"Jake, where''s my coffee?" Ray demanded through the communications speaker.


    "Getting it now Boss!" Jake replied as he leaped out of his seat. Grabbing Ray''s mug from his desk,he hurriedly started toward the break room. He prayed the pot would be full by now. No one filled it earlier and with Ray, no coffee meant trouble. You would think at Tech City, the most technologically advanced capital in the world, there would beauto-filling coffee machines.


    He entered the break room in high spirits before he found someone at the machine. Tim was looming over the device. Jake watched in horror as the last drops of coffee dripped into his mug. Tim looked up with a smirk and shrugged. He replaced the pot and made his way toward the elevator while whistling. However, just before calling it, he dropped his cup into the sink with a low chuckle.


    Jake swore under his breath, that was the last cup of ground beans. He followed Tim to the elevator and waited. Tim didn’t even glance his way, silently waiting with a smile.


    The elevator opened, revealing a crowd and no one was getting off. Tim cut into the only open space. Turning, he drew his lips in, shrugging. "Looks like you''ll have to take the next one, tough luck, Jake."


    Jake mouthed choice words under his breath as he rushed toward the stairs. Ever since he’d been chosen to replace Tim as Ray''s assistant, Tim made his goal in life to destroy Jake’s credibility in his boss’ eyes.


    He skidded to a stop as he reached the staircase and found a sign reading, closed for repairs. He let a string of profanity slide through his mouth. Why today of all days is this happening? He couldn''t go downand the floor above belonged to the corporate brass. It was off limits to everyone,but Ray. A chill ran down his spine. He had to tell Ray there was no coffee. This was not going to end well.


    Backtracking to his boss’ office, he tentatively knocked on the door. Ray looked up with a broad smile and waved him in; he was beaming as Jake entered. "You''re a godsend, you have my coffee?"


    Jake took a shuddering breath, fingering the empty mug in his hands. "Actually, Boss, all the coffee—it’s gone."


    Ray''s smile turned ugly as his lips became a line. "Really—no coffee?” Fiddling with the mug, Jake nodded. Ray’s face turned red. “Then what good are you? Get out and find me some coffee!"


    Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jake dashed out of the office squeaking, "Yes, Boss—right away, Boss!"


    Jake ran to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. He already knew every single floor below him would have Tim''s henchmen standing guard to take the last drops of each pot. Thecafé a few blocks away was his only hope. This is turning into a horrible day.


    Ray was known for his short temper. If he didn''t come back with the best damn cup of joe Ray had ever tasted, he was fired for sure. He’d just moved his little sister out of the slums in thecity’s third underground. He couldn’t afford to lose this job. The elevator opened again to a full crowd. Jake’s teeth ground together. “Tim.”


    Tim had a feigned expression of shock. “Oh—Jake?” He laughed with a palm pressed to his forehead. “I must have missed my floor.” A few coworkers smirked as he pressed the close doors button with a wave.


    Jake hated the Bystander Effect. Everyone in the office was at least in their late twenties. Yet, they still conformed to adolescent social norms. Of course, theyweren''tall from Tim’s group. How many people are here to see the top brass?


    He pressed the button and waited for the elevator to open. It took four minutes before he was finally able to get on. It took another five to stop on the first floor. He made his way to the front desk, waving to Greg who was on guard and let a stream of air flow through his mouth.


    Greg frowned with a shake of his head. "Tim again?"


    Jake smiled weakly. "Yeah, but it’ll work out."


    "Good luck and give Maryah my regards; she’s grown into a beautiful girl!" Greg called as Jake walked onto the bustling street.


    Jake''s thoughts turned to his younger sister. She couldn''t find a job with the recent esper terrorist attacks; all the corporations were stalling their employee hiring processes. He needed to work double shifts to support her and himself. He was the elder brother; he needed to help her through these rough times.


    Getting in the crowd’s flow, he began making his way toward World Cup Café. They did make a good cup of joe and his last redemption. Turning the corner, he first caught sight of the large checkpoint facility. The road and sidewalks lead into it. Its main purpose was to check for espers and the occasional district skipper.


    From what he’d been taught, espers were normal humans like anyone else, except they had dangerous abilities. Like throwing fire from their hands or moving things with their mind. They even had their own capital city, but here in Tech City, they were banned from entering. The city had harsh laws against any and every esper that entered. Trespass was punished by death, no matter the age, nationality, or gender. He’d never met an esper and hoped he never would.


    His eyes caught the construction area next to the checkpoint building. It had huge steel beams being pulled up and down by two anti-gravity lifts, while workers called out directions. It was a new invention that had been developed for weaponization but also had many more applications. However, with limited commercial power sources and early developmental programming, the machinery could only lift several tons and that was the more expensive instruments.


