The City of Ionia

Fernando sat at the bar with a tall glass of ginger beer. He tilted his hat down and took a much-needed sip, exhaling as though he drank an elixir that heals all wounds. He raised the glass at the tall bartender and gave the nod of approval.

"This hits the spot," he said.

Next to him was Antonio, one of Fernando's men."How do you not get drunk?" He said, fascinated.

"The key is to build tolerance."

"That's not how it works."

Fernando grinned, taking another sip. His job was to watch over the main dance floor, hoping that Jason would wander around. It's a waiting game, one he didn't mind.

On his third drink, Fernando had been at the bar for roughly 20 minutes. No signs of Jason yet. Usually, he would be on the dancefloor with a group of pretty women who were beyond his league.

Antonio went on to talk about his son and how he had started playing sports at school. Fernando nodded along, pretending to care. That's when he noticed people heading for the exits.

He quickly flicked his wrist, checking his watch. It was still prime party hour. Why were people leaving?

"And so, he grabbed the game-winning catch. Ah, a proud father moment."

"I hate to interrupt your pride. I have to ask, why are people exiting the club? Is it because someone fell off the rails?"

Antonio turned to see people walking up the stairs with the exit door wide open. "No clue. Want to check it out?"

It was a sudden movement by Antonio, enough for Fernando to notice. It was almost like he signaled someone—that quick hand movement aimed for someone up above.

Fernando zoomed in and noticed a head nod towards his general direction. Yes, zoomed in.

Fernando's eyes weren't normal. He wasn't injected with a serum, but implanted with a cybernetic ocular designed for enhanced battlefield awareness, aiming, and weapon synchronization. It replaced the organic eye with a digital interface that allowed him to scan, tag, and track targets in real-time.

Only Alice and Ruben knew about this. Not even Fernando's own men.

The zoom feature utilizes a telescopic lens embedded in the eye socket. It is activated via a neural impulse.

Fernando switched his attention to the bartender. His hands shook while pouring a drink, and he kept licking his lips.

"Antonio."

"Yeah, Fernando?"

Fernando sipped his alcohol before saying, "I find it funny how there are a lot of men."

"What do you mean?"

"We tracked the male–to–female ratio for the past two weeks. It's either 50–50 or 60–40 in favor of women. There aren't many men overall who come here. Today, though, there are a lot more men. 80–20 if I have to put a ratio on it."

Antonio stuttered. "What are you saying?"

"Jason isn't present for the first time in forever. There are more men than women than usual. Also, I find it amusing that as soon as that man fell from above, people started rushing to the exit. At first, it was little by little. The waves gradually increased as I sat here. No one has entered the nightclub since I arrived. That can't all be a coincidence."

"Must be the alc…" Anotio said with a nervous laugh.

Fernando caught the bartender looking away. Suspicious as ever, Fernando pulled a cigar from his pocket and smoked it after lighting it up.

"You're lighting that up now? Jason isn't here."

"It's not Jason I'm concerned about."

Fernando had roughly 11 men in the building, one of them being Antonio. As the crowd emptied, almost 40 people remained. They stood in mini groups and whispered to one another. Fernando's men stuck together on the opposite side of the bar, awaiting an order.

Stolen story; please report.

Something odd was happening at one of the smaller groups. Fernando zoomed in.

Guns. Bullets. Gauntlets. They were being distributed among the group of 9. The other smaller groups did the same.

"Why are you at the bar?" Fernando asked.

"To have a drink??"

Fernando grabbed the gun from inside his jacket. "You know I like to drink in peace before a fight." He whipped it out and shot Antonio in the head.

It was speculation—nothing proven. However, a gut feeling caused Fernando to shoot his own men. Coincidences never piled up like that. It was only accurate that Antonio was secretly a rat.

That's when all hell broke loose.

It was a shoot-out. Fernando leaped across the bartender's side and ducked. Bullets flew, breaking bottles and the glass frame behind the shelf.

