[LOCATION: THE OLYMPUS CASINO, LAS VEGAS]
[TIME: 22:00 HOURS]
The desert heat was a physical weight. Even at night, the asphalt of the Vegas Strip radiated a dry, suffocating warmth that made Lucas's cooling suit hum in overdrive.
"Internal temperature rising," Elena whispered in his ear. "The cooling sleeves are working at 80% capacity just to keep you stable. If you engage in combat, you have three minutes before the virus boils your blood."
Lucas adjusted his cufflinks. He wasn't wearing his usual tactical gear. He wore a bespoke midnight-blue tuxedo, tailored to hide the bulk of the containment sleeve on his right arm.
"I don't plan on fighting," Lucas murmured, stepping out of the limousine. "I plan on gambling."
He looked up at the target.
The Olympus. It was a monstrosity of gold and glass, towering over the Strip like a cathedral to greed. A massive holographic Zeus threw lightning bolts that turned into slot machine jackpots.
"Alexander," Lucas said into his comms. "Status?"
"I'm in the security grid," Alexander Vane's voice came through, sounding bored. "But be warned, Lucas. The Banker—Apostle Number Four—doesn't use standard encryption. He uses... algorithms based on chaos theory. It's messy."
"And the kid?"
"Julian is sedated in the van with Tank," Alexander replied. "Though I still think we should have left him in the Alps."
Lucas walked toward the golden revolving doors. Elena was on his arm, wearing a backless emerald gown that concealed a compact sub-machine gun strapped to her thigh.
"Ready to lose some money?" Elena smiled, though her eyes were scanning for threats.
"I never lose," Lucas said.
[THE CASINO FLOOR]
Inside, the noise was deafening. Thousands of slot machines chirped in disharmony.
Lucas activated Resonance Sight (Tier 2).
The world shifted into wireframe. But unlike the Alps, where the sound was clean, here it was a mess. The heartbeat of every gambler, the spin of every roulette wheel, the clatter of chips—it was a storm of data.
[SYSTEM ALERT: SENSORY OVERLOAD. FILTERING...]
"Target is in the Penthouse," Lucas said, fighting the headache. "High Roller suite. The elevator is guarded by... what are those?"
He looked at the two guards standing by the velvet rope. They weren't wearing armor. They were wearing tailored suits, but their faces were blank.
"Probability Drones," Elena noted. "Human, but lobotomized. They don't feel pain, and they don't miss."
Lucas and Elena walked up to the rope. The guard stepped forward.
"Invitation only, sir."
Lucas didn't argue. He raised his right hand—the crystal hand—and placed it on the velvet rope stanchion.
[ABILITY: MICRO-VIBRATION.]
He sent a pulse through the metal stand. It didn't break. Instead, the vibration traveled down the rope, unhooking the latch with a soft click. The rope fell open.
"The rope seems to have malfunctioned," Lucas said smoothly. "Must be my lucky day."
The guard stared at the rope, confused. The probability of a mechanical failure like that was near zero.
"Right this way, sir," the guard muttered, stepping aside.
[THE PENTHOUSE - "THE GOLD ROOM"]
The elevator doors opened onto a space that smelled of expensive cigars and ozone.
The room was entirely gold. Gold walls, gold tables, gold carpet. In the center sat a single poker table.
Sitting there, shuffling a deck of cards with impossible speed, was The Banker (Dante).
He was a small man with slicked-back hair and a suit made of shimmering, golden fabric. He didn't look up as Lucas and Elena entered.
"Subject Zero," The Banker said. His voice was slippery, like oil on glass. "And the Traitor's daughter. You're precisely forty-two seconds early."
"Where is the Alchemist?" Lucas asked, stopping at the edge of the table.
"Gone," The Banker smiled, finally looking up. His eyes weren't blue like the other infected. They were Gold. "He dropped off the data and left. He knows better than to interrupt a winning streak."
Lucas raised his hand. "I'm not here to play cards, Dante. I'm here for the Ledger."
"The Ledger?" The Banker laughed. He tossed the deck of cards into the air.
They didn't fall.
The fifty-two cards hovered in a perfect circle around The Banker's head, spinning lazily.
[TARGET ANALYSIS: GRAVITY MANIPULATION? NO.]
[ANALYSIS: PROBABILITY DISTORTION.]
