It was with great displeasure that Damien handed the car keys to the valet; some snot-nosed teenager who looked barely old enough to get behind the wheel. It had been a blast to drive the sports car, and Kat even let him push its limits on the few patches of straight and empty roads that they’d encountered on the way to the north side. Now, all of that fun was over.

Damien waited until the youngster got in the car before voicing his complaints. “What’s the point of having valets anyway? Can’t half of these cars drive themselves.”

“Yeah, but it’s an old-time tradition,” Kat said. “These Minerva people try way too hard to hold on to dead customs. It probably gives them a sense of identity or something. If you ask me, it’s stupid as fuck.”

Damien shrugged in agreement then turned to face the wide, four-story mega-mansion behind them. It was built in an architectural style he hadn’t seen anywhere else in the city, and it was surrounded by immaculately cultivated greenery; another rare sight that he hadn’t seen in the urban areas. It seemed that nature was scarce around these parts, and the rich had seized those plots of land for themselves.

That certainly seemed to be the case as Damien noted all the people that had already arrived. Everyone was impeccably dressed; the men wearing formal suits and the women fancy dresses. Small groups gathered around on the lush lawn, mingling with wine glasses in hand, while many more could be seen inside through the double-doors at the entrance. There had to be at least a hundred in attendance.

“How’s the patch?” Kat asked. “Did it settle in yet?”

Damien looked at the inside of his wrist, noting that the small metallic patch that she’d given him had now blended in with his skin color. “It looks great. I don’t think anyone will notice unless they’re looking for it.”

“Mine settled in too, so we’re good to go. Remember what I told you.”

Damien nodded then locked arms with Kat, letting her brush up against him as they made their way to the mansion entrance. She’d given him a rundown of what was going on here, as well as how to behave so as not to stand out. There were a lot of rules and customs that needed to be followed, and almost all of them seemed unnecessary to him, but he had to play along.

This entire function was being run by a group of corporate representatives and government officials collectively known as the Minerva Society. They were all on the higher rungs of the social ladder, though they weren’t the ones at the very top. Kat had explained that these yearly gatherings were a way for these elite-wannabees to network and scheme their way into the upper echelon. To Damien, it had all sounded so tedious and boring, and he’d let his joy of driving drown out some of the explanations.

An old man stood at the base of the stairs at the entrance and he gave the fake couple a polite greeting. Just as Kat had instructed, they both revealed the inside of their wrists, showing the nearly-invisible patches to the man. His eyes let out a quick red flash and his eyebrows arched upwards.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kingston,” the man said with a slight bow of the head. “It is an honor to have such distinguished guests this year. Please enjoy your stay.”

Kat thanked him in an incredibly soft and gentle manner that he hadn’t seen from here before. It was a little terrifying to see how convincingly she played the part.

This girl’s a little too good at acting… Damien thought before leading her up the stairs and through the open double-doors of the entrance.

Just as expected, the hallway inside was lavishly decorated, and a golden chandelier dangling from above acted as the centerpiece. Along the side walls, curtains swooped up and down in ripples and waves, before meeting two spiral staircases on each end. Standing guard before those walls was a legion of butlers, each holding a folded towel around their forearm, ready to entertain the demands of the guests. This was a level of fanciness Damien had not expected to see.

They continued past the butlers toward another set of open double-doors just past the two spiral staircases. Damien noted a group of large men in suits standing guard in front of the spiral steps.

“They have guards at a place like this?” Damien said quietly to Kat. “Isn’t everyone here a member of Minerva?”

“Yeah,” Kat said in an equally hushed tone, “but not every member is equal. The upper floors are for platinum members only. You gotta remember; everything’s a dick-measuring contest with these people, so they’ll find ways to rank each other and break themselves up into different classes. It’s all a disgusting game to them.”

The duo passed through the next set of doors and entered the main chamber; a wide dining hall housing what looked to be fifty or so dining tables. In the far corner of the room, an orchestral band played classical music, though it was largely drowned out by the chitchat and laughter of the many guests. Waiters maneuvered through the maze of tables, bringing food to the members before disappearing through a side door.

Kat unlocked arms and picked up two champagne glasses from the tray of a passing server. She gave one to Damien and took a sip from her own.

Damien brought the glass to eye level and admired the rich golden color. “Man… this is cool and all, but it definitely isn’t your thing, is it?”

“Nope. I hate pretentious bullshit like this.”

“Well, we’re here now. Are you finally gonna tell me why you’ve dragged me out here?”

“Sure. We’re here to blow this place up.”

Damien’s face dropped. “Wait. Are you serious?”

“No,” Kat said with a chuckle. “I just need some information from a few of these Minerva people. They won’t give it up willingly, so I’ll have to take it by force.”