Rancho Coronado

  December 1st

  2069

  Sophie barely had time to register the feint before Koda’s fist slammed into her ribs. She grunted, her feet stumbling slightly before she forced herself to steady her stance. Her arms ached, her muscles burned, and her breath came in ragged bursts, but she wasn’t going to back down just yet.

  Koda, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed. She wasn’t even breathing hard. It was a demonstration of just how far Sophie had to go before becoming truly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. But it also served as motivation.

  I can reach that level-no. I can go further. And then I’ll give Koda a good beating as revenge. Despite her thoughts, she did appreciate all the time the older girl had given her over the last weeks. Hence, she would give the spar her all.

  Sophie lunged forward, trying to get inside the larger girl’s reach, but the moment she did, Koda shifted her weight and countered with a sharp kick to the side of her knee. Pain flared up her leg, and before she could recover, her opponent's arms were around her. In one fluid motion, she twisted, sweeping Sophie’s feet out from under her and sending her crashing onto the mat.

  She hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her bones. Her vision blurred slightly, and for a second, all she could do was lay there, gasping. Koda hovered above her, waiting.

  “You done?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.

  Sophie groaned, rolling onto her side and pushing herself up with her arms. Her body protested every movement, but she ignored it.

  “Not a chance,” she muttered. ‘Not until I give you a good punch

  Koda chuckled, stepping back to let her regain her footing. “You’re stubborn, Twig. I’ll give you that.”

  She managed to get back into her stance, though her limbs felt like lead. Koda didn’t attack this time. Sophie knew she was testing her, seeing if she had anything left in the tank.

  She didn’t, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying.

  Wringing out all the remaining energy in her muscles, she lunged again, throwing a series of quick punches. Koda dodged them effortlessly, weaving just out of reach. The moment she overextended, she moved in, locking up her arm and spinning her into a tight hold.

  Her back hit the other girl’s chest, and before she could even think about escaping, her legs were swept out from under her again. The world spun, and then she was on the ground once more, this time flat on her back with Koda’s knee pressing lightly against her sternum.

  She let out a breathless laugh, finally letting her arms drop. “Okay. I’m done.”

  Koda grinned, releasing her and standing up. “Finally. Thought I was gonna have to knock you out just to get you to stop.”

  Sophie groaned as she rolled onto her side, then slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, resting against the wall. Every part of her ached, her lungs felt like they were on fire, and sweat dripped from her brow. Koda plopped down next to her, giving her a relaxed grin.

  “You’re getting better,” she mused, stretching out his arms. “It’s getting harder to take you down, at least.”

  “Yeah? Maybe you’re just getting weaker,” Sophie shot back, though her voice was too tired to carry much bite.

  Koda snorted. “Right. Keep telling yourself that, Twig.”

  Sophie huffed, closing her eyes for a moment. “You ever gonna drop that nickname?”

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  “Not a chance.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments, letting the exhaustion settle. Sophie was just starting to catch her breath when her interface began to ring. Padre.

  She sat up a little straighter before answering. “Yeah?”

  “Hello, Sophie,” Padre’s smooth voice came through the line. “I have a job for you.”

  Sophie rubbed at her sore shoulder. “What’ve you got for me?”

  “There is a certain document I need retrieved. It has important information my client needs. Nothing too difficult. A simple matter, but one that requires discretion.”

  She could already tell he wasn’t going to tell her exactly what was on the document, and she wasn’t about to ask. That was part of being a merc. “Where?”

  “I am sending you the address now. The target’s security is not impenetrable, but you would do well to be careful. I trust you will handle this with your usual efficiency.”

  There was a small notification in her optics as the address came through. “Got it.”

  “Good. Send me the data when it is done.”

  The call ended, and Sophie let out a small sigh, already mentally shifting into work mode.

  Koda eyed her, one brow raised. “Gig?”

  “Yeah.” She pushed herself to her feet, wincing slightly as her body protested. “Got something to pick up for Padre.”

  Koda smirked. “Y’know, I still find it difficult to believe you’re a merc.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Oh fuck off. I might be small but I’m damn good at killing people.”

  Koda stretched, cracking her neck. “Heh. Try not to get yourself killed with that confidence, Twig.” Sophie gave her the finger before heading towards the door, leaving behind a laughing Animal.

