The basement parking garage beneath the Presidential District was chaos.
Vehicles everywhere. Delivery vans. Catering trucks. Equipment carriers. All lined up waiting for security clearance to enter the main compound.
Independence Day. The biggest event of the year in Neo-Brasília.
Outside, Alex could hear the roar of crowds gathering. Police cars flying overhead, their sirens creating a constant background noise. Helicopters circling. The entire city was focused on this one day.
Which made it the perfect time to break into the Presidential residence.
Alex sat in his truck, watching a white delivery van three spots ahead of him. Standard design. Presidential seal stamped on the side. Nothing special about it except it had clearance to go inside.
Before leaving the truck, Alex grabbed a black cap from the passenger seat and pulled it low over his face. The cameras in the garage would pick him up, but the cap would make facial identification harder.
"June, can you make the truck look like that van?"
[Affirmative. Molecular disguise protocol ready. Cost: 200,000 credits.]
"Do it."
The air around his truck shimmered. Within seconds, his vehicle looked identical to the white van ahead. Same paint. Same seal. Same everything.
[Disguise active. I am also generating security credentials for you. Name: Marcus Webb. Position: Equipment delivery personnel. This should bypass initial checkpoints.]
"And if it doesn't?"
[Probability of success is 78 percent. The credentials are convincing but not perfect. Do not linger at checkpoints.]
Alex pulled the cap lower. "Fantastic."
The line moved forward. One by one, vehicles were cleared and allowed through the massive gates leading into the Presidential compound.
Alex's turn came.
A guard approached, scanner in hand. Young guy. Alert but clearly overwhelmed by the volume of vehicles.
"Identification and delivery manifest."
Alex handed over the credentials June had generated, keeping his head angled down so the cap's brim shadowed his face. The guard scanned them. His screen blinked green.
"You're clear. Follow the signs to underground parking. Unload at bay seven."
"Got it."
The gates opened and Alex drove through.
'Step one done.'
The underground parking garage was massive. Multiple levels carved into the earth beneath the Presidential residence. Security was lighter here than Alex expected. Most personnel were focused on the public areas above where the ceremonies would take place.
More cameras though. Mounted in corners. Tracking movements.
Alex kept the cap on as he parked in a corner spot, far from the main activity. He killed the engine.
In the back of the truck sat the three boxes. Presidential seals still intact. Whatever was inside them was meant for today's celebration.
Alex grabbed a hand truck from the loading area nearby and loaded the boxes onto it. Heavy. Awkward. But manageable.
Now came the hard part.
Alex started pushing the hand truck through the garage, keeping his head down. The cap hid most of his face from the cameras above. His eyes scanned constantly. Security personnel at key chokepoints. More cameras at every turn.
He made his way toward what looked like a service elevator. A sign above it read: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Alex pressed the button. The doors opened immediately.
Inside, he studied the floor directory. Sub-level three: Security Operations.
He pressed the button.
The elevator descended.
When the doors opened, Alex found himself in a long corridor. Stark white walls. Fluorescent lighting. Multiple doors on either side, all marked with security classifications.
And cameras. Two of them. One at each end of the corridor.
Alex kept the cap on, head angled down as he pushed the hand truck forward.
At the far end of the corridor, he could see the security control room. Heavy door. Reinforced glass window showing banks of monitors inside.
And two guards standing outside it.
"June, jam their communications."
[Signal jamming active in thirty seconds.]
Alex kept pushing the hand truck forward. Casual stride. Like he belonged here. The guards noticed him immediately.
One of them, older with a scar across his jaw, stepped forward. His hand came up. "Hey! This is a restricted area. You're not authorized to be down here."
Alex kept moving without breaking stride. "They told me to deliver these here. Said it was urgent for the ceremony."
"Who told you that?"
"Coordinator upstairs. Didn't catch his name. Just said basement security needed these boxes before the President's speech." Alex gestured at the boxes with their presidential seals visible. "Look, I'm just doing what I was told, man."
The second guard, younger and broader, moved to intercept him. His expression was suspicious now. "Stop. Let me see your credentials."
Alex stopped. Reached for his ID badge slowly, making sure to keep his movements non-threatening.
The older guard was already reaching for the radio on his shoulder. He pressed the button. "Control, this is checkpoint seven. We have an unauthorized delivery personnel in restricted zone. Requesting verification on delivery order."
Static.
He pressed the button again, frowning now. "Control, do you copy?"
More static.
