>The first draft was written with AI assistance using Badger Writer (https://huggingface.co/maldv/badger-writer-llama-3-8b)<


Latent Connection

by Praxis Maldevide




// Chapter 1


The neon sky behind Sally was a strobe-lit smear. The street before her had the sheen of wet pavement under the headlights of a hundred different cars, each one bearing people away from this party, towards some more obscure destination.

She took another drag off her cigarette, letting the smoke dance between her lips as she thought about this meeting, and how it came together.

Sally stood tall at five foot two inches, but her athletic build made her seem taller. Her hair was jet black and trimmed short. She wore a low-cut yellow sweater that showed off an ample bosom, paired with black leather pants that hugged her hips perfectly. A silver necklace rested over her bare shoulders, studded with a small golden snake on its chain. Deep-brown eyes stared out into the night, squinting slightly against the glare. She looked like a girl who didn't give a damn.

Over her left shoulder hung a door to the penthouse suite in the Silver Star Hotel. Behind it, people danced, laughed and drank the night away. But not Sally; she had no interest in any of them, right now. They would have to wait until later.

There were fifty other people on the street, milling around, some watching the view or waiting for friends, others lost in their own thoughts, maybe smoking too. People from all walks of life - tourists, locals, gamblers, street performers and dealers - they passed her by, always in a hurry to get somewhere else, and never lingered long enough to notice what might be the most interesting thing standing there.

The music was loud inside, beating through the walls to create a bass-thumping rhythm that vibrated against Sally's feet. It came from the DJ in the corner spinning tracks that kept the party moving along, his work supplemented by the pulsating strobe lights above. Sally could see it all from where she stood, even with the doors closed: the bartender working furiously as he handed out drinks; the waitress pouring wine, never stopping as the bottles glowed neon green under the black light that shone down on the tablecloths; men and women dancing together, losing themselves in the music or each other; and at the far end of the room, five or six poker games going full tilt with chips flying between them. The air smelled of smoke, sweat and sex as it flowed out onto the sidewalk.

This was one of the many parties Vegas had to offer, but this particular party attracted a unique clientele. It was known as "The Gathering," and if you knew what to look for, you could find your way here easily enough. That's why Sally found herself standing outside these doors, staring into the night.

She turned away from the hotel when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a girl who looked almost like a younger version of herself, except this girl's hair was blonde, not black. She wore a silver dress that seemed to shimmer in the dim light, and didn't hesitate as she stepped forward.

"Hey, are you waiting for someone?" the blonde asked, nodding towards the hotel.

Sally took another drag off her cigarette before exhaling slowly. "Yeah."

"You alone?"

Sally raised an eyebrow, sizing her up. "That depends on how long you plan on staying," she said, smiling slightly as she flicked ash from the tip of her cigarette onto the pavement.

"I guess we should go inside then." The blonde smiled back, eyes sparkling with excitement, taking Sally by the arm and pulling her along as they entered the penthouse suite.

Inside, there were more people than before, and they all seemed to be dressed better now. Business attire or designer suits were no exception; money was being spent tonight. Sally followed her new friend through the crowd, drawing glances and smiles as they passed. She returned them with nothing more than a nod or a half smile. It wasn't until they reached the far end of the room that she saw him, sitting at one of the poker games. He was wearing a tailored suit, and his dark hair fell perfectly across his forehead in a ponytail.

"Alexei Zelenko," the blonde whispered in Sally's ear, leading her to a table in the corner where drinks were already waiting for them. "The man you're here to see. I can leave if you want some privacy."

"No," Sally said, taking a seat. "You stay."

Zelenko turned when he heard their arrival, eyes moving over each of them before stopping on Sally. His face was chiseled, and it would have been easy to mistake him for a Greek god had he not been so thin. When he spoke, his voice was deep and smooth, like honey. "Welcome, Miss...?"

"Sally," she replied, blowing smoke into the air as Alexei took her hand, holding it firmly between both of his.

"It is an honor to meet you, Sally. I trust your journey from... wherever you are from, has been pleasant?" Zelenko asked, releasing her hand just enough to pour himself another glass of wine.

"Fine, thanks." Sally shrugged. "But if we're going to do business, let's cut the small talk."

Alexei raised an eyebrow. "Ah, but this is only the beginning. First impressions are everything, you know. How else will my men know what sort of person they are dealing with? That doesn't seem like small talk to me."

Sally took another drag off her cigarette and exhaled slowly before speaking again. "I don't really care about that. I'm here for one reason; the Marcus Thompson case."

Alexei leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine. "The software designer. Yes, of course. Our mutual friend said something about meeting you tonight."

The blonde, who'd been quiet until now, chimed in. "He told us about your skills too, Sally. You really are quite the legend in some circles."

Sally gave her a hard look, wondering how much either of them knew. "A legend? What exactly does that mean?"

Alexei chuckled at the confusion on Sally's face. "I think we can safely say the less we know about each other, the better," he said, glancing around the room at the poker games and other partiers. "Even in a place as secure as this, there are still risks. But to answer your question, Miss...?"

"Sally," she repeated, crossing her legs.

"To answer your question, Sally, our mutual friend has faith in your abilities. He thinks you have the right tools to find out what we want to know from Mr. Thompson."

"And just what is it that you're trying to find out?" Sally asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I suppose that depends on how much information you can uncover."

"What makes you think I can do that?" Sally asked, genuinely curious.

"Our mutual friend didn't tell you?"

"No," Alexei replied, shaking his head. "But considering what happened with the recent events surrounding Marcus Thompson, I assume he contacted you about digging up some dirt. And if you could deliver, it would be worth more than you might expect."

Sally laughed, smoke from her cigarette rising to fill the air between them. "I'm listening."

"Very well then. The man you seek is a genius. People are always looking for new ways to get ahead in business or make money quickly, and he was just the right man to help them. When you hear rumors of someone who can solve all your problems with a few lines of code, you'd better believe people will pay top coin for that sort of service."

"So he's working for everyone now," Sally said, raising an eyebrow.

"Heavens no," Alexei replied. "He has a rather exclusive client list, people who don't like to advertise their involvement in such activities, but they have their reasons."

"What happened with the recent events?"

Alexei frowned, taking another sip of wine before speaking again. "Somehow, somebody found out about his plans; discovered what he was doing and stole it for themselves. And he couldn't get it back. You see, once stolen, the code disappeared completely. As far as we know, it still has not reappeared anywhere."

Sally snorted at this. "So, all you want me to do is find where Mr. Thompson lost his stuff, and bring it back to you?" she asked skeptically.

"No, Miss... Sally. What we really want you to do is discover why this hack occurred in the first place, how it was carried out, and most importantly, who did it."

The blonde let out a soft laugh, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can I ask something?"

"Sure," Sally said, lighting another cigarette.

"How exactly are you going to do that? This guy must be pretty hard to find if nobody knows anything about him except for the rumor of his programming skills."

Zelenko smiled at her question, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Our mutual friend explained that to us too." He turned back to face Sally. "We're told you have some special tools for finding people like Marcus Thompson."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and what would those be?"

Alexei leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "Your... unique abilities."

Sally nodded slightly, knowing that Alexei had been told more than she liked already. The blonde could also be trusted, since she was here with Zelenko after all. But there were limits to trust no matter how much money changed hands.

"So, here's my deal," Sally began. "If I can find out everything you want to know about this hack, I get to keep ten percent of whatever you make from the stolen code once it's sold, and my fee will come due only when I deliver the information that satisfies your questions."

Zelenko stared at her for a long time, then glanced away without speaking. It took him a few minutes before he replied. "Alright, we accept your terms."

"But to protect our interests, we'll need something in return."

Sally nodded again, taking another drag off her cigarette as she waited for the offer.

"You will give me full access to any data you gather on Mr. Thompson during your search," Zelenko said slowly, meeting her gaze again. "I mean, total access. Everything, down to every email and message sent by anyone around him. That way, if somebody tries to pull something else like this in the future, we can stop them before it happens again."

Sally chewed on her lower lip, thinking hard about what he asked. It wasn't much of an ask considering the potential payoff, but it was still a risk. She couldn't do this job alone; it would take too long, and she needed help. With access, though... she could see how it might work.

"Alright," Sally agreed finally, blowing out smoke into the air above the table. "Deal."

Zelenko smiled again, this time reaching over to shake her hand. The blonde joined in, nearly crushing her fingers with her enthusiasm.

"That should be all then," Alexei said once they parted ways. "Our mutual friend has already spoken to someone who has the details you'll need to start your search. They will meet you at a small café downtown tomorrow at nine am." He stood up, adjusting his suit jacket and turning back to face her. "Now, I think it's time for me to get back to business."

Sally watched them go before following them through the crowd. At the doors, Zelenko turned back to face her one last time. "Do keep us updated on your progress, won't you?"

Sally nodded and waited until the blonde left the suite before taking another drag off her cigarette. This was going to be more difficult than she thought - she wasn't used to working for others, especially not as part of a team. But half a million coins sounded pretty good right now, especially with debts like hers hanging over her head.

Outside, the neon lights returned, along with the roar of hundreds of cars speeding away from the hotel. Sally took one last look at the Silver Star, knowing that she'd soon be there again.

She wondered which café they would select. She had better be ready for the morning.

---

The café was located just down the strip from the Silver Star, surrounded by other similar establishments. The building itself was an unassuming brick structure with a faded sign above its door and tables laid out in front and inside. This was Vegas after all, where nothing seemed permanent, except maybe the neon lights that always glowed.

At 8:40 am, Sally sat outside, nursing a cup of coffee. The smoke from her cigarette drifted lazily into the air as she glanced around. There were a few stragglers lingering on this side of the street, waiting for their own meetings or still drunk from the night before. Cars crawled past slowly, each one carrying someone who felt like sleeping.

She had chosen this café because it was close and not too far removed from the crowd, but still offered an element of seclusion. If the girl turned up late, or if somebody tried to screw them over, Sally would have a clear view of everything around her. That was important when you didn't know what kind of people you were dealing with.

There was only one other person sitting outside, a dark-haired woman wearing a long blue coat that fell below her knees, complete with a large-brimmed blue hat on top of her head. Her face was obscured by sunglasses, making it impossible to see any features besides her hair and clothes. Sally considered lighting another cigarette, then decided against it. The last thing she needed right now was to attract attention.

A glance at her watch told her it was nearly nine; the girl must be running late. She took another sip of her coffee, watching the woman across from her and wondering why Zelenko sent such a mysterious figure to meet her. At nine exactly, the girl stood up and walked towards Sally's table.

Sally leaned back slightly in her chair, waiting until she reached the table before speaking. "You're probably here to tell me about Marcus Thompson."

The woman pulled off her shades, revealing a small scar above her left eyebrow and two prominent cheekbones. Up close she could tell this woman was older than initial apperarances would imply. "That's right," she said, her voice low. "My name is Lena, and I have some information for you."

"And how did Alexei know you'd be able to help us?"

Lena shrugged. "I'm good at finding things."

"Is that so?" Sally asked, raising an eyebrow. "How did he find out about you?"

"I guess we both work with mutual friends," Lena replied, taking a seat opposite Sally. "Anyway, let's talk business, shall we? My info tells me Thompson started working freelance a while ago after getting kicked out of his old company - some place called InverTech. Nobody knows much about him then except that he got in deep with organized crime after the incident at his office building."

"Incident?"

"Yeah, six months back. He was supposed to give them the code they wanted from one of their clients, but he wouldn't play ball. So they blew up his office building instead of just killing him like they planned on doing, hoping it would scare him into delivering it anyway. It didn't work; all that happened was they lost some big deal."

"That's quite a story," Sally said dryly.

Lena nodded. "His client was pretty upset too. Apparently, this code was worth millions if used properly, which is why I think our mystery hackers were interested in it."

"You think it was an inside job?"

"Could be. Thompson disappeared immediately after that, and nobody has seen or heard from him since then."

Sally lit another cigarette, watching Lena closely as she spoke. Her eyes were hard, cold; there was no emotion there. This woman knew what she was talking about.

"What do you know about the girl who got away?" Sally asked.

Lena frowned, producing a pack of cigarettes from her coat. "Girl? You mean Sarah Harris? She was Thompson's assistant at the time of the attack, and got away because she was already gone by the time it happened."

Sally leaned forward slightly, accepting a cigarette when offered. "That's not true. We have information showing she was still in the building when it went up."

The look on Lena's face was unreadable behind her sunglasses. "Must be a mistake. Anyway, the girl never talked to anyone afterwards. As far as we can tell, she disappeared off the face of the Earth shortly after the incident."

"Why is that important?" Sally asked, intrigued, as she lit Lena's cigarette, then her own.

"I don't know," Lena replied slowly, frowning again. "But Alexei seemed pretty interested in finding out what happened to her as well."

Sally blew smoke towards the sidewalk before replying. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You want us to find Marcus Thompson, but also Sarah Harris? And figure out how his stuff was stolen?"

"That's right."

"How are you going to help with this?" Sally asked skeptically. Lena had already proven herself useful once - she must have connections that Zelenko could use.

"My job is to assist," Lena said simply.

"And why did he send a woman for this kind of work?"

Lena shrugged. "He likes working with women, I guess.  Based on his attitude when we met, I think he thinks we are easier to control."

Sally leaned back in her chair, taking another drag off her cigarette as she thought. "Alright then. There are a few things I need from you first. In return, you'll get a share of whatever we make on the code. Deal?"

"Deal," Lena agreed, smiling slightly.

"Good," Sally said, finishing her coffee and standing up. She left some cash on the table and walked over to where Lena waited. "We should get started."


// Chapter 2


The pair were silent in their ride back to the motel. Lena hadn't spoken much since their meeting; instead, she stayed focused on her laptop, researching anything and everything about Marcus Thompson and Sarah Harris as Sally looked out the window.

Sally's current base of operations was a rundown motel just west of town, away from all the major attractions, with only a handful of guests scattered around its many rooms. This place didn't advertise, nor did it attract a lot of attention. It suited both of them fine.

Sally looked around the room they were using, decorated with old furniture that seemed like it would collapse under the weight of an average person. The sheets were stained yellow, and the wallpaper was peeling in places. A TV hung crookedly on one wall, casting a dim glow across the room.

She lit a new cigarette, waiting until Lena finished reading something on her screen before speaking again. "What do you think?" Sally asked, walking over to the TV so she could see better what Lena had found out.

"I got in touch with some contacts who know about this stuff," Lena replied slowly, closing the lid on her laptop and turning to face Sally. "They told me Thompson started working freelance after being kicked out of his company due to a little infraction he committed."

"Infraction? That's not a very good word for what they did to him," Sally said, narrowing her eyes.

Lena shrugged. "Infraction is what they called it in corporate reports I managed to get my hands on. He was forced to leave InverTech six months ago when news of his activities surfaced internally. Some kind of accounting irregularity."

"Accounting irregularity, huh?"

