CHAPTER TWO: NAZEKI

"Don't raise your hand so close to my face! You want to take out my eye?! Okay, next!"

A bulky, rough-looking man with a thundering voice yelled as he carelessly shoved the other man into the building. A line had been formed outside, and he stood at the entrance, scanning the backs of people's palms for a weird-looking tattoo. One couldn't access the building without it.

When I walked towards the entrance, the men guarding it naturally gave way, slightly bowing their heads in respect. I barely acknowledged it as I walked in, branching into a long, narrow, dimly lit corridor. The deeper I went, the fewer people I met. At the corner was an elevator; it was impossible to spot as it was camouflaged to replicate the walls surrounding it. It was a hidden entrance that led to the higher floors that were only accessible to specific staff. An eye scan was required to secure it further. At the entrance, A lady with blonde hair stood waiting with a pad in hand. When she saw me, she smiled, then gave a slight bow.

"Good evening, Zeki."

"Good evening, Jo. Did it arrive?" I asked as we all got in.

"Not yet. They couldn't get past Checkpoint 23. Our security guys have all been replaced, so they're trying to find another way."

"I doubt they'll find one. Our airway is blocked, too?"

"Yeah, those sniper drone devils are everywhere. They'll spot us in seconds."

'Get me Gorja."

"But…Gorja said the last request was the last one he'll do."

"Tell him that I'm the one who's asking."

"That's even worse!" Jo complained under her breath but still hurried off to contact him. We had long left the elevator on the sixth floor and were now entering an office situated at the end of the floor.

Before I could get to my chair, a holograph of a young, neat-looking boy with tech glasses worn at the top of his head emerged at the center of the office. Before him were multiple chemicals and a bunch of ongoing experiments. He appeared to be in a certain lab. Without looking up from what he was doing, he started the conversation in a stern voice.

"Whatever it is, I won't do it!"

'Hey Gorja, I'm so glad to see you." I turned completely to face him with a wide smile on my face.

"That won't work." He said, still focused on an experiment he was working on. Jo must have already informed him.

"Just get us past the citadel, then we will take it from there."

'I'm not the suicidal type, thank you very much."

"Neither am I."

"Well, you trying to sneak that kind of device into the citadel is exactly what suicidal is."

"That is why I had to ask you and no one else." I tried to sound as desperate as I could. In all honesty, I was desperate.

Gorja now lifted his face and looked at me; he bit his lower lip slightly and said nothing for a moment. I had known Gorja for a long time. He barely showed emotions on his face. He had the most perfect poker face I had seen in my life, so I focused on his non-verbal cues more closely. Whenever he bit his lip, it meant he was frustrated.

"It's too dangerous. Especially today. The security has been tightened everywhere, so I'm not sure I could successfully breach it," he said with genuine concern.

 If there was a security system that Gorja couldn't get past, then they had to be extremely good. I had not met such a system before because Gorja had never failed to get past any of them. His concern alarmed me, making me take the situation we were in more seriously. The room went silent, everyone deep in thought.

"The airway is blocked completely. I can't override the sniper drones…and the gates are completely out of bounds." Gorja muttered to himself, but it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"We are left with the tunnels, then?" I inquired.

"The tunnels don't go that deep. They won't cover us. The heat variation caused by the device will also trigger their sensors. This time, it is impossible to get it inside. "Gorja replied, still appearing to be lost in his thoughts. 

"What do we do? The auction is 7 hours away." Jo turned to me with a worried expression on her face.

"Well, I heard the Second commissioner is expected to arrive at 4 am tomorrow." I pointed out.

"Is that supposed to make things better?! I'd say our chances are even slimmer now." Jo complained, slamming the palm of her hand on her forehead.

"Not necessarily…" Gorja said as he suddenly at up straight.

That familiar look right there. I slightly smiled when I noticed it on his face. He only had this look when he was about to create a masterpiece plan. He had never disappointed before.

"I could clone his biometric signature, but I would first need his original information." He stood up and began pacing, forming an idea.

'"Prepare Team A to go." I signaled to Moon, a tall, tanned man with a perfectly built body. I usually referred to him as my bodyguard, but I felt we were closer than that. At my command, he left the room immediately.

"There is a problem, though," Gorja continued. "I need a brief distraction to breach the system." He suddenly clapped his hands together at a realization. "The drones and the tunnels!"

"Whatever you need, let me know, and I will get it for you." I offered my support

"We will trigger the sensors in the tunnels. The distraction will be brief, but it's enough time for me." Gorja continued speaking, ignoring what I had said.

"If the alarms go off, the snipper drones will be alerted as well. Have you thought about that?" Jo asked, doubting the success of the plan.

This was one of the reasons I considered her one of the most efficient members of my team. She was highly meticulous and cautious. While some people viewed her as overdramatic and excessively paranoid, it was precisely her paranoia and attention to detail that had saved us from a lot of trouble in the past.

"I have a plan, trust me," Gorja answered reassuringly. If it was anyone else, that would have been a difficult thing to do, but this was Gorja.

