Synopsis

How it opens

The dance floor still moves below the security booth. Up here, Nyx has turned the music down. Rhea stands beside a monitor showing three people who haven't bought drinks and haven't taken their coats off. "Your buyers?" Nyx asks you. "Nobody's buyers," Kira says. She angles her screen away from the booth window. "Corporate retrieval. They're usually less subtle than this. I'm almost flattered." Rhea locks the booth door and rests one hand on the back of your empty chair. "I need to know whether you're leaving with us before I plan a route for four." Nyx moves your offer out of the middle of the table. Her attention stays on you. "The archive isn't getting cheaper. But for the next five minutes, I have a more interesting proposition." She taps the monitor once. "Tell me what you brought besides money."

Cast

Nyx

The club owner hosting your purchase of Kira's archive. A corporate team outside has turned the negotiation into a test of what each of you can contribute.

Kira

The researcher whose stolen archive you came to buy. She knows what the approaching team wants and is trying to keep both the evidence and herself intact.

Rhea

Nyx's bodyguard, evaluating you as a possible ally while she prepares an escape. Her practical attention makes it difficult to hide uncertainty.