"Yeah, that's exactly how it was phrased. But there are rumors he'd been stealing code from other companies as well." Lena turned back to the computer, opening a folder full of files and pictures.

Sally stared at the screen, seeing several images of Thompson in various settings: conferences, meetings, even a photo with Sarah Harris standing by his side. This man was important, but also somewhat reclusive; nobody knew much about him, except that he was supposed to be brilliant with computers.

"So, this Sarah girl - we have no idea where she went after the attack?"

"Nope," Lena said finally. "Her phone was cut off weeks later, but there were some tips and hints that she might be around here somewhere. Alexei wants us to start looking for her too, if possible."

"Why is that so important?" Sally asked again, looking down at the cigarette burning between her fingers.

Lena sighed and closed the laptop again, taking a seat in an armchair opposite the bed. "We don't know exactly, but when you see Alexei's face, you realize he doesn't play games with people who cross him. There must be something personal about this whole thing for him to care so much about finding the missing girl."

Sally blew out smoke into the air before replying. "This guy must really hate Marcus Thompson to send us to find Sarah and the stolen code just for revenge."

"He doesn't seem like the vengeful type," Lena replied. "Plus, his assistant disappeared during the attack... I think we can assume Sarah knows what happened to the code, or at least some piece of it."

Sally raised an eyebrow at Lena, surprised by her comment. The woman had been quiet for most of the night as they reviewed everything from interviews with former colleagues to financial records on InverTech. She'd only spoken once to mention that Alexei didn't appear to be interested in the money for himself, which seemed odd considering how many millions hung in the balance.

"Okay, so the last stop on our tour is Thompson's old office building," Sally said suddenly, changing the subject. "If anyone has any leads, it would be them."

Lena nodded slowly. "I got in touch with a few contacts after the meeting this morning - some people who work security for InverTech now. They say there isn't anything left; the whole place was rebuilt after the fire, and all the files were lost."

"What about Thompson's own computer?" Sally asked skeptically.

"It was taken apart by forensic experts right away. Nobody could find the stolen code anywhere, not even in Thompson's computer. It was like the whole thing never existed."

"That does sound strange," Sally admitted. "There must have been some kind of backup system if he stole all that code in the first place."

"There was, but none of his personal stuff was saved at the time of the hack."

Sally smiled at this. "That just means you need to find me someone good with computers."

"I already did," Lena replied quietly, turning the laptop around so Sally could see the name on the screen.

The university profile page belonged to Dr. Daniel Wirth, an associate professor at UNLV.

"He has an impressive record of hacking into InverTech systems in the past without leaving a trace or getting caught," Lena offered.

It took Sally another few minutes to search the darknet, and let out a satisfied grunt when she confirmed that he was profiled. From his reputation, his skills far outstripped those of Marcus Thompson in regards to computer security and made him the ideal person for their needs tonight. 

Dr. Wirth answered on the second ring, voice sounding curious. "Hello?"

"Dark D 930. My name is Sally."

Lena looked at Sally with a raised eyebrow.

There was silence for several seconds, followed by the clicking of a mechanical keyboard in the background.

"This line is secure. Darkd 2493. Nice to meet you."

"I understand you can help us out with a little problem," she said, glancing over at Lena who nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I guess we can do something together," he replied slowly.

"We know about your hacking history with InverTech; they owe you thousands in unpaid bounties. You want revenge for that?"

"You mean... you want to hit InverTech?"

"Yes, for profit, and in return, a full share plus another twenty-thousand coins, no questions asked."

Dr. Wirth hesitated before speaking again. "Alright then, when do you need me?"

---

Dr. Wirth arrived at the motel's address at 2:40 am, finding the exterior dark except for a faint glow of flourescent bulbs illuminating the lot. It was a small two-story motel with a large tree behind it. He knocked once, before Lena appeared before him.

"You must be the good Doctor," she smiled, "come in and have a seat.  We have a lot to discuss, and not a lot of time."

He looked around, a grimace on his face at the small disaster of a motel room.

"Ah, yes, sure," he stammered, as he was ushered to a chair in the corner, next to a small round table containing a half-full bottle of whiskey, two glasses, and an overflowing ashtray.

"Thanks for coming," Lena replied, offering her hand.  "I'm Lena."

"Charmed, I'm sure," he replied warily.

Sally appeared from the bathroom wearing a fashionable power pantssuit, looking in the mirror as she worked on her hair and adjusted her makeup.  "You brought your laptop?" she asked, looking at him in the mirror.

Dr. Wirth nodded, his eyes focused on Sally. "Of course. You are Sally?"

"Yes. I know you well enough already, Dr. Wirth. Lets get down to business. I need to be inside InverTech tonight. We're going to play hide-and-seek."

He smiled, "Oh, are you serious? We're going now? Very based, Sally."

"We'll cover details on the road," she said, heading towards the door. "You're driving."

---

InverTech was located about thirty miles west of the strip, in the heart of downtown. The building itself rose high above the surrounding streets, its base covered by a thin layer of mist that hung over Las Vegas like a gray blanket. As they drove up, Sally could see several smaller buildings scattered around the area. A treed corporate campus, devoid of activity outside of a few isolated cars scattered through the lots and the regular security patrols.

The building turned out to be modern and sleek, with a giant InverTech logo emblazoned across the top. He parked around the side of the building, away from the street view.  The women watched him as he produced his laptop and turned it on.

"I can see their network, give me ten minutes," Dr. Wirth says, his fingers furiously clicking against his keys.

Sally checked her watch before turning to face Lena. Sally knew from experience that they were thinking the same thing; this would be their biggest shot yet at uncovering what happened to Marcus Thompson.

"Sure, sure," she said slowly, glancing between them. She cracked the window and lit a cigarette, looking up at the stars as they waited. Time seemed to stand still as they listened to the quiet clicking from the laptop.

"Ah, here we are. All good. My agent has access control," he announced, breaking the silence.

"All right then," Sally said, looking up at the building. "Let's get moving."

Lena led the way towards the door. Dr. Wirth stopped outside the entrance. "Just give me a minute," he said quietly, pulling out a small device the size of an iPod. He pressed a button on its side, and it beeped once as lights flashed around the perimeter of the building. They waited until the device light flashed green, with a double beep.

Once through the doors, they were met by a small lobby and security desk with a guard leaning against the counter. "Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing the three strangers suspiciously.

Sally smiled brightly as she approached the desk. "We're from corporate. We have a meeting in one of the upper floors tonight. Thought we'd come early to grab some coffee first."

The guard stared at Sally for a second before nodding slightly. "Okay, let me see your ID."

As the man scanned their identities, Sally wondered how long this would take if somebody actually showed up. Twenty minutes passed before the guard returned, holding up a metal card reader. "You guys need to put these on before heading up," he said, handing each of them a visitor badge.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, it was nearly three am, and only half a dozen people remained in the office, typing away at their desks. The walls here were covered with whiteboards filled with mathematical equations or diagrams, InverTech was indeed a major player in the tech industry. Dr. Wirth stopped and took a deep breath as if nervous before proceeding further into the building.

He opened an office at the end of a long section of cubicles, walking over to a computer terminal without speaking, his fingers flying across the keyboard in an impressive display of speed. Lights glowed brightly as new screens popped up before him, and after a minute, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. "Alright then," he announced quietly, turning around to face them both. "We're inside."

Sally raised an eyebrow at the display in front of Dr. Wirth. It seemed like the whole company's data was laid out before them; she could see employee files, financial records, even network activity all displayed on-screen.  The contents of each file was being indexed in realtime as relevant documents started appearing on the display.

"That's all of the files?" Lena asked quietly, walking closer to the monitor.

Dr. Wirth shrugged. "Everything on their network." He started searching through employee files, clicking from one to another quickly. They waited while he found nothing for ten minutes.

"Try Sarah Harris' file," Sally suggested suddenly, watching closely as he selected her name.

They stared silently at the screen as his eyes widened. "Well now... looks like there might be something."

Lena looked up excitedly. "What did you find?"

"Hmm? I just found out why your Alexei wants to know so much about this girl. She had access to Thompson's projects, but her accounts don't show anything interesting after the fire."

"He must have left some way for us to track down the missing code," Sally said slowly, watching Dr. Wirth work.

After a few more minutes, it became apparent that there was a huge concept network around something called the Phoenix Project - software rumored to be worth millions once released onto the market. There was no sign of it anywhere in InverTech's system or any evidence that Marcus Thompson ever worked on such a project. In fact, the patterns showed someone actively removed almost everything related to Marcus Thompson's primary account from the system.

"Well, well, well," Dr. Wirth said quietly. "It appears our Mr. Thompson created a backup copy of all his files before they went up in smoke."

"Why didn't he use the same account?" Lena asked, leaning forward slightly.

Dr. Wirth shrugged again. "There are three possible answers: One, he knew this code would get stolen and hid the only copy somewhere else; two, someone helped him hide it; three, he didn't trust InverTech with his secrets and hid it outside their system altogether."

"We need to talk," Sally said, pushing away from the desk. "Let's move downstairs before someone shows up."

On the first floor, Sally led them towards an exit door that overlooked the parking lot. They leaned against the wall nearby, lighting cigarettes as they spoke.

"So, Doc," she began, taking a drag off hers, "it seems like we're back to square one. How do we find out who stole the Phoenix Project?"

Dr. Wirth thought for a moment before speaking. "InverTech isn't very secure. It wouldn't surprise me if an internal hack job was how it happened. So we look at employee records from around the time of the attack - people who were fired or left recently might have been involved, especially if they had access to Thompson's projects."

"Good enough," Lena said slowly. "But what about Sarah Harris? Do you know anything about her?"

"She could be anywhere by now," Dr. Wirth replied hesitantly. "We never found any trace of her after the fire."

Sally nodded to herself, feeling something in her gut. "You don't think Alexei has another angle, do you? There has to be more to this story."

Lena glanced sideways at Sally but said nothing. The silence hung in the air as the two women smoked, Dr. Wirth looking between the two.

"Alright then," she decided finally. "Tomorrow morning, we start searching employee files for anyone involved in the hack; if we can find Thompson's backup copy, we'll go from there. For now... let's get back to the motel and rest before things get busy."

The ride home was quiet with each person lost in their own thoughts. When they reached the motel, Sally waited outside while Lena collected her things from the car before heading up to their room. She walked inside and collapsed onto the bed without bothering to turn on the light.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Alexei Zelenko, listening carefully as he answered on the second ring. "Any news?" he asked when Sally spoke.

"Not yet," she said simply. "We're still searching through InverTech's employee records for someone involved in the hack."

"You think an insider did it?" Zelenko asked skeptically.

"It seems like the most likely answer," Sally admitted quietly, thinking back over everything that had happened so far.

"Good luck then," he replied quickly before hanging up.

---

The next day arrived sooner than Sally expected, bringing with it a gray sky that hung low above the city. They started early, searching through employee files on people who'd left or been fired around the time of the attack. By mid-morning, they found two men they suspected to have been involved in the hack. Both were long gone, but Sally knew that meant little - there could be more names hidden amongst the data, especially if these two hired professionals for the job.

She pulled out her phone to call Alexei, but decided against it. There would be plenty of time to update him later. It was clear this wouldn't be finished anytime soon.

As lunchtime approached, Sally left Lena working at the laptop and stepped outside to grab some food from a nearby restaurant. The streets looked different today, less crowded than usual because of the impending storm forecasted by TV stations all morning. Nobody seemed to care; they went about their business, oblivious to the danger lurking on the horizon.

A few blocks down, the rain began falling lightly from the gray clouds, pattering onto the pavement in small drops. She decided to eat outside anyway, enjoying the smell as the water hit the hot pavement, creating tiny steam explosions wherever it landed.

After lunch, she walked back into the motel room, finding Lena staring hard at the screen when she entered.

"What is it?" Sally asked, trying not to sound too curious.

"I think I found something," Lena replied slowly, glancing up to meet Sally's gaze.

Sally leaned over the woman's shoulder and saw an email on-screen that read "Hey Marcus." There were no attachments, only a message asking how things were going.

"He contacted Thompson after his disappearance?"

"Yeah," Lena said quietly. "And so did Sarah Harris."

"Where did he go?"

"They don't say here," Lena admitted.

"How did you find this?"

"Alexei sent it over. One of his contacts works for a popular internet service provider, of whom Sarah happens to be a client. They told me we could see every email sent within their network in the last thirty days - even deleted ones - if we paid enough."

Sally raised an eyebrow at this information but didn't press further. It would have been better if Zelenko had mentioned it to her beforehand, especially with its potential impact on their search for Thompson.

Lena scrolled through the rest of the emails until she reached another one addressed to "Hello". The sender's name was blocked out, making it impossible to know who sent it before they removed their identity.

Sally glanced between the women on the laptop screen. "This was either done by our hackers or somebody looking for them."

Lena nodded silently. "I agree, but there are hundreds more like this in Thompson's accounts. We need Dr. Wirth's help again."

"That might be tough," Sally said slowly, thinking about the man who helped them yesterday. He seemed nervous and anxious throughout the whole operation. "He seemed nervous last night, and I think we missed something."

"Why do you say that?" Lena asked, frowning slightly.

Sally shrugged. "I don't know; maybe he wasn't as good as we thought. Maybe he was just scared of getting caught."

There was a pause as Lena leaned back in her seat. "Well, whatever the reason, we can try contacting him again later tonight when we'll have more data to give him." She stood up suddenly. "We should leave soon. The storm is going to make it harder to travel."

The rain changed everything. On the highway, cars crawled along at five miles per hour, drivers impatiently honking their horns as they struggled to move forward. Sally lit another cigarette while leaning against the window, watching the other vehicles pass slowly outside.

"This weather really sucks," Lena said from the other side of the back seat. She tapped the fare meter, eyeing the other drivers on the road. "Why does Alexei want us to find Sarah Harris so badly?"

"I think you're right - he doesn't care about the money at all," Sally replied, blowing out smoke towards the windshield. "But why isn't that enough of an answer for you?"

Lena glanced over at her, eyes narrowing behind her sunglasses. "It seems strange."

Sally nodded in agreement. "Alright then... let's get this over with. Tonight, we meet Dr. Wirth and figure out who sent these emails to Thompson after the fire."

She didn't like lying about where they were headed tonight, but Zelenko had asked them to keep him updated, and there was no way she could do that if they drove around looking for Dr. Wirth. This would be better.

When Dr. Wirth answered his phone, he sounded tired once again. "Hello?"

"Sally here," she said quietly. "We need your help again, continuation of our same deal as before - your share of whatever we make plus another twenty-thousand."

"Yes, of course... What do you need this time?"

"We found some emails to Marcus Thompson from two people whose names are blocked out, but Dr. Wirth, I think you can unblock those without too much trouble if you hack into InverTech's system one more time."

There was silence on the other end of the line as Dr. Wirth thought about it. Finally, he agreed to take them to the office building again.

