If you have a grudge against a person, and that guy becomes a Samurai, you only have a very short opportunity to deal with that grudge before they deal with it for you.

  -Interview of gang boss “Ripper” from his hospital bed, having had his arms and legs removed by Samurai Magical Girl Chocolate Thunder.

  Eight twenty six pm, July thirtieth, twenty fifty seven. The sun had set, yet New Phoenix was just as bright and still as active as when it was high in the sky. Lanes of hover traffic remained bumper to bumper, holo ads acting as street lights and stars alike.

  The streets below were covered in the Fog Cloud, an artificial cover that maintained temperatures below it to a livable degree, as even now the space above was cooling from the hellish and unlivable one hundred and sixty degrees. Unlike many other cities, the street level was bustling with civilian life. Pop up stalls, gambling tables, street concerts, brothels and more filled the street, leaving no room for cars or even bikes.

  Yet, moving slightly below the Fog Cloud were a small convoy of silver SUVs moving in a line. The windows were blackened, and they had no plates, yet no one below paid them any mind. They knew shady business happened all the time, and since a corporate war was brewing, many reasoned that it might just be Consulting Agents moving about, either preparing to defend against, or helping weaken the city for, Bestlé. Either way, what could they do?

  Soon, the SUVs flew away from the more populated areas and into a part of the city that looked abandoned. There was some traffic above the Fog, yet no foot traffic below, nor any holo ads played. They arrived in front of a megabuilding, landing on the ground at its base in front of one of its few ground-based entrances.

  There were no lights on its exterior, no windows inside, and the parking garage floors were sealed by massive, bulky steel shutters. From the SUVs, dozens of heavily armored people disembarked and formed ranks in front of the dark plinth of concrete and steel.

  Their armor was black and slick and covered them completely. Each of them carried identical bulky rifles, a side arm, and specialty tools on their backs. There were no identifying marks on any of their armors or weapons, and they slightly faded into the shadows of the night.

  Walking to the front was a massive humanoid shape, easily seven feet tall, with heavier armor, carrying a LMG, and a claymore-like sword on its back. The figure raised its hand and signaled with it, and the forty eight soldiers flowed forward to enter the building.

  They moved forward quickly and silently, guns raised and safeties off, moving towards the central elevator bank.

  They flow in silently, filling the elevators and making their way to the thirtieth floor, before moving towards another elevator bank as this is as far this one went. An unfortunately common occurrence in megabuildings.

  They stop on the thirty second floor to try and access the building's security, but are blocked by a massive steel wall preventing all access.

  The huge figure moves to the wall and draws their sword. The sword glows along its edge and a small whine sound could be heard from it as the figure slashes at the wall. Sparks fly and a gouge is carved into it, glowing slightly. The figure pulls back and investigates the cut. They seem dissatisfied with how deep they cut, so they do something to their sword. No longer is it just glowing along its edges, but the blade itself shifts from metal to plasma. They slash again, the sword going all the way through. A few more slashes and it opens a hole that the soldiers flow through.

  Upon entering the security room, everyone pauses. The room, while full of computers and servers, is dark, obviously devoid of power.

  A few soldiers try to activate some computers or access the servers using their own power sources, yet when they power on, they discover that there is no data on any of them, nor connections to any cameras in the building.

  The huge figure tightens their fist, then whistles, turning back to the elevators. The others flow with him, making their way up to the eighty ninth floor.

  Once there, they pause. The floor is empty of everything. No walls, not items, simply a few supporting pillars scattered across the four hundred by four hundred foot floor. The only thing on the floor is a single large cargo elevator door lit by two directional lamps.

  A few soldiers pull out scanners and begin searching the walls, floor, and ceiling, yet they find nothing.

  The figure moves through the room with its soldiers spread out like dark wings, preparing for anything. Yet, nothing happens the entire way, and the elevator opens its doors silently, inviting them further.

  The figure looks to one of its soldiers, and it shakes its head. With a huff, they all load in, and the doors close behind them. Once they open again, a thin fog rolls into the cabin, and every soldier moves to high alert.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  They enter the fog slowly, easily able to see fifty feet ahead of them with their visors. Then the elevator doors close behind them. All at once, they clutch their heads as a high pitched tone emanates from their comms.

  It stops soon after, and they all straighten. “Status report,” the figure says with a deep voice.

  “All comms are disabled, sir,” said a soldier to his right, “Both between the team and outside. We are fully cut off from Kasasuchi and the support team.”

  The figure grunts, “Fine. B-three, can you get those elevator doors open?”

  A smaller figure moves to the elevator panel, pulling it off the wall and doing something with the wires. A ding is heard and the doors open, only to reveal a concrete wall behind it.

