Kingdom of the Nine: The Bridge (IV)

Chapter 6

———Keegan———
The lights flicker on as I step into the warehouse, and there she is, lounging in the only chair in the room like she owns the place. Her mask is off, revealing her sharp grin, and in her hand, she casually tosses the sphere—up and catch, up and catch—like it's a stress ball instead of something half the city seems to want.

"Wondered when you'd show up, Walker," she says, her tone dripping with amusement.

"Nice to know my security system is ass," I mutter, shrugging off my sweatshirt and tossing it onto the mattress.

"What security system?" She smirks, tossing the sphere higher.

I roll my eyes. "What's the deal with that thing? You figure it out yet?"

She nods, leaning back in the chair. "Yes and no. It's property of Smith Inc., I can tell you that much. Kylen himself showed up a little while ago, looking for it. Had his brother with him."

I stop mid-step, raising an eyebrow. "Kylen has a brother? Since when?"

She shrugs. "No clue. Weird, right? And get this—when you dig into Kylen's background, he didn't exist until six years ago. No birth records, no nothing. Whole thing is sketchy as hell."

I frown, heading to the microwave to heat up a bowl of ramen. "Okay, so why didn't you just give the sphere back to him?"

She tosses it one more time, catching it with a flourish. "I'm getting to that. First off, I looked into these markings on it. They don't translate into any known language. Secondly, the guys who were trying to make off with it? Their briefcase had a symbol on it—two letters: MV."

"MV?" I lean against the counter, arms crossed. "What does that mean?"

She sighs. "That's the problem—it's a dead end. No records, no affiliations, nothing. Whoever wants this thing has some serious balls, stealing from Smith Inc. My guess? They're part of something big."

I set the timer on the microwave and slide down to sit on the floor next to her. "So what are you thinking? Gang war?"

She tilts her head, her smile fading slightly. "Something like that. But it feels... bigger. The way Kylen was acting, and that brother of his? They're not telling the whole story. There's something about this sphere they don't want anyone else to know."

I glance at the sphere, its smooth surface catching the overhead light. "What are you gonna do with it?"

She grins again, her mischievous energy returning. "What I always do—play the long game. This thing's a puzzle, and I'm gonna solve it. In the meantime, I figure holding onto it keeps things interesting."

The microwave beeps, breaking the tension. I grab my ramen, the smell filling the air as I stir the noodles. "Well, just don't get yourself killed, alright? I'd hate to have to avenge you or whatever."

She laughs, standing up and flipping the sphere in her hand one last time before tucking it into her bag. "Don't worry, Walker. I'm not the dying type."

As she heads for the door, I watch her go, my mind already racing with questions I can't answer. Something about this whole thing feels off, like a storm is brewing just over the horizon. And somehow, I know we're all gonna get caught in it.

But first, lunch fit for a king. I dig into my instant ramen, the savory broth and noodles hitting like a feast after a battle. Each bite is a glorious symphony of artificial flavoring and sodium, infectiously delicious in the way only desperation food can be.

I slurp another mouthful, sighing contentedly. "Nothing like gourmet cooking to fuel a potential gang war."

Spectra pauses at the door, glancing back with a smirk. "Careful, Walker. Keep talking like that, and I might take you out to dinner next time instead."