---

The drive took nearly three hours due to the traffic. When they arrived at the building, the storm raged on outside, causing Sally to light a cigarette as she leaned against the door of the car.

Parked near the office building, it took him twenty minutes to break into InverTech's mainframe, during which they all waited, a tense silence in the air as the storm raged outside.

Dr. Wirth sat nervously in the driver seat, typing at his laptop, lights flashing across the screen, casting a shadow of light dancing across his face.

"Alright then," he announced finally. "My agent is still running. We have names now - Alexei, your friend, and Sarah Harris herself, who sent messages to Thompson long after the fire."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "So, one of these people stole the code, and the other helped her or is trying to find it?"

"Sarah probably got the info from Marcus somehow before disappearing," Lena replied, staring hard at the screen. "She might be able to lead us to whoever has the stolen code right now."

"That sounds like a good place to start," Sally said slowly, watching Dr. Wirth work. Finally, he closed his laptop and looked at her.

"I set up a remote access tunnel, lets get out of here."

The drive home was quiet; even the rain seemed less intense now that the storm had broken. After being deposited by Dr. Wirth at their motel, they headed back to their room. As they arrived, Sally pulled out her phone and dialed Alexei again. He answered immediately this time.

"What do you have?" he asked, voice sounding tired.

"We found the identities of the people who hacked into Thompson's system, as well as emails from Sarah Harris herself."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "And what do you intend to do with this information?"

"Well, we are focusing on tracking down Sarah," Sally replied quietly. "If we can find her, we can find whoever stole the Phoenix Project."

"Phoenix Project." Zelenko took another moment before speaking again. "Alright then... but once you locate her, bring her to me personally. Do not contact me until she is safely with us."

Sally nodded silently, knowing there was nothing more to say on the matter. When she hung up, Lena looked over at her.

"You think something bad will happen if we don't follow his orders exactly?"

Sally shrugged. "Don't worry about it too much. We'll find Sarah, deliver her to him, and get our cut - that's all that matters."


// Chapter 3


It took most of the night and morning to find any leads on Sarah, considering how little they knew about her whereabouts after the fire. By mid-morning, though, Lena had finally located an address for Sarah in a small apartment complex on the outskirts of town.

After hailing a driver they were dropped off, finding a rundown building with peeling paint and broken windows throughout its facade. The storm that struck yesterday seemed to have left its mark here, leaving a section of the lot collapsed and washed out into a nearby gully; marked off with orange tape.

Sally stared around at the devastation, knowing they wouldn't be the first visitors this place had seen today. She lit another cigarette, wondering how many people they would meet before getting any answers from this girl.

Lena pulled out a small device that looked like a handheld scanner and stepped towards the building. As she approached the front door, she raised an eyebrow and gestured for Sally to stay behind. Without speaking, she pressed a button on her device and waited as lights flashed across the cameras surrounding them.

"Okay," she said quietly when the last one went dark. "You can come now."

Sarah lived on the third floor, and their knock on the door was met with silence at first. They waited until finally, a woman in her late twenties answered, looking like she'd just rolled out of bed. Her hair was disheveled, and there were smudges under her eyes; it was clear she hadn't slept much lately.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"We're looking for Sarah Harris," Lena replied slowly.

The woman blinked, surprised by their mention of the name. "Yeah... I know who you must be talking about. Why?"

Sally raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care if we are?"

"She was my roommate here," she said. "I'm Felicity."

"What happened to her?" Sally asked after a moment of quiet thought.

"I don't know." Felicity frowned slightly. "She left one day without saying goodbye. Took most of her stuff with her too."

They were silent for a long time then, waiting as Felicity considered what else to say. Finally, she spoke again. "If you find her, tell her everything is forgiven."

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Felicity shook her head sadly before turning away from the door and disappearing inside. They followed her up the stairs, finding the apartment clean and tidy when they arrived. She guided them to a doorway that looked like it belonged to another room, but inside, they found a small office set up.

Sally took another drag off her cigarette as she examined the computer setup. This girl had been preparing for something big - there were several servers and network cables running all over the walls, creating an impression of a makeshift lab. A notebook lay open on the desk, filled with code written in neat handwriting.

"Sarah's writing style?" Lena asked quietly.

Sally turned to face Felicity. "How do we get in touch with her?"

"I don't know anymore," the woman admitted sadly. "She kept me out of anything important."

Lena pulled out her phone and dialed Dr. Wirth. After a minute, he answered hesitantly, voice still tired. "Hello?"

"Sally here. I need your help again, part of our deal," she said quietly.

"Yes, of course... What can I do this time?"

"We found Sarah Harris' old roommate; she says our missing girl left without telling anyone, taking most of her belongings. We suspect she hacked into Thompson's system somehow after his disappearance. You should see this setup yourself."

Dr. Wirth yawned softly before speaking. "Alright then, I'll meet you at the apartment complex in 20 minutes unless I hit traffic."

They waited on the street outside until Dr. Wirth arrived, looking more awake now that he was back on track with their case. He pushed past Felicity and walked immediately towards the office Sarah had found, eyes scanning the equipment carefully.

"Fascinating," he muttered, staring at some of the cabling. "This is similar to my own setup, only much better designed. Whoever built this knew what they were doing."

"So what do you think?" Sally asked him finally.

"I think Sarah stole Thompson's backup copy of the Phoenix Project sometime after the fire. Then she disappeared. Maybe someone helped her find it, or maybe she wanted revenge against InverTech for not saving any of Marcus' files," Dr. Wirth replied slowly. "And if we could look at her emails from around that time..."

Lena raised an eyebrow, pulling out her phone to dial another number. She stepped away for a moment while Dr. Wirth continued studying the equipment, sitting at the keyboard and typing.

Sally leaned against the wall as Lena spoke, trying to piece everything together in her mind. They still didn't know who Sarah contacted in order to steal the code, but they would once Lena got the ISP to send them the deleted emails. Once again, though, Zelenko would be left out of the loop when they found these messages - and so far, every secret kept from him seemed to lead them closer to success.

When Lena rejoined them, Sally spoke up. "What did you find?"

"Sarah sent several emails to a person whose name is blocked out," she said quietly. "But this one looks important." She showed them the message on-screen. It read: "Marcus, I have your software copy. Let me meet with you."

They stared at each other silently for a long time before deciding where to go next. After leaving Felicity behind, they drove to a small diner down the street where they could discuss their options without being overheard.

"We need to get back to Alexei," Sally said slowly, glancing between them. "We don't even know who we're looking for yet; let's find out his identity first."

"And how do we plan on doing that?" Lena asked skeptically.

Sally smiled, knowing what she had in mind. "Let me use my unique skills."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "And what are those?"

"A little thing I like to call body swapping," Sally replied, showing them a small device with a screen attached to it.

Lena frowned slightly as he examined the gadget. "You mean... you swap bodies with people just by touching them?"

Sally nodded. "That's right. This device allows me to choose who I want to switch into, and once activated, it takes about ten seconds before the swap is complete. You can only stay switched for three days maximum though; after that, you start losing coherence and eventually... die."

Dr. Wirth looked skeptical. "How does this work exactly? Is there some kind of information transfer or something?"

"It's not fully understood yet," Sally admitted quietly, lighting another cigarette. "But my friend figured out how to do it several years ago while researching direct cortical simulations. It seems most of our identities are linked to specific neurons in our brains - my friend found a way to create a temporary link to somebody else's brain, allowing us to jump from one body to the other."

"Sounds dangerous," Dr. Wirth said, lifting her wrist and examining its screen closely.

Sally shrugged. "It used to be until I helped perfect the switch. Now, the device ensures the link never breaks no matter where I go. And as for what the other person is doing inside my body, there were implants installed in our heads that keep them asleep."

Dr. Wirth looked up at her slowly. "So what makes you think Alexei will give up his identity so easily?"

"He doesn't know about this device," Sally replied with a smile. "Once we find out who he's looking for, we'll be able to track them down through the emails she sent him."

"And if he catches on?" Lena asked skeptically.

"I hope he won't. Let's just say... things get interesting with him once we figure out who stole Thompson's code."

They drove home in silence, debating the merits of Sally's plan as they went. Eventually, they decided to put their faith in her skills and headed out towards the Silver Star Hotel again, hoping they could arrange a meeting without being too obvious.

The night was quiet outside; a full moon hung low over Las Vegas, casting an eerie glow across the city. The air felt cold after yesterday's storm, but there were still plenty of people walking around. On the strip, cars passed slowly as neon lights pulsed behind them.

When they reached the hotel, Sally lit another cigarette while leaning against the wall. Her first target - Alexei's bodyguard, Ivan - stepped out into the night half an hour later.

He seemed intimidating to look at, with bulging muscles underneath his suit and a permanent scowl on his face. But Dr. Wirth had given them good intel on how to get past him: sneak up behind him with the device activated and switch immediately.

Sally nodded to Lena, taking a deep breath before advancing quickly towards the man. When they got within arm's length, she pressed the button on her device. It beeped once before flashing brightly on its screen, taking a few seconds to activate completely. Sally placed a hand on Ivan's back as everything went white for a moment, then felt herself pulled from her own body.

She landed on her stomach with a thud when it was all over, staring up at Lena's worried face. "Is this thing working?" she asked groggily, hearing the deep voice of Ivan now coming from her own mouth.

Lena nodded slowly, helping Sally to stand up. "This is Ivan, Alexei Zelenko's right-hand man."

"Sally... what happened?" Dr. Wirth asked quietly, looking between them in confusion; he hadn't seen the swap happen.

"She switched bodies," Lena replied, gesturing towards the woman prone on the ground. "Ivan, are you okay?"

"Fine," came Ivan's voice through Sally's lips, though it sounded off due to the unfamiliar mouth moving around. She stumbled slightly before regaining balance. "Just need to stash myself first before we go inside," she said, lifting her unconcious form from the ground before stowing herself in Dr. Wirth's car.

Back in Ivan's hotel room, Sally struggled to get used to feeling Ivan's massive frame while adjusting her suit jacket in the mirror. "How do I look?" she asked finally.

Lena glanced over, raising an eyebrow as if impressed by the transformation.

"You sure look intimidating for someone so short and petite." Ivan/Sally chuckled under her breath at this comment as Lena adjusted Ivan's lapels.

She rode the elevator down alone, heading in to the den of the dragon.

The elevator door slid open, revealing the sleek club level before them. Sally walked towards the bouncer, who saw Ivan and smiled broadly without even checking his ID. They were immediately let inside, finding Zelenko sitting alone on a couch near the bar.

"Ah, Ivan, come and join me," Alexei said, rising from his seat to greet them. Sally forced herself not to flinch at the deep voice coming out of her mouth now. It took everything in her power not to stumble or move like she wasn't used to walking in her own body.

"Uh, sure boss," she replied, forcing a smile onto her face as she sat down opposite him. The man looked at her closely, but didn't seem suspicious yet.

"Lena is reporting in tonight, but then we have important business to discuss," Alexei began, sipping a drink that had been left untouched on the table beside him. "They have no idea what they are dealing with. Ah, here she is." Lena entered shortly after, taking a seat across from them.

"So, you found Sarah's email trail?" Alexei asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lena nodded slowly. "Yeah... there's only one person sending these messages to Thompson. Whoever it is hasn't contacted him since last month, though."

Zelenko frowned slightly. "That can only mean they sold the stolen code to someone else. If that's true, we need to find this person before they sell it elsewhere."

"How do we do that?" Sally asked, knowing she needed to keep the conversation going so Alexei wouldn't suspect anything.

"Well, there's nothing much for now but to wait and be patient," Alexei admitted quietly, eyes moving between the two women. "We'll make some calls to people who know about this stuff. They may have heard something. And if anybody contacts Thompson, we should know immediately since I have his email account hacked now."

After a few more minutes of discussion, Zelenko stood up to leave. "You be careful out there. Things aren't exactly safe for you right now."

"Yeah, thanks," Lena replied, rising from her chair as well.

Sally stood up slowly, watching carefully as Alexei glanced over at her again before heading towards the exit. When they were gone, Lena turned back to face Sally. "Well done. But how are you going to get back into your body?"

"Don't worry; my sensors will warn me when the three days are almost up, so all I need to do is break the link. It's not too difficult to work with," she said, speaking quickly in Ivan's deep voice.

Leaving Lena at the club, Sally went with Alexei's men after the meeting, struggling to walk due to his size and lack of practice with these legs. She knew she had to put on a good act - there was no way she could handle a fight tonight while being a giant man.

Zelenko led them outside and walked down the street without saying anything until they reached a sleek black car waiting nearby. Sally ducked inside just as it began moving, feeling cramped by the space around her. She held onto the leather seats as the car sped away, not knowing what the depths of Alexei's organization were or where he planned to take them next. After several minutes, the vehicle slowed, then pulled into an underground parking garage.

The doors opened, revealing a luxurious home with modern furniture and a kitchen that seemed like something off a TV show. Alexei gestured for Sally to follow him through the living room, leading them to a small study filled with computer screens and security monitors.

"So, let's get to business," he said suddenly, pulling out a chair from behind one of the desks. "We have a problem here - somebody else bought the stolen code, which means we'll never get our money back if it gets sold elsewhere."

"I understand," Sally replied slowly, trying not to stumble over his words.

"This whole operation is costing me too much money already," Zelenko admitted quietly. "I didn't even want to get involved in this mess to begin with." He turned towards the screen displaying InverTech employees on the left side of the room. "This Sarah Harris is at the center of everything. I think it would be better if she disappeared for good."

Sally nodded in agreement, though her mind raced with concern. "What do you plan to do?"

Alexei leaned forward slightly. "There are rumors of a special project working its way up from China - something about replacing people using advanced body-swapping technology. They say it can copy minds as well as bodies. But this is just rumor... We should find out soon enough if the thieves are smart enough to sell it to the right parties before going public."

"Are you thinking of stealing their tech?" Sally asked skeptically.

Zelenko smiled, turning back to face them. "No, but I have other connections who might be interested in such a device. The Chinese will take anything for money, that evades the blockade and buys them more time to perfect whatever they're working on."

"So what do we need to do now?" Sally asked, struggling to keep the conversation going without revealing her true identity.

"Well, there's a party tonight at the Bellagio, where several people connected to the Phoenix Project will be attending. It's probably the best chance we have at tracking down our thieves. You just do your damn job and protect me."

The drive to the Bellagio took another twenty minutes, passing through quieter streets that seemed less populated than usual. As the car pulled into its parking garage, Alexei led Sally to an elevator which took them straight to the top floor. They entered a lavish penthouse suite filled with people; everybody looked important and dressed to impress.

"We'll talk later," he said finally, "hang back a little, but not too far. Watch everything closely." He turned towards a man nearby, speaking quietly before heading off to mingle.

Sally watched Zelenko disappear into the crowd, knowing she needed to make herself look busy if they were going to get anything out of this situation. She spotted a bar on the other side of the room and began walking over, trying to figure out what to do next while keeping up the act of being Ivan and trying to keep an eye on Alexei.