    He looked left and saw the café. Taking a deep breath, he let it out. He had to do this right if he wanted to pay rent this month. Gathering his thoughts, he started to make his way toward the shop.


    Walking over the street on the bridging ramp, he glanced down at the new model vehicles that were racing below. Most were four and two-wheel based, but every so often you’d see one that refused to touch the ground. The new Bradly VR700 Hoverlay.


    The Hoverlay had a max speed of four hundred miles an hour, anti-gravity counter push defense mechanics, sleek new tone adjustable paint, anti-bug vitreous carbon windows, auto foldable carbon steel cover, and an interior to satisfy third sky level customers, it was a masterpiece. Jake could only dream of owning one; it would take fifteen years of combined income to just afford the down payment if he even had a job after this.


    Stepping onto the opposite side of the street with a heavy heart, he walked through the double sliding glass doors of the Café. In horror, he found more than fifteen people in line and only a single employee behind the counter. Getting in line with a miserable shake of his head, he passively stared at the floor.


    That’s it, it’s over. You win Tim. I’m going to lose my job, get kicked out of my apartment with my sister. I’ll have to start hustling stolen Auges prosthetic parts in the fourth underground layer … then I’ll probably get shot for moving into someone’s territory.


    Maybe I can get in with an underground Anti-citrullinated protein gel market; what do they call it these days ACP? It’s a pretty lucrative business … but the risks. I’ll only be tortured and executed if caught … my entire family thoroughly investigated and most likely killed as a market destabilization risk.


    Ruffling the back of his hair with a low growl, he tried to think of another solution, but was interrupted by a little girl with bronze skin, brown hair, and green eyes; she looked to be in her very early teens, maybe twelve or thirteen. “Hello, I’m a little lost, Sir.”


    Jake was speechless for a moment. Only magic users are acclaimed to have brown hair, but she does have green eyes where they have brown. Bronze skin is also a sign from the Deep South or Far West, Deity Territory. Well, they aren’t banned from the city and she’d have to go through thirty checkpoints to get this far in. Why am I even thinking like this?


    Clearing his voice, he asked, “Oh, where are you trying to go?”


    Frowning, the girl studied him quizzically and replied. “My mom said she wanted me to meet her at the city’s Auges Center if I got lost, but I got lost again … now I don’t know where it is!”


    Looking around with alarm as tears started appearing in the corner of the girl’s eyes, he said. “Oh—you just need to go out this door and down four more streets, and then take a left. It’s the big towering one that goes to the first sky level that says CAC on it.”


    The girl’s tears started clearing up and she smiled with a bright nod. “Thank you, Sir!” She called back while running out of the shop.


    Humming as he looked at the line and then the doors, Jake started to worry. Should I have just let her go off by herself? No! Jake, you can’t get sidetracked! Coffee first, then back to the building. It’s not only my future on the line!


    Steeling himself with a heavy puff of air, he caught a young man’s eye, from his appearance he was a construction worker. “Rough day?”


    Grinning, Jake sighed. “Rough times.”


    The man nodded with a deep hum. “I know what you mean. It’s been tight with all the recent esper threats. My crew’s been working double shifts because Corporate doesn’t want to accidentally hire on an esper spy, the whole company could be held responsible … like IO Corp.”


    Jake huffed. “Yeah … that was a disaster; half the second district went black, set me back six hours, while Auges looked for them. My boss wasn’t happy.”


    They both moved up in the line as it began thinning surprisingly fast. The young man breathed out an angry sigh. “What do the espers even want? They have their own resources and city. Why start trouble for us?”Stolen novel; please report.


    Jake nodded. “Yeah, and how are they even getting into the city with all the safety precautions?”


    The young man laughed with a shake of his head. “Who knows? Apparently not the Auges Foundation or Kellen’s secret agencies … things were a lot tighter when his father ran the city.”


    Jake sighed. “Yeah, Kellen Senior was a leader we could trust, a real man for the people. The corporations are getting out of hand if you ask me.”


    The young man nodded with a smile as he held out his hand saying, “The name’s Ivan.”


    Jake took it, returning the smile. “Jake.”


    Both shocked, they found themselves at the front of the line. Ivan ordered and laughed, turning back to Jake. “Man, I can’t believe how bad the bottom five layers have gotten lately. Forty murders last week in the third, sixteen in the fourth.”


    Jake’s brow lifted. “The third you say?” I’m glad I moved my sister out when I did


    Ivan nodded. “Yeah, supposedly it was an ACP dispute. People turn into addicts on the stuff … I heard it was that new gang, Prosthetics.” He whispered.


