"Turn the broadcast volume up."Ryan Parker delivered the command from the leather sofa in his Los Angeles penthouse. The massive glass wall overlooked the sprawling city skyline.The AuraStream Vanguard satellites orbited silently above them. The global independent network was fully operational. The Elysium Summit was bleeding market share by the second. The Old Gods were desperate.Elena Vance sat at the glass coffee table. She tapped her mechanical keyboard. The massive wall monitor shifted from orbital telemetry data to a bright neon promotional video.The Overseas Music Group was launching a massive cultural counter attack across Asia.Kira danced across the screen in a sparkling pink dress. The Queen of Asian Pop smiled a flawless rehearsed smile. Her face was plastered across every digital billboard from Tokyo to Seoul.The promotional banner flashed in bold text across the bottom of the broadcast. It announced a live global concert at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow night.The music b

"Chamber your rounds."The corporate security commander delivered the lethal order into his tactical radio. He stood on the damp concrete of the Tokyo Dome plaza.Hundreds of armed contractors pulled the charging handles of their kinetic rifles. The sharp metallic clatter echoed through the humid night air. They formed a solid black wall of tactical armor around the massive stadium."The target is Ryan Parker," the commander barked. "He is an active threat to Elysium assets. Shoot him on sight."A guard in the front row adjusted his grip on his weapon."Do we issue a warning?" the guard asked over the encrypted channel."No," the commander replied cold and flat. "Put a bullet in his chest the second he steps onto the avenue. Protect the broadcast."Two blocks away a fleet of armored SUVs idled in a dark alley.Ryan Parker sat in the back of the lead vehicle. He watched the flashing neon lights of the Tokyo skyline reflect off the tinted windows.Magnus Mace sat across from his soverei

Kira executed a flawless double spin on the polished stage.Her legs burned with deep lactic acid fatigue. She wore a heavy diamond encrusted ballgown designed to look like a princess. It felt like a suit of armor crushing her ribs.She forced a bright smile for the roaming broadcast cameras. Her internal reality was a nightmare.She pushed air through her swollen vocal cords. She hit the high nasal pitch demanded by the corporate producers. The friction tore at her unhealed tissue. She tasted fresh copper blood in the back of her throat.She was dying on live television to pay a debt she did not incur. The Overseas Music Group extracted her soul to pad their quarterly earnings.Fifty five thousand fans in the Tokyo Dome waved pink neon light sticks. They screamed in blind devotion. They did not know they were cheering for a hostage.One billion viewers watched the global stream. The corporate syndicate intended to use this broadcast to crush the independent rebellion.The heavy synth

"Do not let them lock the cage again Kira."Ryan Parker spoke the words with quiet authority. He stood amidst the scattered millions of dollars on the Tokyo Dome stage.Kira stared at the heavy plastic microphone resting on the bearer bonds. Her throat throbbed with raw pain."They will ruin my family," Kira whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the ambient hum of the stadium. "Arthur Vance holds the deeds to our land. He owns my sister.""Arthur Vance holds nothing," Ryan corrected her. He gestured to the mountain of cash burying the director. "I bought the debt. I own the paper now."Kira looked up into his dark eyes."What do you want from me?" Kira asked. She braced herself for the hidden terms."I want you to stop bleeding for people who despise you," Ryan answered. "I want you to sing."Kira looked at the heavy steel exit doors at the back of the arena floor. She could vanish into the Tokyo night. She could walk away and never feel the tearing friction in her vocal cords

"Get back Ryan."Magnus Mace drew his heavy tactical baton. The giant mercenary did not hesitate. He moved with a speed that defied his massive frame. He planted his boots on the hardwood floor and stepped directly in front of the young billionaire.The vibration in the Tokyo penthouse intensified. The humming frequency moved from the floor into the walls. The air itself began to ripple like water in a disturbed pond."The glass cannot hold," Elena Vance yelled from the floor.She clutched her head. The agonizing pitch narrowed her vision to a single point of red pain.Boom.The massive bulletproof windows of the high rise did not just crack. They exploded inward.Thousands of deadly shards of reinforced glass showered the penthouse like diamond shrapnel. The kinetic force of the vacuum breach threw the heavy leather furniture against the far walls.Magnus raised his thick arms to shield his face. The glass sliced into his tactical vest. He ignored the blood trickling down his forearm