At times like this, Fii missed the helmet she used to wear along with her Axion suit. It had night vision, among many other bes, and would have made this task less precarious. Right now, she was squatting behind the rge industrial vents on top of one of the sector's derelict factories, hoping the shadows and her dark clothes would be enough to keep her hidden.

  The usual dingy smog of the slums served as ara veil to shroud her presence, but still, if someone happeo gnce her way and knew what to look for, they might spot her hiding there. If she still had her helmet, she could have hidden further back where nobody would have been able to spot her, while still being able to monitor the ptform.

  But that was the past, and now she had and no fanight vision. All she had to rely on were her regur eyes and ears. Still, she had a very good vantage point.

  Below her was an old rusted ptform that served as the nding pce for the various deliveries that came through the area. Right now, the ptform was empty except for a few small crates and two Zippers standing guard, chatting with each other.

  Her mi drifting back to what had happened in that ambush, how she had been paralyzed by those drones and dropped like a fly. She wouldn't let that happen again. Not tonight.

  The decoy shipment appeared moments ter, escorted by two Zippers that she didn't reize. The carriers began to offload the cargo onto the ptform, setting down nondescript boxes marked with ominous " Hah Care" and " Fragile" stickers.

  As she tinued her vigil, something suddenly shifted in the er of her eye—a glint of metal in the darkness, a subtle movement that betrayed the presence of others approag. The faint hum of drones soon followed, growing louder with each passing sed.

  Just in time.

  Like clockwork, the invading group revealed themselves. In a poorly chraphed move, they desded from all sides, some g down noisily from the neighb buildings, while others emerged from the shadows. A handful rode the ziplines above, coasting down to nd oform in unison, their grapple lines snapping onto the railings.

  They weren't subtle, but then again, their objective wasn't stealth. It was intimidation.

  Now, now, now!

  Fii vaulted over the ledge of the roof and dove towards the ptform below.

  As the drones moved in—their bright beams sliced through the smoky air, f a spotlight oform—she reached with her power and twisted gravity around them.

  The drones spiraled out of trol, crashing into the nearby buildings with sparks and screeg metal. Several of them tumbled and fell, g and boung off the ptform's railing to the depths below.

  That caused the new arrivals to e to a halt, looking around in fusion. An opening she wasn't going to waste.

  She flew above them and angled her hands down at the intruders below. With a flex of her wrist, she ected to each of them and ied gravity.

  They began to float, filing in the air. A few scrambled to hold onto whatever they could find to avoid being lifted into the sky. Others, those with quicker reflexes, attached their grappling hooks to the ptform and pulled themselves back down.

  "Hello, boys!" Fii called out, floating high in the air. "Remember me? That's right. It's your favorite pain in the ass."

  "Shit!" one of the invaders cursed. "It's her!"

  Fii moved her hands in a twisting motion, as though she was grasping each of them in her fist. With that, she flung the floating attackers away.

  Some collided with crates or railings. A few dangled precariously from their tethers, struggling to pull themselves back to safety, while others were ripped away from their handholds a crashing to the ptform in a jumble of limbs and shouts, sprawling ily across the woral surface.

  Even in the heat of the moment, she took care to make sure they wouldn't fall off the ptform.

  Their ons, oher hand, weren't so lucky. With a swift extension of her hand and a quick gesture, she expelled every on in sight, hurling them far off the ptform.

  As she floated down to the ptform, she levitated the downed assaints towards her. They struggled, but her trol was undeniable.

  She addressed the bewildered Zipper guards. "You guys all right?"

  They nodded.

  "Good, I'll take it from here. Why don't you load up the shipment and head out. I'll make sure these losers learn their lesson." As they hastily retreated, she turned her attention to the would-be thieves, who were still floating in the air around her.

  "Alright, now listen up," she began. "This job? It's a bust. Kaput. Whatever you're up to, whatever your endgame is, sider it toast. Me? I'm the toaster. And you're the bread."

  She felt mighty proud of that metaphranted not everyone had a toaster or even knew what it was. But bread? Everyone knew bread!

  She got some perplexed looks, so she tinued, "What I'm saying is—just because you're all brighter than a busted bulb doesn't mean you keep trying to poach runs from people who hem. You've broken one of our rules. Nobody steals from Zippers on the job. Period."

