The transition from the freezing mud of the North Woods to the suffocating heat of Sector 4 was like stepping into a different dimension.
Neon signs in jagged Kanji and Cyrillic flickered overhead, casting long, bleeding shadows of pink and electric blue over the crowded alleyways. The air tasted of ozone, cheap synthetic noodles, and desperation. Ren adjusted the high collar of his tech-wear jacket, feeling the weight of the silver stud in his ear.
"Stay close," Liya whispered, her eyes scanning the crowd with a predatory stillness he'd never seen back at the Academy. "The Peacekeepers don't come here, but the Syndicate's 'Scavengers' do. They smell 'new money' from a mile away."
"I don't have a cent on me, Liya," Ren reminded her, his voice dropping into the rougher, lower register they'd practiced.
"It's not about the credits in your pocket," she countered, dodging a hovering delivery drone that sparked dangerously. "It's the way you walk. You still carry yourself like a Thorne. Slump your shoulders. Look like you've given up on the world, and the world will leave you alone."
They stopped in front of a storefront obscured by a wall of falling water—a recycled cooling vent for the massive servers underground. Behind the curtain of water sat a shop filled with discarded cybernetics and glowing glass tubes.
The Alchemist.
A man sat behind the counter, his eyes replaced by glowing crimson optics that whirred as they focused on Liya.
"Liya," the man rasped, his voice sounding like grinding metal. "I heard a rumor you died in the vault explosion."
"Reports of my death were... exaggerated," Liya said, sliding the Crown Jewel onto the counter. The blue light of the drive seemed to dim the neon of the shop. "I need the Spark, Viktor. Now."
Viktor's optics turned to Ren. "And who is the stray? He looks like he's never seen a day of hunger in his life."
Ren didn't flinch. He leaned over the counter, mirroring Viktor's intense gaze. "I'm the guy making sure you get paid. Or the guy who burns this shop down if you don't have what she asked for. Choose one."
Viktor let out a dry, hacking laugh. "He's got teeth. I like him." He reached under the counter and pulled out a jagged, blackened USB-style key that pulsed with a rhythmic golden light. "The Spark. But it's not for sale for credits."
Liya stiffened. "What's the price?"
Viktor leaned in, the red glow of his eyes reflecting in Liya's pupils. "The Council has put a 'Ghost Protocol' on the Sector 4 network. My scanners show your 'All-Rounder' signature is spiking, Liya. Or should I say... Subject Zero?"
The air in the room turned cold. Ren's hand instinctively went to the concealed blade in his sleeve.
"I want a sample of your digital blood," Viktor whispered. "Plug into my mainframe for five minutes. Let me see what you really are."