◆◆◆

The eerie atmosphere during the flight from the Romacellin Castle to the Broken Sphere left me feeling as though I was being smothered alive. The dampening pressure of them sitting within the Armored Limousine was no place for someone of fickle skin. I was right up my alley.

I felt as though I’d been blindsided, fucking Hexan…here, complete bullshit. The others familiarised themselves with the Romacellins, with small chit-chat, which by the way, I was surprised with.

The Romacellins were quite chatty and even went the extra mile to speak to their bodyguards, something I found creepy.

I kept them at arm’s length though, answering their questions curtly, but not fully because regardless of their ability to storm frosty situations with words, the entire ride still felt as though the air within the car was about to strangle me, similarly when I first met Hortot Calisum, before I assassinated him.

The drawback of being a Shadow was to survey the surroundings, being a hidden agent, ready to pounce at any time, leaving the main bodyguard duties to Naedon and his team.

Commissioner Hexan sat opposite me, kept her eyes trained on her datapad, typing whatever cacophony she had to make herself seem busy. Occasionally, I felt her eyes would drift to me, but I kept my eyes staring through the window, watching as the lights of Bridge City, pulsed and flickered below me.

“There’s no need for you to be cold, Cypher.” Commissioner Hexan finally said. “Cold?” I answered, withholding my ire, confused by her question. “Yes. Cold. I can feel the essence of a cold snap brewing around you, aimed directly at me.”

“That’s your imagination,” I said, laughing and shaking my head.

“Is it?” she asked.

I drew my lips into a line and took my gaze back out of the window, but that wasn’t enough for her. “You do know what happened was business, yes?” She said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I answered.

“Hestena, I’m gonna need you to leave my Shadow, we need his head in the game,” Stelyne said, interjecting. “I’m focused Stel, no need to worry.”

“Not for the last superlatives you dished out on me. I can’t remember the last time I heard such foul words.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I repeated.

“Are you trying to spoil the mood Hestena?” Stelyne asked.

“The mood’s fine” Hexan countered.

“It isn’t, nor do I do I need you stifling my men, especially with your political bullshit.”

“Political?” The Commissioner huffed. “This is personal.”

“Surely not for you.” Stelyne snapped. “I suggested Cypher work as an EXiCON because he wanted to get away from waving a gun whenever a chance needed.”

The commissioner turned to me and flashed a knowing smile. “Well, he certainly failed at that, but not certainly not at the gun-waving part.” Tell me Cypher…how is your friend Jixafon.” She said turning to me.

“Better by the day,” I answered, Bitch.

“Good good…glad to hear that.” The Commissioner said, eyes twinkling like stars.

Now, that was something I did not know. Stelyne recommended me, personally to a Commissioner as an EXiCON. That. Was a god damn surprise, maybe I should stop teasing her. She went out on a limb for me…damn.

I ruminated on it for a bit, as silence brewed within the Limousine. Thing is, I don’t remember bringing up my plan to get a job as an EXiCON. Of course, I finally thought, Jix…he told her. That rat bastard!

“Commissioner, do you know this man,” Ulion interjected. “I do.”

“Is your relation going to affect our safety?” Amarda chimed in.

“No sir and no ma’am.” I said, “this will not, I’m a professional…at least,” I said, eyeing Hexan from the corner of my eyes.

“I can’t have any fuck ups, my family is important. Stelyne did I make the wrong decision by hiring CSS? Because it seems your personnel and the Commissioner have some war going on. A war that could affect my family.”

“There’s no War Patriarch Ulion, I can assure you.”

“I can’t say that I believe your words Stelyne. What’s the beef between you two Commissioner. If you’re not honest with me, I can easily give this job to Garthen Defence Services.”

Stelyne eyes dazed instantly, then I watched her jab The Commissioner in the side, I was about to speak, but Stelyne told me to ‘shut the hell up with her eyes, and I did.

“Turn th—“

“Mr Cypher was an EXiCON that worked directly under me for a case.” Commissioner Hexan said, ensuring Ulion didn’t have the vehicle turned around.