  The figure slashes it with his sword, but it bounces off. He activates it fully, and it once more bounces off. He stands there, staring at it for a moment before turning back to the plaza in front of them. “The wall is shielded, no way to cut through quietly or without dipping into emergency options. We only have ten floors to explore, and we can open the top floor garage to leave. Stay together, keep your eyes peeled. M-two, keep a map of this place updated at all times.” They all nod, and the figure moves forward.

  They quickly sweep the plaza, finding many hallways leading off to the unknown. “B-one, any way to clear up this fog? We need to be able to see more than seventeen meters, "the figure asked.

  “Negative, sir. There is no air flow in here and I have not seen any vents. Good news is that the fog does not contain any drugs or particulates. It is simply a thick fog of water.”

  “If it was just water, I would be able to see further than seventeen meters, B-one.” He growls.

  As they begin moving down a hallway, B-one checks their scanners. “Every sensor I have is coming back normal, sir. Plus, we are getting covered in condensation, and we have run every chemical test we have equipment for.”

  They turn a corner and see a few doors on the sides of the hallway. A team moves forward and unlocks it, seeing that it is a residential unit of considerable size for a megabuilding.

  “Well, that's some good news, at least. While the floor plan might have changed from the original blueprint, this floor is still a residential floor.” B-One says.

  “It will take us over an hour at this rate to clear a full residential floor.’ The figure says. “Bravo. Charlie, Delta, Epsilon, split into two groups and sweep the floor. If you find the stairs or an elevator, mark it on your map. Once we regroup and compile map data, we move up and do the same. You are allowed to shoot to kill anyone but our target.”

  The soldiers split away from the figure, moving clockwise and counter-clockwise through the floor, while the figure begins to wander.

  ******************************

  B-One

  We have cleared over fifty rooms and not a single one has contained another person. Based on estimates, we should have cleared a quarter of the floor, yet this fog is ever present. Each room is identical, evenly spaced, and larger than my room back home, yet it is obviously built for a family of four!

  Were these people planning on opening a luxury apartment complex on this floor? What about the other floors? Nine floors of luxuruious, safe apartments for whoever pays the most? Whoever this War Games is, they might be incredibly greedy if that's the case.

  Rounding a corner, we enter an apparent shopping district, with twenty storefronts with glass windows, yet no ads or signage.

  Gods, this place creeps me out.

  “Four square of four, clear each store.” I say.

  As we move forward, moving from store to store, I hear one of my men yell, “Freeze!”

  Everyone runs to his location and we burst into an empty room.

  “B-six, report?” I shout.

  “Sir! I saw movement coming from the back area of this shop and shouted, but once I got here there was nothing.”

  I plug into his helmet camera feed and see that there was indeed a shadow of movement that came from back here.

  “B-three, scan the walls, see if there are any passages here.” I order.

  B- three pulls out the bulky multi-scanner and sweeps the room. “Only thing here is a vent, sir.” She said. “Pipes and wires behind the walls, no space for passages, sir”

  I nod, unease growing in my chest, “New orders. If you see movement, shoot first, then move in.”

  They signal their understanding and we finish our sweep, finding nothing. We move into another identical hallway full of doors, and after clearing half of them, we see a different door, one labeled stairs.

  “Finally, some good news. B-eight, check it to make sure it's an actually stairway and not a wall.” I say, eyes sweeping the hallway.

  B-eight opens the door easily, “It goes up, sir-” he begins, then stops and fires upwards. I see liquid fall from above onto him. “Contact!”

  He rushes up, with B-seven, B-nine and B-Twelve hot on his heels. The door closes as the rest of us reach it, but it is now locked.

  “Fuck! B-Two, tear this door down!” I yell.

  B-Two slings his rifle back and pulls out a termite strip, applying it along the edge of the door, and ignites it. The door soon gives up the goat and falls over. We rushed up the stairwell after the rest of my squad and burst through to the next floor.

  I expect to see at least one of them at the entrance, as per our training, or maybe a trail of blood or shells on the ground, but there is nothing. Just an empty hallway full of doors.

  “B-Eight! Respond!” I shout. But there is no reply.

  Shit, this is not good! Intel said this Samurai was new, with maybe a single incursions worth of points to work with, and that he uses nanites, based on how that hier's arm was chopped to pieces.

  “Intel is off! No one runs off, everyone stays together! Close ranks! No more clearing rooms, find the stairs!” I shout.

  Everyone closes in, but then I notice something wrong. “Where's Charlie squad?”

  Everyone looks around, realizing that there are only the eight of us left. “They were right behind us!” B-two responds. He pulls open the door to the stairs, but here is now a concrete wall behind it.

  “Fuck! We fell for their trap! This place is a damn dungeon, not an apartment complex!” I shout.

  That's when we see movement at the end of the hallway, and not just one shadow.

  We aim at them, “Identify yourself!” I shout.

  The shadows sprint at us, revealing not a human, nor even a humanoid form, but a misshapen mass of blood red flesh and teeth and eyes running on spider like legs. We open fire.