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canon:ace32:chapter1 [05/04/2026 17:04] – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1canon:ace32:chapter1 [05/04/2026 17:04] (current) – ↷ Page moved from chapter1 to canon:ace32:chapter1 kkurzex
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 +======   CHAPTER 1 — Wrong Kind of Fast   ======
 +
 +The Afterlife didn’t change.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not for rumors.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not for noise.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Only for patterns that didn’t make sense.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace noticed it before Rogue spoke.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not the words.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The absence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Conversations flowed—
 +
 +----
 +
 +but not toward them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Around.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That meant the room already knew something was wrong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“This one’s different,” Rogue Amendiares said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No greeting.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No setup.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Good.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace stopped at the counter.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Explain.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t reach for a shard immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She watched them first.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Measured.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You ever seen someone move before they decide to?” she asked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V shifted slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Define ‘before’,” they muttered.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue ignored that.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Bodies on the scene,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Multiple.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No defensive wounds.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Another.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No drawn weapons.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai’s gaze sharpened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No reaction window,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Exactly.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She slid a shard across the counter.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +it mattered.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai picked it up.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Data unfolded instantly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Photos.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Angles.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Still frames pulled from surveillance—
 +
 +----
 +
 +all slightly wrong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Too early.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Victims—
 +
 +----
 +
 +mid-motion—
 +
 +----
 +
 +before anything had happened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Weapons—
 +
 +----
 +
 +still holstered—
 +
 +----
 +
 +in the moment they should have been drawn.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“This is not speed,” Mai said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Flat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“This is sequence failure.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue leaned back.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…figured you’d say something like that.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t look at the shard.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Target.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue tapped the counter once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Not loud,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No rampage.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Another.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No escalation.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That narrowed it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He’s not hunting,” Ace said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He’s not chasing either.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A pause.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He’s just… ahead.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was worse.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy shifted slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The air—
 +
 +----
 +
 +tightened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He doesn’t wait,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s eyes flicked to her—
 +
 +----
 +
 +just for a second.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…No,” she said quietly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…he doesn’t.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai scrolled.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Paused.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Zoomed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +One frame.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The image wasn’t clear—
 +
 +----
 +
 +but it didn’t need to be.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A head.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Side profile.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +And there—
 +
 +----
 +
 +embedded at the temple—
 +
 +----
 +
 +something that didn’t belong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not chrome.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not metal.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Black.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not reflective.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not textured.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just—
 +
 +----
 +
 +absence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +It didn’t catch the light.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +It removed it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai stilled.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Object,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not a question.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t answer immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because she didn’t need to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“That’s what my client thinks too.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace finally looked at the image.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then away.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Location.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue tapped the shard.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Cluster of hits,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Same district.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He doesn’t stay.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Another.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He doesn’t need to.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V exhaled slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…So what’s the play,” they asked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s gaze hardened slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You don’t chase him,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Flat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You won’t catch up.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Short.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Value.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t smile.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“High.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Of course it was.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai closed the shard.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Set it down.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Constraint required,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace turned.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“We go.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No delay.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No negotiation.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t stop them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +But as they moved—
 +
 +----
 +
 +she added one thing.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Hey.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t turn.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“What.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s voice didn’t change.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“This one’s not faster than you.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“He just gets there first.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the difference.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +And as they stepped back into the city—
 +
 +----
 +
 +Night City didn’t react.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Didn’t adjust.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Didn’t care.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because somewhere out there—
 +
 +----
 +
 +in a place where people should have had time to think—
 +
 +----
 +
 +something had already decided—
 +
 +----
 +
 +and acted—
 +
 +----
 +
 +before anyone else
 +
 +even knew
 +
 +it was happening.
 +