Black Mentis lifted his chin slightly. His gaze locked onto Winchester Industries' tower standing across the skyline. Sunlight flashed across the mirrored windows in sharp bursts and reflected directly into his eyes, but he did not blink.
One hand rose toward his earpiece. Two fingers touched it briefly before lowering again. His jaw tightened for a moment while the wind rolled across the rooftop and pressed firmly against the dark blue armor wrapped around his body. Far below, the city moved in endless layers of noise and motion. Car horns echoed between buildings. A police siren wailed somewhere several blocks away before fading beneath the heavier rumble of traffic. Helicopter blades thumped faintly across the skyline. Digital billboards flickered across neighboring towers, washing the glass structures in shifting waves of color.
Black Mentis remained motionless against the bright sky.
His stance shifted subtly as his weight settled evenly between both feet. The rooftop beneath him creaked faintly from the pressure alone. His shoulders turned fully toward the distant tower.
"It seems not every memory is a happy one."
His voice stayed low and quiet. The words left his mouth slowly, carrying the weight of something far older than the city spread beneath him.
His fingers curled slightly against his palm.
"For those who live too long, friends, days gone by, and ventures continue living inside their memories."
The wind passed around him again, tugging lightly against the edges of his armor while sunlight glinted faintly across the silver lines running along his chest and arms.
"As such, I have no regrets in choosing this life."
His eyes narrowed slightly toward the distant tower.
"Should the day come when we are no longer together, you will continue to shine inside my memory."
A slow breath escaped him.
Below him, the city continued moving without pause. Pedestrians crossed intersections with coffee cups and briefcases in hand. Elevated transit rails thundered past nearby buildings. Steam curled upward from vents along the streets while giant holographic advertisements shifted endlessly across massive screens overhead. Nobody looked up. Nobody noticed the figure standing above them.
Then he vanished.
The instant he vanished, a sharp gust swept across the rooftop and sent loose papers skidding toward the edge. The nearby railings rattled against their mounts as the displaced air rushed through the open space he had left behind.
Several blocks away, a blur crossed the skyline faster than the human eye could properly follow.
Inside Winchester Industries, the atmosphere moved with relentless precision.
The massive lobby stretched upward through multiple floors of polished marble, glass, and steel. Sunlight poured through towering transparent walls and reflected across the black marble floors in clean streaks. Digital displays hovered above reception platforms, cycling through stock values, international headlines, and corporate projections every few seconds. Security drones drifted silently near the ceiling while facial recognition scanners tracked every employee and visitor entering the building.
People moved constantly.
Executives crossed the lobby in expensive suits while speaking rapidly through holographic conference calls projected beside their faces. Assistants hurried between departments carrying tablets stacked with glowing reports and encrypted contracts. Elevator doors opened and closed nonstop with soft mechanical chimes while streams of employees stepped in and out without slowing their pace.
The entire tower felt alive.
Far beneath the structure, automated transit systems hummed through reinforced tracks, sending faint vibrations upward through the building's framework. Massive cooling systems pulsed behind the walls. Servers processed endless rivers of financial data deep below the executive floors while entire departments monitored global markets in real time.
Conversations overlapped from every direction.
"Transfer the shipment before the Asian market closes."
"No, I said legal clearance first."
"Get me the London branch immediately."
"Northern shares just jumped another three percent."
Nobody stopped moving long enough to breathe.
At the center of it all sat Ben Winchester.
Dark hair streaked with white along the sides was combed neatly back. A thick beard framed his jaw, faint strands of silver visible near the edges beneath the executive lighting. His expression remained calm and unreadable while his fingers tapped steadily against the armrest of the leather chair in quiet rhythm with the titanium chronograph resting around his wrist.
Dozens of translucent holographic screens floated around him in slow motion, displaying market fluctuations, security reports, live news coverage, and investment projections from multiple countries at once. Reflections of shifting blue data flickered faintly across his face while executives seated nearby avoided speaking unless directly addressed.
A junior executive stood across from him holding a tablet too tightly against his chest. Sweat gathered faintly near his collar despite the cool temperature inside the office.
"Uh… sir, the numbers are up. Five percent across the East Sector. We are… looking good."
Ben continued scrolling through the augmented reports without looking up. His thumb flicked one holographic screen aside while another expanded near his shoulder.
"That is not growth." His voice remained calm. Controlled. "That is stagnation wearing makeup."
The room fell silent instantly.
The executive swallowed hard enough for his collar to shift against his throat. His grip tightened around the tablet until his knuckles paled slightly.
"Yes, sir. I will adjust the projections and…"
Ben tilted his head slightly.
The man stopped talking immediately.
"Double-run inventory checks," Ben said while flicking another report aside with one finger. "Cut third-tier suppliers by ten percent."
Another screen opened beside him, displaying supply chains and projected losses across several regions.
"And tell the eastern regional director that if she continues running my company like a corner store, she will be selling lemonade by summer."
"Yes, sir."
The executive lowered his head quickly and stepped aside.
Ben rose from his chair in one smooth motion. Every movement remained controlled, measured, and deliberate. Nearby assistants straightened instinctively the moment he began walking. Conversations lowered in volume as he passed through the executive floor.
His assistant hurried after him carrying several holographic files against her chest. Her heel caught briefly against the polished floor before she steadied herself and quickened her pace to keep up beside him.
"Mister Winchester, regarding the Innovate Tech merger, there has been a schedule change. The board wants to move the meeting forward."
"Push it back."
Ben never slowed his pace. Glass walls reflected his movement as he crossed the executive hallway.
"My son's competition starts in thirty minutes."
"Sir, the board insisted the matter is urgent and they specifically requested that you should…"
Ben stopped walking.
The assistant froze behind him so suddenly one of the holographic files flickered violently near her arm. Several nearby employees lowered their eyes and immediately redirected themselves down adjacent corridors.
Ben turned his head slightly toward her. The pressure in the hallway shifted almost instantly.
"Tell the board I will return after dinner."
"Yes… yes, of course, sir. I just…"
"And tell them something else."
He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve calmly before looking forward again.
"If they ever schedule over my family again, they can conduct future meetings from a fucking soup kitchen."
Silence settled briefly across the hallway.
Ben resumed walking without another glance backward. His assistant remained standing there for two full seconds before finally releasing the breath trapped in her lungs and hurrying after him while the rest of the tower continued moving around them like a machine that never stopped.