At the bar, she ordered a drink and lit a cigarette, scanning the room from there as people chatted or danced around her. There were plenty of men and women here who looked like businesspeople, dressed in suits and designer clothes. It was clear they all knew each other, except for some Asian men who stuck together near one wall, wearing thick jackets and sunglasses despite the sweltering heat inside. Sally realized these must be Alexei's associates, watching and waiting for something to happen tonight.

She stood there for two hours, sipping drinks and smoking cigarettes, listening to conversations around her as they gradually revealed details about the stolen code. The Phoenix Project was just theoretical, but it was the ability to permanently swap bodies and minds that had drawn these people here tonight. It didn't seem like much yet, only rumors and theories. The implications of immortality, just by stealing your own body and mind when it got old, would send shockwaves across the globe - especially among criminals, politicians, and billionaires who could afford such things.

Sally could hear Alexei speaking to a man, his face scarred by a large tattoo on his left cheek. "We can use the girls, just swap them in with the clients and save ourselves a lot of trouble," the man replied, laughing harshly as he spoke. Alexei smiled, seeing Ivan had approached.

"Be ready, I am going to lure him to the back room, and you will knock him out and take him out the back," he said quietly.

"Why?" Sally asked, keeping up the act of being confused.

"It's business," Zelenko replied quickly before turning away, gesturing to the man beside him. "Follow us when we leave."

Sally followed Alexei through the crowd, wondering what she was getting herself into now. When they reached the scar-faced man, Sally stumbled slightly, causing Alexei to look over at her suspiciously.

"I'm okay... sorry, boss," she said, realizing how awkward this must have been for him.

They led them through a door at the end of the hall towards several private rooms; the air grew warmer as they walked further inside. One of the doors opened onto a bedroom, where the bed held two Asian women lying naked next to each other. The scar-faced man looked down at them and laughed once more, but before anything else happened, Sally swung Ivan's massive fist into the man's jaw.

As he fell to the floor, unconscious, Sally knelt beside him and punched him twice in the stomach, feeling like an animal. Alexei watched silently, his expression unreadable. He took out a small bag from his pocket and placed it on the table beside the bed. The holograms of the girls continued to laugh, and motioned towards Sally.

"Put him on the chair," Zelenko began quietly, "Tie him tight with the rope in that bag."

Sally moved over to the chair behind the table and lifted the man up by his shoulders before tying him tightly to its back. Alexei broke a tablet in front of the man, causing him to groan softly in pain as he struggled against the ropes and opened his eyes.

"You were given a sample of the Phoenix Project already," Alexei said slowly, his voice menacing. "Or so I was told." He picked up one of the hologram girls and turned her around to face the man on the chair, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her features seemed perfect now; she stared at the man with cold blue eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." the man moaned, trying desperately to squirm free.

Zelenko pulled the girl away from the man and held her close instead, looking deeply into her eyes. "Don't lie to me or these things will be very unhappy when they kill you." His expression didn't change as the girl started laughing again, but this time it sounded more like a haunting scream.

Sally felt sick watching as the scene unfolded. This was what Alexei meant by business; she had no idea how deep his empire went until tonight. She knew she needed to get out of here quickly before anything worse happened.

"So, are you sure you can't give us any leads?" Zelenko asked, voice still calm as he spoke.

The man groaned softly once more as he looked over at Ivan's massive form hovering next to him. "I don't... have that kind of information."

Alexei turned to face Ivan, holding out the tablet for him to take. The hologram girl turned to look at her new master, her eyes locked onto Sally's face as if wanting to eat her alive.

"Ivan, kill him."

Sally's eyes widened - she couldn't do that. Not even for Zelenko. There had to be another way, especially since Sally would be the one who suffered most after killing someone while trapped in this body. She stared hard at Alexei, debating whether to follow orders or not before speaking.

"Boss," Sally began slowly, "do we really need to kill him? We have his associates here somewhere; surely they know about the buyer too."

Zelenko's face remained cold and emotionless as he replied. "No, I want to be sure. These people aren't known for their honesty when it comes to money. And yes, the rest of them will find out soon enough what happened to this man." He paused a moment before continuing. "You don't think I can trust you with my life?"

"I wouldn't doubt your word, but... sometimes there has to be an alternative," Sally said quietly, forcing himself to look away from the girl's frozen stare.

Alexei leaned forward slightly, studying Ivan's face. "Getting soft already? Alright then, we'll spare his life... for now. Put him on the bed, and tie him down tight."

Sally felt sick watching as they moved the man towards the bed, tying him tightly down. The man looked like he was going to vomit as the girl walked over, her movements stiff and unsteady.

"We will play a little game together," Zelenko whispered into the man's ear softly, placing the tablet behind him. "You tell me everything about the Phoenix Project buyer."

"Please..." the man began, struggling to free himself against the ropes as he groaned in pain, "I don't have that information..."

Alexei placed a hand on the back of the girl's shoulder as she leaned in, staring coldly at the man beside her. She stretched out her tongue, licking slowly across his face as tears filled the man's eyes.

Sally closed her eyes tightly, knowing what was happening; this wasn't how things were supposed to go down tonight. After several moments of silence, she opened her eyes to find Alexei moving closer to the table.

Alexei deactivated the holograms before kneeling beside him once more, holding up the tablet again. "When I am finished with him, you can set him free," he said quietly. "And then leave - since you are acting like a little girl." He turned away from Ivan, leaning over the man once more.

Sally watched him for a long time, debating whether to break the link now or not. Once it was broken, they could go back to Lena and figure out the next step without risking anything else from Zelenko. But there had to be another way to get this guy talking without torture...

"I think... it's time," Sally stammered, knowing she couldn't take much more of this scene unfolding.

Alexei looked up suddenly, eyebrow raised slightly as if surprised by their words. "What is it?"

Ivan looked down at him with a blank look on his face, before falling unconscious.


// Chapter 4


Lena sat at the small round table in the corner of their motel room, cigarette smoldering in her hand as she looked over at Sally's unconcious body laying on the bed. Dr. Wirth had driven them back after they left Ivan at the hotel, and she had been watching her still form for nearly an hour, before, groaning softly, Sally opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to come to her senses, before sitting up slowly.

"Where did they take you after the club? What happened in there?" Lena said quickly, helping her stand up. "We don't have much time left; let's figure out who stole Thompson's code and where they're hiding."

Sally nodded silently, lighting another cigarette before she spoke.

"Okay, okay, but first, let me explain something to you. I don't think Alexei knows what the Phoenix Project actually is yet. He just wants the buyer so he can steal it too," Sally said quietly. "We need to focus on finding Sarah Harris, whoever hacked into InverTech's system and helped her sell the stolen code. Once we find one, the others will follow."

Lena nodded quickly, pulling up the emails they found earlier. They scrolled through the messages, searching for anything important until they reached the last email from Sarah to Marcus Thompson: "Meet me outside the Bellagio at midnight. Come alone." Sally stopped the scrolling and pointed at the screen.

"That should be easy enough to track down. It's the best lead we have now - there are only a few people attending the party tonight who could have sent this message." Sally handed the device back to Lena before speaking again. "We'll go tomorrow morning and find her."

"I think there might still be some leftovers inside the building," Lena added slowly.

Sally raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Leftovers? What do you mean?"

"Those guys you saw in suits with sunglasses... they weren't just associates of Zelenko's. When I was leaving, I saw them arguing in Chinese at the club tonight. One of them mentioned a party tonight, which I believe was to meet the thieves behind the stolen code, but Alexei told them to come here instead - saying something about too many guests at the Bellagio."

Sally smiled slightly, knowing their case was getting interesting all over again. "And what did they say?"

"They agreed, but one guy seemed reluctant to leave."

"So the party was real then?" Sally asked skeptically.

"Yeah, they said they needed more security because the buyer would be there today. With the party crashing, it became harder to protect him."

"Well, that changes everything," Sally replied slowly, glancing between Lena. "We need to get there as soon as possible."

"But how do you plan on doing that with no vehicle?" Lena asked.

Sally lit another cigarette before replying. "I know someone who can help us."

---

The woman walking towards them was tall and athletic, her short hair jet black like Sally's own, but her eyes were an icy blue. She wore a black jacket and jeans, and a silver necklace hung around her neck; the girl seemed very new, and looked at Sally with starry eyes.

"You must be Samantha," Sally said quietly, extending her hand as they approached.

"Hey, and you of course are Sally," Samantha replied, shaking hands as Lena walked up beside her. "Where are we going?"

"We're tracking down Sarah Harris and whoever stole the Phoenix Project," Sally began quickly, leaving the baffled girl without further explanation; Lena pulling out her phone to dial Alexei Zelenko.

When he answered, she spoke quietly. "Alexei, I have some news... We found where the buyers for the stolen code will meet tonight."

"What? Where?"

"The Bellagio, after dark, under the guise of a party," Lena admitted carefully. "If our mutual friend is in attendance, so let's hope we can convince them to come along when we find their hideout."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Zelenko spoke again. "I... am aware of this party; my associates mentioned it earlier today. They don't think our buyer will show up here since too many people know about it now, but perhaps we can meet them later," he said slowly, before the line went abruptly dead.

Sally knew he was lying to Lena, she had been at the party, and she had seen the real plan unfold between his associates. "We need to find out where they are planning to go afterwards," she whispered to Lena. "It seems Alexei has connections to this party as well."

"So what do we do?" Lena asked.

"Sam is our ride tonight," Sally replied with a smile, turning back to face her new acquaintance.

Samantha nodded slowly. "Alright then, follow me."

The car parked outside seemed small compared to the others they had used before, but Samantha leaned forward eagerly once they were inside, looking over the dashboard enthusiastically. Sally took one last drag off her cigarette before Samantha gave her a dirty look. "No smoking in my baby," she said quietly.

Sally shrugged, tossing her cigarette out onto the pavement before speaking again. "Just get us there."

When they arrived at the Bellagio the party was already well underway. They watched in silence as guests entered the building, mingling and laughing together while being waited on by waitresses dressed in skimpy clothing. The Asian men who were there earlier were nowhere to be seen, but several other men and women stood near the entrance in suits or designer clothes.

Samantha waited in the car as they followed a group in to the elevator and up to the penthouse suite without anyone giving them a second glance. The room had grown more crowded since their meeting with Zelenko; it seemed like half of the city's elite were here tonight.

Sally pulled out her phone, knowing they needed to find the buyers quickly if they wanted to track them down later. She dialed Dr. Wirth and explained the situation, telling him to hack into the Bellagio security system and see how many cameras they could disable so they wouldn't be seen. He agreed readily enough, claiming he didn't want to get involved with Alexei anymore after what happened last night.

It took another hour to spot any leads in the crowd, but eventually, Sally saw a group of suits gathered around an older man in his fifties, talking softly amongst themselves as they sipped drinks. There was something about this man that set him apart from the rest - he looked important, and that was confirmed when he shook hands with a tall blonde woman who strode towards them across the room.

"Maybe we found our buyer," Lena whispered quietly as she spoke.

Sally nodded slowly, pulling out her phone to dial Samantha. When she answered, Sally asked her to bring the car and pick them up at one am outside, saying there would be a delay.

The three of them mingled through the party until they reached the group of suits again. Sally tried not to stand out too much while listening to them talk, but there was nothing they could do about standing out in Ivan's massive frame. The man looked like a king, surrounded by his courtiers as he laughed openly.

He spotted a couple on the dance floor and excused himself, leaving his entourage behind. As they watched him walk away, Sally wondered what kind of person Zelenko had been dealing with all along. This must have been the buyer for Thompson's code; his laughter seemed genuine, though it hid whatever pain lay beneath the surface.

They waited patiently for over an hour before Dr. Wirth called, informing them that two cameras were now off-line. That left only a few more to disable before they could sneak away without being seen.

At twelve-thirty, Sally finally managed to work her way towards the older man near the bar, glancing back to make sure nobody followed them. He leaned against the counter, watching people laugh and drink around him.

Sally nodded silently at Lena, gesturing towards the group of suits still gathered together. Lena wandered over casually, asking about their company - the conversation turned into a debate about the economy or something equally boring. Meanwhile, Sally continued working on getting close to the old man.

Her voice broke the silence when she said, "Hi, I believe we may have some business to discuss." She glanced sideways at him and smiled, trying to keep her nerves under control as she did this. He raised an eyebrow slowly, taking another sip from his glass before replying.

"I think you must be mistaken," he said quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.

"No, I was told you were in the software industry too... and I know how hard it is to find people who understand code these days," Sally replied smoothly, eyeing his expensive suit carefully.

The man stared at her for what felt like minutes until finally speaking again. "Alright then. Who sent you?"

"Alexei Zelenko," Sally admitted quietly, watching as his expression changed from surprise to anger.

He leaned forward suddenly, his grip tightening around his glass. "How dare that son of a bitch-"

"Lena, let's go talk somewhere private with our new friend here," Sally interrupted quickly, grabbing his arm and leading him away from the other guests before things escalated further.

They pushed through the crowd, Sally pulling him along by the elbow. Once they reached a less crowded part of the room, she gestured towards an exit door near them. The air outside was cool compared to inside, and the neon lights of the strip pulsed around them as they walked across the balcony.

"This isn't over yet," he spat out angrily.

Sally smiled in agreement. "I know. My name is Sally; nice to meet you." She touched the button on her device while looking up at him, feeling a beep as everything went white for a moment. When it faded, she found herself standing in his old body, surprised to feel so thin after being used to Ivan's bulk.

Lena waited for them by the door, giving no sign of surprise as they stepped into the night. "Well done," she said quietly, helping Sally pick up her body, and hefting it between them made their way downstairs.

When Samantha pulled up, they climbed inside without speaking, waiting silently as they drove away from the Bellagio. Finally, Lena spoke up. "Now we need to track down where Sarah Harris and these buyers are going."

Sally took the phone out of her pocket, and used her thumbprint to unlock it. The old man's contact list filled the screen instantly as she scrolled through names quickly until one stood out. "Xiǎo Yǔ," she said slowly, handing the phone to Lena.

"What does that mean?" Lena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It means small fish or something like that," Sally replied, wondering what kind of person Alexei had dealt with all this time. "There must be some important people behind them."

"Well, let me find out," Lena said quietly, dialing the number. They waited as Xiǎo Yǔ answered on the second ring, voice sounding suspicious.

The voice on the other end spoke first, "Mister Allegretto, is our deal still good?"

Sally leaned forward slightly. "Deal? Yes, but we need to review the specifics before sending anything your way," she lied smoothly, probing deeper. "Can you meet us at a safe location tonight and discuss the details further?"

"I am not on the continent right now," he admitted hesitantly, "but I expect that you will have news on our acquisition by tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow evening then," Sally said firmly, knowing they needed to speed things along if they were going to intercept them. "I'll call you at six pm."

