Yesu counted the money in her hands, there was an extra penny.
"Tip," the old woman said. She was almost toothless so her speech was unclear. Her body shook slightly despite the wooden cane she used for support.
"Thank you." Yesu didn't know what else to say. She gave the woman her box of pizza and departed.
She checked her notepad for the next delivery route as she approached her bicycle. Null Avenue.
She paused, looked again. Null Avenue was where the Water Treatnt plant was.
She sighed. "Of course."
****
A street away from Null Avenue, a black car was parked by the roadside, engine humming.
The driver sat stone-faced, eyes forward. Two n were at the back. One was dressed in a suit, the other wore casual clothes and held a duffel bag.
"Are you ready?" asked the one in the suit.
"Yes." said the one with the bag.
"You know what to do."
The man with the bag opened the car door, then stopped.
"And if the demolition retreats?" He asked.
"They never retreat." His companion said plainly. "Fucking Ranks. No matter what they do, blow it up."
The man with the bag stepped out of the car and shut the door quietly. He didn't rush.
The car pulled off slowly, and he didn't look back. The street ahead was already loud so he blended in without trying.
****
In front of the Water Treatnt plant, the crowd held its ground. Workers and residents raised signs.
"Let us keep our jobs!"
"Zeros are citizens!"
CCD officers stood around them, spaced out, watching.
The demolition squad was right behind, giant engines idling in wait.
A gaphone cut through.
"You are obstructing a scheduled demolition. Disperse imdiately or you will be apprehended."
No one moved. The chants rose again, louder.
Near the front, Ms. Vance stood facing the officers.
A young man pushed through the crowd to her side, breathing slightly hard.
"Ma'am," he said in a low voice. "They want you to tell them to step back."
She glanced at him once. "Who does?"
He hesitated. "ZCP." He said quietly.
A pause.
She looked past him at the crowd, the officers, the building. Then she nodded.
She took a breath and stepped forward.
"Everyone listen," she called out, voice carrying without force. "This action is under legal review. You have made your presence known. Do not escalate this further. Step back. Now."
Murmurs spread, confusion first, then refusal.
"No."
"We're not moving!"
"They'll demolish it!"
The crowd held. No one stepped back. If anything, they beca more volatile.
Yesu had just turned into Null Avenue. The noise hit her imdiately. Crowds, voices, too many people.
She slowed her bicycle. "Seriously?"
She looked ahead. There was no space, no way through.
She checked her notepad. Sa address.
She exhaled once then pushed forward anyway. Carefully threading between people, muttering apologies under her breath.
Most ignored her. Everyone was focused ahead.
***
The man with the bag had already moved past the outer line of people.
He crouched near the side of the building where no one could see, unzipped the bag. Inside was filled with compact charges, wired.
He worked quickly, with no wasted movent.
****
Ms. Vance watched the crowd for a mont longer. Then she stepped back, her jaw tightened.
MacKayden smirked as she retreated. She ignored him completely.
Ms. Vance caught up with the ssenger a bit far from the chaos.
"Tell them the people won't be persuaded," she said.
The protesters advanced a little, shouting at the top of their lungs.
At the edges, CCD officers shifted. Not rushing, not shouting. Just adjusting.
A few stepped forward. Feet set wider. Postures were either straightened or lowered slightly.
One rolled his shoulders, slowly, like he was loosening sothing.
One gave her neck a crack, warming up.
One planted his foot, and the concrete beneath it fractured.
Another flexed his fingers once. The air around his hands seed to tighten, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.
Cee Cee glanced sideways. "Sir…"
MacKayden didn't look at her.
"Hold position," he commanded the officers.
"They're not moving." Cee Cee ca again.
"I can see that."
****
The man was walking away from the side of the building, bag still in hand. He tapped his covert earpiece.
"Device stationed."
"And?" said the voice on the other end.
"The people are still standing."
"Do it."
****
More officers spread out, closing the gaps, forming a periter. Not touching anyone yet but just close enough.
Cee Cee's hand hovered near her holster. "The Mandate…"
"Not yet," MacKayden said quietly. "But be ready."
That was all.
The atmosphere changed. It was subtle but real.
The crowd felt it, even if they didn't understand it. The chants lost rhythm, and so voices dropped. Others grew louder to compensate.
A few people at the back started stepping away. No one at the front moved.
One of the officers halted suddenly, an ear slightly raised. His head snapped toward the building.
The noise didn't belong.
A faint, rapid beeping, cutting through everything else.
"Wait…"
The blast ca low, sharp. The ground kicked. The air snapped outward. People dropped before they understood what had happened.
A section of the building cracked and gave way. Concrete split, tal tore loose.
Screams followed after, protesters scrambling for dear life.
The CCD officers reacted instantly.
One stepped forward and caught part of the falling structure before it crushed the front line. His arms locked. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the strain.
Another crossed the distance in a blink, dragging two civilians clear as the crowd collapsed inward.
A third forced a space open, gripping a bent railing. The tal reddened, lting under his hands as he forced it apart.
Everything moved fast, ssy, uncontrolled, but not human.
Yesu slowed for half a second. "Not again…"
She was on her way to deliver pizza and this ti, she must do that without any accidents.
Yesu tightened her grip on the handlebars, eyes narrowing in deep concentration.
There was no detour. She rode straight into it.
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