DataVault

The Afterlife didn’t get quieter.

It sharpened.

Noise stayed where it was—
glass, voices, metal against metal—

but anything that mattered carved its own space out of it.

Ace felt it before she saw the bar.

Not a shift in volume.

A change in pressure.

People didn’t stop talking.

They leaned—
half a degree, maybe less—
just enough to let something pass through.

“This one pays,” she said.

Mai didn’t answer.

Her gaze moved across the room—not faces, not bodies—

intent.

Shammy let out a slow breath.

“…air’s tighter.”

Not wrong.

Focused.

V glanced sideways.

“That’s not usually how people describe this place.”

Ace kept walking.

“It still holds,” she said.

That was enough.

The bar came into view.

Rogue Amendiares was already there.

Waiting.

Not checking.

Not testing.

Waiting.

“…took you long enough,” she said.

Ace stopped at the counter.

“We move when needed.”

Rogue’s expression didn’t shift.

“Yeah.”

A fraction of a pause.

“…and right now, it’s needed.”

Mai stepped in.

“Details.”

No filler.

Rogue gave a single nod.

“High-tier client.”

She let that sit.

“Top floor. Corpo tower.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Which one.”

Rogue didn’t answer immediately.

Because it mattered.

“Night Corp.”

The space between them tightened.

Not silence—

something narrower.

Even V straightened a little.

“…yeah,” they muttered.

“…that tracks.”

Mai didn’t react.

“Problem.”

Rogue leaned forward—just enough to close distance without committing to it.

“Penthouse,” she said.

“Ownership breach.”

Ace didn’t move.

“Explain.”

Rogue tapped the counter.

Once.

“Doors work.”

Again.

“Locks work.”

A third time.

“Security’s clean.”

Her fingers stilled.

“…system says nothing’s wrong.”

That hung there.

Mai’s eyes narrowed—not much.

“Then it is not.”

Rogue’s mouth twitched.

“Yeah. That’s the fun part.”

She reached under the counter, pulled up a shard—

and didn’t slide it.

Placed it.

Deliberate.

Mai picked it up.

The interface flared alive immediately.

Blueprints.

Penthouse layout. Access nodes. Security overlays.

Everything aligned.

Too clean.

“No anomalies recorded,” Mai said.

Rogue nodded.

“Exactly.”

Ace shifted her weight slightly.

“Then what’s happening.”

Rogue didn’t look at the shard.

She looked at them.

Now there was weight in it.

“People are getting in,” she said.

A pause—not empty this time.

“Not breaking in.”

Another.

“Getting in.”

V frowned.

“…define that.”

Rogue didn’t bother turning.

“They walk up.”

“Doors open.”

“They go inside.”

A slight tilt of her head.

“System logs them as authorized.”

That landed.

Mai didn’t raise her voice.

“That is not access.”

Rogue nodded.

“No.”

A breath.

“It’s acceptance.”

Ace didn’t react outwardly.

“Value.”

Rogue leaned back.

“High.”

No number.

Didn’t need one.

“Client doesn’t want it fixed.”

That shifted the room.

Small.

But real.

Mai looked up from the shard.

“Clarify.”

Rogue’s gaze sharpened a fraction.

“They don’t care why it happens.”

A beat.

“They care that it stops being unpredictable.”

Ace nodded once.

“Usable.”

Rogue smiled—barely.

“There it is.”

Shammy shifted her stance.

The air pulled tighter around them—

not hostile—

expectant.

“It’s already active,” she said.

Rogue’s eyes flicked to her, then back.

“…yeah,” she said.

“…figured you’d clock that.”

Mai lowered the shard.

“Object.”

“Keycard,” Rogue said.

Simple.

Too simple.

Ace uncrossed her arms.

“Location.”

“Inside the penthouse.”

Of course.

Mai gave a small nod.

“It belongs there.”

Rogue didn’t smile this time.

“Yeah.”

“That’s the problem.”

The space settled again.

Not quiet.

Held.

Ace turned.

“We go.”

No hesitation.

Rogue didn’t stop them.

Didn’t add warnings.

Just one thing, as they moved—

“Hey.”

Ace didn’t turn.

“What.”

Rogue’s voice stayed level.

“Don’t fix it.”

A pause.

“Make it usable.”

Ace didn’t answer.

She didn’t need to.

That was already the job.

They stepped back into the city.

Night City didn’t react.

Didn’t shift.

Didn’t care.

Because somewhere high above—

in a tower that did not tolerate mistakes—

something had already made a decision.

The wrong people

weren’t getting in.

They were being let in.

—

© 2025-2026. “World of Ace, Mai and Shammy” and all original characters, settings, story elements, and concepts are the intellectual property of the author. All rights reserved.
Non-commercial fan works are allowed with attribution.
Commercial use, redistribution, or adaptation requires explicit permission from the author.

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