When Lena hung up, Sally nodded slowly. "It seems that Mr. Allegretto was dealing with the Chinese Empire, which could explain why Alexei was so interested in this case."

Sally smirked as she continued to scroll through the information in the phone. Messages, emails, and... a business address for Mr. Allegretto.

"Samantha, can you take us there?" Sally asked quietly, pulling her eyes away from the screen.

She glanced up. "Sure thing."

As they drove west through the city, Sally thought back over everything that had happened since the party began. There were more questions than answers - how did Zelenko get mixed up with something like this, and what kind of man was Alexei really?

They reached an office building in the middle of the night, lit only by security lights overhead. They followed Samantha inside and towards the elevator, waiting until it opened onto their floor before stepping out into the hallway.

"Good evening, Mr. Allegretto," said the guard at the desk when they approached, holding out his hand to stop them.

Sally smiled quickly. "They are with me, it is fine," she replied offhandedly, wondering how much authority she'd need to show around here. The guard glanced between them skeptically but decided against further argument, nodding and waving them through.

At the door, it took Sally a moment to figure out the lock, but eventually, it swung open. Inside, the entire office had been redone in mahogany and expensive artwork, hinting at the man's wealth. A small table sat near the window, with several chairs surrounding it. Lena motioned for Samantha to wait outside while following Sally into the room.

They waited patiently in silence as they heard footsteps in the hallway, finally turning to face three men who entered the room. Two were wearing suits, the third wore jeans and a simple white shirt; he held a black briefcase under his arm.

"All good?" one of the suits asked quietly, eyeing Allegretto suspiciously.

"Yes, we have an update on the code," Sally admitted, moving closer to the table.

The suit nodded slowly before speaking again. "Then let us discuss business."

"We have the location of the thief, Sarah Harris," the man holding the briefcase spoke slowly. "She stole Thompson's backup copy, analytics has identified her phone signal about a twenty miles away from here."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "You mean you haven't found her yet?"

"She's hard to track due to privacy settings, but we know where she's been."

"Give me the signal, I will take it from here," she said coolly

"We want half a million coins..." the other suit began.

"Too much considering the work we do for you," Sally replied. "I'm only here to get the buyer - don't complicate things further by asking too many questions."

Lena leaned against the wall silently as the two suited men frowned, obviously not used to being pushed around by somebody like Allegretto. The man with the briefcase remained quiet until finally speaking up. "Alright then... be careful with our package."

"Package?" Sally asked suddenly, realizing this could go either way.

"The buyer is coming tomorrow morning," the man explained quietly, eyes narrowing slightly. "We will wire the money as soon as everything goes through without any complications. One-point-three billion in ethercoin, just as agreed upon earlier."

Sally took a deep breath and smiled slightly before speaking again. "That sounds perfect."

---

The transponder hung on Samantha's dashboard, its screen showing Sarah Harris' exact location; they were close enough to follow her home if needed. Lena studied it intensely while driving, knowing that they were finally making some progress.

"One-point-three billion," Sally murmured quietly, turning back to face them.

Sally glanced sideways at Lena. "I had no idea that was how much Zelenko stood to make from selling the stolen code. Does he really need this kind of money?"

"I think he wants something more than just the money," Lena admitted slowly, pulling over to the side of the road so they could discuss their plan. "That kind of power, in his control..."

"Yeah... let me explain something to you," Sally said quickly. "Zelenko is going after the Phoenix Project for himself; that's why he doesn't care about the money right now." She paused a moment before continuing. "There are rumors of a project in China working on advanced body-swapping technology - immortality for whoever gets their hands on it first."

Lena frowned. "And what does he hope to gain from all of this?"

"Don't ask me that now; I don't know enough," Sally replied, lighting another cigarette. "Alexei could be planning to take over the world with immortal soldiers or something crazy like that."

"He needs your help then," Lena said slowly, taking another drag off her own cigarette.

Sally nodded in agreement. "Yeah, especially if we can get there first."

They waited for several minutes in silence as Lena thought about this, smoking cigarettes and watching the cars pass by outside. Eventually, she looked up at Sally.

"I wouldn't mind being a billionaire," Lena smirked.

"Let's go find Sarah before she disappears again," Sally said quietly, putting out her cigarette.

The drive took nearly an hour due to the darkness of the streets, but eventually, Samantha arrived at what appeared to be an abandoned gas station on a strip of old interstate. Back in the day, it would have been a bustling place, filled with truckers driving across the country. Now, amongst several long-abandoned vehicles one car remained, parked in the rear, and none of its lights were on inside.

Sally followed Lena towards the back, careful not to make too much noise while approaching the room. When the door opened easily, they found themselves staring into a small kitchen and living area.

Sarah Harris lay sleeping on the couch, her hair disheveled and eyes closed tightly. She seemed younger than Sally had expected, probably still in her early twenties. After a moment of quiet thought, Sally made her decision.

"Watch the door," Sally whispered to Lena, knowing she needed to act fast. She crept towards the girl, attempting to restrain her before she woke. Her old fingers curled around Sarah's arm, causing her to open her eyes wide in surprise.

She shoved Sally away, scrambling off the couch with every ounce of energy she had left. Sally's old body went crashing against a chair, watching helplessly as the girl reached for a gun lying nearby on the table.

"No!" Sally shouted quietly, grabbing at Sarah's hand just as it pulled the trigger.

---

Sally woke up in the back seat of Samantha's car. It took several moments to figure out where she was, or why her head hurt so badly. Once it faded, she saw Samantha staring at her in concern from the front seat.

"Shit! Lena is still inside," Sally muttered, getting out of the car quickly and rushing towards the entrance again. A multiple shots rang out as she approached the building - another shot later and everything fell silent once more.

Lena stood outside the door when Sally arrived, looking pale but okay.

"She headed out the back," Lena said slowly, holding up her gun. "I think I got one good shot at her."

Sally nodded silently, wondering if this could have gone worse. They followed the trail of blood across the parking lot until they found Sarah cowering nearby behind a rusted out truck. She looked like a wounded animal, covered in small puncture wounds and coughing weakly.

"Why did you do that?" Sally asked, kneeling beside her as she spoke.

Sarah smiled slightly through the pain. "Because... they'll stop at nothing to get me now."

"We know about Zelenko then?"

Sarah nodded tiredly. "He's after us both."

"But how did you hack into InverTech's system?"

"I was Thompson's assistant, and they didn't immediately freeze my account," Sarah said, struggling to take another breath before speaking again. "Thompson helped us steal his code back - or I should say, he told us where it was hidden after the fire..."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "And why would he help you? He could have just kept it for himself."

"He wanted revenge on InverTech because they ruined him financially. He knew we needed money too, and maybe thought this would be our chance for payback."

Sally could see the stain of blood soaking through Sarah's shirt. "How long ago was this?"

"Three days... they ambushed us," Sarah gasped softly.

"And who are 'they'?" Lena asked, standing over them with concern etched on her face.

The girl took a last gasp of air before speaking again. "Alexei Zelenko and his people; they caught up to us after we stole the code."

Sally knew then that Sarah was going to die. She reached into her pocket for the device, knowing she didn't have much time left now. But as she pressed its button, everything went white, and darkness took her once more.

---

The pain was incredible when Sally opened her eyes; she could feel the bullet in her stomach every time she moved, but she had no time to think about it. She quickly reached in to her pocket, and used face id to unlock Sarah's phone.

It beeped twice before loading into a screen full of information. There were emails from Marcus Thompson leading to their meeting location - a building near the airport. Several other messages indicated a hacker's identity, named "Dark Phoenix", which seemed like the real name behind the stolen code.

Sally smiled slightly at this revelation, even though it would be impossible to make it there without getting shot again. As she scrolled through Sarah's contacts, one name stood out: Zelenko. She knew he'd come after them as soon as he saw what happened here tonight.

Lena watched silently as Sally dialed the number, waiting until he answered.

"Zelenko," she said curtly.

"Sarah... have you finally come crawling back?" His voice low and sharp.

"No, I just wanted to tell you how things will go down tomorrow," Sally replied quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"There won't be any deal tomorrow evening as promised," Sally went on, ignoring his response. "Tomorrow night, Xiǎo Yǔ and Mr. Allegretto will meet me at a small café downtown - alone if they want the stolen code back. After that, I'll let you have Dark Phoenix' identity. I want half. That's six-hundred-and-fifty million ethercoins."

There was silence on the other end of the line for several moments before Zelenko spoke again. "I assume you really do have it now?"

"Yes, we do. And even if you try anything funny, Thompson will wipe your hard drives clean and make sure everyone knows where to find you," Sally lied smoothly.

Another pause on the other end of the line before Zelenko spoke again. "Alright then, I'm sending Ivan; he should arrive within an hour."

The cough was powerful, sending a spray of blood to cover the screen of the phone. Sally stared at her own body laying next to her for a moment as the world went grey.

---

The blackness of the late night surrounded Sally as she woke up next to Sarah's body. Lena sat beside her, eyes wide with surprise when she opened them.

"I need a smoke," Sally stammered out through her haze.

Lena smirked, pulling out a fresh pack of cigarettes and smacking it several times against her hand before pulling out a cigarette and admiring it briefly. "Lucky," she said, before flipping it over and putting it back in upside down. With practiced ease, she popped out one of the cigarettes with her thumb, offering it to Sally.

Sally raised an eyebrow. "Thanks... thanks a lot."

"Just don't smoke my lucky cigarette. Ivan will be here soon, we should get ready."

Sally quickly grabbed Sarah's phone and removed the security lock before it reactivated; wiping the blood off before texting Alexi their address, then removing the battery.

"We don't want it tracking, but we need more time to look over everything. We should get Allagretto's as well," Sally replied, handing the device to Lena carefully.

They waited outside for nearly an hour after that, watching nervously as the sun started to rise slowly above the horizon. Ivan arrived just as they began talking about leaving.

"He's coming," Lena whispered quietly, pulling out her gun and motioning for them to stay put.


// Chapter 5


Sally picked up Sarah's gun, and crouched behind a nearby jalopy, staring at Ivan as he approached from far away. His massive frame seemed even bigger as he walked towards them now, though he moved quietly enough considering its size. He had parked his sleek black SUV with tinted windows nearby, cast in the moonlight against the desert landscape beyond.

As he drew closer, past her hiding spot, Sally could see the barrel of a large gun slung over his shoulder along with a smaller pistol holstered in the front. This was a man who didn't hesitate when violence arose, and that scared her. She watched silently as he stopped a few feet away, eyes studying them like prey waiting to be slaughtered.

"I knew you'd try something," Ivan said smoothly, voice deep and menacing. "Come out Sarah."

"Is that you Ivan?" Lena asked, gun trembling slightly in her hand.

Sally stared at him, debating whether to keep quiet or jump this guy right here and now. But Alexei would probably send someone else if she got shot, so it was best to play along for now.

"Lena, what are you doing here?" he asked slowly, eyes locking on her.

Sally stood, looking at him coolly, "Our jobs. We tracked her here."

"And who is 'her'?" he asked, tilting his head to the side towards Sally.

"Sarah Harris, deceased," Sally replied, watching the tension rise in his expression. She pushed her luck, saying "Now it's your turn, what are you doing here?" trying not to sound too nervous herself.

Ivan took a step forward slowly, unshouldering the rifle, one finger resting on the trigger. The air grew thick with anticipation as he smiled coldly. "If I don't see Sarah, I kill you both."

Lena raised her pistol suddenly; there was a slient chirp from the rifle. Lena stumbled backwards, clutching her shoulder as blood spurted through her fingers. They watched silently as she fell onto the pavement, her vision fading.

Time seemed to slow down then, but Sally knew she had to act fast before Ivan could turn. She grabbed the device and pressed its button, vaulting over the vehicle towards Ivan, reaching, waiting until everything went white once more. When it faded, she found herself not back inside Ivan's body again.

---

The datasheet that accompanies every Latent Connection™, like all government technology, comes printed on paper and is quite thick. Inside has details on how to use the technology safely, and to prevent health risks such as coma after three days of continued use. On the third page, immediately following the military security classification notices, in bold text, is a warning that states *do not under any circumstances attempt to create an interconnect session with a single individual on multiple consecutive occasions*.

Her friend had never really elaborated on what this meant, and she had been wary due to having read the warning in bold text. But now, Sally felt it - an excruciating pain growing inbetween her eyes spreading like a fire. The world darkened around her even though her eyes were still open.

Ivan looked up at the sky above them, staring blankly at the sun as it rose higher. It didn't take long for him to feel the agony burning his insides; his own face contorted with each breath as he tried to withstand the pain. "Wha..!" He dropped to his knees and began vomiting wildly all over the pavement while gasping for air between fits of coughing.

Sally could feel the blood running down her face. It was coming from her nose, eyes, and ears as she struggled to remain conscious long enough to do something about Lena. Ivan's massive frame shook uncontrollably as he continued throwing up onto the ground, his eyes bulging out of his head.

Lena, stunned but alive, stared weakly at Ivan before reaching for her gun on the pavement. She rolled onto her side slowly, unable to move much more than that due to the bullet having decimated her shoulder. Sally's vision narrowed further until it seemed like everything was a red haze around Ivan's quivering body.

The gun still lay on the ground nearby when Ivan extended his arms, unleashing a roar, convulsing violently. Sally forced herself to crawl closer, hoping against hope that they weren't too late to help Lena, knowing that there wasn't much time left for her either after this double swap.

Lena reached out desperately, trying to grab the gun again with one hand, dragging her other arm limp behind her. When her fingers brushed against its handle, she pulled it close and looked up at Sally briefly, struggling to speak through her pain. "I'm sorry," she whispered, gun shaking slightly as she aimed at Ivan.

Sally nodded silently, watching as Lena fired three times into Ivan's chest before collapsing onto her back. The massive body stopped shuddering immediately, collapsing backwards; Ivan lay motionless now, face up, blood pooling around him from the holes in his chest.

The world went dark then, and everything faded away as the clock struck six am; the dawn beginning to streak the sky with it's light.

---

Oh, such a pleasant dream... Is someone shaking me?

---

She opened her eyes slowly, staring upwards at Samantha's worried face peering down at her. "Sally! Lena's dead! Wake up! It's been almost an hour."

Sally groaned softly, stretching out a numb hand towards her cigarettes. She found them empty and tossed them aside, wondering what Samantha meant by Lena being dead. Her stomach cramped painfully as she sat up, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Lena was dead...

She glanced around the parking lot where she was laying. So many bodies... So much blood. The sun had risen further into the sky now, revealing the true extent of the carnage here. Sally stumbled to her feet, looking over at Ivan lying nearby - his bulging dead eyes staring at the sky, and bullet holes in his chest.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, starting to feel weak once more.

"Look for yourself," Samantha replied, voice trembling with concern.

"Oh Lena... I'm so sorry." Sally whispered, falling to her knees beside the woman who had saved her life.

