Outside, the rain had stopped and the streets shone wet under the neon signs. She started toward the tram line that would take her to Glimmer Heights, the cube felt heavier than before. She knew the name Cain, a rogue vampire hacker known for trouble. As she passed a row of shuttered shops, she felt eyes on her, she then turned. There, a man stood in the shadows, his face hidden under a hood. When she met his gaze, he stepped forward, "you're carrying something that doesn't belong here," he said. His voice was low, almost a growl, "stay out of this," she replied, he shook his head, "If you take it to Cain, you won't live to see dawn. Before she could answer, a tram bell rang in the distance, the man backed into the shadows and was gone. Marla quickly turned toward the sound, her pace quickening, somewhere above the city, lights from the upper towers cut through the night. She ignored and kept moving.
The tram hissed as it pulled into the Glimmer Heights station. The crowd here was different, fine coats, polished shoes, quiet confidence. Her own coat was worn and damp, making her stand out, but she kept her hood up and walked toward the exit gates and an Enforcer scanned her ID again, no questions this time.
Outside, the air felt warmer, glass towers stretched into the night sky, some topped with floating gardens, streams of light marked the paths of flying vehicles. She followed the address she'd been given, cutting through wide streets and narrow side lanes. The Mirror Bar sat halfway up a smaller tower and the entrance was a narrow doorway lit with soft blue light. A woman at the door glanced at her, then stepped aside.
Inside, the air was cool, the walls were lined with mirrors that reflected the dim light in strange angles. A soft hum came from hidden speakers, conversations were in low tones and private. At the far end, a man sat alone in a booth, his skin was pale, his hair silver, and his eyes a deep red. He watched her approach without moving.
"Cain?" she asked, he smiled slightly, "Marla Dren…. Sit." She slid into the booth, the cube sat in her coat pocket, warm against her side. "Who sent you?" he asked, she gave the name of the man in the black suit. Cain's smile faded, "and did you… open it?" he said, giving her a shady look, "no." He leaned closer, "good, if you had, you'd be dead." He took a small device from his pocket and placed it on the table. It scanned the cube in her hand, lines of red light moved across its surface. When the scan finished, he looked at her, "this is old-world tech, pre-Treaty, you don't want to know how many people would kill for it", "Then why do you have it?" she asked. "Well because," he said, "it belongs to someone who doesn't know it's missing yet, and when they find out, Glimmer Heights will burn."
Before she could speak, the booth's mirrored wall shifted, showing a reflection of the bar behind them, two Blood Hunters had entered, they scanned the room, Cain slid the cube into his jacket. "Time to leave", they moved through a side door into a narrow service corridor. The hum of machinery echoed off the walls, Cain's voice was low, "you've been marked now, whoever saw you with that cube will follow you". Marla's grip tightened on her coat, "I didn't ask for this", Cain looked back at her, "no one ever does". They reached a metal door then Cain tapped a code into the panel and the door opened onto a maintenance balcony high above the street. "Go back to Hollowshade", he said. "Forget this happened". She shook her head, "and you think they'd let me?" He smiled without humor, "no, That's why you'll need to decide fast who you trust".
Below, a black vehicle slid into view, the side door opened, Cain stepped back into the shadows, "Your ride's here", he said. Marla looked down, the man from the alley, the one who had warned her, sat inside the vehicle. His hood was down now, showing his dark hair and eyes that didn't look entirely human. "You're late," he called up to her, the balcony door slammed shut behind her. The wind bit at her face, the black vehicle hovered in place, its side door still open. The man sat inside, watching her, he looked relaxed, but his eyes stayed sharp. "Who are you?" Marla called down, "get in and I'll tell you", she glanced back at the sealed door, Cain was gone and the tram platform was too far to reach without being seen by the hunters inside the bar, she gritted her teeth, climbed over the railing, and dropped onto the roof of the vehicle, the man reached up, caught her arm and pulled her inside, with the door shut, the vehicle rose into the air.
The cabin was dim, the seats were black leather, with neon lit frames, a faint hum filled the space. He kept his hands on the controls but spoke without looking at her, "name's Ilen Rave", she gave an unimpressed look as she studied his face. Human at first glance, but then she saw the faint ridges along his temples. He wasn't human, not anything she recognized. "What do you want from me?" she asked, "you're carrying a problem", he exclaimed, "I want to make sure it doesn't become MY problem". "It's not yours now," she said, "You think so? That cube will drag anyone near it into trouble", "you think Cain can protect you? He'll sell you out the moment the right buyer asks". The vehicle banked left, weaving between towers at Glimmer Heights. Above, the upper lanes buzzed with traffic. "I don't care about Cain", she said as their conversation continued, "I'm just gonna deliver this and walk away." Ilen's mouth twitched, "and you'd be lucky if you walk away with your head intact", she touches her face self-consciously.
They passed a tall glass building covered in shifting holographic ads, he brought the vehicle down on a landing pad halfway up a residential tower, "Out," he said, she frowned, "Where the hell are we?". "A place where no one will think to look for you tonight". The door slid open and warm air spilled in, carrying the smell of baked bread and cleaning agents. She stepped out onto a narrow balcony lined with potted plants, a sliding door opened into a small apartment. Inside, the space was clean but sparse, just a table, two chairs, a couch, and a wall screen showing the city's weather feed. "You can stay here," he said, "oh and… leave before sunrise, "and if I don't?", "Then you'll see why people don't ignore my advice", "Auf wiedersehen (German for adios)", "he said as he walked towards the door, "The kitchen's stocked, don't touch the drawer under the sink", the door slid shut behind him, she heard the hum of the vehicle fade into the distance.
Alone, she pulled the cube from her coat, its lines pulsed faintly, the glow steady, she turned it in her hands, no seams, no buttons, she thought to herself. Something clicked behind her, she spun around, a boy, no older than twelve stood in the doorway to a small bedroom, his hair was dark like Ilen's, his eyes were bright silver. "You shouldn't be here", he said, his voice was calm, "Ilen told me to stay". The boy shook his head, "then he's just testing you, "she slid the cube back into her coat. "Testing me for what?" "Why?" The boy stepped closer, "for whether you're smart enough to run before it's too late." The boy stopped in front of her glancing at the coat pocket where the cube was hidden, "you don't even know what it is, do you?" She shook her head. "It's not tech, it's a prison", her grip on the coat tightened, "prison?" "For what?" "No, not what, who". His silver eyes didn't blink, "Something that was alive, something that still is."
Marla felt the weight of the cube more than ever, "you're lying", the boy tilted his head, "then open it and see", hesitant, she took a step back, "If it's so dangerous, why is it in Ilen's home then?" "Because he's looking for the key", the boy said, "and he thinks you might lead him to it." Her stomach turned, "Why me?" "You were in the wrong place," the boy said. "That's all it takes here." Before she could reply, the lights in the apartment flickered, the boy's eyes shifted toward the door, three sharp knocks echoed through the room, the boy's voice dropped, "That's not him." The knocks came again harder, this time from somewhere in the walls, a low hum began, like distant machinery warming up, the boy stepped back into his room and shut the door. Marla stared at the entrance, again her hand went to the knife under her coat, the knocks had stopped. Strange silence filled the room, then a voice spoke from the other side of the door, calm and measured, "Marla Dren, open up, we need to talk about what you took from the wreck". Her pulse jumped, it was the taller Blood Hunter. The hum in the walls grew louder and louder, the cube in her coat pulsed once, sharp and bright, as if reacting to the voice outside. She stayed still, every muscle tense, as the handle began to turn.