The elevator climbed steadily, its soft hum the only sound in the polished brass cage.
Alex studied his reflection in the mirrored wall.
Well-tailored charcoal suit.
Clean lines.
A SIG Sauer tucked beneath his jacket, pressing just right against his hip.
“Hmm… I actually look good, eh?” he muttered.
The face staring back wasn’t his.
Medea’s magic had done its work….illusion layered over flesh, memory fragments implanted from the original man now sleeping soundly in a warehouse on the outskirts of town.
Jensen Cole.
Thirty-two years old.
No family.
No real friends.
A perfect skin to wear.
The communication device behind Alex’s ear crackled once, then went silent.
Medusa was listening.
Medea was ready to teleport in if things went sideways.
The elevator stopped.
Alex stepped out, heels clicking against marble, and walked the short corridor to Mayor Gregory Wolfe’s office.
He didn’t knock.
He opened the door.
Wolfe sat behind a massive desk, two guards flanking him.
Across from him, another guard sat in a visitor’s chair…a debriefing, by the looks of it.
“Jensen!
You’re LATE!” Wolfe’s voice cracked like a whip.
Alex didn’t flinch.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
“Sorry, sir.
There was this sexy bitch I had to fuck in the bathroom stall.”
Wolfe’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Venom.
Pure fury.
“YOU BASTARD!
What have I told you about fucking on the JOB!”
Alex met his gaze evenly.
“Not to finish inside, sir.”
Silence.
Then Wolfe threw his head back and laughed.
A deep, barking sound.
The other guards joined in, shoulders shaking.
“Good!
Good!” Wolfe slammed his palm on the desk, still chuckling.
“That’s how we do it!”
Alex smiled.
Just enough.
Just the right amount of camaraderie.
Wolfe stood, smoothing his tie.
“Now… Let’s get going, shall we?
The auction will be starting soon.”
“Yes, sir,” Alex said.
The other guards echoed him.
They moved as a unit down the elevator, through the lobby, into the underground garage.
A black stretch limousine waited, engine purring.
Alex’s mind churned behind Jensen’s placid face.
‘An auction… What sort of auction?
And why does he have it deleted from his schedule?
This is becoming very… very interesting’
He took the front passenger seat.
The driver a heavyset man with a cheap watch and expensive cologne glanced over as Alex buckled in.
Wolfe settled into the back with the other two guards, already scrolling through his phone.
The limo pulled out of the garage and into the late afternoon light.
“So, Jensen,” the driver said, making small talk as they merged onto the main road.
“My wife’s been nagging me lately about work.
Sometimes I wish I was like you no ties, one-night stands, partying.
Truly a fun life.”
Alex glanced at him.
“I suppose.
You never know….your life might be easier than mine.”
“Meh.
That’s what you singles say all the time.”
Alex endured the chatter.
Blocked it out.
Let his eyes wander to the passing city, cataloging streets, exits, potential ambush points.
They arrived at a well-known hotel in the heart of Central City.
Not the kind of place Alex would have expected for anything illegal…which, of course, made it perfect.
Instead of parking, the driver guided the limo toward a solid concrete wall.
He honked twice.
The wall moved.
Concrete slid aside on hidden rails, revealing a dark tunnel mouth.
The limo rolled inside.
Behind them, the wall sealed shut.
Then the floor began to descend.
A massive elevator, built to carry vehicles, lowered them into the earth.
“Always surprises me,” the driver said, “how they built this shit.”
“Indeed,” Alex replied.
The elevator stopped.
They emerged into a vast underground parking garage…every vehicle more expensive than the last.
Armored SUVs.
Stretched limousines.
A few sports cars that cost more than most people’s homes.
Every car had its cluster of bodyguards.
Every cluster watched every other cluster.
Alex followed Wolfe through a set of double doors, down a carpeted hallway, and into a private booth.
Lavish.
Dark wood, leather couches, a crystal decanter of whiskey already sweating on the table.
Wolfe dropped onto the couch and gestured for a drink.
The guards took positions…two at the entrance, one inside the booth with him.
Alex stood near the window, looking out.
