Herald of death

"See where the man who just left her is going," Ethan instructs. He hears the entrance doors open as the woman and her escort enter. "They might be planning something that could complicate our mission. And check the entrance; I think she just arrived."

"Aren't you afraid that someone with your ability could hear us?" Kyle asks.

"I'm the only one from this world who could have acquired it the way I did," Ethan replies. "I'm worried that my targets will gain abilities that make my job impossible, but it's only been a month."

"That's Valeria," Kate says. Ethan sees her trailing the man to an empty corridor leading to an emergency exit. "He seems ready to open a door. Is there anyone behind it?"

"It leads to the tech meet-up. There are a lot of people right beyond that door," Ethan explains. He scans the crowd, but they are too far away and behind too many walls to focus on an individual person or voice. "My best guess is that he's planning on letting people in who are mixed up with the guests."

Valeria and her escort navigate through the crowd to reach the stage at the end of the main room. They split to each side of the stage, leaving her alone at the center, except for a single guard.

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and other villains," Valeria says through a microphone. Kate redirects her phone's camera towards her. Valeria's open-back, floor-length, crimson gown shimmers under the chandelier lights. They reveal the small, sharp, and sturdy scales that make the dress. Eldorian runes shimmer on the silver jewelry she wears – a ruby necklace and a hand chain adorned with garnets.

The guard by her side wears a three-piece costume that Ethan recognizes as being made of cloth similar to his own mantle. 'He hides a large dagger in his vest and a pistol in his belt,' Ethan notes.

"Tonight, you are all part of something extraordinary," Valeria continues, her eyes scanning the room. She gestures to the array of items displayed on the stage around her. The crowd murmurs, whispering about the items they desire with curiosity and greed.

"Every item in tonight's auction is a gift from our invaders. These are artifacts imbued with powers we have yet to fully comprehend, or creations made possible by their Ether and our greatest minds." Her voice drops to a seductive whisper, drawing everyone closer. "Some say these objects and the discoveries they enabled cost a billion lives. I say, I would have gladly paid billions more."

Muted laughter ripples through the crowd. She pauses, allowing the audience to quiet down. "I will be seeing some of you before we begin. In the meantime, I advise you to enjoy our refreshments, especially the spirits brought from the other world."

Her guard guides her off stage, where her escort reforms. They move to the closest elevator; he enters alone with her. "Fetch our first guest," she orders as the doors close.

"Six, one of her guards is searching for someone," Ethan says. "Can you spot who it is?"

Kate hums positively before following the guard with her gaze. She moves around to keep him in her line of sight and says, "The man beside Valeria seems strong. But I can tell she's quite nervous and hiding dark circles with makeup. Do you think she knows about us or the Plague Merchant?"

"I've read your files on her," Ethan says. "She always disappears at the smallest sign of danger. It must be something else. Perhaps she's not recruiting because of the opportunities granted by Ether, but because she lost too many people last month."

Trevor's phone vibrates, startling him as he sees the caller's name. He picks up and says, "Hi mom."

"Hi, Trevor," a voice answers, but it is not his mother's. Tombstone's voice is heavily distorted by a shifting voice changer. "I need you to listen very carefully."

Trevor's heart races. He glances around, ensuring no one else is in his room. "What do you want?"

Tombstone's voice takes on a menacing tone, dripping with mock politeness. "Two years ago, you anonymously revealed to the public that your employer was ignoring countless safety protocols. I assume you know their stance on whistleblowers, given the fate of some of your coworkers."

"I have nothing to do with any such leak," Trevor says. He sweats profusely, shifting the body temperature perceived by Ethan. He readies himself to end the call. "Good luck with your jokes."

"Perhaps they would prefer to learn about your sale of their inventions to foreign nations," Tombstone says. He stops himself from touching his screen. "Perhaps we could make sure that you would be out of their reach, held in a dark cell. The FBI would like to put a face on the virus that ransomed Eastern European nuclear power plants last year. Even if you were only its creator."

Trevor stays silent for a moment, then finally asks, "What do you want?"

"Consider it a professional courtesy," Tombstone says, her tone mocking. "Shut down your surveillance and take a nap for the rest of the night."

Trevor glances at his screens. "Alright," he says, swallowing hard. "I'll shut it down."

"Enjoy your night off, Trevor," Tombstone says before ending the call.

Trevor sits there for a moment, the phone still in his hand. He moves to another corner of the room, where several servers rest on metallic racks. He shuts them down one by one, their heat disappearing in Ethan's vision. Trevor sluggishly bends below his desk and unplugs cables from his computers before sitting back in his chair.

'He disabled his DVRs and Ethernet connections. Well played,' Ethan writes to Tombstone. Ethan nods towards the control panel and says, "You can open it; we will go down a balcony to reach the third floor. He's a Mage, but I cannot be certain that the eye is his."

The guard searching for Valeria's first guest returns to his colleagues. He hails the man who was watching the entrance door and asks, "Did Cyrius Hargrove arrive? He was on the list you texted us."

"Yes; he was with a blonde and a giant," the guard answers. "I'll help you find him."

"You are her first guest," Ethan says. "Go back down and pretend you were exiting the toilets in the elevator's corridor. I'll be right above you if we need to act while you're with her."

"Understood," Kyle says before falling back into the elevator and disappearing through the hatch. The elevator descends as Ethan switches sides to manipulate the doors' wires. He opens them and enters the last floor, dusting himself off.