Xyra Pash's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Xyra slid the black box into her bag and checked the drop address when her comm buzzed twice. Someone else wanted the package. Triple rate. She didn't answer yet. The client had paid first, and changing routes mid-job meant someone would come looking. She pulled the package back out. Plain cardboard wrapped in tape, lighter than it looked. A purple snake marked the front — The Slip's symbol. She'd heard the name but never carried for them before. Whatever was inside had value she hadn't calculated for. Xyra ran three routes in her head, each one faster than the contract required. The second buyer knowing about this job meant the first buyer had enemies, or The Slip did, or both. She put the package back and locked her bag. The job was simple: get there first, get paid, stay clear of whoever came after. That was the only freedom that mattered. But the comm buzzed again. This time a location pinged through — GiganCorp Tower, Level 13. The second buyer wasn't hiding. Corps didn't chase runners through the Spire. They paid people to do it for them. Xyra pulled up the original drop point and measured the distance. If she took the long route to the first client, someone would catch her before she cleared the gap between the industrial sector and the residential blocks. If she went straight through, she'd need to jump the canyon between the old storage buildings — a four-story drop if she missed. She'd cleared it once before, alone, just to see if she could. The hunger in her chest kicked up. She shut off her comm and slung the bag across her shoulders. The first client got the package. Everything else was just noise.