As the rain poured harder, it transformed the neon lights of the Red Vipers' headquarters into blurry streaks of red and purple. The thumping bass from "The Pit", a converted warehouse, vibrated the puddles on the street. Two intimidating bouncers with cybernetic arms guarded the steel door.
Hiding behind a dumpster across the street, Zeph watched, the rain dripping off his nose. His AI companion whispered, "Scan complete. Inside, thirty-two hostiles armed with plasma rifles, vibro-blades, and a localized energy shield generator."
"Thirty-two against two," Zeph murmured. "The odds aren't in our favor, Kae. We need to cut the power, use thermal vision, and pick them off one by one."
Kaelen didn't respond. He walked out from behind the dumpster and headed straight for the front door. "Kae!" Zeph hissed in desperation. "Stealth!" But Kaelen walked, unafraid, like he owned the pavement.
The bouncers spotted him and blocked the entrance. "Lost, little boy?" the left bouncer taunted, flexing his chrome arm. "The cover charge is your teeth."
Kaelen stopped three feet away. "Open the door."
"And if we don't?" the bouncer laughed, reaching for a stun baton on his belt.
Kaelen simply raised a finger.
There was a loud crack as the streetlights above them exploded, showering glass everywhere. The alley was plunged into darkness. In the dark, Kaelen's eyes glowed with a faint, purple-black energy. With a sweep of his hand, both bouncers were lifted off their feet by an invisible force and thrown into the brick wall. They slumped to the ground, unconscious.
As Zeph ran up behind Kaelen, panting, he muttered, "So much for stealth." Kaelen looked at the steel door and said, "Knock knock."
Placing his palm on the metal, rust spread from his hand, aging the door instantly. As the hinges snapped, the door fell inward with a deafening clang. The music died, and thirty heads turned toward the door.
Stepping inside, Kaelen was followed by Zeph. "Who are you?!" a gang member with a red mohawk shouted, pulling out a pistol.
As the AI announced, "Combat Mode Engaged. Synchronizing movement to music tempo: 120 BPM," Zeph sighed, "Let's dance."
In the chaos that followed, Zeph moved like water, his every move calculated and efficient. Kaelen, on the other hand, simply walked through the crowd, untouched by bullets, and made his way to the Viper Boss.
"Die!" the Boss screamed, opening fire.
"Sit," Kaelen commanded, and the gravity in the room shifted. Everyone felt the sudden heaviness as if the planet had gotten ten times heavier. The Viper Boss was forced to his knees, his gun too heavy to lift.
Kaelen climbed the stairs and stood over the Boss. "This is my chair," he said softly before kicking the Boss in the chest. The man tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap on the dance floor.
In the silence that followed, Kaelen sat down on the velvet throne and announced, "My name is Kaelen Thorne. And this city is mine."
Zeph, standing on the dance floor amid groaning bodies, looked up at his friend. Kaelen looked like he belonged on that throne. The AI whispered, "Observation: Kaelen's heart rate has slowed. He is not stressed. He is enjoying this."
"Yeah," Zeph replied silently. "That's what I'm afraid of."