The bathroom down the hall from Hannah's suite was clean and functional. Lucius washed his face at the sink, the cold stream running dark gray with soot and ash.
Miguel was already out of the shower, toweling off his hair with characteristic enthusiasm.
"Man, that was great!" he said, grinning at his reflection. "The way we worked together? Natural! Like we've been teaming up for years!"
Lucius dried his face with a clean towel. "We got lucky. That thing wasn't exactly a tactical genius."
"Lucky? Come on! That was skill! Strategy!"
Lucius shrugged, checking his ruined shirt. "Tactics only work when the enemy's dumb enough to cooperate. This one was."
Miguel laughed. "You're impossible to compliment, you know that?"
"I've been told."
"Bet you have." Miguel picked up his suit jacket, slinging it over his shoulder. "Still, you gotta admit—pretty solid teamwork for our first real combat together."
"It wasn't terrible," Lucius conceded.
"Not terrible! He admits it!" Miguel grinned wider. "I'll take that as high praise coming from you."
Lucius stripped off his shirt, examining the minor thermal burns across his shoulders. Surface damage. Nothing serious.
Miguel noticed. "You need Kit to check those?"
"They're fine. Superficial."
"Still should get them looked at. Protocol." Miguel pulled on his jacket, adjusting the collar. "Besides, Kit's thorough. He'll want to document everything for the medical log."
Lucius nodded slightly.
He showered quickly—efficient, not luxurious. The spray washed away the grime and the lingering stench of scorched stone and melted metal. Three minutes, done.
Charlotte had left fresh clothes for them in the anteroom—black suits, crisp white shirts, dark ties. Standard bodyguard uniforms. Lucius dressed with practiced speed, each movement economical.
The black gloves went on last. Smooth fabric, perfectly fitted, completely concealing the crystalline prosthetic beneath his left sleeve.
Miguel was checking his phone again, scrolling through social media feeds. "The videos are getting millions of views already. 'Bodyguards vs Magma Monster.' Someone made a compilation of the best hits."
"Let them watch."
"Aren't you curious? What people are saying?"
"No."
Miguel laughed. "You're so serious all the time! It's okay to enjoy the attention a little."
Lucius adjusted his tie in the mirror. "Attention gets you killed."
That sobered Miguel slightly. The enthusiasm dampened just a fraction. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
---
They left the bathroom, heading back toward the suite's living area. The hallway was quiet, the thick carpeting muffling their steps.
At the suite door, Miguel knocked twice.
Charlotte disengaged the lock from inside. "They're waiting for you."
Inside, the suite's living area had been converted into a makeshift briefing room. The central coffee table had been pushed aside, chairs arranged in a loose circle facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the New Kong skyline was beginning to glow as evening deepened.
Hannah sat in one of the armchairs, still in her comfortable clothes, her glasses adjusted properly now. She looked tired, but her expression was sharp.
Charlotte stood nearby, tablet in hand, watchful as always.
Kira occupied a chair near the window, perfectly composed in his tailored suit. A small leather notebook rested on his knee, gold pen balanced between his fingers.
Liam stood near the entrance, his massive frame making the space feel smaller. He gave Lucius and Miguel a gentle nod as they entered.
Toby Park leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching everyone with intense focus. The sniper was already analyzing the room's dynamics—Lucius could tell by the way his eyes tracked every entry and exit point.
Kit sat in a chair pulled slightly away from the main circle. The medic looked as withdrawn as always, present in body but operating on his own quiet frequency.
Miguel headed straight for an empty chair, settling in with his usual energy. Lucius took the remaining seat, positioning himself where he had a clear sightline of every door and window.
Hannah looked around the room, making sure everyone was settled. "Good. We're all here. Let me hand it over to tactical."
Toby pushed off the wall, moving to stand where everyone could see him. His posture was controlled and efficient.
"I've been analyzing the attack patterns," Toby began, his voice carrying clearly. "Two attacks this week. Both highly coordinated. Both targeted specifically at Hannah during transport. The timing wasn't random—they knew exact routes and schedules."
Toby's eyes moved across the group as he spoke, measuring reactions.
"First attack three days ago. NovaBreed with heavy projectile abilities. Hit us during the morning commute to Central Tower, then escaped during the chaos."
He gestured toward Lucius and Miguel. "Second attack today. Magma transformation NovaBreed. Dropped in during the evening return route. This one we actually caught. Good work, by the way. NCC has him in suppression custody. He'll be interrogated."
Charlotte spoke up. "This is the first perpetrator we've actually captured. Previous attempts either escaped or died during the confrontation."
"Exactly," Toby continued. "So maybe we'll finally get some answers about who's coordinating these hits. But until then, we work with what we know."
