2024-12-14 16:19:59Chapter 2: The First Move
The night air in Meridian Heights was thick with foreboding as Lance stepped off the bus and into a neighborhood he didn’t know. The address Celeste had given him led to an upscale area of gated mansions and backroom deals. The kind of place where secrets were currency and power was brokered behind closed doors.
Lance’s sharp eyes took in the house before him. A modern glass and steel monstrosity against the moonlit sky. The gates swung open as he approached and the security system scanned him without asking. He grinned to himself.
“Fancy,” he said, straightening his rumpled jacket. “Let’s see what’s behind door number one.”
Inside the air was thick with tension and intent. The main hall was a paradox of luxury and menace—plush rugs underfoot, chandeliers overhead and shadowy figures speaking in hushed tones. Lance felt the weight of their eyes on him as he walked in, every step oozing his signature slacker attitude, a mask for his sharp mind.
Celeste appeared, her presence commanding as she approached him.
“Mr. Drayton, come.”
Lance grinned, his eyes scanning the room. “Quite the setup. You always hold your little cult meetings here?”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer, leading him further into the house. They descended a spiral staircase, the steel railing reflecting an otherworldly green glow. At the bottom was a room unlike any Lance had ever seen: a circular room with walls covered in screens displaying data streams, historical records and maps.
In the center of the room sat a table around which sat an assortment of people. High-tech enhancements to old-world mysticism. Celeste gestured for him to take the last empty chair.
“This,” she said, “is the Nexus.”
Celeste’s words revealed that the Nexus was more than a secret society. It was a gathering of the world’s most brilliant and most ruthless minds, each representing one of the world’s hidden powers.
“Each of us here,” she said, “has a stake in the game of godhood. You will too, if you prove yourself.”
The man to Lance’s left, a stern faced man with cybernetic eyes, leaned forward. “You brought an outsider into this group? He doesn’t look like much.”
Lance grinned lazily. “Don’t worry, RoboCop. I won’t upstage you.”
A ripple of laughter ran through the group but was quickly quashed. Celeste’s eyes didn’t waver. “Lance’s unorthodox approach is why he’s here. He sees what others don’t and he’ll play where others won’t.”
“Play what?” Lance asked, spinning the pen he’d swiped from the table. “Because if this is Monopoly I’m calling dibs on the thimble.”
Celeste ignored him, addressing the group. “The first test will be his resourcefulness. Lance, we’ve set the stage. Now it’s your move.”
They led Lance into another room where a holographic map of Meridian Heights popped up. Red dots covered the city, each one a secret stash of data, resources or personnel for the Nexus.
“Your mission,” Celeste said, “is to grab one of those dots. But not everyone is on your side. Act fast, smart and hard.”
Lance’s eyes sparkled: “A scavenger hunt? I thought we were going to play chess.”
“This isn’t a game, kid,” the cybernetic man sneered.
He turned back to Lance, eyebrow up. “Everything’s a game, friend. Just learn the rules before everyone else does.”
He was back on the streets of Meridian Heights with nothing but a small device and a tiny bit of Nexus intel. The first marker was near an abandoned industrial area with crumbling warehouses and old machinery. Shadows wriggled and twisted in the dim light and Lance felt the creepy sensation of being watched.
“Let’s see who’s pulling the strings tonight,” he said, slipping into the nearest warehouse.
There was stale air, dust and decay. He moved slowly, quietly but not quickly. The marker was there, a black box on a rusty beam. As soon as he reached for it, footsteps echoed inside the building.
“Well, well,” a voice drawled. “Looks like Nexus has got a new puppy.”
Lance turned to see a group of people emerging from the shadows. Their leader, a skinny man with a sharp face, smiled as he brandished a knife.
“Give us the box and we’ll let you walk out of here alive.”
Lance shrugged, still looking bored. “I hate running errands. But at least this is fun.”
That was just the smile off the leader’s face. “What does that mean?”
Before he could even process what was happening, Lance tossed a small device at their feet. The device exploded in a flash of light and in the ensuing chaos, Lance grabbed the box and disappeared. He moved fast, dodging through the machinery until he was out of sight.
“One down,” he said, examining the box. “Let’s see what’s so special about you.”
Back at Nexus, Lance put the box on the table and grinned at the group. They were looking at him with a mix of suspicion and respect.
Celeste said, “Not bad.” “But this is just the beginning. The hard stuff is coming.”
Lance leaned back, his laid-back vibe still strong. “Well. I was getting bored.”
The cybernetic man glared. “You may have won this time. But you’re not one of us.”
Lance grinned. "Oh-no. I’m not one of you. I’m better."
It was Celeste staring at Lance, a flicker of secretly interested inquiry residing in her. "Let"s see if you could prove that, Mr Drayton," she said.
At the end of the meeting, every tingling spike in Lance erupted into little flames of anticipation. He was not ashamed to admit though that in all those years, none was able to involve him in something as huge as what becoming a god-theoretical or otherwise would be.
"Let the games begin," he whispered to himself, every yard of the box in his hands reminding him of what was to come.
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