The guard looked at his partner, concern replacing suspicion. "Comms are down."
The younger guard's hand moved toward his weapon. "I need to see that ID. Now. And what's in those boxes?"
"Presidential office supplies for the ceremony." Alex held out the ID badge with his right hand, keeping his voice steady. "The seals are right there. You can verify them."
The younger guard stepped closer to examine the badge and the boxes.
That's when Alex moved.
He kicked the hand truck hard. The cart shot forward and slammed into the older guard's shins. The man stumbled backward, arms windmilling as he tried to keep his balance.
Alex was already closing the distance to the younger guard. Two quick steps brought him within striking range.
The younger guard saw it coming. His arm came up to block, forearm meeting Alex's incoming fist.
The impact sent pain shooting up Alex's arm, but he pushed through it.
The guard's other hand shot out and grabbed Alex's collar, yanking him closer. Then his fist came around in a tight arc aimed at Alex's ribs.
The punch landed hard on Alex's right side.
THUMP.
Pain exploded through his ribcage. His breath caught. For a second, everything went white.
But his enhanced endurance kicked in. The pain was there, sharp and immediate, but it didn't drop him. Didn't even slow him down much.
Alex twisted his body, breaking the grip on his collar, and drove his elbow up toward the guard's face.
The elbow connected with the guard's cheekbone.
CRACK.
The guard's head snapped to the side. He staggered back a step, momentarily dazed.
Behind them, the older guard had recovered his balance. He was going for his weapon now, hand reaching for the holster at his hip.
Alex grabbed the younger guard's shoulder and shoved him hard into the older one.
Their bodies collided. The older guard's hand slipped off his weapon. Both men stumbled.
The younger guard recovered first. He came at Alex again, fists already moving. A punch came from the right. Then the left. Then another from the right.
Alex got his arms up and blocked the first two strikes, but the third one slipped through his guard and connected with his left temple.
SMACK.
The world tilted. Stars burst across his vision. His ears rang. The corridor seemed to spin for a second.
'Fuck.'
But he stayed on his feet. His endurance was the only thing keeping him conscious right now.
The older guard was getting up, blood trickling from where he'd bitten his lip during the collision. His hand was going for his weapon again.
Alex didn't give him the chance. He stepped forward and drove his knee up hard into the older guard's stomach.
The air left the man's lungs in a choked wheeze. He doubled over, gasping.
Alex brought his elbow down on the back of the guard's head.
THUD.
The older guard collapsed face-first onto the floor. Not moving.
The younger guard grabbed Alex from behind before he could turn around. Strong arms wrapped around his chest, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Stay the fuck down!"
Alex threw his head backward as hard as he could.
The back of his skull connected with the guard's face.
CRACK.
He felt the guard's nose break against his head. Warm blood immediately soaked into his hair and ran down his neck.
The grip around his chest loosened. The guard made a choked sound.
Alex twisted free and spun to face him. The younger guard's nose was destroyed. Blood poured down his face. His eyes were watering so badly he could barely see.
Alex stepped in and threw a punch. His right fist drove forward with all his enhanced strength behind it, aimed directly at the guard's already ruined nose.
CRUNCH.
His knuckles connected with broken cartilage and bone. The guard's eyes rolled back in his head. His knees buckled.
He went down hard.
Both guards were on the floor now. Unconscious or close to it.
Alex stood there, breathing hard. His ribs screamed with every breath. His temple throbbed where he'd been hit. Blood from the younger guard's nose was all over the back of his head and soaking into his shirt collar.
"Fuck."
He grabbed both guards by their collars and dragged them into a nearby storage closet. The older guard groaned softly but didn't wake up. Alex closed the door and tested the handle. Locked from the outside.
That would hold for a while.
He went back to the control room door.
Locked.
Alex checked the older guard's belt. Access card clipped there. He grabbed it and returned to the control room door.
Through the reinforced glass window, he could see movement inside. A guard sitting at the main console. Headphones covering his ears. His attention was focused on something on one of the monitors.
Alex swiped the card carefully, trying to minimize the sound.
The lock clicked green.
He eased the door open. Slowly. The hinges were well-oiled and didn't make a sound.
The guard inside still didn't turn around. The headphones were doing their job. And whatever he was watching had his complete attention.
Alex could see the screen now. Porn. The guard was watching porn while eating chips straight from the bag.
'Unbelievable.'
The guard was big. Easily had fifty pounds of muscle on Alex. Maybe more.
