark shadows. Sleek air vehicles hum overhead, digitally directed into coordinated sky lanes that weave between the massive, glimmering buildings. Trams glide on electromagnetic tracks, carrying commuters back and forth. Below me, crowds of people walk the streets, most accompanied by synthetic servants and counterparts. Nearly all have their eyes obscured by fashionable holovisors, tuned in to virtual worlds or entertainment and information streams, so they never miss a thing. Docilely accepting of the data they're spoon-fed, blissfully ignorant of what transpires in the Haven and beyond.