And he did.
'Yes'
The voice came, but this time, it was softer. It was as if the device was pleased with Vale's choice. It was almost patronizing.
'Thank you for accepting your legacy, Mr. Holmes.'
'We've been waiting a long time.'
That was the last thing he remembered as heavy darkness enveloped his eyes, and he lost consciousness.
However, exactly ten minutes passed, and Vale's eyes fluttered open. He blinked into soft darkness. Vale stretched his fingers to feel what was beneath him. They were sheets -- sheets as soft and smooth to the touch as silk. The air smelled nice and clean, like he was in a place where everything around was brand new. Vale Holmes sat up slowly.
A little light flickered on at the corner. Vale later saw that it was from a vintage golden corner lamp. It was beautiful.
"Wait!"
He wasn't in his apartment.
Vale quickly glanced at his watch as he recollected his last memory.
20:22
The glass walls were one of the first things to catch his attention. Sculpted steel decorated the room, a minimalist ambience -- everything was either black or white or unapologetically matte.
He wasn't only displaced from his house, he had been displaced from his tax bracket as well.
Vale's heart jumped. What had happened? A kidnapping? Was he drugged? That couldn't have happened in ten minutes. Then, his eyes landed on the phone, which lay comfortably on the nightstand to his left. Its light was on, glowing so bright that its battery life wasn't at risk.
'It's almost time, Vale Holmes'
'Emotional state: Statistically unstable but elevated in cognition. Optimal'
The voice filled the whole room now, seeming like it was another personality, not just a device. Were speakers planted into the walls of this room? When was all that done? Many thoughts swirled in Vale's mind as he swung his long legs off the bed. That was when he noticed that he'd been stripped of his clothes too.
"The heck!" Vale exclaimed as he gazed at himself while rushing to a ceiling-to-floor mirror on one side of the wall.
He appeared to be in a suit. Not only that, even some features had been altered. Vale almost stopped dead as he stared, taking in the characteristics of the stranger looking back at him.
It wasn't just any suit, though. It was bespoke. Tailored. Darker than black. A sleek and high-collar design that shimmered faintly at the seams. Hidden biometric wiring pulsed subtly under the surface. The sleeves bore a thread-thin trim of cobalt. This was money whispered, not shouted.
His face seemed to have sharper cheekbones, his hair had been freshly cut, making him look like he could have those board members for dinner. There were no bruises and no eye bags from excess alcohol consumption. Only a faint scar on his jaw, he couldn't recall having had one earlier.
Vale sighted a tiny note in minimalist text, which was pinned to the cuff:
'You'll be seen. You won't be recognised.'
"What did you do to me?" Vale demanded.
'Correction: What did we restore?'
Vale looked at the phone. It had changed from the device he knew to something akin to a control panel. The screen displayed an interface that looked more like a target system than a normal phone app. Live updates were being displayed on it.
'Targets Located. Initiate Social Override'
'Location already given. Time left: 10 minutes'
Vale knew that he should have felt nausea or fear. Or something that resembled regret for what he was about to do.
Instead, Vale smiled.
It was a tight, curt, and dangerous smile. Plans formed in his head. He liked the surge of power he felt through his system. Somehow, he had thought this would be a second chance. An inheritance to rebuild himself. But this wasn't that. This wasn't anything like what he had thought.
This was a total reconstruction.
The way he felt right now, the world had no idea who they had stepped on -- and let back in.
The moment Vale stepped away from the mirror, the lights in the room shifted. The adjusted to follow him -- every movement he made, the lguthbs mirrored it. Some kind of eerie music loomed through the atmosphere. Vale couldn't tell where exactly it was playing from -- and he didn't care. He just felt the vibe of the music that screamed something was about to happen -- something that was irreversible.
The System projected onto the wall.
Data. Raw data.
A web of names. Histories. Faces. Vices. These were secrets no algorithm should ever have access to. At the center of the projection was the location of tonight's gala -- Zari Tower.