Sally reached out gently to close Lena's eyes, tears welling up in her own as she spoke again. "I know it hurts right now, but we have to keep pushing - that's our only chance left."

Samantha nodded silently, helping Sally back to her feet before leading her towards the car. As they drove away from the deserted gas station, Sally knew this case just got complicated; Alexei would be furious when he found out Ivan was dead, especially since he sent him personally.

The drive home was quiet, filled with sorrow and regret for those lost at the gas station. InverTech could keep its code; all Sarah wanted was revenge for getting caught up in Zelenko's world.

At the motel, Sally was surprised to see Dr. Wirth waiting for them, looking excited. He didn't leave her wondering long.

"You will be happy to know, I was looking through InverTech's system and retrieved several emails with a new identity attached - 'Dark Phoenix'. It's an outside private consultantcy known as the Phoenix Group."

Sally took a deep breath before speaking again. "So where do they meet?"

"They have offices in North Vegas, near the airport," he replied slowly. "I... I really thought I was on to something when I heard about this case last night... You girls are very dangerous, you know that? Where is your friend Lena? She deserves my thanks too..."

"We can discuss that later," Sally said quietly, feeling tired once more.

Dr. Wirth raised an eyebrow, glancing between them suspiciously. "This is far beyond anything corporate espionage or even government work."

"Yeah, well, sometimes you just get mixed up in things like this," Sally admitted. "I don't suppose you could help me, one last time? How are you at photo editing?"

---

The drive to the Phoenix Group seemed quiet, though Samantha kept glancing over at Sally suspiciously. Sally had given Dr. Wirth copies of the cellphones she had acquired; hopefully between Sarah and Allegretto's data there is something that can help. Ivan's phone had just been a burner, and had zero calls.

"Wait nearby. I'll call your burner phone if I need backup," Sally said finally, turning to Samantha.

Samantha nodded slowly, dropping Sally off several blocks away from the office building before driving off quickly. The sun still hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow across the pavement as Sally walked towards the building.

Vegas in the afternoon was always a bit surreal - people trying to avoid the roasting heat, enjoying escaping to whatever pockets of wetness or coolness man had crafted in the desert. But inside the Phoenix Group, everything was quiet except for computers humming softly in the background.

She entered wearing corporate chic attire, with an air of authority, nodding to the receptionist as she approached, but walking by without saying a word. There were no security cameras here, but that wouldn't stop her once she got inside anyway.

She moved through the halls slowly, looking for any clues about who might be able to help her. Most employees were busy typing on their laptops or talking to colleagues; Sally could feel the tension in the room as they noticed her walking around.

When someone asked what she wanted, she flashed her fake ID, stating she needed to speak with somebody about the Bellagio party last night. "They owe me money, and I'm here to collect."

A handsome man in his early thirties approached, smiling. "Ah, Miss...", he extended his hand. "I'm Richard Lee, operations manager at the Phoenix Group. You're here for some sort of business deal?"

"Yes... I was at a party with a mister Thompson and he said that I would get paid soon," Sally replied smoothly. She waited until they reached the elevator before speaking again. "And your boss will know everything about the deal, right?"

"He probably does now that you mention it," Richard smiled slightly, pressing the button for the top floor. "Lets go to my office and discuss this further."

They entered a modern office filled with computers and papers. He motioned towards one of the desks and a chair opposite him. As he sat down, Sally couldn't help but stare at Richard's features - very good-looking, almost too perfect.

"I am not sure what kind of money you are expecting," Richard began after a moment, studying Sally's face carefully, "but we never had any dealings with Marcus Thompson."

Sally smirked, "I never said his name was Marcus." She took out her phone, holding up a picture of the old man. "Tell me something. Did you send this man an email saying 'Meet us outside the Bellagio at midnight?'"

Richard stared at the photo in horror before glancing around his office nervously. "How did you even get this?" he whispered.

"Oh, that's the question," she says coyly, extending her hand out onto the desk. "Hold my hand, and let me tell you your future."

He looked hesitant but eventually placed his hand over hers. Sally could feel his pulse as she stared into his eyes and hit the button on her device. When everything went white, she felt herself pulled from her own body once more; it happened faster this time and without the pain.

She found herself standing in Richard Lee's body, shocked by how healthy and strong he was compared to Allegretto. She looked across the desk at her own slumped figure, smiling quietly as the clock struck four pm.

"Alright, lets see what we have here," Sally said in Richard's his deep voice, as she opened up his computer and started browsing through emails again. There were several mentions of the Phoenix Project hidden amongst his business communications, one that stood out particularly: "The master copy is of course airgapped and secure in the lab vault."

Sally raised an eyebrow at this comment, wondering about the significance. After a few minutes of searching, she found threads about the lab (which was in the basement), the vault, security precautions, and... Richard's access badge, right there on the desk.

Scanning his phone, she pokes through his encryption signatures. There is a funny name, linked to a deleted folder: 'DKPHX'.

"Oh look at you Sally," she said, looking at herself slumped over in the chair in front of her, "I think you found something special this time." She felt odd as she stuffed her own unconcious body in Richard's private executive bathroom, knowing they would need to leave soon if they wanted to escape with any data.

As she walked through the halls, she adopted Richard's posturing and mannerisms; every step and gesture seemed fluid in this body. The receptionist gave Sally a big smile as she entered and began fiddling with her hair.

---

Swiping Richard's badge at the elevator took a moment but eventually, the doors parted, leading them downwards to the basement where the lab lay. The doors closed with a hiss before opening onto a narrow corridor with dim lights lining its walls, leading towards a steel door with a small keypad on it. A green light blinked softly above the lock as Sally punched in the code from Richard's email.

When it swung open, the room inside was filled with computers humming in racks, along with several small rooms for analysis. Sally could feel the security cameras here, and knew they had only minutes left before being discovered.

She moved quickly around the lab, looking for the one thing that mattered most - the master copy of the stolen Phoenix Project. She walked down the corridor, entering in to a large room.

The geodesic structure was made out of some semi-translucent metal permeated by wires and devices all over; this must be the vault. Sally stared hard at the entrance, wondering how she could get inside without getting caught. It took a few minutes to spot a tiny screen embedded into the wall nearby, scanning fingers. As soon as her thumb touched it, a soft beep sounded and the doors parted slightly before swinging open.

Inside, there were rows upon rows of servers, their silent whirring filling the room with a constant hum. In the center stood a desk with a small safe behind it, complete with another fingerprint scanner beside it. The clock struck five pm outside when Sally approached the desk. "Well... I do think we're running short on time," she said quietly, staring at the safe and its locked dial.

Sally raised an eyebrow, trying not to panic as they reached for the dial. They turned it carefully, knowing they didn't have much time left now. After several moments, it opened slowly, revealing a gold datastick inside with a hand-written label reading: "Personal Hermatian Orthonormal Exchange Neural Identity X - b915733".

"Ah, we did it!" Sally smiled silently, slipping the stick into her pocket. But she knew the building would be filled with armed guards soon enough; Richard's absence would be noticed before long.

She raced back upstairs. The receptionist had left for the day, but the night watchman caught sight of her entering the lobby. Quickly, Sally took note of his name from his badge.

"John, hey... I had a client come in late. She'll be down. Just let her by, yeah buddy? You know how it is."

The man nodded slowly, eyes studying her face before giving a friendly smile. "Of course, Richard. Goodnight!"

As she headed back to Richard's office, she was almost skipping with excitement - they made it out! She closed the door behind her and switched bodies again, collapsing onto the couch in relief.

Back in her own body, she pulled out her phone and dialed Samantha as she quickly opened up the master copy.

"Sally, are you there?" Samantha asked worriedly on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, we got everything," Sally admitted quietly.

"I'll be there in five minutes," Samantha said, voice tense with concern.

Sally thought about this for a moment as she walked through the lobby, having left the guard amused and befuddled with her wave and "Goodnight John! See you tomorrow." The clock struck five-fifteen pm when she reached the car.

Sally leaned back in her seat, lit a cigarette, and stared hard at the ceiling as the clock struck five-thirty pm. Samantha scowled and cracked the window, but didn't say anything.

Next up was Xiǎo Yǔ, meeting them downtown tonight as promised. Or, supposedly meeting Alegretto at six pm. She pulled out Alegretto's phone, confirming the address for the meet.

"Thanks for your help Samantha. Drop me off at this address."

"Why so early?"

"Just an old friend of mine is waiting here. Go home, rest a while."

---

By 5:45, Sally sat outside the café where the meeting would take place, feeling exhausted from everything that had happened today. She took one last drag off her cigarette before flicking it away into the gutter. As the clock struck six, a sleek black SUV rolled to a stop in front of her.

She should have gotten some coffee.

She recognized them. The two men in suits didn't hesitate once they stepped out of the vehicle, walking confidently into the café without looking around. Sally recognized them immediately as Mr. Allegretto's associates who were at the party - their faces seemed darker now with suspicion. When they spotted her, they approached cautiously, guns drawn.

"I am not Alexei Zelenko," Sally said quietly, raising her hands in surrender. "I killed Ivan... I'm here to collect the stolen code. I think you know that."

The larger man looked puzzled for a moment before speaking again. "We are expecting someone else," he admitted slowly.

Sally smiled silently, she could tell by the look on their faces that they knew of Allegretto's disappearance already. There was something about these guys that screamed organized crime.

"My name is Sarah Harris," she began, taking a deep breath and staring hard at their eyes. "Alexei sent you for this code today."

They exchanged glances once more before finally lowering their weapons slowly. "Alright then. You have it?" one of them asked hesitantly.

"And you are?" Sally replied coolly, keeping her hands up where they could see them. They didn't answer quickly; instead, they moved closer cautiously until standing beside her.

"Alright then," Sally said, pulling out Sarah's phone and holding up the identification card, with Sally's hacked photo displaying in place of the original. "You can call your boss to confirm my identity." She waited patiently while they conferred, hoping they wouldn't try anything stupid.

After several minutes, the larger man nodded slightly. "Sarah Harris then, are you going to deliver the Phoenix Project?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Where is Xiǎo Yǔ? He was supposed to meet me here, not you errand boys."

"He's waiting inside," the smaller man spoke carefully.

Sally smiled silently, moving towards the café door. The large man followed closely behind as she entered, watching his partner approach the SUV. Once inside, she took a seat at a table near the back, leaving the door open to let in some fresh air.

Xiǎo Yǔ stepped into the dim lighting, walking confidently over to Sally and sitting across from her without speaking. Sally recognized him immediately - he was the eldest of the Asian men from the party last night, looking more menacing now with his gun resting on the table in front of him.

"So... are we having business?" Xiǎo Yǔ asked suddenly, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes, we are," Sally admitted quietly, trying not to show any emotion on her face. "A pleasant chat."

Xiǎo Yǔ raised an eyebrow at this comment, but nodded slowly. "Alright then. Let's discuss it further."

"You are a businessman, what kind of value can one put on immortality?"

"Too high to measure," Xiǎo Yǔ replied coolly, reaching into his pocket for something small before placing it on the table. It was a black orb that seemed like a marble, pulsing softly with a red glow.

Sally stared hard at it, wondering if this was part of China's body-swapping project. She tried not to act too suspicious.

"I must admit, I am surprised that you are the one showing up tonight instead of Allegretto," Xiǎo Yǔ said slowly, eyes locking onto hers. He smiled coldly as they waited patiently. "Instead we see who the true players are behind this acquisition."

"This is me showing respect - whoever you meet next won't be so polite," Sally replied smoothly. Xiǎo Yǔ raised an eyebrow at her words but didn't speak again. The silence stretched out between them until finally, Sally took another drag off her cigarette and spoke once more.

"And now that we have that out of the way... let's talk about the buyer. We both know there can only be one person or group buying this code."

Xiǎo Yǔ leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. "We've done business with many people in Vegas, Ms. Harris. People who wanted to buy immortality for themselves or their families..."

"Or armies?" Sally asked quietly, watching carefully as he looked away from her.

He nodded slowly, voice dripping with malice. "Yes, some like the idea of eternal life; others want eternal power." He paused a moment before continuing. "We worked with several buyers who had those goals - it seemed almost too good to be true that Mr. Zelenko found us though..."

"He knows what he wants," Sally replied smoothly. "A lot of money changed hands for this code already."

Xiǎo Yǔ leaned forward suddenly, resting his gun on the table once more. "And here's why I can't give you anything yet. It was stolen by someone else; the buyer won't trust anyone who stole it first."

Sally stared hard into his eyes, trying not to show any emotion on her face. "So, how do we negotiate then?"

"Our buyer has people around the world waiting for this information to be delivered," Xiǎo Yǔ began quietly. "They will pay one-point-three billion ethercoin if everything is in order. If you sell it anywhere else, they'll hunt you down until you're dead."

"And if I don't deliver?" Sally asked, taking another drag off her cigarette.

Xiǎo Yǔ smiled coldly at this question. "I think you'd find death more painful than you ever thought possible. You emerged from the shadows Ms. Harris... but even shadows have a price sometimes."

Sally blew out smoke into the air, staring hard at him. She knew she needed to get out of here quickly - her watch showed six-thirty and it wouldn't be long before somebody came looking for her.

"Alright then," she said finally. "If everything checks out as promised, I'll make sure that your buyer gets exactly what they want. And when they do, I'll take my payment."

Xiǎo Yǔ nodded slowly, picking up his orb and placing it back in his pocket. "Deal." He stood up slowly, glancing between them before speaking again. "Mr. Zelenko will no doubt be angry with me for bringing you instead of Allegretto."

"That's his problem," Sally replied coolly, moving towards the door.

She stepped outside as he returned to the SUV, gun still resting on its holster. After watching him drive away, she lit another cigarette and pulled out her phone. It rang once before ringing again; Alexei answered on the second ring.

"Alexei. Just checking in... I have looked everywhere, but I can't find this bitch Harris anywhere!"


// Chapter 6


Alexei's voice was laced with frustration. "I... I sent Ivan to pick up Sarah out near the desert last night, and now he's not answering his phone. We have to assume something bad happened." There was a pause on the other end of the line before he spoke again. "I have another task for you. Find out what happened to Ivan and bring his body back here immediately."

Sally raised an eyebrow at this comment, wondering what Zelenko planned to do if Ivan didn't return.

"I'll take care of it," Sally said quietly, "send me the address." Taking one last drag off her cigarette before hanging up. She turned around and walked into the darkness, knowing there were things going on that even she couldn't see yet.

---

Her rideshare dropped her off a mile down the road from her real destination, and she arrived at the abandoned gas station at nine, the sun just a former memory on the skyline. Sally stared at the bodies lying in front of her, wishing she could go home but knowing this wasn't over yet. 

"Oh Lena..." she whispered softly, reaching down to touch the girl's cold skin. The flies buzzed around them in the evening heat, their bodies bulging from baking in the sun for so long.

It felt like forever since Lena had been killed - they still lay on the concrete, dried blood and baked carnage everywhere.