He pulled up a map overlay on his phone, projecting the data to Charlotte's tablet. "Attack locations. Routes taken. Timeline overlays. Someone knew exactly where we'd be, down to the minute."
Kira's voice cut in, cold and precise. "Our routes are varied. Schedules are rotated. Standard security protocol." He tapped his pen against the notebook. "Yet they knew anyway. Which means information is leaking from somewhere close."
The implication hung heavy in the room.
Toby nodded grimly. "Internal leak. Has to be. Could be someone on the security team, office staff, or..." He paused, glance flickering toward Hannah. "Family with access to scheduling information."
Hannah's jaw tightened slightly at the mention of family, but she didn't refute it.
Charlotte adjusted her tablet feed. "We need to establish a broader timeline. When did the frequency escalate?"
"Hannah became Head of Hero Association Design and Branding over a year ago," Kira stated, reading from his notes. "Attacks before that were occasional. Standard risk level for someone in her corporate position."
Hannah spoke quietly. "There were attempts when I was younger. Kidnapping threats, mostly. Failed before they got close. Normal for a Gipson."
'Normal,' Lucius thought. 'That's what passes for normal in this family.'
"But about six months ago," Charlotte noted, "the frequency changed. More attempts. Better coordinated. Far more aggressive."
"Six months," Toby repeated. "That's our trigger point. Something shifted."
Miguel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What happened six months ago? New contracts? Business deals?"
Hannah thought for a moment. "The Hero Association Chairman election was announced. It's a massive political process."
That drew a murmur of quiet agreement.
Charlotte nodded. "Right. The Hero Association Chairman election. The biggest political event in the hero community. Billions in funding and endless influence at stake."
Kira's pen moved across his notebook. "And the Gipson Hero Association division—Hannah's division—provides equipment, suits, and branding for top-tier heroes. Significant influence over public perception and candidate viability."
"We sponsor several major candidates," Hannah added. "Equipment contracts worth millions. My division has been very active in the election lead-up—public appearances, design showcases, sponsorship announcements."
Toby crossed his arms. "So someone wants to destabilize Gipson influence before the vote. Remove Hannah, create chaos in the supply chain, make the company look vulnerable."
"Or," Lucius said quietly.
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at him.
"Or," Lucius repeated, keeping his voice flat and analytical, "someone wants you distracted."
Hannah's eyes fixed on him. "Explain."
"The attacks are loud. Public. They create mass chaos, but they aren't structured like clean assassination attempts," Lucius said. "If someone truly wanted you dead, they'd use different methods. Quieter. More certain. A sniper from three blocks out or poison in your morning coffee."
Toby's posture shifted, his sniper instincts recognizing the logic immediately.
Lucius continued. "These attacks force you to focus entirely on immediate survival. High security protocols. Constant vigilance. You're forced to be reactive instead of proactive."
"So what are they distracting me from?" Hannah asked.
"That's the question we need to answer."
A heavy silence settled over the room as the team processed the tactical shift.
Charlotte broke the silence. "If it's tied to the election, maybe they want Hannah too consumed with security to properly manage her division's campaign involvement."
"Or," Toby added, "they want Gipson Brand to look unstable. Weak. If she can't even protect herself, why would high-ranking heroes trust her division with their life-saving gear?"
Kira wrote another line in his notebook. "Both theories have merit. But we are speculating. We need actionable data."
Kit M. Cavendish spoke from his corner, his voice soft, barely cutting above the hum of the air conditioning. "Has anyone checked if she's being poisoned?"
The entire team turned toward the medic.
Kit met their gazes briefly, then shifted his eyes back to the floor. "Slow-acting toxins. Degraded decision-making. It makes a target paranoid, distracted, far easier to manipulate."
"Kit makes a valid point," Charlotte said. "We should run a full medical screening."
"I'll handle it," Kit said quietly. "Tonight. Full blood panel, toxicology screen, neurological assessment." He looked at Hannah directly. "It won't take long."
Hannah nodded. "Fine. Do it."
Liam's deep voice rumbled from near the door. "What about the guy NCC caught? When will we get his statement?"
"Interrogation starts tomorrow," Toby replied. "They'll use standard protocols—chemical truth serums, psychological pressure. If he knows anything about his employer, they'll extract it."
"And then we find out who hired him," Miguel said, hopeful.
Toby's expression remained guarded. "Maybe. Mercenary work like this is usually compartmentalized. He might not know who's really pulling the strings, but we'll get a lead."
Kira closed his notebook with a precise snap. "Until then, we operate under new security protocols."
He stood up, his tall frame commanding immediate authority.
