Morrigan: Year 3101.

Elise led Brice through the winding corridors of the UN building. They reached an empty conference room, and she ushered him inside.

"Here you go, sir," she said, placing the phone on the table. She tapped the screen, and a holographic image of Colette flickered to life. "I'll be outside if you need anything."

Brice nodded, and Elise slipped out, closing the door behind her. He turned his attention to the hologram.

"What's up?" Brice asked, leaning against the table.

Colette's pixelated face looked tense. "I think I've traced Kazuo's location."

"Where is he?"

Another holographic screen materialized beside Colette, displaying a grainy video feed. Two figures on a hover-bike zoomed out of the tunnels beneath La Défense.

Brice squinted at the footage. "You sure that's him? All I see are some maintenance workers."

Colette tapped a few keys off-screen, and the image sharpened. She zoomed in on one of the figures. "It's Kazuo in disguise. And the person with him? That's Siobhàn, Morrigan's familiar."

"I see," Brice muttered. "Where are they now?"

Colette's fingers flew over an unseen keyboard. "There was a chase. Security, police, the works. They crashed into an under-construction building – the new Eiffel Tower 2.0."

A hologram of a half-finished skyscraper materialized.

"The crash was on the 20th floor," Colette continued. "Police found the hover-bike, but no sign of Kazuo or Siobhan. They must've bailed."

True, they bailed, but where? Brice thought.

The only explanation to why they've not been caught is because they went into a...safehouse.

Of course! Those sneaky bastards had an ace up their sleeve. But whose safehouse? Morrigan's? Or did Kazuo have his own network in Paris? It doesn't really matter.

"Did they hole up in a safehouse?" he asked.

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Tell me you have something."

"I do. I've been trying to hack the computer systems in a 10-mile radius around the crash site, you know, infiltrating the cameras and whatnot."

The hologram shifted, showing a bird's-eye view of the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower 2.0.

"Most buildings were easy to crack and I was able to use their cameras to search for the two," she continued. "But there's one that's giving me trouble. It's completely hack-proof."

"Which building?"

Another hologram appeared – an apartment complex that looked unremarkable at first glance.

"This one," Colette said. "I can't get in, no matter what I try. It's like Fort Knox in there."

A hack-proof building in the middle of Paris? That screamed 'hideout' louder than a neon sign. If Kazuo was holed up in there, it could be the break they needed. But it also meant dealing with the security measures in that place. He has to tread carefully. One wrong move and this whole operation could blow up in his face and Kazuo will escape again. He needs that man gone as soon as possible.

Brice leaned in, studying the hologram. "That's got to be where they're hiding."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Wait, that could be anyone. For all we know Kazuo and his companion have already ran to a safe distance."

"With all the police presence in the area? I doubt it. They would have already contacted me about that already."

She had a point – the police presence would make it difficult for Kazuo and Siobhàn to move freely. The hack-proof building was their best lead, but Brice couldn't shake the feeling that they might be overlooking something. He'd seen too many operations go sideways from assumptions. Still, they had to start somewhere, and this building was as good a place as any.

"Any resistance there?" he asked. "Like armed guards?"

"Not that I know of, no."

"How did you know?"

Several new holograms materialized in front of Brice. Each displayed a different camera feed from around the suspected building.

"I hacked into the surveillance systems in the area," Colette explained. "Been watching for hours. No sign of armed guards or any unusual activity. Just regular people going about their day."

"You sure about this? Seems too easy."

"Trust me, I've been thorough. If there were guards, I'd have spotted them by now. But I can't rule out internal security measures."

"What kind of measures are we talking about?"

Colette shrugged. "Could be anything. Automated defense systems, hidden cameras, maybe even some high-tech shit we've never seen before. No way to know for sure without getting inside."

Brice rubbed his chin, considering their options. "Alright, so we can't just waltz in. Any ideas on how to crack this place?"

"I've got a few," Colette said, pulling up another hologram. It showed a detailed schematic of the building. "See these ventilation shafts? They might be our best bet for getting in undetected."

"Crawling through air ducts? I thought that only happened in old movies."

"Apparently not here."

Brice felt a surge of irritation at the thought of squeezing through narrow air ducts. The idea of crawling on his belly through dusty, claustrophobic spaces made his skin crawl. He'd much rather use his supernatural strength to punch through a wall or leap from rooftop to rooftop. But stealth was crucial here. If they wanted to catch Kazuo off guard, they'd have to play it smart.

"But aren't shafts usually small?"

"Not in this one. The shafts are big enough for our soldiers to fit in."

"How is that possible?"

"There are buildings that have oversized shafts like this one. Probably for escape purposes in case the fire exit is blocked or destroyed."

Oversized shafts for escape? It seemed too convenient. This setup reeked of a trap. Maybe Morrigan had planned for this, expecting them to use the vents. The whole thing could be an elaborate ruse to lure them in. But what choice did they have? They needed to move fast. Brice gritted his teeth, knowing they'd have to risk it.

"I see. Send Xavier to that building. Now. I want Tanaka dead."

"And Siobhàn?"

"Sure, take her out too."

"On it," Colette nodded. "I'll keep you updated."

"And one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Keep this clean and swift. I don't want any police involvement in this operation."

"Will do. Colette out."

The feed cut off, leaving Brice alone in the conference room.

——

Xavier stood at the firing range, watching his men practice their aim. The rhythmic pop of gunfire filled the air as they unloaded clip after clip into paper targets. He paced behind them, arms crossed, scrutinizing their form and accuracy.

"Johnson, adjust your stance. You're leaning too far back," he barked.

The young recruit nodded, shifting his weight forward. His next shot hit closer to the bullseye.