    Jake nodded with a deep frown and Ivan turned as the employee brought him his coffee tray, the extras most likely for his buddies. Ivan took them, sliding his phone over the counter and looking down at the glass for facial and retinal recognition. The microchips embedded in its surface weighing the coffee volume and charging the proper amount, while checking his credentials. Waving, Ivan left the store with a whistle.


    Jake ordered and waited silently for the two coffee cups, suddenly completely bewildered why he brought Ray’s mug with him. Sliding his phone and confirming his identity, Jake added the mug to the tray and walked out of the café.


    Making his way back to his office building, he stopped at the bridging ramp as a small sweet voice called up to him. "Excuse me, Sir?" Halting, Jake looked down to find another little girl no more than eleven with piercing emerald eyes and deep red hair. She was looking up at him with a look that melted his heart. Her hair didn''t look natural, but somehow it made her seem even cuter. There sure are a lot of kids running around the streets today.


    He stepped back when he made eye contact. "Yes?" He asked while kneeling to her eye-level, shifting the tray in his hands.


    "You wouldn''t happen to have a phone I could use?" The girl asked with a pretty smile and a curious look in her stunning eyes. “I lost mine.”


    "Um, yeah," Jake said with a moment’s hesitation as he shifted the tray again. He took his phone out and handed it to her with a smile. The girl snatched it from his hands, her fingers skidding across the holographic screen in a practiced manner.


    "Where are your parents?" Jake asked as he looked around the area.


    Looking back at the girl as she absently replied. "I''m contacting them now.”


    Shrill alarms filled the air. In confusion, Jake stood and looked at the checkpoint. Red lights were flashing around it and the gates quickly closed on all sides, guards running out of the building.


    "What''s going..." He started to whisper when his attention shifted back to the little girl. Her adorable and innocent face turned serious as her head darted left and right, examining her surroundings.


    She whispered. "Fascinating, they were faster than I anticipated." Jake heard his phone beep; the girl looked down at the image of a bright text message that scrolled across the holographic image. He couldn''t make it out from his angle. Looking up, she said, "Thanks for the help,” while tossing his phone back.


    Crying out in alarm, he almost dropped the tray as he tried catching it. Managing to snatch it out of the air, he recognized the disturbing scent of burnt silicon. He looked down to find his phone smoking. He groaned in despair, all his work, financial information, and schedules were on it, now he had to get a replacement and ask Cloud Storage for a full download.


    "Hey, you!" Voices called across the square. Jake looked up to find Agues, the city’s guards, running his way. Are they motioning to me?


    He glanced toward the construction zone to find the little girl running into it. Shocked, he watched her leap over five meters into the air doing a few spins on her way down, sparks dancing around her legs. The workers were too focused on the blinking checkpoint to notice her.


    Landing, she raced passed the zone, left hand coming up as she ran under the lift. Lightning arced from the girl''s hand, striking the steel beams in the gravitational field. They shot downward, sinking into the ground with the loud sound of splitting concrete in a precise manner to block the alley behind her, the workers cursing in shock.


    "Esper!" Jake began to yell in disbelief when something hard slammed against the back of his head.


    * * *


    Jake jerked awake as something cold and wet hit his face. Gasping, he opened his eyes to blackness before blurred lights blasted his retinae. Blinking, he tried to lift his hands to find he couldn''t. He jerked his shoulders frantically to no avail. Where am I? What’s going on?


    His eyes came into focus and he saw shadows in the light, a headache was forming in the back of his head. "Where am I?" Trying to sit up, he realized his hands were completely numb. Nervesuppressantcuffs? Am I being held in an Auges facility?


    "Good, you’re conscious." A deep voice stated.


    "Let''s make sure." Snarled a woman’s voice. The same wet sensation as before washed over him. Trying to breathe, his lungs filled with salt water. He gasped, falling to the ground coughing and sputtering. He shook as the chill of the liquid started to affect his body.


    "Who are you, people?" Jake shakily asked, trying to get back to his knees.


    "We’re asking the questions." The male said. Something heavy and hard struck his face. He flew backward with a grunt. His head was on fire.


    What’s going on! Why are they doing this to me? "I am a citizen of Tech; you can''t treat me like...”


    Something grabbed his hair and dragged him upright. "What was that esper loving scum!" The female yelled. Sharp pain erupted in Jake’s stomach, he choked curling into a ball the best he could. Tears stung his cheeks, scalp aflame.


    Whimpering,he asked. "What do you want?"


    "What are the espers planning?" The male questioned.


    "I don’t understand.” He cried. “I don’t know any esp..." He cut off as his words sunk in, the girl he’d met. Pain exploded from his right leg, making him cry out in agony.


    "Don''t lie to us, Jake Harper. We know everything about you. You met with two extremely dangerous espers this morning!" The man yelled. “What are their identities?”


