Chapter 266: Chapter 266: The Ledger
Inside a soundproofed, subterranean boardroom at TMC Headquarters, the atmosphere was suffocating. Julian stood at the center of the room, surrounded by three high-ranking overseers from General Command who sat in the shadows of an elevated panel.
The recent sector war had been a financial catastrophe. Between the immediate ten-million-dollar payouts to surviving field agents, insurance compensations for destroyed hardware, and the astronomical bribes required to silence the municipal government and police department, Julian’s operational choices had cost the central network a fortune.
"You have two minutes to justify this hemorrhage, Julian," said the central overseer, his voice distorted through a digital scrambler. "We did not authorize a war with Big Black’s faction over a regional manager’s personal agenda. If your explanation does not satisfy this panel, you will not leave this room alive."
Julian’s throat was dry, his tailored suit sticking to his back from the sudden spike of cold sweat. He took a slow, deep breath, forcing his heart rate to stabilize as he looked up at the shadows.
"Everything I have orchestrated," said Julian, his voice steadying as he reached down to the desk in front of him, "I have done for the long-term advancement of this association. And here is the unmitigated proof."
He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a sleek, biometrically locked silver briefcase, and placed it flat on the table. With a sharp clack, the locks disengaged, changing his posture from a desperate defendant back into a smug, victorious strategist in a single second.
The Hellcat roared as it tore down the elevated highway, the city lights blurring into long streaks of neon. Alexander kept his eyes on the road ahead, his body still tight from the residual stiffness of the medical center.
"The whole thing was a setup, Alex," said Marcus, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight as he accelerated past a slow-moving truck. "That entire attack wasn’t meant for the sector. It was aimed at Julian. I found out he used an old, deep-coded emergency override to force every active agent in the perimeter into that zone."
"I figured as much," said Alexander, his voice low. "My interface locked up."
"Yeah, because that specific mandate only works on lower-tier recruits and rookies who don’t know how to bypass the network script," said Marcus, letting out a dark, cynical laugh. "The high-ranking guys declined it. Word on the wire is that the board is using this exact disaster to push Julian out of his seat. Sure, the survivors got fixed up with the top-tier med-tech just like you did, but the actual body count before the extraction team arrived was absurd."
Marcus glanced sideways at Alexander, his expression dead serious.
"Big Black’s people aren’t some street punks, man," said Marcus. "Every single one of those underground operatives is the equivalent of a TMC veteran. And on top of that, they outnumbered our guys. Sending rookies into that alleyway wasn’t a deployment; it was a straight-up, unfair massacre."
A cold chill ran down Alexander’s spine as Marcus spoke. The pieces finally clicked into place. During the firefight, he had felt the overwhelming disparity in skill and numbers; Big Black’s men had been dismantling the TMC agents with frightening ease. If it hadn’t been for pure luck and his own survival instincts, he would have been just another nameless corpse waiting for the cleanup crew.
"So we were just meat to slow them down," muttered Alexander, his fist tightening against his knee.
"Exactly," said Marcus, flooring the gas as the Hellcat surged forward into the dark. "Julian threw everyone into the meat grinder just to buy himself enough time to save his own skin."
"This is shit," said Alexander, his teeth clenched as he stared at the passing neon lights. "I fucking hate feeling like a disposable toy for the higher-ups. This entire organization is a joke."
Marcus glanced over and smiled faintly, but he didn’t reply. He just kept driving unfazed by the reality of the network.
"Where to?" asked Marcus.
"The Grand Imperial Hotel," said Alexander.
Marcus didn’t ask questions. He navigated the downtown traffic and pulled up to the illuminated main entrance of the luxury tower. Alexander climbed out, his chest still tight with frustration, but he knew he had to let it go for now. The Hellcat tore away into the dark, its supercharger screaming down the avenue.
Alexander walked through the lobby, bypassed the reception, and stepped into the VIP elevator bank.
The chrome doors slid open, and he immediately froze. Standing right inside the cabin were his Aunt Helen and Amy, who smiled with deep affection the moment they saw him.
"Alexander!" said Aunt Helen, stepping forward to embrace him.
Alexander stepped into the elevator, wrapping his arms around both of them in a tight embrace.
"Where are you two headed so late?" asked Alexander.
"We were just going out to buy a few things," said Aunt Helen, stepping back and smoothing down her coat. "We were about to call a taxi."
"Want some company?" asked Alexander.
"Of course we do!" said Amy, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she grabbed his arm.
The three of them walked back through the lobby and stepped out onto the curb, sliding into the back of a waiting premium cab. Aunt Helen leaned forward, giving the driver the destination.
"Take us to the commercial district, to L’Aura Haute Couture, please," said Aunt Helen.
As the car pulled out into the street, Alexander felt his phone vibrate inside his jacket pocket. He pulled it out, checking the glowing encrypted interface. A new global system notification took over the screen.
[NOTICE: DUE TO UNFORESEEN OPERATIONAL EVENTS, THE VOLUME OF ACTIVE REGIONAL MISSIONS WILL EXPONENTIALLY INCREASE. WE HIGHLY REQUEST YOUR ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE NORMAL WORKFLOW PARAMETERS.]
Alexander stared at the text, a cold, mocking smirk touching his lips as he locked the screen and shoved it back into his pocket.
"First you slaughter half your own agents, and now you’re begging for help?" muttered Alexander under his breath, looking out the window as the city lights blurred past.
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