"You think you can just take it?" The Banker sneered. "My dear boy, you are a brute. You punch things. You vibrate things. But you still obey the laws of physics."
The Banker snapped his fingers.
"I suggest the laws."
Lucas drew his Shatter Pistol.
"Checkmate," Lucas said. He fired.
THUMP.
The sonic spike flew straight at The Banker's chest.
It should have hit. It was a perfect shot.
But mid-air, a ceiling fan blade—which hadn't been moving a second ago—suddenly spun. The spike hit the fan blade, deflected at a 90-degree angle, bounced off a gold vase, and embedded itself in the wall inches from Lucas's own head.
Lucas stared at the wall.
"A one in a million shot," The Banker grinned. "But I control the million."
"Shoot him!" Elena yelled, drawing her SMG.
She unleashed a burst of bullets.
The Banker didn't move. He didn't dodge.
He simply leaned back to pick up his drink.
The bullets missed him by millimeters. One grazed his ear. One passed through the gap between his arm and his torso. One hit the deck of floating cards, shredding the Ace of Spades.
"Statistically unlikely," The Banker yawned. "But possible."
"He's altering outcomes!" Elena shouted, reloading. "He's collapsing quantum waveforms! Lucas, we can't hit him! The universe literally bends to make him miss!"
Lucas looked at his HUD.
[ACCURACY: 0%. CHANCE OF VICTORY: <0.0001%.]
"You can't fight luck," The Banker said, standing up. "But I am a businessman. I offer you a deal."
He reached into his golden jacket and pulled out a single coin. It was heavy, ancient, and glowed with viral energy.
"The Alchemist told me you have a... moral code. How quaint."
The Banker placed the coin on the table.
"Heads, I give you the Ledger. I walk away. You win."
"And Tails?" Lucas asked, his crystal arm humming.
"Tails... you work for me." The Banker's gold eyes flashed. "I have a debt to collect in sector 4. A rival cartel. You wipe them out, and I own your soul."
"I don't gamble," Lucas growled.
"Then you die," The Banker shrugged. "The chandelier above you has a loose bolt. It's about to fall. The structural integrity is 99%, but..."
He looked up.
"...oops."
CREAAAK.
The massive crystal chandelier, weighing two tons, tore free from the ceiling.
Lucas didn't have time to think. He tackled Elena, activating his hydraulic legs.
CRASH.
The chandelier pulverized the spot where they had been standing. Glass shards exploded like shrapnel.
Lucas shielded Elena with his body. A shard of glass the size of a knife slammed into his backplate.
[ARMOR BREACH. COOLANT LEAK DETECTED.]
Steam hissed from Lucas's suit. The nitrogen was escaping.
"Lucas!" Elena coughed, pushing him up. "The coolant!"
"I'm fine," Lucas gritted out. He stood up, facing The Banker through the dust.
"You missed," Lucas said.
"Did I?" The Banker pointed at Lucas's feet.
Lucas looked down.
The floor beneath the chandelier had collapsed from the impact. They were standing on a cracked slab of gold marble, tilting dangerously over the edge of the building.
"I didn't aim for you," The Banker said, adjusting his tie. "I aimed for the floor."
The slab gave way.
Lucas and Elena fell.
They didn't fall a few feet. They fell out of the side of the building, plummeting seventy stories toward the Vegas Strip.
"Elena!" Lucas screamed, reaching for her in mid-air.
The wind roared in his ears. The lights of the casinos spun dizzyingly below them.
[ALTITUDE: 800 FEET.]
[IMPACT IN: 6 SECONDS.]
Lucas grabbed Elena's hand. He pulled her close, wrapping his armored body around her.
"Resonance!" Elena screamed over the wind. "Use the shockwave to cushion the fall!"
"Not enough power!" Lucas yelled. "The coolant is gone! If I use a Tier 2 blast now, I'll crystallize instantly!"
[HUMANITY INDEX: 60%.]
[CHOICE: DIE ON IMPACT OR DIE BY CRYSTAL.]
Lucas looked at Elena's terrified face.
He closed his eyes.
"Then I crystallize."
He aimed his crystal hand at the ground rushing toward them.
[ABILITY ACTIVATE: SEISMIC CUSHION.]
[WARNING: LETHAL VIRAL SURGE.]
He unleashed the virus.