Sarah was propped up against the bumper of the car, slumped over, rigid body collapsing forward. Lena's shoulder was completely gone; the bullet wound deep and the back side missing. Sally looked over at Ivan's massive frame as she jerked his rifle from his death-grip hands.

It was a cold-looking thing, laying in the moonlight beside them. She set it down as she inspected it, letting it rest on a worn-out bench. Sally lit another cigarette between her lips as she blew it out carefully into the night.

"Alright then," she said softly, feeling empty once again as she took a picture of Ivan's body, sending it to Alexei, captioned with the text "no sign of Sarah".

She thought about this for a moment before sending, staring out at the stars which twinkled in the dark.

The night wore off slowly, leaving behind only darkness. She was exhausted, disoriented, her mind filled with memories of Ivan and Sarah and Allegretto. Being in them, as they died made her feel like a ghost somehow, walking among people who knew nothing of her true identity.

She walked back through the office hallways, checking Allegretto's corpse, searching for clues, remembering how things looked when she first entered it; and poor Lena. It wasn't often you met a partner and immediately had that chemistry.

Sally reached the door where everything began - where Lena was shot - and found herself outside Ivan's black SUV without even realizing what she'd done. It must have been an automated reaction because Ivan's gun rested in her hand now, along with the keys to the vehicle.

"I guess you're not going home tonight," Sally said quietly to Ivan's corpse on the pavement, getting into the driver's side of the SUV.

She drove towards the desert after that, wondering about the aftermath of all the events. There would be new masters of the city soon enough; Vegas wouldn't stay quiet for long if Zelenko couldn't find out what happened to Ivan or his code.

Eventually, she pulled over by a dry riverbed and got out, letting the cool night air fill her lungs as she gazed up at the stars.

As she lay on the ground, her eyes closed tightly, thinking about Lena... Everything went black, and darkness consumed her once more.

---

Vegas awoke slowly the next morning, filled with sounds of traffic passing along the strip and sirens echoing through the sky. The sun rose higher, casting shadows across the pavement as Sally opened her eyes, waking inside the SUV again. She had slept well in to the morning, and the interior was like a sauna now, so hot it made her sweat.

The plan had come to her the moment she opened her eyes. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she made the call to Samantha.

"Sam, please pick up Dr. Wirth and meet me at the motel. There is a golden datastick under your passenger seat I forgot yesterday, bring that up with you too."

Sally arrived back at the motel at eleven am, and was feeling tired but clean after a shower. She walked out in a robe as she towel-dried her hair.

"Thank you both for coming so quickly," Sally said quietly as they entered, looking around the room once more before speaking again. "We need to take care of some things here first."

Dr. Wirth scoffed, "I have already risked my neck once by helping you girls - I don't see why this is any different!"

"I need your help one last time," Sally admitted quietly. "There are three things I set out at the beginning to solve: One, figure out who hacked into InverTech's system; two, how Zelenko got mixed up in this mess; and three, what happened to the stolen code."

After a pause, he nodded slowly. "Alright then... what do we know?"

"Well, let's start with Sarah Harris and Marcus Thompson. They stole his backup copy from the lab vault on the night of the fire. Thompson was the mastermind behind the hack since he knew who would want revenge against InverTech for not saving any of his files when the building went up in flames," Sally began quietly. "As for how Alexei got involved, I think he saw an opportunity too good to pass up."

Samantha raised an eyebrow. "And the third question?"

"That's the part we still have to find out," Sally replied. "Dr. Wirth, did you learn anything from Sarah's phone?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing concrete about Dark Phoenix or their identity. Whoever sent those emails to Thompson just told us to meet them outside the Bellagio."

"What about where she could have stashed the stolen code?" Samantha asked.

"Nothing concrete either..." Dr. Wirth admitted slowly. "Just Sarah's emails and her encrypted files."

"Doc, if I had a copy of the original code that was encrypted, would that help you?"

"I might be able to crack it, yeah," Dr. Wirth said quickly.

Sally looked between them before speaking again. "I think that's our best bet."

She held out her hand to Samantha, "The datastick, please,"

Samantha handed it over hesitantly after a moment. When Dr. Wirth received it, his eyes lit up excitedly. "This is incredible!" he exclaimed quietly, staring hard at the device.

It took him twenty minutes to start working through its contents - a small smile forming on his face as he found something. Eventually, he nodded in agreement with himself, turning to speak.

"This must be what they stole; it looks like an encryption key for another drive containing the full master copy of the Phoenix Project. We just need to compare it with Sarah's files and we should be able to figure out where she hid it."

After several hours of work, Samantha walked into the room, holding a cup of coffee for everyone before taking a seat by herself. The tension rose in the air as Dr. Wirth finally spoke again.

"The code is hidden... in one of Sarah's encrypted folders," Sally said quietly. She leaned forward slightly. "There's only one folder left unopened here; let's see if this matches up."

Dr. Wirth turned back to his screen as everybody waited patiently. Several minutes later, he leaned back in his chair with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"It does! The code seems intact inside..."

Sally smiled slowly, feeling something close. "And what about its location?"

"Ah, that's the good part..." he replied quietly. "An old server near Nellis Air Force Base was wiped clean and then reused as storage for Sarah's stolen code."

"And how did you figure that out?" Samantha asked curiously.

"I found an email between Thompson and Dark Phoenix mentioning the server by name, and there was a key in Sarah's secure tunnel authorizations that had the name, so the IP was right there," Dr. Wirth explained.

Sally looked over at her, knowing time was running out quickly. "We have to go get it now - before Zelenko finds out where it is too."

They drove towards the base after that, not wanting to waste any more time. Once they arrived, Sally stepped out while Samantha waited nervously in Ivan's SUV.

The sun shone brightly overhead, casting shadows across the pavement as she approached the security desk inside. She didn't have time to screw around today - things were closing in fast enough without delay.

As she passed through the doors, she noticed a guard standing nearby, watching her walk by. This would be easier than expected.

She took another drag off her cigarette before speaking again. "You know, I thought I saw you around somewhere last night."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so..."

She lit another one casually, walking closer to him. "What do you say we make sure of that?"

He seemed nervous but still nodded slowly, eyeing her body hungrily. After a few moments, he spoke up. "Alright... let's go into the closet down here and see." He led her further back until they reached a small room with some cleaning supplies. Sally motioned for him to stand opposite her, waiting patiently as he removed his gun from its holster.

When he leaned forward suddenly, she pressed the button on the device, feeling everything fade to white once more. When it faded, she found herself in his body, looking down at her own form slumped against the wall.

"Time to move," Sally said, staring hard at her own face before grabbing her gun and slipping it into his waistband. They left quickly, knowing every minute counted now.

Inside the server room, Sally raised an eyebrow as she examined the rows of humming computers. There was no way to tell which one held the stolen code without getting really close; and time wasn't on their side anymore.

Sally moved cautiously towards them, trying not to shake, knowing she could be caught any moment. Finally, after several minutes of searching, she spotted a terminal. She leaned over carefully, her hand reaching out slowly for the keyboard.

The clock struck three pm as she started typing frantically, heart pounding in her chest. The computer beeped softly when the files loaded onto its screen, revealing the stolen code nestled deep inside a folder.

Sally smiled silently, pulling the fresh datastick out from her pocket. She typed rapidly again, creating an encrypted copy on this device and deleting all trace of the stolen code from the server before putting it away again.

They left Nellis Air Force Base quickly after that, driving back to Vegas while feeling elated but tired. As they cruised down the road, Sally lit another cigarette, wondering what would happen once Zelenko found out what happened.

"Excuse me, ladies. There is another SUV that has been following us since we left."

She turned around to see Dr. Wirth's worried face in the rearview mirror. "It must be Alexei," he said quietly, eyes locking onto the vehicle behind them.

"Can you lose them, Sam?" Sally asked calmly, watching as the SUV pulled closer.

"I think so..."

"We have to lose them, Sam!"

The chase began at 3:40 pm as the two vehicles roared down the four-lane suburban parkway, surrounded by light midday traffic. it took only two seconds for the SUV to gain speed and catch up to their own ride, swerving in front of Samantha's car and slamming on its brakes. Looking at Samantha, the young woman's eyes wide with focus and a death grip on the steering wheel, Sally braced hard for impact - Samantha suddenly slammed hard left, maneuvering her vehicle away from the collision by veering sharply into oncoming traffic.

The SUV followed suit, though its massive frame couldn't make the same turn so smoothly, smashing into a pickup truck as it attempted to rejoin it's pursuit.

Cars honked loudly as vehicles screeched past, weaving out of the way to avoid the wreckage. Another SUV had pulled out onto the street, joining the pursuit along with three black motorcycles. The group of them sped off like wild animals, tearing through downtown Vegas.

Sally watched anxiously as they followed closely, hoping Samantha could shake these guys.

"This is crazy," Samantha said quietly, watching anxiously as she tried to keep pace with their pursuers.

They roared through a red light, when suddenly another motorcycle appeared from a side road, heading straight for them. They managed to swerve around it, but not without losing control of the wheel - crashing through a lamp post and down into the bushes beyond; Samantha tracing the jogging trail until it exited into a neighborhood.

The other motorcycles cut around this new obstacle quickly, picking up speed as they approached again. Dr. Wirth was thrown against his seatbelt when one of them swerved in front of their vehicle, blocking their path.

"They are going to kill us!" he exclaimed loudly.

As Samantha blew through the bike and it's rider, she sped through the twists and turns with the bikes in hot pursit. Finally, approaching the exit, she flew out of the neigborhood back on to the main road. Samantha, adrenaline fuled, weaved through traffic as she tried to evade her pursuers. Behind them, Sally saw the SUV's had rejoined.

Grimacing, Sally reached down to the floorboard in the back. "Doc, lift your feet!"

As she raised Ivan's rifle from the backseat floorboard, bracing herself against hear seat as she brought the scope in focus. The vehicles were too fast now; she'd never hit anything at this distance, but  caught sight of Alexei himself behind the wheel of the SUV leading the chase.

"Sam... go left," Sally said calmly, leaning forward slightly as she pulled the trigger.

The rear glass of their SUV exploded.

She missed the first two shots, but the third slammed into the trailing SUV's windshield, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. As the vehicle lost control, it veered off the road and crashed through a chain-link fence nearby, stopping several feet away.

Samantha sped up, trying to lose them once more as the motorcycles continued speeding alongside. After a few minutes, they reached the highway, weaving between cars quickly enough to evade any collisions.

As they approached the strip, a black limousine emerged from nowhere, pulling over to block the highway - creating a bottleneck that slowed everything down. As the motorcycles closed in, one of them pulled up beside them and jumped onto the hood of Samantha's car.

Sally fired another shot, hitting him right in the chest before he fell screaming into the pavement. Two more pulled up beside them in a flash of steel, firing wildly with their machine guns. They waited patiently until they passed by, knowing she wouldn't be able to take them out like this again.

"This is insane!" Dr. Wirth shouted, covering his head as bullets whizzed past.

"I know," Sally replied calmly, taking aim at the motorcycle as it came close enough to grab on. She missed its rider completely, hitting the handlebars instead and causing it to careen off the road.

They had made it this far though, barely staying alive as the sun dipped lower into the sky. By four pm, Samantha was leading the pursuers further away from downtown towards the outskirts of the city, leaving everything behind except for a couple of gas stations.

After another ten minutes, the motorcycles had fallen back out of firing range, joining the SUV that trailed behind at a distance now, realizing it was just a matter of time before they ran out of gas.

"We can't keep running forever," Sally said, with a grimace.

"Where are we going?" Samantha asked, eyes locked onto the rearview mirror as they passed by another dilapidated building.

"There's an old airstrip nearby where I know Zelenko keeps some aircraft," Sally replied quickly, knowing it was only a matter of time before Alexei sent people after them in the air if they couldn't catch them on the ground.

Once they turned down an abandoned street lined with rundown buildings, Sally leaned forward and spoke quietly.

The chase slowed noticeably when Samantha took a wrong turn, the motorcycles turning back around almost immediately. As they approached the airport, Sally lit another cigarette, closing her eyes and savoring the moment, her mind clear.

Finally, Samantha reached the old airstrip, speeding across the dirt runway towards several small planes parked nearby. When they neared one of them, she pulled over sharply, nearly driving off the side of the strip.

"That one!" Sally yelled, pointing towards a plane with it's hatch open.

Samantha braked hard just in front of the propeller plane, throwing Dr. Wirth against his seatbelt once more. They ran towards it quickly, knowing Alexei would be there in moments with his men.

As they boarded without hesitation, the first motorcycle roared past them, followed by two others and then the SUV. Its doors swung open as everyone exited, guns drawn.

Sally fired again and again from Ivan's rifle, keeping them at bay until she emptied its magazine. After reloading, she ducked behind the plane to avoid the hail of bullets coming back at her.

"Get this thing off of the ground! Now!" Sally shouted desperately to Samantha, loading another magazine into the rifle.

Samantha looked up nervously as she started the engine, glancing over to see Sally hiding beside the plane while firing wildly into the air. Another bullet grazed Sally's leg - hitting the dirt outside instead, causing her to cry out in pain.

With a roar of engines, they lifted off, leaving everything below them as they soared towards the horizon.


// Chapter 7


The sun dipped lower into the sky, casting shadows across the desert as Sally leaned against the window, watching the airstrip disappear beneath them. The adrenaline had finally worn off; now it was just exhaustion and pain that filled her body.

When she finally turned around, Dr. Wirth stared hard at her, eyes haunted with concern. "Sally, your leg..."

She didn't reply at first, staring blindly into the distance. Once she realized what he said, she glanced down slowly to see blood spreading through her pant-leg. It was deep, but not life-threatening.

"I'm fine," she lied, leaning forward slightly before looking back out the window.

"I'm not a medical doctor, but... we need to do something about that soon," he replied quietly. She didn't answer for several minutes, lost in thought.

"Fine, take care of me then."

They landed in El Paso half an hour later, taxying onto a small strip beside several other private planes. They were greeted by a woman who boarded quickly, eyeing Dr. Wirth suspiciously.

"We don't have much time left here," Sally admitted quietly, handing him his bag after he got off.

"What is going on?" Dr. Wirth asked nervously, glancing between Samantha and the mysterious woman.

"There's someone who owes me money here," Sally said quietly. "He'll fix my leg and help us disappear forever."

"How far from here?" Dr. Wirth asked quietly.

"About twenty miles," the woman replied coldly.

Dr. Wirth looked between them curiously, raising an eyebrow as they were led to several donkeys waiting nearby. After mounting one of them, Sally took Ivan's rifle, knowing they wouldn't be back this way anytime soon enough to cause trouble.

It took nearly two hours of riding through the desert sun to reach their destination; it felt like a hundred years for Sally. The pain in her leg was excruciating now, making every bump of the trail feel like a nail through her skin.

Eventually, they reached a small ranch house nestled amidst the cacti and rock formations. When she stepped inside, there was nobody home except for a middle-aged man sleeping on a couch, snoring softly with his mouth open.