"Okay then, it's all your hands. I will put everyone in position. All the best." I declared and the holograph disappeared immediately after.

.......

POV: Team A

The Malta zone was divided into vectors. Years ago, they called them cities. The vectors were listed in order from Vector 1 to Vector 12. The order of the vectors was determined by the resources, technology, living conditions, and the intellectual potential of its inhabitants, with Vector One being the highest.

In each vector, a commissioner was placed in charge. They all reported to the N. EYE6. The commissioner of Vector One was referred to as the First Commissioner, and the one for Vector Two was known as the Second Commissioner in that order. Tonight, it was especially difficult to move from one vector to another, but Nazeki was always one step ahead.

He had 4 teams and had given each team a permanent Jurisdiction. Unless it was a major emergency or a highly unexpected turn of events, the teams were never allowed to leave their Jurisdiction. Team A's jurisdiction was Vector 2. Its members shared common characteristics. As the team was made up of ex-gamblers, ex-con artists, stunt men, and professional magicians, they were extremely deceitful, unnecessarily vulgar, and quite knowledgeable.

The Second commissioner was set to depart from Vector 2 to Vector 1. At around 9 pm, he left his office. Somewhere within the commissioner's headquarters, Cheeky, a lady with long silk jet black hair adjusted her uniform one more time as she looked around.

"Cheeky, he's out. Get ready." Bereck's voice sounded through the earpiece in her ears.

"Don't exceed the time limit, and don't pull any stunts outside what we are meant to do." Another lady's voice sounded this time. It was Manon's. Cheeky's twin sister.

"I know, geez!" Cheeky rolled her eyes as she walked towards the elevator. She had dressed up as one of the lady stewardesses. They wore a red skirt and a coat to match, with a name tag hanging around the neck reading the name 'Mara Sonam'. She looked good in red. Bereck had even pointed it out earlier. She walked towards the elevator, but instead of pressing it to open it, she stood right in front of it and waited.

"Okay, now." Gorja's voice at the other end of her earpiece was heard. Cheeky raised her left hand as if to press the button, and at the same time, the elevator door slid open. She was not going for the button. In her head, she already knew where the target would be. With four bodyguards, two at the back and two at the front, he would be exactly in the middle. The bodyguards would stand in a way that would not obstruct his sight, that is, each slightly at his sides and not directly in front. Even when she stood there waiting for them, she made sure she stood at a position where she would be directly in front of him as the door opened. When it did, the commissioner naturally raised his eyes and stared directly at the very pretty girl standing before him in red.

It was undeniable that Cheeky was extremely beautiful, almost unreal. But what got everyone focused on her was her eyes. They were very rare. Nazeki once said that it was as if live ocean waves were forming in her eyes when one stared deeply. They did not have one color; they had three. Slightly ocean blue with a touch of coral green and sunset orange. Together, they imitated the ocean, and they were wide and clear. Staring right into them was a fascinating experience. Right at that moment, the commissioner fell victim to Cheeky's eyes. Even through the clear glasses she had on, they were still as mesmerizing as ever. 

"Done, withdraw." Gorja's voice came up again after a moment. Cheeky pretended to panic, bowed respectfully to the company before her, acting oblivious and confused

"I'm so sorry, Sir! I did not know you were coming down!"

"Use the other elevator!" One of the guards ordered in a stern voice as he moved her to the side.

"It's okay, no need to be rude. What's your name, Miss?" The commissioner interrupted in a calm voice, but then answered his own question as he read her name tag, all the while, Cheeky did not dare to raise her eyes.

"Miss Mara, right? No need to be scared, you are not at fault."

He smiled and walked past her. When he had walked a bit further, he instructed one of his men to find more information on her when he came back.

The glasses that Cheeky was wearing were one of Gorja's many impressive designs. The glasses consisted of a layer of micro-optical sensors that scanned and captured the unique blood vessel pattern of the retina when the target made direct eye contact with them.

The inner lens layer had a near-infrared scanner that mapped out the depth and curvature of the retina for an accurate duplicate. The scanning tech was hardly noticeable when one stared as it was hidden inside the frame and used adaptive polarization to disperse any unusual reflections and light projections.

The glasses instantly transmitted the data captured to Gorja, who converted the scan into a holographic retina projection. He then 3D printed the final cloned retina into an ultra-thin biometric contact lens that could be worn. By maintaining eye contact with the commissioner from few seconds, Gorja already had access to his biometric signature. As he had said, it wouldn't be that hard.

"Good Job, Cheeky." He said while Cheeky was walking away from the elevator.

"It was nothing." She boasted proudly while her sister sneered at the other end. She branched into a room that looked like a storage room, and as she walked in, a pale, lean-looking man welcomed her enthusiastically.

"The drug was pretty strong; she didn't even wake up once!" Trigger said in an excited voice as they both stared at an unconscious lady with both of her hands and feet tied.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Mara, I'm sure you'll understand, "Cheeky said to the unconscious lady as she placed her name tag beside her.

"Let's go, the rest are already out." Cheeky turned to trigger, and he nodded in response.