The bartender struggled to handle a gun that he must've grabbed nearby. Fernando acted quickly and shot the bartender right through his eyes.

"Luck of the draw," he grinned with a cigar in his mouth.

Fernando ducked, inching closer to the edge of the bar. He peeked around the corner of the table. His men could hold their own with no issues.

The problem was a suspicion that he was the primary target.

"Can't leave 'em hangin'."

His eyes placed red brackets on the enemy. Five targets locked. He raised his gun in the air and pulled the trigger. The bullet briefly soared to the ceiling. Instead of hitting the ceiling, the bullet broke off into multiple miniature bullets and tracked the men marked in red brackets. They collided with flesh, leaving a small explosion on contact—instant death due to organs blowing up.

"Never missed a shot in my life." He said, standing tall and openly.

He brushed his shoulder and adjusted his hat while watching his men handle their own. That was until someone spoke from behind.

"You must be one of Ruben's."

Fernando turned to the grumpy voice. "Can I help you?"

He punched his fists together, which sparked an electric current. "You can make this interesting and hand your head over."

It was a taller man with shoulders that were too small for his shirt, and a muscular frame that could tank multiple punches.

"Gaunlet user. I'm not a hand–to–hand type guy."

His gauntlet wasn't an ordinary weapon. Each one gleamed with heavy armor. Along the knuckles, thick ridges pulsed with veins of electricity running like blood.

"Hate to break it to ya." He punches his gauntlets together. "Enjoy that one last cigar."

"What's stopping me from runnin'?"

The guy sneered and pointed at the mezzanine behind. "See that guy? He's there in case I miss and you dodge my punch. A machine gun aimed right at you. Nowhere to go or run. You're dying here regardless."

"Hmp, that's unfortunate. Really putting me in a tight situation. Hate to break it to ya, but I'm prepared for situations like these."

Fernando pulled a triangular device the size of his hand from the inside of his jacket and placed it on the ground.

The surrounding area shimmered into light blue.

"A shield bubble?" The guy said, partially amazed.

"Correct. A perfect sphere around a 7-meter radius, enclosing everything inside the barrier."

A hexagonal–patterned barrier shielded the two from any outside attacks. The shield didn't block movement. Both Fernando and the guy can freely move in and out.

"This thing will buy me some time against that machine gun up there. For now, it's just you and me in this bubble."

The guy grinned widely. "Just you and me, huh? You'll die before you get the chance to regret that decision!"

Fernando didn't answer. He stepped back, shifting his weight, hands open.

The man charged.

The floor trembled as he sprinted forward and swung his electrified gauntlet, crackling like a thundercloud that's about to burst.

Fernando ducked, avoiding the punch. The gauntlet missed his face and slammed into the concrete with a blast of blue energy.

BOOM!

Concrete shattered. Dust flew. A crater formed where the punch had landed.

Fernando dodged his attacks again. He came around, fast and low, kicking at the back of the man's knee. It staggered him enough for Fernando to strike him across the jaw with the butt of his revolver.

The man grunted and stumbled, but caught himself with one fist on the ground. His eyes flashed with rage.

"You piece of shit!"

"Insults ain't doing you a favor," Fernando shot back.

The gauntlet user roared and slammed his fists together again. A thunderclap echoed inside the bubble, the force rippling across the barrier's inner walls. Hexagonal patterns flickered from the pressure.

Then he charged again, this time more recklessly, throwing a barrage of heavy punches. Fernando weaved through them. One swing grazed his arm, and pain shot up Fernando's side.

Fernando found himself on the ground.

"You done?" the gauntlet user asked.

Fernando coughed. "Not quite." He reached into his jacket and grabbed another device. A silver baton–ish structure this time. The gauntlet user rushed again.

Fernando tossed the baton at the floor between them. It beeped once, then burst into a flash of light.

"Little flashbang for you."

The gauntlet user screamed, stumbling blindly. Fernando pushed through the pain and aimed his revolver at the guy's chest.

"Thanks for the warmup," he said.

And with that, he shot the gauntlet user in the heart.