“Why the fuck would an EXiCON be here?” A Weonio snapped.

“…aren’t EXiCON’s poor police?” Reggin added.

My lips drew into a smile, it wasn’t one of happiness, but one of bitterness, because all in truth, they were right.

“It’s nothing of the sort Mr Romacellins…Mrs Romacelin, he’s quite good at what he does too good” She added.

“So the man’s right to be bitter towards you then.” Ulion Romacellin asked.

“Not entirely. Let’s just say the case we worked, left a lot of bodies around the cities, which weren’t related to the case.”

“The bodies had nothing to do with the case, that was personal.”

“Exactly,” Hexan said with a smile.

“What do you mean Hestena? Bodies?”

The Commissioner sighed, then turned to Ulion Romacellin, “do you remember the case with a CEO cloned his employees and bribed an employee from The National ID Repository to have two ID Digital Fragment loaded up to the DataCore Mind?”

“…vaguely.” The man admitted.

“Yes, you do Ulion! Some riff-raff made a clone and tried to get a patent for it.” Armada Romacellin said.

“Ah yes…I looked into that, that’s the one with the DNA patent yes?”

“It is,” I answered.

“Do you know who got the patent? I’d like that…would add extra billion to the portfolio.”

“Not now darling, let Hestena continue, I wanna hear this story.”

“Alright, carry on Hestena.”

“Right, Cypher over here was the one that broke the case open.”

“Right…” Ulion said.

“…but during his investigation, he left a lot of bodies. I heard he made some noise within Underwent Market as well.”

“Humph…The Mangol’s place. I heard about that. Some fool fired a pistol in Underwent Market or something like that.” Staphor Romacellin said, finally speaking. “…heard that person also killed one of her Reaver’s”

“So that Reaver belonged to The Mangol.” Commissioner Hexan nodded as if discovering something new. “You’re quite the man Cypher.”

“Hardly…I’m just a mercenary.” I said, … I’m truly a family man I thought, withholding my smile.

“A Reaver? Did you kill one of those things? My god…how are you still here!”

I didn’t answer, I simply shrugged my shoulders. “Luck,” I said.

“Hestena, I thought there was a real problem. If he killed a Reaver, then I feel a lot better. What’s your name?” Ulion asked, elated.

“Kaiden Cypher.”

“I’ll remember that, they aren’t many men that can kill a Reaver.”

“Humph…I guess that N9 Classification isn’t wrong then.” Hexan said, sitting back and smiling bitter, realising she’d done me a favour.

A message popped up in my Cybernetic Eye and I stimulated my SMB to open the message. Not a word more Cypher, it read, which made me smile. I glanced at Stelyne who kept her head into her datapad, typing away. Shrewd as ever. I thought, but not bitterly.

Naedon, Rynord, Tryzer and Stelig didn’t speak, but I could feel their eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, Stelig looked at me from behind his shades whilst Tryzer and Naedon didn’t say a thing. Rynord on the other hand, snuck glances at Weonio Romacellin, unbothered by the conversation.

◆◆◆

An hour passed and we made ours into The Broken Sphere’s airspace. I peered through the window, watching as white, yellow, red and blue lights beamed from the surface like a lighthouse planted on the ground.

The Broken Sphere’s was everything I expected it to be. A giant Giant Sphere with a cracked exterior embellished with shattered glass with crooked slants stitched across the surface of the building. It looked like a giant ball had been chewed up and spat out, leaving it jaded and polished.

The four entrances were as shown by Stelyne. Four staircases lead inside the building, in the middle of a decently sized parking area. I zoomed in on the roof, trying to catch a better sight of it. It had a Landing Pad, with Yellow, White and Red lights blinking, leading a pathway down.

“Cypher,” Steylne said before tossing a small box at me. The box was made of polythene, but held wooden stains beneath a varnish finish.. My hands slide across the smooth grains of the stains, making me yearn to slide my hand against my table at home. “…thought you couldn’t get them,” I said.