"Route information is now restricted to day-of reveals only. No advance schedules will be shared outside this room. We will deploy secondary vehicles and decoy motorcades for all movements. Background checks on all office support staff will be conducted immediately."
Kira scanned the group. "We operate under the assumption of hostile surveillance at all times."
Miguel shifted uncomfortably. "So we're treating everyone like a suspect."
"Yes," Kira said flatly.
Liam looked troubled, but nodded reluctantly. "If that's what keeps Hannah safe."
Toby pushed off the wall again. "I'll run a deep background sweep on recent personnel changes—anyone new in the office, new vendors, new contractors. See if someone was planted specifically to gather intelligence."
Kit spoke quietly. "I'll monitor internal health logs. Check if anyone on staff shows signs of coercion or chemical alteration."
"Financial audit," Kira added. "Follow the money. Coordinated NovaBreed strikes don't come cheap."
Charlotte turned to Miguel and Liam. "You two are assigned to enhanced close protection during all public events. Maintain a three-meter perimeter around Hannah at all times."
Both men nodded in agreement.
Charlotte then looked at Lucius. "You're personal detail. You stay on her shoulder regardless of the situation."
"Understood."
Hannah stood up, bringing the meeting to a close. Her expression was resolute.
"The Hero Association election events will proceed as scheduled. I have sponsorship commitments, public appearances, and design showcases. We don't hide. We adapt."
She looked at each member of her team.
"Find the leak. Find who's coordinating these attacks. And find out what they're really after."
She paused, her eyes lingering on Lucius.
"Because King is right. This isn't just about killing me. There's something bigger happening—and I want to know what it is."
---
The meeting broke up quickly.
Toby left first, already tapping away on his phone as he initiated database sweeps. Kit quietly motioned to Hannah, leading her toward the secondary washroom to set up the medical screening equipment. Miguel and Liam headed out to inspect the garage level and review secondary vehicle routes.
Kira buttoned his suit jacket with meticulous care, gave Charlotte a brief nod, and exited without a word.
Charlotte stayed behind, coordinating safe house rotations on her tablet.
Lucius walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the glittering metropolis. New Kong sprawled below like a sea of neon and glass, millions of people moving through their evening routines, completely oblivious to the shadow war being fought in executive suites and back alleys.
Hannah walked up beside him after Kit finished prepping the kit. She didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the city skyline.
"You think I'm being used," she said quietly.
"I think someone has a blueprint, and you're a piece on their board," Lucius replied smoothly. "Whether they want you dead or just occupied, the outcome for them is the same."
"Neither option sounds particularly appealing."
"No."
She was quiet for a moment. Then, her voice softened slightly. "I knew taking this position would involve corporate politics and maneuvering. But this is far more than I imagined."
'She's young for this level of authority,' Lucius thought. 'Head of a major division in the most powerful corporation in the city. That kind of title is a beacon for predators.'
"It comes with the territory," he said.
"Does it?" She turned her head, studying his side profile. "You don't seem surprised by any of this."
"I'm not."
"Why?"
'Because I've seen worse,' he thought. 'Because I've lived in places where betrayal is the only currency that doesn't devalue. Because nothing about human ambition or cruelty surprises me anymore.'
Aloud, he simply said, "Experience."
Hannah searched his face for a moment, looking for the man behind the neutral mask. Finding nothing, she gave a small, weary nod.
"Well... I'm glad you're on the detail. At least someone's analyzing the board instead of just reacting to the strikes."
She turned and walked toward the washroom where Kit was waiting for the blood draw.
Charlotte approached Lucius a minute later. "We're moving locations tonight. Secondary safe house three blocks west. Reserved under a shell corporation."
"Understood. What's the timeline?"
"Ninety minutes. Kit needs to finish the toxicology screen, and I need to verify the route's sightlines."
"I'll be ready."
Charlotte gave him a brief, measuring look, then nodded and returned to her tablet.
Lucius remained alone by the window.
Rumors in the Underground had always warned about taking a contract with Hannah Gipson. High turnover. Violent ambushes. A body count among close protection personnel. Most fighters in the subterranean arena wouldn't even touch her detail—too risky, too many unknown variables.
'Now the picture makes sense,' Lucius thought.
The daughter of the district Head of New Kong. Arguably one of the most powerful political lineages in the entire region. That kind of backing should have kept attackers miles away. Yet the strikes were persistent, professional, and increasingly reckless.
'There's something deeper behind this,' he calculated. 'Something much bigger than a corporate feud.'
Tomorrow's NCC interrogation would tell whether the captured NovaBreed was a blind weapon or a thread leading back to the puppet master.
Lucius checked his watch. Ninety minutes until extraction. He turned away from the window, stepping into the quiet shadow of the suite to prepare for the move.
---
TO BE CONTINUED