The world was an endless canvas, its surface white and pure. For a while, it remained untouched, then a single line appeared, followed by another. Pitch black lines appeared one after the other, followed by a series of different shapes with no set patterns. It was almost as if an artist was moving his brush through the white expanse, willing the ink that flowed from it to trace the outline of a vague scenery.
The painting depicted a long corridor, appearing more like a tunnel with doors lining its sides. Simple chandeliers hung from the ceiling, separated by uniform intervals. Decorative plants rested in dedicated gaps in the walls, a design element aimed at reducing the chances of them getting in the way.
The painting extended to the side, revealing the interior of the rooms hidden behind the doors. Unlike the empty corridor, the rooms housed people, and unlike everything else, those people didn’t remain still, defying the painter’s will as they moved around the white canvas. Nevertheless, their movements were minimal and didn’t disturb the painting too much, at least until one of them appeared in the empty corridor, dashing through it with no regard for the rest of the canvas.
"He’s up another floor. Heading to the western side."
Done with his reconnaissance, Shade opened his eyes and faced his teammates. In his mind, the size of the canvas shrank significantly, its borders only covering the immediate surroundings of the running figure.
"He’s fast," Raven said, his tone hinting at the frown behind his mask.
"How many powers does this guy have?" Kite made an tried to scratch the back of his head, but his hood got in the way.
Though their costumes were practically identical, the three had no trouble distinguishing each other. They were members of the elusive superhero team Raven Heart, and they had a simple job: eliminate the local Divers guarding Ember, the hotel’s main AI.
It was a necessary step to prevent anyone from attempting to regain control over the hotel’s security systems, but before they could take it, the three received some grim news.
A few minutes ago, just as Operation Wolf Slayer kicked off, several members of their team were attacked in the depths of Blue Ember’s network before they could gain control over Ember. From what they could gather, the enemy didn’t distinguish between them and the local Divers, going after everyone simultaneously.
Though they were vigilant against the interference of a third party, the members of Raven Heart never expected it to snatch the reins from their hands at such a crucial point. Their priorities shifted in a matter of seconds, and they had to focus on a different target. Thankfully, it didn’t take them long to locate the third party, though catching up to them was another story.
"He can track our location, move through walls, and now we learn that he has enhanced speed," Kite continued to grumble. "Are we sure he isn’t a Genome, too?"
"He’s more likely to be a sorcerer." Said Raven. "It doesn’t make sense either way. How come a Diver has such abilities?"
The Diving skills shown by their target were proof of him being a cyborg. Now that he has control over the hotel’s systems, it wouldn’t be strange for him to figure out the location of three individuals inside its premises. As for his enhanced speed, Shade has already figured out that the target was making use of a power suit of some kind.
The problem was how this individual was able to move between floors without going through any stairs or elevators. He used that ability to set up a trap, baiting the trio into entering one of the rooms only to be met with a grenade to the face. Surviving the explosion wasn’t anything to brag about, but once they realized that the room’s ceiling had no holes through which a grenade could be thrown, let alone allow for an entire human to pass, Raven and the other two were forced to recognize that their enemy was capable of going through walls, too.
"Maybe he has accomplices?" Kite asked.
"I didn’t notice any suspicious movements from the other guests." Shade shook his head. "Unless this helper is outside my range, of course."
"No matter," Raven shook his head. "We still need to deal with him asap."
Resuming the chase, the three Raven Heart members ran out of the room where the grenade exploded, heading for the stairs leading to the twenty-seventh floor. Since their target was heading to the western side, there was no need to stick to the fire escape.
Having studied the building’s layout beforehand, they were aware of the position of every surveillance camera, allowing them to destroy each one as they moved. Since he was taking the vanguard, Kite took it upon himself to finish the task even when he saw no use in it, considering the hotel was littered with other security measures the target could use to keep track of them.
One of the three slowed down to a halt just as they reached the nearest staircase.
"What’s wrong, Shade?" Raven asked.
"The target..." Shade paused, as if unsure. "Their shadow just changed..."
"Their shadow changed." Shade repeated himself, as if unsure of his own words. "I don’t know when, but..."
Raven held a hand to his chin, his head lowered in thought.
"Did they take off the power suit?"
"No, they’re still wearing one, but... its shape is different..."
"Maybe the suit can morph or something?" Kite chimed in. "Nothing too strange about that."
"No matter," Said Raven. "We still have to catch them."
With the hotel being on lockdown, every set of stairs was sealed with military grade blastproof gates that slid down from the ceiling. Kite was the first to reach the gate leading to the twenty-seventh. Putting his left hand on its cold gray surface, he pushed lightly until his palm sank through, with the rest of his arm following suit, then half of his body. He then held his right hand for Raven, who took it and jumped at the gate, slipping through it as if it were nothing but a mirage.
Once the team leader was on the other side, Kite turned around and helped Shade pass. They did the same with the gate blocking the path to the twenty-eighth floor, but once they crossed to the other side, things seemed to change.