Alex considered his options. He could try knocking on the glass to get the guard's attention, but if the guy turned around before Alex could reach him, this would get messy fast.
Better to just move now.
Alex crossed the room as quietly as he could. His footsteps were soft on the floor. The guard kept watching his screen, completely oblivious.
When Alex was close enough, he struck.
His arm wrapped around the guard's throat from behind. Tight. Cutting off air.
The guard jerked in his chair. His hands came up, clawing at Alex's arm. Strong. Fighting hard.
But Alex held on. Squeezed tighter. The guard tried to stand, tried to throw Alex off, but the angle was wrong and Alex had leverage.
The guard's movements started getting weaker. Slower.
Ten seconds later, he went completely limp.
Alex held on for another few seconds to be sure, then carefully lowered the unconscious guard to the floor. Still breathing. Just out cold.
He pulled off the headphones and tossed them aside.
Then he turned to the monitors.
Dozens of them covered the wall. Showing every angle of the Presidential residence. Hallways packed with security personnel. Rooms being prepared for the ceremony. Outdoor areas where massive crowds were gathering.
Alex sat down at the console and started working. His fingers moved across the keyboard, navigating through security feeds with practiced ease. Years of tech work made this second nature.
He pulled up the building schematics. Overlaid them with camera locations. Started systematically eliminating areas that clearly weren't secure enough to house a presidential vault.
Five minutes of methodical searching and he found it.
One camera feed showed a corridor that looked different from all the others. Wider. Better lighting. And at the far end, a massive reinforced door with visible electronic lock systems.
"There it is."
He traced the route on the schematic. Three levels up. Multiple security checkpoints between here and there.
But the vault corridor itself showed no guards at all.
'Why the hell would they leave the vault unguarded?'
Before he could think about it more, voices echoed from the corridor outside. Multiple people. Getting closer.
"Where the hell is Marcus?"
"And Chen. He's supposed to be at the control room."
Through the control room window, Alex could see two guards walking down the corridor. They stopped where the first two guards should have been stationed. Looked around. Confusion turning to concern.
"This isn't right. Control, do you copy?"
Static.
"Comms are still down. Something's wrong here."
Alex moved fast. He grabbed the radio from the unconscious guard on the floor.
"June, restore their communications. Just for a few seconds."
[Restoring signal. You have fifteen seconds before jamming resumes.]
Alex pressed the radio transmit button. He deepened his voice, made it rougher, tried to match what he remembered of the older guard's gravel tone.
"This is Marcus. Chen and I are doing a security sweep of sub-level two. Thought we picked up something on the monitors. Everything's checking out clear. We're heading back to position now."
A pause that felt like it lasted forever.
Then one of the guards outside responded. "Copy that, Marcus. But radio in before you leave your post next time. Command's getting jumpy with all the Independence Day activity."
"Understood. Won't happen again."
[Signal jamming resuming now.]
The two guards moved on down the corridor. Their footsteps faded.
Alex let out a slow breath.
Too fucking close.
He looked at the unconscious guard on the floor. Then at the uniform.
"I need those clothes."
Five minutes later, Alex was dressed in the guard's uniform. It was slightly too big in the shoulders but close enough to pass. The ID badge was clipped to his chest. Officer David Chen.
But his face was still the problem.
Alex stared at his reflection in one of the dark monitors. Same face. Same features. Any camera with facial recognition would flag him immediately.
"June, I need options for a facial disguise."
[I can generate a molecular facial illusion. However, maintaining a stable disguise capable of bypassing both human observation and electronic facial recognition systems requires substantial processing power and energy. Cost: 1,200,000 credits. Maximum duration: one hour.]
Over a million credits for sixty minutes.
Alex thought about trying to avoid cameras and keep his distance from other personnel, but he'd already seen how many cameras were in this place. And getting close to other guards was inevitable at the checkpoints.
"What happens when the hour runs out?"
[The molecular structure will destabilize. Your actual facial features will become visible again.]
"So if I'm still in here when it fails, I'm completely exposed."
[Correct.]
Alex weighed his options. Without the disguise, his chances of reaching the vault were close to zero. With it, he had maybe a 70 percent shot if he moved fast.
Not great odds. But better than nothing.
"Activate it."
[Confirmed. Facial illusion now active. Your appearance matches Officer David Chen.]
Alex looked at his reflection again. His face was completely different now. Asian features. Sharper jawline. Different nose structure. Even his eyes looked different.
