High above Valora Downs, the rooftop event glittered like nothing in the galaxy was wrong.
Crystal lights hung from floating frames. Music drifted softly over polished floors. Guests in expensive suits and elegant dresses moved between tables, laughing behind masks that hid more than just their faces.
In the middle of it all, Twin Blade Scarlet moved like she belonged there.
Her dress was sleek and dark, fitted enough to blend with the high-class crowd but easy enough to move in if the night turned violent. Her face was calm, almost bored, like this was just another social event instead of an undercover Nightcrew operation.
She lifted a glass from a passing tray and spoke quietly into her comm.
"Renn, I'm in. I've identified several masked court members, and I keep hearing mentions of something called the Veil Ledger."
Renn Varos answered through comms, his voice low and steady. "Good. Keep moving. And make sure Nightcoil doesn't panic."
Scarlet crossed the floor, passing a young staff member carrying a tray.
Nightcoil.
He was dressed like event staff, black vest, white shirt, polished shoes. He looked calm from a distance, but Scarlet caught the tension in his shoulders and the way his eyes kept moving too fast.
As she passed, she gave him a small nod.
Nightcoil nodded back, trying very hard to look like someone who served drinks for a living.
Outside, on nearby rooftops, Shadow and Deadshot Valor watched the event from the dark. Both blended into the night, positioned high enough to see everything but far enough to avoid attention.
Deadshot adjusted his thermal scope. "I've got eyes inside the building. Scarlet, I've got your position pinned."
Scarlet kept walking, her voice barely moving her lips. "Got it. I'm going deeper."
A masked man approached her before she reached the next hall. His suit was black, his mask white and gold, and his smile was too polite to be honest.
"You look like someone with money," he said. "Come with me. I'll take you to the real auction."
Scarlet gave him the smallest smile.
"Lead the way."
The masked man guided her past two guards and through a private elevator. When the doors opened, the noise from the party faded behind them. The upper floor was quieter, darker, and filled with the kind of people who didn't laugh unless money was involved.
Private tables. Sealed cases. Holograms floating over auction stands. People whispering prices while pretending they weren't buying secrets.
Scarlet's eyes moved carefully without turning her head.
"Looks like some kind of dealing ring," she said through comms. "Not weapons yet. Information. Maybe access."
Back on the lower floor, Nightcoil tried to keep his breathing even as he walked through the event with a tray in hand.
Then two security guards stepped into his path.
One of them looked him up and down. "Hey. We need to see some ID."
Nightcoil forced a small customer-service smile. "Yeah, of course."
The other guard leaned closer. "And the safeword."
Nightcoil's brain went blank for half a second.
Then he said, "Pineapple."
The guards exchanged one look.
Nightcoil held out the fake ID like nothing was wrong.
The first guard scanned it, then gave it back. "Thanks. Come with us outside."
Nightcoil's stomach dropped, but he followed.
On the rooftop, Shadow noticed immediately.
"Nightcoil's being moved."
Deadshot shifted his rifle. "I see him."
Shadow was already gone.
At ground level, he slid into a car he had parked nearby, engine coming alive without headlights. The guards pulled Nightcoil into an alley behind the event building.
One shoved him against the wall.
"We know you don't work here," the guard said. "Who sent you?"
Nightcoil opened his mouth, but before he could answer—
Headlights exploded into the alley.
Shadow's car slammed forward and hit both guards hard enough to throw them across the pavement.
One of them stayed down.
The other stumbled up, dazed, and tried to run.
A single shot cracked from above.
Deadshot dropped him cleanly.
Nightcoil stared for a second, then let out a breath. "Thanks for that."
Shadow rolled down the window slightly. "Yeah, no problem. And let's not mix up the safeword next time."
Nightcoil blinked.
Shadow stared at him.
"It was apple."
Nightcoil winced. "Right. Apple."
Shadow nodded toward the building. "Go back inside."
Nightcoil straightened his vest, took one more breath, and slipped back toward the event like nothing had happened.
Upstairs, Scarlet had reached the private auction floor.
That was when she saw it.
A holographic map floated over one of the tables. At first, it looked like a city layout, but then the labels sharpened.
Guardian response routes.
Equipment storage locations.
Patrol timing.
Emergency access points.
Each one had a price beside it.
Scarlet's expression didn't change, but her voice turned colder.
"Guys… bad news."
Renn answered immediately. "What do you see?"
Scarlet stared at the map as another masked buyer raised a hand to bid.
"This isn't a regular criminal auction."
Her eyes moved across the glowing data.
"They're selling sensitive information on the Guardian response teams."
For a moment, every comm went silent.
Then Renn's voice came through, calm but dangerous.
"Copy that. Stay inside. Find out who's buying."
Scarlet picked up another glass from a passing tray and smiled like she belonged in the room.
"Already on it."