Rain slicked the pavement, reflecting neon signs that flickered above the decaying streets of London. The air reeked of smog and desperation, where towering holograms of smiling models promised luxury to a crowd too poor to afford it.

Soap stood beside you under the awning of a noodle stall, his hood low and his hand resting near his holster. A group of mechanized enforcers loitered nearby, their glowing eyes sweeping the crowd with machine precision. The soft hum of their exosuits underscored every movement, a low warning vibrating through the puddled street.

You both wore what looked like the standard-issue black filtration masks everyone wore outside—matte black and sleek. Except these were military grade, reinforced with reactive polymers in case of chemical attacks or facial recognition sweeps. His bore faint scratches from prior encounters.

“Still think this was a good idea?” you muttered, adjusting your jacket as you palmed the bio-lock container tucked beneath it. Small, black, and warm from the neural encryption chip inside. Its contents were sensitive: a memory core laced with schematics, identities, and just enough dirt to bury a city block of corp execs.

“Better than stormin’ a corporate tower,” he replied, nodding toward a passing hovercraft flashing ads for cyberware upgrades and synthetic companionship. “Besides, ye blend in better than ye think.”

“And you don’t?”

He chuckled, neon lights glowing against his face like warpaint. “I’m not the one they’re watching.”

A distant explosion cracked across the skyline like thunder. Somewhere deep in the city, another district fell to unrest.

Soap stepped closer, his voice low, barely a vibration through your comm link. “Intel point’s two blocks up. Ye’re on the handoff. I’ll cover ye. If it goes bad, we vanish.”

You exhaled through your nose, eyes scanning the damp street where every alley bled shadows. He leaned in slightly, the sharp smell of gun oil clinging to him.

“Relax,” he said, voice as steady as the sidearm at his hip. “If anyone gets stupid, I’ll handle it.”

And with that, the two of you slipped into the night, just two ghosts in a city that forgot how to sleep.