Sally walked over slowly, feeling pain radiating up her body. Finally, she nudged him awake gently, taking another drag off her cigarette before speaking again.

"Hey Joe... wake up." He groaned softly when he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stared at her.

"I know you owe me money, Joe..." Sally admitted quietly. "I need your help fixing this, then we're gone."

Joe smiled slightly, looking over at Dr. Wirth hesitantly. "Janet? Who are these people?"

"Dr. Feldstein is our friend - this is Torri," Sally replied quickly.

Samantha, clearing her throat, "No.. Janet. Hi, Joe is it?" She smiles at him, "You can call me Samantha."

He nodded slowly, standing up and leading them through the house towards a kitchen. Sally couldn't walk without wincing in pain anymore, but she followed quietly as best as she could.

He examined her leg carefully after that, muttering to himself under his breath as he worked. After several minutes, he pulled out his knife and sliced through her pant-leg carefully.

"It's clean," he said finally, before stitching up the wound and covering it with a bandage. "I think you'll live."

The rest of the night wore on slowly, filled with pain, quiet tension and memories of everything that had happened in the last few days.

"You gonna stay the night Janet? You and your friends?" Joe asked once Dr. Wirth fell asleep on one of the couches.

"I think so... thanks for your help," Sally replied quietly, leaning against the table tiredly.

"You can't smoke in here though," Joe said with a smile.

She nodded silently, flicking the cigarette into an old bucket outside. As she lit another one, she watched the stars appearing in the sky above them, knowing it would be good place to lay low.

Sally woke up the next morning at ten am, feeling a little better but still in pain. Dr. Wirth was already awake, eyeing her gently as she walked over to sit down beside him.

"Thanks for fixing my leg," she began quietly, watching as he looked away from her.

"No problem really... I'm just glad this is over," he replied, trying not to show how exhausted he was. "But what happens now?"

"I'm going to disappear forever; there's no reason for me to come back." She paused a moment before continuing. "You too; maybe go far away for a while."

Dr. Wirth stared hard at her. "I suppose this is what happens, when you think you are going to make an easy payday."

She raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Easier than it was? Not quite."

After several minutes of silence, Dr. Wirth spoke again. "Maybe we'll see each other someday then?"

Sally smiled slightly, wondering if that would ever happen. "Yeah, maybe."

"They are all going to hunt us down."

"I know," she admitted quietly. "Especially Zelenko - he won't stop until I die, unless you want to help me, one last time?" Sally asked quietly.

He nodded slowly, looking around the room as they thought about it carefully. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Alright, but you need to heal before we do anything."

---

That night was quiet, filled with food and talk as everybody tried to make the most of their time together. The next morning, Sally slept in heavily until Dr. Wirth woke her up gently.

"Hey Janet... we need to get started today," he said softly, watching as she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Sally rose slowly from the bed, feeling her leg throb more than usual. After dressing quickly, they went outside where Samantha and Joe were waiting patiently. Dr. Wirth sat down beside them as Sally took another drag off her cigarette, staring out across the desert.

"It's time for us to part ways now," Sally began quietly. "This whole thing only works if you can pull this off."

Dr. Wirth raised an eyebrow. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"

Sally smiled slightly at his question. "I want you to create a fake copy of the stolen code - but install a virus that destroys any computer that runs it after one use. There is no point in keeping it if Alexei finds our hideout somehow..."

"You plan on staying here forever?" he asked skeptically.

She nodded silently, knowing they needed to be careful here. "We should all go for a walk first."

They followed Samantha and Joe through the cacti towards some old mountainside in the distance. It was a hot and dusty hike, filled with silence as they tried to think about their future without speaking of it. After they reached a clearing, Sally turned around slowly.

"I owe you guys everything; my life changed after we met." She looked at Dr. Wirth before continuing. "You two deserve better than me though; go wherever you like, make new lives for yourselves."

After a few minutes of quiet thought, they made their way back down the hill in silence, finally stopping in front of Dr. Wirth again. They shared hugs tightly, trying not to show how much this hurt.

"Sally," Dr. Wirth said quietly, holding onto her. "If anything happens to me... take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," she whispered, smiling up at him, "Thanks, Daniel."

As they walked away from each other, Samantha found Joe by his car, watching them sadly as they disappeared over a ridge.

The rest of the morning was quiet, filled with packing and preparation for their trips ahead. When afternoon came, they gathered around Dr. Wirth's donkey while Sally looked on anxiously. He mounted it carefully before looking back towards her once more.

"Keep safe, Janet," he said softly, turning his horse away slowly.

Sally watched them leave until they were out of sight, feeling empty inside. After several moments, she turned away, wondering what lay ahead now. As she reached the house, Samantha stood beside her, looking sad but determined.

"You'll be fine," she said quietly, pulling Sally into a hug tightly.

Once she let go, she spoke up again. "It's really nice here."

"Yeah, Joe's made this place special," Sally replied quietly, knowing it had been good for Samantha to get away from everything that had happened. She lit another cigarette, thinking about her future alone now.

Joe leaned against the doorframe, eyeing her carefully after a few minutes. "You going to be okay, Janet? You took a lot in just these past few days..."

"Yeah... I need some time though." She looked up at him finally, trying not to show how much this hurt. "Thanks for taking us in."

Joe smiled at Samantha gently before speaking again. "Come on then, we have some work to do."

They spent the night together, watching stars twinkle above them as they talked quietly about nothing important. Sally wondered if Alexei still searched for them - or if he had given up already.

In the morning, she woke up early and tried to get up quickly, but the pain in her leg made it hard to move. She grabbed a towel from nearby and limped outside towards the riverbed nearby.

After washing herself off in the cool water, she sat down, leaning back against a rock as the sun rose higher. It was peaceful here, surrounded by rocks and trees with no signs of civilization.

The next week passed slowly, filled with quiet reflection and solitude. Sally watched Samantha and Joe develop feelings for each other slowly, hoping this place would work out for them both. After a month, Sally knew it was time to leave. The memories were fading now; it was time to live like normal people did again.

She found Samantha and Joe sitting on a bench near the front of the house, holding hands lightly as they spoke quietly about something. As she approached, Samantha's eyes lit up when she saw her.

"I know you have to go soon," she said quietly. "I want to thank you for everything."

Sally smiled slightly at her words, knowing this goodbye would be hardest yet. "You're welcome. Just take care of yourself now - and Joe."

As she walked away from them, Joe called out, waving goodbye. Sally didn't look back until she reached El Paso a few hours later, feeling exhausted but wiser from all that had happened.

---

Sally looked down through the window of the airplane at the land in the distance below. It was a short flight from El Paso to Las Vegas once again, but today felt different somehow; what was it Lena said?

"I wouldn't mind being a billionaire," Sally smirked, remembering her friend. She stared hard out the window, wondering how Dr. Wirth was faring with the fake code.

The plane landed several minutes later, taxiing towards the main terminal as everybody disembarked.

After reaching their car, Sally let out a sigh of relief before leaning against the hood. She felt tired, lonely and still hurting physically. The city seemed the same as it always had though - so full of life and energy, filled with people going about their daily routines. 

Sally checked in at a hotel after that. As she looked out over the city below, she hoped her leg could hold up as she considered her next moves. She took the cellphone out of her pocket, and made the call.

The phone rang six times, before she heard the click of an answer, followed by, "Ms. Harris, is our deal still good?"


// Chapter 8


"The deal must be changed," Sally replied smoothly, studying the city below. "Zelenko tried to kill me recently for the stolen code, which means I don't trust him anymore."

There was silence on the other end of the line before speaking again. "Very well then... What about the code?"

"That is the problem. This code is too dangerous to exist - too many people want it, including Zelenko. My terms. I will allow it to be used, once, for one-point-three billion ethercoin, but only if you destroy the original afterwards and cut all ties with Zelenko's organization completely." Sally smiled slightly as she waited patiently. "I am waiting."

"Alright, we accept your new terms," Xiǎo Yǔ said after a moment, voice dripping with malice. "But first, we need verification that the code works."

She raised an eyebrow at this comment, wondering how they were going to verify such a thing without using it. After several minutes of thought, she spoke again.

"I will send over the encryption key from Sarah's server; after you confirm everything, meet me downtown at noon on Saturday outside the Bellagio. If there are any problems, then the deal is off."

As Sally hung up, she let out a deep breath, realizing how deep she had gotten sucked in to this case. She knew now that money wasn't important; immortality just meant living through the pain in the end. The clock struck nine pm when she entered her hotel room, feeling lonely as she stared blankly into space.

---

She was like that for quite some time, thinking about Lena and everybody else who had died. For the first time in years, she wondered if she had made the right decision. By ten pm, she finally decided what to do next, picking up her phone to dial another number.

The man answered immediately on the second ring. "Hey, boss... it's me," she began quietly.

Silence, she could feel the rage radiating through the phone as he struggled to control his temper.

"What did I ever do to deserve your kind of betrayal?" Alexei asked softly, voice laced with contempt.

Sally took a deep breath before speaking again. "You killed people, including my friend, because of greed." There was a pause on the other end of the line before he spoke again.

"You have something for me?"

Sally nodded silently, staring hard out the window towards the city below. "I'll give you Dark Phoenix' identity at noon this Saturday at the Bellagio - but only in person, and in public."

There was silence once more, until finally Zelenko spoke again. "Alright then, I will be there. And if you betray us..."

"Then I will take my revenge... face-to-face," Sally replied coolly, hanging up.

The last call for the evening was the one she was most looking forward to; her old acquaintance, Dr. Wirth. It rang three times before he answered. She smiled slightly when she heard his voice on the other end.

"I'm still alive... thanks for everything," she said quietly.

"You too... where are you now?" he asked carefully, studying the phone in his hand.

"It's a long story... tell me how the fake code is going." After several minutes of explanation, she spoke again. "Are you sure it's going to work? This is our last opportunity to just disappear."

Dr. Wirth laughed shortly at this comment. "If we play it right, we could both walk away from Vegas forever with more ethercoin..."

She waited patiently as he thought about this for a while. Finally, he spoke up again. "I don't have a device to test it on, but I quadruple checked the algorithm. This is going to work. We have to do this Sally."

"I know," Sally replied, with a sigh. She was tired of this game. It had all played out right to this point. Time to put all the chips on the table. "I can see the funds waiting in the on-chain escrow. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

---

After hanging up, Sally lay back in bed, feeling exhausted and lonely again. The clock struck midnight as she stared hard into space, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

The next morning came slowly, filled with anxiety as she prepared for the worst. When noon arrived, she found herself outside the Bellagio once more, waiting nervously amidst the crowd, across the street. She was dressed in a city maintenance worker's blue coveralls, with its bright yellow reflective vest. With her face was obscured with a disposable mask and the bill of her hat tilted down over her eyes, she waited.

At exactly twelve o'clock, the black SUV pulled up in front of the casino, parking nearby. She leaned against a lamp post, watching Alexei step out onto the sidewalk. He looked around cautiously, not yet spotting her. Now for her second guest...

Xiǎo Yǔ stepped out from behind another car, walking towards them. Alexei nodded slightly as he approached, eyeing Xiǎo Yǔ suspiciously before speaking up.

"I see you made a deal without me," Zelenko said quietly, voice dripping with malice.

Sally smiled slightly as she stepped forward, pulling off her disguise. "We did."

Alexei's expression changed quickly to surprise, followed by anger when he recognized her. "You... how is this possible?"

"She's been playing us all along," Xiǎo Yǔ replied calmly, showing no emotion on his face.

Alexei drew his gun slowly, holding it close to his chest as he approached Sally. "Now we finally know what happened to Ivan..."

"You mean the guy who murdered Lena?" Sally asked coolly, raising an eyebrow at him.

Zelenko's eyes narrowed slightly. "How did you... you don't deserve to live."

"Oh but I do - that was my plan from the very beginning." She pulled out Dr. Wirth's fake code, extending it carefully in her hand. "Alexei, may I also present Dark Phoenix' identity: Richard Lee."

The man stared hard at the datastick before looking back up at Sally, eyes filled with rage as he realized it was already too late.

Xiǎo Yǔ arm flashed quickly, producing a small concealed pistol from his jacket, aimed at Alexei's head. "Our agreement, Ms. Harris?" he said quietly.

She nodded silently as the old man produced the red orb from his pocket, holding it in his free hand. She took the datastick, and flashed the orb with the software update.

Xiǎo Yǔ's eyes widened slightly as the orb turned green; Dr. Wirth had done his job well enough so far. As the trio all stared at the orb in surprise, the surface began to glow softly before opening with a hiss like air escaping a tire.

It was now or never! Sally kicked hard towards Xiǎo Yǔ, knocking him off balance just as the orb opened. He stumbled backwards, the orb's casing striking Alexei's chest. The two men exchanged glances as they both collapsed to the ground, confusion etched on their faces.

Sally quickly grabbed the guns and the now greyish-looking orb from the ground, securing them in her bag before producing a crumpled pack of cigarettes, opening it to reveal one cigarette, upside down, staring at her. She seated herself on a nearby bench under a tree and leaned back, let out a long sigh before she lit the end. The clock struck one pm when she looked up, blowing whisps of smoke into the light breeze.

As time passed, people began gathering around the scene, confused looks on their faces. Eventually, police arrived on the scene, finding themselves in the midst of chaos without knowing why.

After several minutes of waiting, Sally rose slowly, watching as Zelenko finally regained consciousness and struggled to stand up.

"I saw the whole thing officer, that old Chinese man," motioning to Xiǎo Yǔ, still laying on the ground unconcious, "he attacked this poor Russian guy here, and then he just collapsed," Sally explained patiently, gesturing towards Zelenko. "I think that old man probably needs to have his sanity checked."

The cop smiled at her words, nodding slowly as he radioed for backup.

Sally watched silently as the cops took away Xiǎo Yǔ. It turns out he was wanted by the Chinese Empire for corruption. What an awful fate, to be sure.

She turned to Alexei after all of the commotion died down. "I take it you are satisfied?"

He stared hard at her, eyes filled with happiness, "Yes, Ms. Harris. I have approved your escrow. The ethercoin has been released to your account."

"Good." Sally raised an eyebrow at him, "Thank you Mr. Xiǎo, it was a pleasure doing business with you."

Alexei's face twisted, "Oh... Ms. Harris, you are mistaken. My name is Alexei Zelenko, a legitimate businessman," he smirked. "Can you smell that air? The vibrancy of all of the sounds, and sights, and smells? It is good to be young."

He paused for a moment, before turning and walking away. "Be careful, Ms. Harris," he said with a knowing look, having turned briefly before disappearing into the crowd.

With a smile on her face, she turned back to watch a furious old man trying to fight off two armed cops while surrounded by onlookers. They dragged him away eventually, but not before he glanced up one more time at Sally.

As she walked away from the Bellagio, she couldn't help but laugh softly - another case closed.

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