"Better," Xavier grunted. He moved on to the next shooter, a muscular man with a shaved head. "Martinez, you're anticipating the recoil. Let the gun surprise you."

Martinez took a deep breath, relaxed his shoulders, and squeezed the trigger. The shot punched through the center of the target.

"That's what I'm talking about," Xavier said, clapping him on the back. "Keep that up."

He continued down the line, offering critiques and occasional praise. These men were good, but they needed to be better. Brice demanded perfection, and Xavier wasn't about to let his team fall short.

He moved from the firing range to the sparring section, a large open space with padded floors and mirrored walls. His men were already paired off, circling each other. He watched as they traded blows, analyzing their form and technique.

"Jamie, keep your guard up!" Xavier shouted. "You're leaving yourself wide open."

The fighter nodded, raising his fists higher as he dodged a punch from his opponent.

Xavier walked between the pairs, offering advice and corrections. He stopped next to two men grappling on the floor.

"Nix, use your leverage. You're bigger than him, for fuck's sake. Pin him down!"

Nix grunted, shifting his weight to trap his opponent's arm. The smaller man tapped out a moment later.

"Better," Xavier said. "But you should've had him sooner. Both of you, go again."

He moved on to the next pair, where a woman was dominating her male opponent with a series of quick jabs and kicks.

"Nice work, Huang," Xavier nodded. "Jackson, you need to close the distance. She's picking you apart from range."

Jackson nodded, breathing hard. He lunged forward, trying to get inside Huang's reach, but she sidestepped and caught him with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Shit," he wheezed, doubling over.

"Walk it off," Xavier said. "And remember, feint before you commit. You're too predictable."

He continued his rounds, correcting stances, suggesting strategies, and occasionally stepping in to demonstrate a technique. The room was filled with the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, grunts of exertion, and the squeak of feet on the mat.

After an hour, Xavier called for a break. His men grabbed towels and water bottles, their faces flushed and sweaty.

"Not bad," Xavier announced. "But not good enough either. We've got a job coming up, and I need you all at your best."

As he reached the end of the room, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw Colette's name on the screen, and stepped away from the noise.

"Xavier here," he answered.

"We've got the target," Colette said without preamble. "Brice wants you on this mission. Now."

Xavier sighed, rubbing his temples. "What's the job?"

"Assassination. Two targets. I'm sending you the details."

His phone pinged with an incoming file. "Alright, I'll look it over. Anything else?"

"Yeah, keep it clean. No police involvement."

"Got it. I'll get my team ready."

Xavier strode back to his office, shutting the door behind him. He slumped into his chair and pulled up the file Colette had sent. The dossier flickered to life on his holographic display.

Two targets: Kazuo Tanaka and Siobhàn O'Brien. Both were holed up in a heavily fortified apartment complex. Xavier scrolled through the building schematics, frowning at the lack of entry points. Only one option stood out—the ventilation system.

"Fucking air ducts," he muttered. "What is this, an action movie?"

He studied the layout, noting potential choke points and ambush spots. The more he looked, the less he liked it. This had all the makings of a trap.

Xavier pulled up the target profiles. Tanaka an investigative journalist and O'Brien, a witch with enchantment abilities. Kazuo will not be a problem. The only threat he saw here was the girl. Being trained by Morrigan, who is a master in combat, proves that she is not to be trifled with, plus familiars can still do a lot of damage.

He leaned back, considering his options. A frontal assault was out of the question. They'd need to be smart about this and use stealth. He reached for his comm unit.

"Rodriguez, get in here," he barked.

A moment later, a tall woman with close-cropped hair entered the office.

"Sir?"

"We've got a job. Get the team prepped for a covert op. Full loadout. We move at midnight."

"Understood, sir. What's our loadout for this op?"

Xavier pulled up a holographic inventory list. "We're going light and quiet. Suppressed MP7s for primary, suppressed P226s for sidearms. Ceramic plates for body armor—we need mobility. Night vision goggles, obviously. Flashbangs, smoke grenades, and a few breaching charges just in case."

"No heavy weapons?"

"Not this time. We need to be fast and silent. The building's layout is tight - big guns would just slow us down."

Rodriguez studied the schematics floating above Xavier's desk. "What's our entry point? Those walls look thick as hell."

Xavier zoomed in on the ventilation system. "We're going in through the air ducts. I know, I know - it sounds like some B-movie bullshit. But it's our best shot at getting in undetected."

"Jesus," Rodriguez muttered. "Those shafts look barely big enough to crawl through."

"They're oversized, actually. Probably designed as emergency exits. Still gonna be a tight squeeze, but we'll manage."

"Seems too convenient. You sure this isn't a trap?"

"It might be. But we don't have many options. We'll need to be on high alert once we're inside."

"What's the plan once we're in?" Rodriguez asked, leaning closer to examine the layout.

"We split into two teams. Alpha team heads for Tanaka, Beta for O'Brien. Quick and clean takedowns - no prolonged firefights. We want to be in and out before anyone knows what hit them."

"And if shit hits the fan?"

"Plan B is to fall back to the entry point and exfil via the roof. I'll have a chopper on standby two blocks away. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, one more. Why the hell are we after these two? What'd they do to piss off the boss?"

"That's need-to-know, and you don't. Focus on the mission, not the reasons behind it."

Rodriguez held up her hands. "Alright, alright. I'll get the team prepped. Midnight, you said?"

"That's right. Make sure everyone's ready to roll by 2300. I want a final briefing before we move out."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. Anything else?"

Xavier hesitated. "Yeah. Tell the men... this one's gonna be rough. Make sure they're ready for anything."

"Will do sir."

As Rodriguez left, Xavier turned back to the holograms. He had a bad feeling about this mission, but orders were orders. And Brice's checks always cleared.