Seeing someone else's face move when he moved was deeply unsettling.
"This better be worth the money."
He grabbed the hand truck with the three boxes and headed for the door.
---
The first checkpoint went smoothly. Two guards barely glanced at him as he pushed the cart past. The ID badge and uniform were doing their job.
The second checkpoint had three guards clustered together. One of them, a woman in her thirties with sharp eyes, looked up as Alex approached.
"Chen? Thought you were on monitor duty today."
Alex kept his voice steady and professional. "Got pulled for delivery support. They're short-staffed with all the Independence Day preparations."
She frowned slightly. "When did that reassignment come through?"
"About twenty minutes ago. You can verify with command if you need to."
One of the other guards glanced at the boxes on Alex's hand truck. "What's in those?"
"Ceremonial items for the President's speech. Presidential office sent them down." Alex kept his tone matter-of-fact. "Seals are verified. I'm just transport."
The woman studied him for another moment, then nodded. "Alright. Go ahead."
Alex kept walking. Steady pace. Not too fast. Not too slow.
'One hour. I've got one hour before this falls apart.'
The third checkpoint was more difficult.
A younger guard stopped him with a friendly smile. "Hey Chen! Heading upstairs with those boxes?"
"Yeah."
"Man, did you hear about Melissa in logistics? Apparently she's been hooking up with that new guy from the catering team." He laughed and shook his head. "I knew something was up when she started actually putting effort into her appearance."
Alex had absolutely no idea who Melissa was or what this conversation was supposed to mean.
"Uh, yeah. Heard something about that."
His voice came out wrong. Too uncertain. The pitch cracked slightly at the end.
The guard's smile faded a bit. "You okay, man? You sound off."
Alex cleared his throat and forced himself to relax his shoulders. "Allergies. The ventilation system down on sub-three has been absolutely killing me all morning."
The guard laughed and his suspicion disappeared. "Right? I've been sneezing nonstop. This whole building needs better air filters. Anyway, catch you later, Chen."
He waved and walked off.
Alex kept moving, but his heart was pounding hard enough that he could feel it in his throat.
'Thirty-five minutes left. Need to move faster.'
By the time he reached level six, every muscle in his body was tense. Every conversation was a minefield. Every checkpoint was another chance for this whole thing to collapse.
The corridor leading to the vault stretched out ahead of him. Just like he'd seen on the camera feeds. Wider than the other hallways. Better lighting fixtures. And completely empty of personnel.
The massive reinforced door sat at the far end.
'Still no guards. This doesn't make any sense.'
But he was out of time to second-guess it.
Alex pushed the hand truck down the corridor. His footsteps echoed off the walls. Each step brought him closer to that door.
When he reached it, he could see the security systems up close. Electronic keypad. Retinal scanner mounted above it. Biometric palm reader to the side.
High-level security. But all electronic.
Alex pulled out the small bypass device he'd assembled and connected it to the keypad's access port. His fingers moved quickly across the device's interface, running decryption protocols.
The first lock clicked. Green light.
Then the second. Another green light.
The third lock took longer. The encryption was more complex. But after thirty seconds, it clicked too.
The heavy door swung inward with a pneumatic hiss.
The room inside was large. Clinical white walls. Bright overhead lighting. And at the far end, the vault. Massive reinforced steel. More electronic locks covering its surface.
Alex grabbed his hand truck and started pushing it through the doorway.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, everything went to hell.
**BRRRRRRRING!**
Alarms screamed from every direction. Red emergency lights began flashing throughout the room, strobing across the white walls.
"Shit!"
Alex tried to jerk backward, but laser grids materialized in an instant. Red beams crisscrossed the entire space around him. Above. Below. All four sides.
He was trapped in a cube of lasers barely large enough for him to stand without touching them.
"June! Can you shut this down?!"
[Negative. The trap system is mechanical, not electronic. Pressure-based trigger embedded beneath the threshold. I cannot interface with isolated mechanical systems.]
"Fuck!"
Outside in the corridor, Alex could hear running footsteps. Multiple people. Coming fast.
He stood there, frozen. Trapped. The three boxes sitting on the hand truck just outside the laser cage.
The footsteps got closer. Louder. Then they stopped.
Right outside the door.
A voice spoke from somewhere inside the vault room. Behind Alex. Cold and professional.
"Hands where I can see them."
Alex stood there. Trapped in a cage of lasers. Three boxes at his feet. His hands slowly rising.
'I'm fucked.'