  One of the attackers, dangling from his feet, dared to speak. "You're not gonna kill us, are you?"

  "Kill you? Oh, no, no, no." She floated closer and hovered around them in circles. "Not for this, at least."

  She paused, log eyes with them. "I will, however, give you a proper thrashing. And then yonna tell me where your dive is, and who's calling the shots. Those who cooperate might even walk away from this. Maybe. Those who don't... might find themselves plummeting from very high pces. Sound good?"

  "'t we just, like, surrender?" one of them asked.

  "I mean, sure you ," she responded nontly, tinuing to hover around them. "But that won't get you off the hook. Either yonna give up what I want, or I'm gonna go full vengeance mode. Trust me, the first option is waaaaay better for everyone involved."

  "She's lying!" one of the assaints finally cried out. "You turn on him and you're dead. We all are."

  She heard a name being whispered amongst them—Mox.

  "Mox, huh? That your boss?" Her gaze swept over the terrified faces. "Who here take me to Mox?"

  "I—I ." One of the captured men finally spoke up, his voice trembling. "I'll show you where he is."

  "Great." She cracked her knuckles, letting a menag smile py on her lips. "The rest of you? Be prepared for a long, long night."

  Floating in the air, Fii kept the intruders tightly bound with her power. The one who promised to lead her to Mox ared the more extreme treatment and simply forced to follow closely as the group began navigating a maze of old factories and broken-down buildings.

  Fii took her time, maintaining a leisurely pace as she carried her captives in tow. The threat of immediate harm was more a tool of persuasion than an actual promise; however, she ehat her grip was unfortably snug, a silent reminder of who held the reins.

  The sector of the slums they were traversing was one of the most deprived iire city, with ramshackle structures and rickety makeshift bridges stretg over the narrow alleys below. Some buildings seemed to lean precariously into each other, f haphazard arches that threateo colpse at any moment.

  Every so often, as they passed by windows or balies, curious faces peered out, the bizarre procession ihis robably the first time someone had been casually strolling through the air, pulling along a parade of defeated ruffians.

  The sight was definitely hy and likely to be the talk of the town—or slum—by the day.

  Fii basked iention, even aowledging some of the onlookers with a nont wave, though her focus remained on the captives.

  Soon, they arrived at their destination: an unremarkable, rundown building that stood out only by virtue of its utter ordinariness. A gentle hum from an antiquated HVAit atop the roof lent the structure a sembnce of life amid the stillness.

  "All right." Fii released the guide from her power. "Lead the way. Any tricks or sudden moves, and I'll use you as a battering ram, got it?"

  "Y-yeah, I get it," the guide stammered, sweat beading his forehead.

  They entered, with Fii tinuing to hold the ruffians in her grasp.

  The interior of the building was dimly lit and exuded a pervasive musty odor. Old maery parts y strewn about the open space, making the whole pce look like a disanized warehouse. A couple of half-assembled drone models sat in a er, their innards exposed and wires stig out. The dust-den air tickled at Fii's nose, and she had to resist the urge to sneeze.

  "Where is everyone?" she asked. "Bit of a ghost town, don't you think?"

  "It's usually livelier," the guide replied, gng around. "M-maybe they're all out on another heist right now." He paused, swallowing hard. "Usually, we've got a crew hanging around and someoinkering with the tech."

  "Then where's Mox?" she probed, her tone hardening slightly. "Thought you said this was his HQ."

  "Ah, well, he's... ly the sociable type." He shifted uneasily on his feet. "Let's try his 'office'—it's just ahead."

  With the captives in tow, Fii tio follow her guide towards a rge sliding door at the other end of the room. Upon reag it, her guide pressed a button, causing the door to grind open noisily.

  Oher side was a surprisingly spacious and well-lit hall filled with rows of old server racks oher side. The air was much cooler here, thanks to the air ditioners humming a the racks. An occasional beep and the flicker of LEDs sighey were at least partially operational. Whoever maintaihese relics had done an impressive job.

  The guide gestured to a doorway at the far end, fnked by two inactive, readied auto-turrets and a set of security cameras. "Mox is probably in there. Or his guards will be, at least."

  "All right, you're off the hook." With that, Fii released him, watg as he bolted from the se.