“You doubt my acquisition skills? I’m hurt Kaiden.”

I twisted the top free and loud popped echoed. “Interesting.” Commissioner Hexan said, “what are you gonna do with a pair of the eye lens, isn’t one of your eyes artificial?” she asked.

I slid the contact lens in my eyes, ignoring the Commissioner. I then popped the earplugs in my ear, stimulated my SMB to sync the contact lenses, then typed in the code for the lens and earplugs on the keypad from my cybernetic arm. A white line appeared in my cybernetic eye and read:-

Synchronization: Yeon Contact Lenses - 24% Complete.

Synchronization: Yeon Ear Dampening Plugs - 8% Complete.

“The earplugs were adjusted to your size. I’ve already tuned it to the CSS frequency for this detail, so there’s no need for you to change anything.” Stelyne said.

“I see, can I hear everyone?” I queried.

“No, it’s just me, no need to clutter your line, you’ll need to keep your wits about you, especially here.”

“Right. If something goes down, you’ll sync the lines?”

“For efficiency, yes.”

“Gotcha,” I said with a nod.

I turned my gaze to the Commissioner and eyed her pensively. She returned the same gaze to me, but with a dry smirk. “Are you sure, her, being here isn’t an issue?” I asked, feeling distaste wet my lips. “I’m sure Cypher. There’s no need to worry about her, she’s paying to be here.

“Paying? Why?”

“Not your concern Cypher. I know you don’t like her, but she’s just here, nothing more, nothing less.

“Fine,” I grunted.

Synchronization: Yeon Contact Lenses - 63% Complete.

Synchronization: Yeon Ear Dampening Plugs - 41% Complete.

“You don’t have to worry about me Cypher,” Hexan said with a sneer. “Whoever said I was worried about you?” I answered, tone firm. In truth, I cared little for the Commissioner is here. I was just annoyed by her presence, at most. However, I couldn’t deny that I was pissed with how she fired me.

Yes, the pay as an EXiCON was relatively low compared to what I did when I worked as Merc, but hell, the credits were dropping from the sky and into my bank account. The damned Tax Rate for government employees and contractors were TWO PERCENT! A damn steal of a gold mine if you asked me.

The Artificial Death case was swept under the rug. Hell, it took place during the Industrial District Riots, but with such sensitive information as DNA Splicing, which could alter someone’s DNA.

On top of that, manipulating the Datamind Core to install the Digital ID Fragment for Adrianna and whatever that other guy’s name was…left me bitter.

Yes, I know the Commissioner was just a cog in the Federation’s game, but to cut me loose, like that was certainly not pleasant.

I guess, me knowing this, made her scared…or cautious. Hell, she could’ve pulled me aside and spoken with me privately, but as she didn’t know about the assassins that took out Stepson Vizare…she truly knew nothing.

The problem was, for me, was that she messed with my income and that’s something you don’t fuck with when it comes to no one. It’s all good to lose pride, here and there, but their ability to feed their family? No one should do it if it’s unprovoked. It was like what the Old Man Sheven told me back at the orphanage, ‘never get between a man and his money or food…remember that kid.’ He told me, all those years ago.

I haven’t forgotten it.

“The line’s finally moving Ma’am,” The Driver said. “Good…let’s get started,” Stelyne said. I doubled checked my harness, sliding the pistol case feet, I pulled it free, then holstered it. It wasn’t my Telari-X, but it’d have to work.

“Beginning Descent” The driver called out. I felt my stomach rise from the inertia of the descent. The pace the driver descended was far smoother than anything I could’ve done. I wasn’t perfect in the skylanes, but nor was I incompetent.

The Armored Limousine began hovering, and I loud slashing nod screeched to my right, as the door opened. I crept up the door, hearing the roaring sound of the wind, and felt the hair around my neck rises from the cold wind. I snapped my head towards Stelyne, who gave me an approving nod, whilst the Commissioner gave me a discerning sneer.

“You have a good night Commissioner,” I said, before jumping out the door sailing down the line to the roof of Broken Sphere.