Rain pounded the asphalt, creating a shimmering carpet of filth and water. Neon lights reflected in puddles, spilling colors that seemed more alive than the lives beneath them. The light fell on my face too – the face of a tired detective who had seen too much and now saw little reason in anything.

I sat in my office, staring out the window when my comm buzzed. I snuffed out a half-smoked cigarette and answered. The voice on the other end was cold, impersonal, someone who thrived in the shadows, someone who knew the world I moved through.

“We’ve got a job for you. Mercenaries. They stick together, but their ace is a new model. Nexus. A woman. Name’s Twist. Your task? Find her. Eliminate, if necessary.”

Twist. There was something about that name. A metallic taste at the back of my tongue, as if I already knew this job would bring more trouble than answers.

I checked the files. The merc group was slick, ruthless, operating on the fringes of the city where no one asked questions because no one wanted answers. Their strength was in their unity, but Twist... she was a different kind of threat. Nexuses, especially the newer models, weren’t just replicants – they embodied everything humanity tried to understand and control but never could.

There was no other way. I had to play this smart.

Places like this always reeked of fear and sweat. The clubs where mercenaries gathered weren’t for ordinary people. I walked in, hands buried deep in my pockets, eyes scanning the crowd. Somewhere in there was Twist. I could feel it, even though I hadn’t seen her yet.

She wasn’t hard to find. Sitting in a dark corner, surrounded by others but distinctly apart. She had a look that spoke more than words ever could. Her skin seemed to glisten under the artificial light, her eyes cold, calculating, but there was also a shadow in them I didn’t expect.

I edged closer, trying not to draw attention. When our eyes met, for a second I thought I saw something more than just calculation. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe... something more human?

She knew the rules of the game. So did I. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that Twist was playing a different game entirely. In that moment, I knew one thing: if I didn’t play this right, she’d be my end. Maybe she already was.