Below them, a stage.
Brightly lit.
Empty for now.
Surrounding the stage, rising in tiers, were dozens of other booths.
Some already occupied.
Shadows moving behind one-way glass.
‘What are you Buying, Mayor?’
‘What are you hiding?’
He smiled, slow and cold.
‘Tonight, I find out.’
…
The stage flooded with light—harsh, white, clinical.
A man in an expensive suit walked to center stage, microphone in hand, smile wide and practiced.
“Dear gentlemen and ladies, our esteemed guests, the auction will soon begin.
Some of the most lavish items await you all… and a very, very special prize at the end.
One I’m sure most of you here are interested in.”
Alex’s eyes swept the room.
Dozens of booths.
Dozens of players.
All wealthy.
All connected.
“But for now,” the auctioneer continued, spreading his arms, “enjoy the drinks, the snacks.
We’ve even prepared some ladies for… extra services, if need be.
Simply press the button next to your seats, and we’ll deliver the goods.”
He paused, letting the implication hang in the air.
“Now then… Shall we?”
Alex’s gaze drifted to Wolfe’s seat.
The mayor hadn’t moved.
His drink sat untouched.
His eyes were fixed on the stage, but there was no hunger there….no anticipation.
The couch had three buttons embedded in the armrest.
A drink.
A woman.
A money bag.
‘Efficient’ Alex thought.
‘They’ve turned everything into room service.’
“Let us begin,” the auctioneer announced.
Two guards wheeled out a reinforced cage on a dolly.
Inside, pressed against the bars, a teenager…fifteen, maybe sixteen.
Gaunt face.
Wide eyes.
A metal collar locked around his throat, a small red light blinking.
“Aubry Dillans,” the auctioneer read from a card, voice casual, like he was listing the specs of a used car.
“Powers: acid spit.
Highly corrosive…..can melt steel, concrete, and human flesh.
For those of you wanting to get rid of a body… discreetly.”
A few chuckles from the audience.
Alex felt something cold settle in his chest.
‘Meta-human trafficking
In Central City.
Under the Flash’s nose.
And the Mayor is here’
“The starting price is fifty thousand dollars.
As usual, this one comes with no training.
You’ll have to handle that on your own.”
Bidding paddles rose.
Numbers called out.
Fifty-five.
Sixty.
Seventy.
Alex watched it all with the same blank expression he’d worn since walking into Wolfe’s office.
But behind Jensen’s borrowed face, his mind was racing.
‘Why would Wolfe want this?
He hates meta-humans.
He ran Belle Reve.
He should be shutting this down, not attending’
He turned his head slightly, watching Wolfe from the corner of his eye.
The Mayor showed no interest in the teenager.
No raised paddle.
No lean forward.
He swirled his whiskey like a man waiting for the real show.
The bidding ended.
Aubry Dillans sold for eighty-five thousand dollars.
Wolfe smiled.
A thin, satisfied curl of the lips.
“Not a bad price for this one,” he mused.
The guard beside him head of Wolfe’s security, a broad-shouldered man with dead eyes—nodded.
“Yes, sir.
Should net us around fifty thousand after the auction fees.”
Alex’s mind snapped into focus.
‘Wolfee is the seller’
‘Not a buyer.
A supplier’
‘He’s been trafficking meta-humans.
Probably from Belle Reve.
Probably using his old connections’
But then Wolfe leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the stage below.
“Can’t wait for them to show the new items,” he said.
“I don’t usually buy from here…” A pause.
His smile widened.
“But this time?
We’re taking that one.”
Alex’s brow furrowed just a fraction.
‘So the venue allows both buying and selling.
Wolfee is a regular seller…
but something in tonight’s lot has caught his interest’
‘Who is special enough to get his attention?’
He folded his arms, fingers drumming once against his bicep.
‘What are you after, old man?’
The announcer’s voice cut through his thoughts.
“Moving on to our next item…”
Another cell rolled out.
Another collar.
Another hollow-eyed soul.
Alex watched.
Waited.
/*
If you Like this story!
Check out my other story !
Shadow Monarch in Danmachi!