  Alone once more, but with a string of captives floating in her wake, Fii approached the turreted door. The security cameras tracked her movements, but the turrets remained i. After a brief moment, there was a clid the door hissed open. She stepped inside.

  Beyond the door y a smaller room, only about half the size of the hall behind her. A long desk occupied the back, adorned with various bits of tech scattered on top and a triad of monitors that provided the primary illumination.

  Sitting in front of the desk was a lone man, illuminated by the glow of the ss. His back was turo her, his focus seemingly on a terminal. As she approached, he slowly swiveled his chair to face her, revealing an ht man in his forties with a ratty beard and eyes that darted between her and the captives that floated behind her in a tight ball.

  He sported a faded yellow t-shirt and a pair of baggy shorts, and his feet were bare. His girth added to the impression of him being more a shut-in than a gang leader.

  Fii did a double-take.

  Maybe she was a bit biased because of her experiences in the slums, but she had expected Mox to look... well, a lot more intimidating. Instead, he reminded her of someone's ed uncle who had a pent for hag into things he shouldn't.

  Was this guy really their boss?

  "Um, are you Mox?" she asked, baffled.

  The man tilted his head, rubbing a hand across his double .

  "Hi," he finally replied. "In the flesh, as it were."

  "Er, well, this is ued. Yoons had me thinking you were... different," she admitted.

  Mox raised an eyebrow. "Had you picturing a hardened, cyber-enhahug, did they?"

  Her silence was answer enough.

  Mox chuckled, his belly shaking as he did. "People see what I look like and assume I'm a joke."

  "And are you? A joke, that is."

  His ughter subsided, and Mox leaned ba his chair, scrutinizing her. "Do I look like one? But appearances aside, you, slumshine, have been quite the buzzkill, pying superhero down in my little domain. Don't you think that's a bit... inve for me?"

  Fii the huddled mass of would-be hijackers behind her. "They your crew?"

  "Yeah. Were doing good work. Then you started being a problem." Mox gestured for her to e closer. "Holy, I don't get you. You've been ourf, all over the pce, showing up and... What exactly do you get out of it?"

  With a swift motion of her hand, Fii flung the huddle of captives into a er of the room where they ended up pressed against the wall. The sound of their impact filled the room with an unfortable thud.

  "Just trying to do some good around here," Fii finally said. "Trying to keep the slums a pce where we don't prey on our own. You and yoons broke the code when you started ambushing Zipper runs."

  "So what, now yoing to make an example of them? Of me?" Mox huffed, pointing towards her with a half-eaten synthie bar. "What do you think will e of that?"

  "Well, they don't do much more bullying, for a start."

  He sighed. "Slumshine, how do you think these boys put food oables? Why are they in a gang? Why are they risking their hides on those jobs?"

  "Plenty of folks work hard and py fair to get by," she replied.

  "Don't lecture me, kid," Mox snapped back, his voice sharp. "These boys have mouths to feed, families to take care of. Some are just dumb, and this is all they know. I've given them dire, structure. A ake their mark without taking each other out."

  "And to get that, they make trouble for the whole neighborhood?"

  "Don't think I'm some bleedi." Mox drummed his fingers on the desk, a smug air about him. "This operation, it makes me money. Keeps me fed, warm. I got an arra with a bigger fish. They use my boys as muscle, I get a cut."

  He took another bite of his bar. "You mess with that, and someoh more of a killer instinct will e around. Trust me, you're better off having me as the devil you know than the one you don't."

  Fii folded her arms. "That a threat?"

  "Nah, just the truth." Mox shrugged, finishing off his snack. "There's always someone nastier around the er. The Circuit Breakers were on the verge of taki before I iated to be their proxy. And when I say 'taking out,' I don't mean a polite relocation."

  She gnced back at the gangsters still pressed against the wall and then turo Mox. "These chumps are part of the Circuit Breakers, too?"

  "No," Mox replied sharply. "My own crew. Locals." He emphasized this st word. "The Circuit Breakers are all about the tech—the gear, the hag. They're too posh to roll around in the dirt with us. Don't want their shiny toys to get scuffed."

  "And those drohat zapped me the other day? That was their work, not yours?" she probed, stepping closer to the desk.

