Chapter 5: The Politician's Vice

The holographic displays in the Shadowbound Guild's command center painted Councilman Alistair Vance's estate in three dimensions, every security measure catalogued with meticulous detail. Kaelen studied the mansion's defenses while Lyra examined guest lists from the evening's high-society gala, her amethyst eyes gleaming with predatory interest.

"Seventy-three of the city's most influential people will be there," she reported, shadows dancing at her feet as her excitement built. "Politicians, military commanders, corporate executives—and our dear Councilman Vance hosting them all."

Three days had passed since their successful defense against the Purifiers, and contract requests were flooding their systems. But this particular job had come through different channels—a mysterious client offering ten million credits for "comprehensive documentation of Councilman Vance's private activities."

"The same Councilman Vance who signed the emergency order authorizing our hunt," Kaelen noted grimly. "The man who turned our victory celebration into a witch trial."

Elara looked up from her workstation, where she'd been interfacing with the city's communication networks. "I've been monitoring his private communications. He's been very busy since our... public debut. Emergency sessions with the Purifier leadership, closed-door meetings with foreign military advisors, and some very interesting financial transfers."

The young technopath's abilities had grown exponentially since interfacing with the facility's hybrid systems. She could now monitor dozens of communication channels simultaneously, her consciousness spreading through the city's digital infrastructure like a living virus.

"What kind of financial transfers?" Lyra asked, already knowing the answer would be significant.

"Large payments to offshore accounts controlled by Kozlov's organization," Elara replied. "The same arms dealer we hit during our first contract. Seems the good Councilman has been funding human trafficking operations."

The pieces were falling into place with satisfying precision. Vance wasn't just their political enemy—he was dirty in ways that could destroy his career and reputation. All they needed was proof solid enough to survive legal challenges.

"The gala is tomorrow night," Kaelen said, tactical wheels turning. "Black tie, maximum security, full media coverage. Perfect camouflage for an infiltration mission."

Lyra's smile turned predatory. "Darling, have you ever seen me in formal wear?"

The answer, as it turned out, was breathtaking. The facility's manufacturing systems had produced evening attire that was both elegant and functional, incorporating bio-tech enhancements that were invisible to conventional scanning. Lyra's black silk gown seemed to flow like liquid shadow, while Kaelen's tuxedo concealed weapons that existed in folded space until needed.

"Remember," Elara said as they prepared to depart, "Vance's private study is on the third floor, eastern wing. His personal security system is isolated from the main network, but I've identified the access points you'll need."

The dimensional fold technology allowed them to emerge directly into the estate's grounds, bypassing external security entirely. To any observer, they were simply fashionably late guests arriving through the main entrance—which was exactly what their forged invitations suggested.

The gala was a display of wealth and power that would have been obscene even before the war. Crystal chandeliers cast rainbow light across marble floors while string quartets played for guests whose jewelry could fund small nations. It was the kind of gathering that reminded everyone why the common people had cheered so loudly when their "heroes" fell from grace.

"Councilman Vance," Lyra purred as their target approached, her illusion powers ensuring they appeared as whatever he expected to see. "What a magnificent celebration."

Vance was a man who wore his corruption like expensive cologne—subtle but unmistakable to those who knew how to recognize it. His smile was politician-perfect as he greeted them, but his eyes held the calculating coldness of someone who viewed people as resources to be exploited.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," he said, his gaze lingering on Lyra with obvious appreciation.

"Marcus and Diana Ashworth," Kaelen replied smoothly, using identities that Elara had crafted with meticulous attention to detail. "Military contractors. We were hoping to discuss some mutual interests."

The magic words opened doors that money couldn't touch. Within minutes, Vance was escorting them toward his private study, eager to discuss business with fellow predators who understood the value of flexible morality.

"The current situation with these terrorist fugitives has created opportunities," Vance explained as they climbed the mansion's ornate staircase. "The Purifier Corps needs specialized equipment, and certain foreign governments are very interested in enhanced individual containment technology."

His study was a shrine to ego and ambition, walls lined with awards and photographs documenting his rise to power. But it was the hidden safe behind a false bookshelf that drew their attention—exactly where Elara's intelligence had suggested it would be.

"The beauty of the current crisis," Vance continued, pouring expensive whiskey, "is that fear makes people willing to accept solutions they would have rejected in peacetime. Enhanced individual registration, mandatory genetic screening, preventive detention—all perfectly legal now."

Lyra's illusions kept him talking while Kaelen used weapons manifested from folded space to access the hidden safe. Inside, they found exactly what their anonymous client had promised would be there—detailed records of payments to human trafficking operations, contracts for illegal experimentation on enhanced individuals, and correspondence with foreign agents offering to sell Earth's defensive secrets.

"Of course, the real profit isn't in legislation," Vance said, warming to his subject. "It's in the implementation. Every enhanced individual we capture becomes a test subject. Every family that disappears creates demand for our security services. The Slayer and Vixen did us a favor by revealing their true nature—now we can monetize the fear they've created."

Kaelen felt the Abyssal Armory respond to his rage, weapons straining to manifest and end this conversation permanently. But Lyra's subtle touch on his arm reminded him of their mission parameters. They were here for intelligence, not assassination.

"Fascinating," Lyra murmured, her recording devices capturing every word. "And what about the risks? Surely some of these enhanced individuals are dangerous enough to pose genuine threats?"

