Fire Wall (Book 1: The Fall)

8 | Startling Discoveries

I walk toward the Window, a stretch of glass flooring used for navigation. It's a few yards in width and stretches across the perimeter of the city, following the Boundary, a heavy-duty guard rail that closes in the Air Level. The Boundary's trim glows with caution marks, warning people that they are nearing the edge of the city layer. The guard rail is not that high, only seven feet off the ground, but it prevents people from having a nasty fall. I'm glad it's not higher than that. I've used the Boundary countless times to make a quick escape as a last-ditch effort and I have peace of mind knowing that option is always there.

Under the Window, a hologram map displays the different city layers for a point of reference. I find the red X marked, "You Are Here".

Air Level 5.

We're close to the ground city level, probably eight hundred feet above it. I don't like that. Not all ground dwellers are bad but a lot of them are trouble.

I put my hands in my pocket and casually walk around. Using my mask to zoom in on the buildings around me, I check the windows for suspicious activity but only find busy office spaces or business lobbies. No sniper that I can see.

I lower my gaze and survey the people around me. My mask's facial recognition picks up their names and their profile pop-ups appear above their heads. I glance over some of the general information highlighted in green text.

Evera Bates. Female, 32 years old, makeup model...Drake Martinez. Male, 46 years old, eye doctor. Eliana Zaur. Female, 19-

My weapons tracer beeps. The software highlights two Katana handles in the girl's backpack. A normal police scanner wouldn't pick it up because there are no traces of metal in them. I, however, have had a few encounters with the hidden samurai clans and know how they get around undetected. They have their own weapon specialists to forge special handles and blades that evade the weapon scanner's detection. I know a katana when I see one. I also know a fake profile when I see one.

Before Adam disappeared, he installed his Watchman software into my mask's system, which means I can figure out in a second who this girl really is.

"Open ID portal," I tell my AI.

I do a profile deep dive in seconds and am stunned to find a level-nine threat flashing on her profile.

Akari Miyaki. Female, 19 years old. Miyaki clan member and assassin. 60 murder counts.

60 counts of murder?

She should be in prison, but so should I. I've killed a least a hundred at a younger age and I'll always carry that with me in this life.

I'm not surprised she's walking around freely. Our political system is corrupt and many criminals like her walk away with no charges. I'm sure her clan has infiltrated politics and has its own iron strings on Pandora City. If people like her are waltzing around in the open out here, we're seconds away from stepping on a landmine.

Phantom has got to have connections here.

I should track Akari to keep tabs on her and the rest of the Miyaki clan. It would be foolish not to know their whereabouts.

"Place a tracker on Akari."

Her figure is highlighted in blue as my tracker pinpoints her. The street cameras with her in their surveillance appear on my mask in a side panel view.

Now I can see where she is off to.

I turn around to head back into Skyview but slow in my tracks when Akari stops abruptly. A startling thought hits me.

Are Cyber Stalkers keeping an eye out for her? Cyber Stalkers are a type of security for hire, mostly used by gangs and wanted criminals to evade police and Watchman. If I'm also on the cameras, they will know and warn her and her clan.