Vanessa was going to be there. Dez too.
On his five-minute journey to the tower, as his house was in the area, Vale digitally processed some information while he and the device continued to synchronize. He was being driven in a brand new Jaguar car that was as black as the animal it was named after. It sped past lights, making them look like they were passing through time itself.
The weather was chilly, and there was an energy in the air. It was electrifying and that made hairs on Vale's arm and at the back of his neck stand at attention. He was eager to embark on this order and wondered why he didn't feel guilty about it.
Vale could see it. Dez's entire psychological profile scrolled like a tabloid written by a sadist. The corner of Vale's mouth turned upward in a twitch of a smirk.
'Craves validation'
'Fears irrelevance'
'Sleeps with open eyes'
"Of course, he should," Vales said under his breath. Vale read further, scrolling through the information with only a wish. He got to where was pretty interesting to him. Vanessa's profile -- which was colder, crueler, and almost clinical.
'Plays empathetic for clout'
'Collects secrets like currency'
'Still dreams about Holmes in first person'
A scene flashed before him, and in there was Dez and Vanessa seated cozily in a fancy restaurant. Vale knew that place. He had taken Dez Judas there to celebrate the guy's 30th birthday. Vale almost shook his head. He thought he had done something special for a friend. That made Vale recall a saying that went: "You don't give pearls to pigs."
'Arrived. Recommended approach: Assume indirect influence.'
Vale got down from the car and naturally, a valet showed him to the entrance. He looked expensive, dripping in intentional luxury. No one dared to ask if he had an invitation card or not.
"What am I supposed to be, exactly?" Vale asked audibly. "Not me, then who?"
'You should have asked that a long time ago'
The watch that had been fastened around his wrist chimed, and a file appeared on its square screen.
'Vale.Holmes_v1.0'
He clicked.
As the system dropped a briefcase onto the ground near the wall he was standing by, Vale read a projection in his glasses that only he could see. It was as if it had infiltrated everywhere.
'Identity shell: Clean. Authoritative. Dangerous.'
'Your role is not to join the party. It's to reroute its narrative.'
Vale opened the briefcase and there was a translucent, ultra-thin and flexible mask there. He picked it up, not questioning anything at this point. His nose twitched. It semeed likke he could perceive Vaness'a perfume. He knew that fragrance anywhere. He knew her fragrance. The nostalgia tugged at his heart, but Vale quickly swallowed that feeling as he stayed focused and made adjustments to his lapel pin, which was shaped like a pyramid.
'Stealth profile activate?'
Vale didn't hesitate. 'Yes'
He was no longer a failed genius who had been clawing at the edges of relevance, or trying to prove his worth. He was now an anomaly -- at least that was how Vale felt. The damage he planned to do felt like something a virus could cause.
Vale Holmes stepped out to her people were gathered and socializing. He looked around and at the decor and aesthetic. Everywhere was draped, from the ceilings to the railings on the stairs. The place swarmed with the city's politicians, socialites, tech titans, and A-list influencers. Music filled any space that was left with decorations. They had taken their time to prepare for the gala. Vale appreciated their effort. But his heart sank -- however little -- when he sighted Dez and Vanessa speaking with York City elites. In their hands were flutes to sparkling liquid, and they smiled from ear to ear as if they were secretly happy about something.
Vale looked at Vanessa from her head to toes. He coulnd't take it from her that she was drop dead grogeous. Vanessa Whit wore a backless silver dress which shimmed in the lights with little movements. Her hair cascaded down her left shoulder -- her signature hair style -- with well arranged waves. Vale had always admired how she made her hair. His groin twitched. Vale swallowed as he got a slight shnock fromthe earpiece in his ears.
"Ow! What was that for?" Vale queried, only narrowly succeeding in stopping himself from shouting.
'You're steering off course.'
Someone tapped the microphone. It was time for people to get seated. Vale already knew about such data and arrangements, thanks to the System. Name tags, subtle heat signatures, and seating algorithms.
When people settled, Dez Judas was easy to spot.
It hadn't been one minute when people sat, and Dez had already engaged his table with a talk about "post-logic economics". There was a smug smile on his face as he spoke. The table was a big round table with about three top-notch investors seated there. It was no wonder Dez spun stories, going on and on. The people on the table looked disconnected from what Judas was about, except Vanessa, who seemed thrilled for reasons best known to her.
"They gotta think we're together," Vale heard Dez whisper to Vanessa as he zoomed in on them.
"Yes!" Vanessa Whit chimed with her multimillion-dollar smile that showed her fine dentition and the outlined curve of her lip.
"It'll bring traffic... meaning fame," she finished with a chuckle. The gestures of Dez and Vanessa screamed power couple.
Still, Vale couldn't understand what he was seeing. How had they gotten together? He had been of the opinion that Dez Judas hated Vanessa. Dez had always told him how Vanessa was too ambitious and greedy. He talked about her posts on social media and how they screamed for attention. Vale has had to stop him several times from speaking ill of her. more.
Yet, here they were at the Gala. And there they were, on a podcast to rub in the shame all the more. To talk about the downfall of Vale Holmes.
He smirked. A mean one. It was time.
Vale moved like smoke.
He didn't walk towards them, though, just bypassed their table. Vale didn't want to be recognized, even though he knew he'd been disguised by the System. Holmes didn't want to take chances. As he walked passed, the System tagged vulnerabilities of individuals like targets in a sniper's horizon.