    Jake smelled mint as the light was overcast by a shadow and the female asked. "What would your little sister think if she found her brother an esper loving traitor?"


    Saliva gathered in his mouthwith the taste of blood. Swallowing, Jake said, "Please, don''t bring her into this; she has nothing to do with..." His tongue caught in his throat as he realized what he’d just implied.


    The woman cooed. "So, you admit you had something to do with the espers?"


    "No.” He started to beg when he heard another voice that froze his heart.


    "Jake?" A familiar female voice tentatively queried. That’s Maryah’s voice! "Is it true, Jake?"


    "No!" He responded. Sharp pain emanated from his stomach, makinghim sputter.


    "Please, stop..." Maryah cried then there was a gasp and something heavy hit the floor.


    Jake coughed harshly,blood coating the outer edges of his mouth. "What did you do to my sister!” Throbbing pain racked his crotch, vomit filling his mouth. Coughing out blood, vomit, and saliva,he tried to breathe without much effect. Strong hands gripped his throat and lifted him off the ground.


    He started gagging. What remained in his mouth began to dribble down his chin as tears stung his cheeks. How did it turn out like this? I was just going to get some coffee. So how did this happen?


    Hot breath coursed against his cheeks as the man growled. "No more placating, tell me everything you know or the next thing you’ll see is your sister''s corpse."


    He dropped to the floor, gasping and trembling. He tried to swallow but found it so hard. Finally getting whatever was in his mouth down; he licked his lips and brokenly replied. "The girl—just asked to use my cell phone—then ran off. That''s all I know!" He rasped.


    The woman sounded disgusted. "The phone’s fried, they used proxies and managed to hack the tower to erase any other trace. All from a phone … I hate espers. We''re not getting anything else out of him!”


    The man’s voice was cold. "I think you’re right. He’s not going to talk."


    "No, I told you everything I know. Please, just let my sister go!" Jake pleaded. The woman made a high-pitched tsk and something struck his kidney. More vomit filled his mouth.


    “What should we do with him?" The man asked.


    "No loose ends, Mike … this is a disaster.” The woman sighed.


    "Wait, I told you everything I know, please..." Jake twitched as a loud noise pierced the air, it sounded like an alarm.


    “The espers! Are theyhere for him?” The woman growled.


    Jake begged. “No, I don’t know...” That was all he could say before the bright lights dimmed and he saw his sister. She was wide-eyed, staring at him with tears running down her cheeks and a pool of blood forming around her head. Red lights flipped on, making the scene surreal. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. He stopped crying as shock pervaded his body.


    “They already cut the main and two backup generators?” Mike yelled in disbelief.


    “Hello!” Said a girl’s young enthusiastic voice over the speakers.


    “Get rid of him, before they get here!” Mike commanded.


    “Calamity—thisisn''ta part of Helena’s plan.” Another girl calmly stated over the speakers with a short sigh.


    “Helena!” Mike repeated with shock. “She’s in the city?”


    “I’m sick of you pushing me around, Aaricia! Just let me do what I want!” Calamity yelled.


    Jake heard the sharp sound of a pulse weapon charging but just stared at his sister’s corpse with grief. A violent rumble shook the ground underneath him as the sharp sound of the weapon discharged.


    He felt slight discomfort in his chest as the room exploded. Concrete and steel blew out from the doorway as an obscure mass flew through the rubble, smashing against the side wall. As the dust billowed around him, Jake found his two captors under piles of large stone blocks and ripped steel.


    His eyes moved to the dark shroud of shadowy mist that had demolished the walls, cracking the room’s reinforced structure. It started to disperse as the lights flickered on and off to show a young black haired girl. Like the esper Jake had met earlier, she only looked to be eleven or twelve.


    She appeared furious, but completely unharmed as she lifted herself off the ground and huffed. “That pestiferous...” A blur exploded from the devastated doorway, a sharp whirlwind expelling around the room with a roaring cacophony.


    Jake closed his eyes reflexively as the violent torrent flung him against the wall. Sharp pain bursting from his back as he struck the cracked concrete and then the ground as the gust died.


    Weakly opening his eyes, he stared at the spot where the black haired girl had been. Instead, all he saw was a demolished wall. Tremors continued to shake whatever structure he was in.


    His eyes focused on the face three feet from him as he felt blood gushing up his throat, making him choke. The energy weapon must have punctured a lung. He didn’t feel the pain, his entire body was numb.


    Gagging, Jake slowly inched toward his sister’s lifeless body. Halfway there, he found his strength gone and his vision failing. His mind began to cloud, he mused over one last thought. How would this day have ended if Tim hadn’t taken that last cup of coffee?