Vance's laugh carried genuine amusement. "Let me tell you a secret—half the 'enhanced individual incidents' reported in the news are manufactured. We stage attacks, blame them on rogue powers, then offer our services as the solution. The public eats it up because it confirms their fears."

The evidence they were gathering was more damning than they had dared hope. Vance wasn't just corrupt—he was actively engineering the persecution that was driving enhanced individuals underground, creating the very problem he claimed to be solving.

"But surely the Purifier Corps wouldn't participate in such deceptions?" Kaelen asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"Captain Vale is an idealist," Vance replied dismissively. "He actually believes he's protecting humanity. But his superiors understand the bigger picture. Fear is the most renewable resource in politics—you just have to maintain the supply."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of another guest—a woman whose presence made both Kaelen and Lyra tense with recognition. Dr. Helena Marsh, former head of the Enhanced Individual Research Division, was supposed to have died during the war's final battles.

"Alistair," she said, her voice carrying the clinical detachment that had made her infamous among enhanced individuals during the war. "I wasn't expecting you to have company during our consultation."

Vance's demeanor shifted, becoming more deferential. "Dr. Marsh, allow me to introduce Marcus and Diana Ashworth. Military contractors interested in our enhanced containment programs."

Dr. Marsh studied them with the intense scrutiny of someone who had spent years dissecting people like them. "How interesting. And what, exactly, is your experience with enhanced individuals?"

The question hung in the air like a loaded weapon. Dr. Marsh had been responsible for some of the war's most horrific experiments, using captured enhanced individuals as test subjects for procedures that bordered on torture. If she was still alive and working with Vance, it explained much about the sophistication of the current persecution.

"Enough to know they're dangerous," Lyra replied smoothly, her illusions ensuring she appeared calm despite the tension crackling through the room.

"Indeed they are," Dr. Marsh agreed, her smile carrying memories of horrors inflicted in the name of research. "Which is why our current projects are so vital. The ability to not just contain enhanced individuals, but to extract and transfer their abilities—imagine the applications."

Kaelen's blood turned to ice as the implications became clear. The disappearances, the secret facilities, the experimentation—they weren't just studying enhanced individuals. They were harvesting them.

"The Slayer and Vixen were perfect test cases during the war," Dr. Marsh continued, apparently taking their shocked silence for professional interest. "Such exotic power sets, such interesting neurological patterns. I was disappointed when they went underground—I had such plans for their neural tissue."

The casual way she discussed vivisecting them broke something fundamental in Kaelen's control. The Abyssal Armory began to manifest despite his conscious will, crimson energy starting to seep through his formal attire.

Lyra's hand on his arm became a grip of iron, her own illusions straining to contain the supernatural energies he was beginning to emit. Around them, shadows began to writhe with life of their own as her power responded to the emotional resonance between them.

"How fascinating," Dr. Marsh said, her clinical detachment giving way to excited recognition. "Alistair, I believe your new friends are more interesting than they initially appeared."

The study's atmosphere changed in an instant, cordial business meeting becoming deadly trap. Security systems activated throughout the room while Dr. Marsh reached for a device that Kaelen recognized as a neural disruptor—technology specifically designed to incapacitate enhanced individuals.

"I'm afraid this evening has become far more productive than anticipated," Vance said, his politician's mask falling away to reveal the predator beneath. "Dr. Marsh, begin the containment protocol."

But they had underestimated what their quarry had become. The Shadowbound Guild's enhancement technologies transformed the confrontation from ambush to massacre in seconds. Kaelen's weapons carved through security barriers like paper while Lyra's illusions turned the mansion's own security systems against their operators.

"The files," Lyra reminded him as they fought their way through waves of private security. "We need the evidence."

They downloaded everything—financial records, correspondence, experimental data, and most damningly, video recordings of Dr. Marsh's procedures performed on captured enhanced individuals. The scope of the conspiracy was staggering, involving government officials, military commanders, and corporate executives in a systematic program of persecution and exploitation.

As they prepared to extract, alarms began sounding throughout the estate. The gala's guests were being evacuated while military units surrounded the property, but the dimensional fold technology made conventional containment irrelevant. They simply stepped sideways through space, emerging in their bunker with evidence that could topple governments.

"Incredible," Elara breathed as she reviewed the intelligence they had gathered. "This goes all the way to the top. Cabinet ministers, foreign intelligence services, corporate boards—they're all involved."

Kaelen studied surveillance footage that showed Dr. Marsh's escape, the woman disappearing into what appeared to be her own dimensional transport system. "She recognized us," he said grimly. "The whole operation is compromised now."

"Good," Lyra replied, her amethyst eyes blazing with controlled fury. "Let them know we're coming. Let them understand that their victims are no longer helpless."

The anonymous client transferred their payment within hours, but the credits were secondary to the intelligence they had gained. They now understood the true scope of the conspiracy against enhanced individuals—and they had evidence that could expose it all.

But as Kaelen reviewed the files late into the night, Dr. Chen's warnings echoed in his memory. The corruption they had uncovered was vast, systematic, and deeply entrenched. Fighting it would require more than evidence and exposure.

It would require an army.

And in the depths of the Shadowbound bunker, as contract requests continued flooding their systems, Kaelen began to realize they were building exactly that—one rescued enhanced individual at a time.

The war wasn't over. It had simply changed battlefields.