Private.24.07.04.barbie.rous.and.renata.fox.gon... [1000+ Confirmed]

I glanced at the clock. 5:37 a.m. The city was still a hollow echo of sirens and distant trains. I tossed the coffee, reached for my battered .38, and slid the worn leather notebook onto the desk. It was time to see what the universe— or perhaps just a very determined woman—had decided to throw at me. The Gorgon’s glass façade reflected the rain like a shattered mirror. I slipped through the revolving doors, the security badge I’d borrowed from an old contact flashing green. The elevator chimed, the doors opening onto a hallway that smelled faintly of perfume and cheap whiskey.

I nodded. “And you?”

Barbie was already moving, a blur of pink and steel. She vanished into a side hallway, disappearing behind a locked door that was already being forced open. I seized the moment, ducked into an empty service corridor, and ran for the service stairs. I emerged onto the rain‑slick streets just as the police sirens began to wail. I slipped into a waiting car—a black 1968 Mustang, its engine growling low. The driver, a man in a dark trench coat, turned his head and gave me a nod. He knew the route, the back alleys, the hidden tunnels that cut through the city like veins. Private.24.07.04.Barbie.Rous.And.Renata.Fox.Gon...

Renata slid a small envelope across the table. Inside: a floor plan, a list of guests, and a single photograph—a woman with platinum hair and a cheekbone so sharp it could cut glass. The caption read:

She laughed, a sound that reminded me of a wind chime in a summer storm. “No, Private. It’s the beginning of a new story— one where the only thing we keep private is our humanity.” I glanced at the clock

Inside was a small silver disk, no bigger than a thumbnail, etched with the word “GON.” My pulse quickened. I slipped it into my pocket, closed the briefcase, and turned to face Barbie.

I leaned back, feeling the weight of the city settle on my shoulders. “And why do you want it?” I tossed the coffee, reached for my battered

Before I could answer, a sudden crash reverberated through the room. Security guards rushed in, guns drawn, shouting orders. The party dissolved into chaos. I slipped the briefcase into the coat of a server who was exiting, blending into the storm of bodies.