  Walking to her Mackinaw, she thought about the girl. Her relationship with Koda had quickly grown beyond mere acquaintances, despite Sophie's initial reluctance. The older girl just felt ‘invincible’ in a way, as though anything that could be thrown at her would be shrugged off.

  Well, she’s certainly not gonna get hurt just ‘cause she’s around me. Hell, it might even be the other way ‘round. And I guess having a friend like that wouldn’t hurt. She paused. Are we friends? Hmm. Maybe it’d be better to say we aren’t, just in case. She nodded to herself. Yeah. We’re definitely not friends. Just training partners.

  --------------------------

  Sophie pulled her hood back and removed her menpo as she approached the target building, though she kept her head down to ensure some form of anonymity. The apartment complex was easily one of the most luxurious places she’d ever been, which was saying something after her visit to Lily’s home. A pristine marble entrance led to glass doors that slid open automatically, revealing a lobby bathed in the sun’s warmth.

  There were plenty of people around, some lounging on high-end furniture while others passed through, their designer suits and expensive fashionware gleaming under recessed ceiling lights.

  She casually strode inside, scanning the room while doing her best to avoid drawing attention, specifically from the two uniformed guards standing near the main hallway. A concierge desk sat to the right, with a well-dressed receptionist talking to what she assumed was a resident.

  Past them, a hallway led deeper into the building, marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only.’ More importantly, there was a secondary desk at the back of the lobby where an employee was checking in guests. That was where her first objective was.

  She moved toward a sitting area connected to the reception desk, taking a seat on one of the bar-like stools. At the same time, she commanded her eyes to change colour, making it appear as though she was scrolling through something on her interface.

  As she sat, her eyes flicked across the desk’s surface. There was an elevator keycard, placed casually beside a black tablet. The employee was focused on the guest in front of them, flipping through a file on the computer in front of them.

  She shifted slightly, adjusting her weight as she let out a quiet breath. The guest leaned forward to sign something, and the employee turned slightly to check a different screen. In that instant, Sophie moved. She swiped the keycard and palmed it before slipping it into the sleeve of her jacket as she stood.

  Maintaining her calm, she walked away at a normal pace, heading toward the restricted hallway. The two guards were still standing near the main hallway, their attention on the people entering and exiting the building. Sophie kept her steps light, hugging the far side of the room as she reached the personnel door. With one last glance over her shoulder, she slipped inside.

  The hallway was dimly lit and silent, with a faint hum from ventilation systems overhead. Cleaning carts lined the walls, and access panels for maintenance were spaced at regular intervals. She moved quickly, following the signs toward the service elevators. If she went through the main elevator lobby, she’d be spotted immediately given her attire. Even being in the lobby in her street clothes had been a risky idea.

  She pressed the stolen keycard against a scanner beside the service lift. The red light blinked to green, and the doors slid open with a small clink.

  Stepping inside, she hit the highest floor number available. The doors closed, and the lift ascended, the motion smooth and nearly silent. Sophie used the time to pull up the details Padre had sent her. Her target was on one of the upper floors, and she had to retrieve a specific file from their computer. The whole thing stunk of corporate sabotage in her opinion.

  The elevator stopped, and the doors parted, revealing a quiet, warmly lit hallway leading to luxury penthouses. Instead of stepping out, Sophie turned and accessed the emergency hatch above her. With a careful push, she hoisted herself up onto the roof of the elevator, pulling the hatch shut behind her. The shaft extended several more floors upward toward the building’s rooftop access.

  She climbed the maintenance ladder along the wall, ascending the last few stories until she reached another door marked ‘Roof Access – Authorized Personnel Only.’ Fiddling with the lock only took a few seconds, and she slipped through, emerging into the open night air.

  Sophie found it oddly peaceful. No traffic sounds, no shouting or gunfights. It was beautiful. But she had work to do.

  Pulling up the information on her HUD, she located the correct balcony. It was three floors below her, belonging to a unit tucked into the corner of the building’s outer structure. She crouched near the ledge of the roof, observing the security setup.

  From her position, she could see a few cameras positioned around the exterior, sweeping their designated areas in slow, predictable arcs. Below, she could see a single robotic guard patrolling the balcony. The presence of one likely meant there’d be others. Paired with the cameras, it would be tricky to slip in and out undetected. However, Sophie was confident she could do it.