Enter Genesys

Koharu banged on the door, her kinetic-sleeve rippling with pixelated green light. She glanced at her nails, each one rimmed with a faint, glowing blue polish. Her sleeve ended in a triangle on her palm and the back of her hand, the tips connecting between her ring and middle finger.

Something fell and crashed on the other side of the door, a man’s gruff voice barking out a string of curses.

Barefoot steps clapped towards the door, and it swung open with a cold gust that swayed her hair to the side.

Ezequiel glared down at her, panting as a drop of sweat rolled down the dark skin of his temple.

“What’ve I told ya about knockin’ while I’m workin’?” he said.

“Working out isn’t working,” she said as she folded an arm, still looking at her nails. “Thiago Ferradax is trying to call you. Where’s your visor?”

Ezequiel frowned, leaning his muscled forearm against the doorframe. “Ferradax? You mean Draco’s son? The hell does that little shit want?”

Koharu shrugged, her wide hood rustling. “I think it would be best to find out though.”

Ezequiel’s pecs tensed as they did when he was annoyed. “Little… shit.”

He slammed the door closed, the impact swaying her hair back.

He swung the door open again, pulling on a kinetic-suit as he stormed past her. “Come on then.”

She followed behind him, her heels clicking against the grey tile flooring. They walked past the glass walled room that held their Cyphers. A warm light-orb stood atop a post in the centre of the room, the five Zeros surrounding it.

Ezequiel turned to the next room over, pushing the door open and walking in. Koharu leaned a shoulder against the door frame. She propped her foot up, stopping the door from closing on her as she folded her arms.

Ezequiel picked up the pair of visors lying on his desk, his hand making it look small.

He paused, taking a deep breath and combing back his slick grey hair.

“Little. Shit,” he muttered.

He opened the visors, putting them over his eyes. His eyes disappeared as bright green pixels sprawled across the lenses, his nose wrinkling.

Is it really that big of a deal to talk to an idiot once a month? Koharu thought.

“What do you want, Ferradax?” Ezequiel barked.

He stared blankly for a moment, head tilted to the side.

Koharu sighed. “Zeeq,” she said, pointing to her eye as he looked at her.

“Oh, right. Shut up Ferradax, give me a second,” he said, pressing the rim of the visor.

A mini hologram of the Ferradax boy projected across the room, sitting on the air.

Koharu gave him a thumbs up.

“Good,” Ezequiel said, folding his arms again. “What were you sayin,’ Ferradax?”

“I was saying,” Thiago said, opening his arms, “you guys know me, right?”

Koharu exchanged a glance with Ezequiel. She knew what his face looked like even with the visor on.

“He-he,” Thiago chuckled nervously, putting his hands together. “I have a friend who needs your help.”

“What kind of help?” Ezequiel asked. “And how much money?”

Thiago paused, his tongue flickering over his lip. “Infiltration and rescue. And this is more of a favour type job. He's got about four thousand crypts.”

“For an infiltration job?” Ezequiel said, teeth flashing as he laughed. “What are we infiltrating, a tea party?”

Thiago rested his elbow on air, rubbing his forehead. “Cypher Corp.”

Koharu frowned. What on Earth?

Ezequiel’s smile slipped from his face. “Get the hell of my visors and don’t call me-”

Koharu pushed off the door frame, holding out a hand. “Wait, Zeeq, hear him out.”

“We are not taking on a job to infiltrate Cypher Corp, Kay!”

“Did I say we would?” Koharu snapped. “I said, hear him out.”

Ezequiel sighed. “Go on, Ferradax.”

“You know about the First Nexus?”

Ezequiel raised an eyebrow. “If you spout any bullshit, Ferradax, I'll break your legs and use your face as toilet paper.”

“I'm telling you,” Thiago said, leaning forward. “It's real. So real that Cypher Corp Ether-abducted her.”

“Her?” Koharu said.

“Yes. Young girl, about fifteen, sixteen years old. My best friend’s little sister.”

Koharu’s eyes fluttered, but she pushed the memories down.

“I take it he's the one with the fortune of four thousand crypts?” Ezequiel asked.

“Yes,” Thiago said, slowly. “But listen to me. I know Genesys is in a tough spot with Specterveil killing that Psywyrm. But you guys got the opportunity of a lifetime here. If you infiltrated Cypher Corp and retrieved the First Nexus-”

“We’d be killed before we exited,” Koharu said, tapping her finger on her elbow.

Cypher Corp, Kay, she thought. A reason to take them on.

Thiago hesitated. “I- I know it's risky. But do you realize how much money you could make from this?”

“That's like saying: ‘Do you know how much money you can make from selling all your vital organs? You could replace them with synthetics or at least cybernetics.’”

Thiago blinked. “Huh?”

“He's saying that the cost of winning that fight will be equal to the reward, if not far greater,” Koharu said.

“No, no. Only if you fail. But failure is a risk that must be taken, right? You saw how many Psyonics Specterveil lost to kill that Psywyrm?”

Koharu and Ezequiel exchanged another glance.

“Except this would be worth ten adult Psywyrms,” Thiago said.

Ezequiel sighed. The holo-projection of Thiago blinked off as he removed his visors, staring at Koharu as he spun them around.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She clenched her jaws. “It’s Cypher Corp, Zeeq.”

“Is that an argument for, or against it?”

Koharu narrowed her eyes as she glared at him, lowering her chin. But he was right. Which was it?

“Both,” she said.

Ezequiel chuckled. “We should check with the others.”

Koharu raised her brows. “I still want more evidence that they actually have someone who’s supposedly a Nexus.”

“Well, it would line up with everything else that’s been happening since Specterveil killed that Psywyrm,” Ezequiel said, grinning. “It was amusing hearing Dario call it a marketing gimmick in that interview. I almost believed him.”

“They allegedly killed it,” Koharu said, flicking her hair out of her face. “We have no evidence for that either.”

“Well,” Ezequiel walked around his desk, sliding his hand along the surface as he went. “We have contacts who can confirm for us.”

Koharu rubbed her chin. “Did Ferradax say how he knows?”

“Bah, I don’t care for now. If it’s real, he’ll bring evidence.”

Koharu folded her arms tightly beneath her chest. Evidence they started kidnapping little girls as well as killing them?

“If my contact confirms there was an Ether-abduction performed on someone who they believe is a Nexus,” Ezequiel said, pressing a button on his desk and activating a holo-screen on it. “Then, little one, we may just have a job on our hands.”

“We’re gonna do it for free?” Koharu asked, cocking her head.

“Hell no,” Ezequiel said. “If Ferradax is bullshitting us, or if we fail, then we can take him or his little friend in the Ethergeist for a ransom.”

Koharu placed a hand on her hip. “Seems like a risk, going after a Ferradax.”

“You say that like they’re some kind of royalty.”

“I’m saying it like they’re wealthy people we don’t want as enemies.”

“Oh, come on, Koharu. If this is legit, what other opportunities like it are we gonna get?” Ezequiel said, interlocking his fingers with his elbows on the desk. His pinky rings glinted in the holo-screen’s light, both with time crystals in their centres that looped in spirals.

What other chance will we have to get them for what they did, Koharu?

She lowered her head, clenching her fist and stuffing it into her hoodie pocket. “Do it. Tell him we meet tomorrow or it’s called off.”

Ezequiel chuckled. “This is gonna be interesting.”