  "Oh, those beauties? -built and rigged. If they were mine, I wouldn't be scrapping together hand-me-downs or sed-hand market leftovers. I'd have a proper army of them." Mox nodded, his fidence resurfag. "Bet you anything they were desigo hunt someone like you—some poor slum-rat with powers, something to knock you out of the sky."

  A pause huween them. "Doesn't ge that yoons were pying ambush. Whatever deal you had going, I'm not a fan of it. Those parts they were stealing? They were supposed to get to someone who could really make a difference. Instead, they get snatched up to feed your fat gut?"

  "Aww, aren't you noble?" he mocked. "Well, I've got news for you. Your idea of 'good' isn't profitable. So, why not put those powers to a better use?"

  "Look, you're not the first gang boss to try recruiting me, okay? I've heard the same spiel from all of them. Join us, be part of the family, make some ChitCreds, bh bh bh." She folded her arms over her chest. "And frankly? It's getting old."

  "Are you even ied in heari?"

  "Nope." Fii stepped closer. "Here's how this is gonna py out. Your little operation is done. No more poag shipments. No more threatening Zipper crews. If you try anything like that again, I'll know. And I'll e back. You don't wao e back."

  "You're really that fident, huh? Sure you want to waltz in here and start making demands?" His chubby hand moved to caress a rge red button embedded in the armrest of his chair. "This could get messy."

  Without missing a beat, Fii levitated him off his chair and flipped him upside down in the air. Mox let out a yelp of surprise as his belly jiggled with the sudden maneuver.

  Fii's voice was hard and steady. "Red buttons are for losers who 't back up their threats. You'd better have more than that to throw at me."

  "Okay, okay, point taken." His voice quavered a bit from being upside down. "o get all twisted out of shape. I see your point. You put me down now."

  She obliged, but her eyes didn't leave him for a sed. But just food measure, she also crushed his chair under his weight to ensure he wasn't going to try anything funny. As Mox groaned and struggled to his feet, she kept an eye on the mass of heill squished together in the er. None of them looked eager to make a move against her.

  "Now, I'll say this again. Here's your options, tubster." Fii loomed over him, her haing on her hip as she pointed a fi him. "Yonna py nice, or I'm gonna e bad make your life a whole lot worse. Got it?"

  Mox sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine, fine. You win. We'll back off. Happy now?"

  She gestured to the tangle of men in the er. "That goes for all of you. Unless you want another session of face-meets-wall. Got it?"

  There was a chorus of subdued "yeses" and "got its," mixed with a few grumbles of "damn Super" and "not fair."

  Fii turned baox, her hand once again finding her hip. "O question. Those drones you have? That tech's too good to be yours. You dealing with someone?"

  Mox shifted his weight, avoiding her eyes. "Well, uh, yeah, I've got a few es. Some parts came from this gang called Circuit Breakers. Had to borrow from them for a bit to get our operation rolling."

  "Borrow?"

  He rubbed his hands nervously. "Okay, okay. So maybe there was some selling of services to pay them back, but hey, we're businessmen here. We uand the value of a deal, right?"

  "What were you selling?" she asked.

  "Info," he admitted. "It's like, 'you scratch my back, I get your data,' that kind of thing."

  "Is that how your posse knew about that tech shipment? Insider info?"

  He coughed awkwardly. "Maybe?"

  Fii approached him, her stanwavering. "Here's what's gonna happen. Yoing to pass along a message to those Circuit Breakers. Tell 'em to back the hell off. If they don't, I'll find them, and I'll have a very simir, very unpleasant discussion with them."

  "Look, no need for the tough talk. If I rey your message, I don't think they'll like it," Mox said, fidgeting. "They're not the type to appreciate getting muscled, you know?"

  "I'm not here to opurity tests," she retorted. "Make sure they uand, I'm not giving them a choi this."

  With that, Fii turo leave, but not before reag out with her power and dismantling several of the nearby puter towers.

  "Hey, easy, easy! You're trashing my livelihood here!"

  With a dismissive wave, she shrugged and made her way back through the building. "Send the bill to the Circuit Breakers. sider it a tax for being a pain. If you keep your nose , maybe we'll cross paths for a drink or something. But I doubt it. See you around, tubster."