New Tokyo.  The largest city in the world, a bastion of new technology, and a major economic hub.  On the surface, it was quite peaceful and nice.  Many people could go about their entire lives without getting roped into major troubles or problems, without encountering violence or extortion or criminals.  

However, that did not mean those things did not exist.  It simply meant they were well hidden or well disguised, and it meant that they did not go around in public causing major issues every day.  Corruption and criminal organizations, human trafficking, illegal human experimentation, and so much more existed all over New Tokyo.  They remained hidden and secret, and it would cause them major damage to be exposed, but they most certainly did exist and had a good deal of power.  This city, with its state of the art public transportation network, security robots, and advanced technology, was nowhere near perfect.

And perhaps for this reason, there were couriers who abided by simple rules to help keep them alive.  That was the case for Vance Alzo, who had three very simple rules.

1: No Delivering People.

2: No Delivering Weapons.

3: No Opening the Package.

These were all very simple rules.  And ones that had so far helped to keep him alive.  He was someone who was determined to do this much, a man who was very strict and very stubborn.  As he worked for himself in his own Courier service, he was an independent party also, making him neutral.  And thanks to his perfect success rate, he was considered very valuable.

Sure some people maybe got annoyed by his strictness and stubbornness, especially with Rule 2, but it also made it easier to know he would follow through on the third rule, which many considered the most important one of all.  After all, plenty of packages that a courier handled were often quite sensitive and private.

That said, today he was entertaining a rather unusual request.  It was an anonymous request sent via an email to his private email, not his work email.  Considering the private one was never used for anything that would have it leaked to those who worked in the shadow side of the city, it was very odd.  But what came after was even more strange.

10 million yen up front to acquire a package, and another 10 million to successfully deliver it to safety.  It was the largest amount he had ever seen for a package, even if he was told the reason for that was to use however much of the advance fee as necessary to ensure the safe delivery of the package.  The package would be in a large armored case, in fact possibly as large as Vance's large body.  His black hair and sharp gaze, along with his tall height and muscled body, made him look quite intimidating, which was useful for a Courier.

But considering there were still some debts he had to pay, getting that money would be quite useful.  Still, even if it was so high just to use to make sure he could get the case to the location safety, it was still strange.  He had some concerns about this job for sure, but this was far too big to pass up.  And while he wouldn't open the package, he hoped to gain some insight on the one who got his personal email.

Plus there was the instructions he got.  They knew about his rule 3, but the message really stressed that the package was more important then the case it was in, and he would have to take responsibility for caring for the package if anything happened.  Vance felt like there was something important being said, but they even went out of their way to make him sign an e-Contract about this, and making a paper trail was even more unusual.  But it should also at least mean it was at least fairly legal and safe then.  Although, for some reason the job came with the latest in Holographic sunglasses to help hide his face as well, and also a hat that had technology that would prevent facial recognition.  Even witth those though, his face and body were still intimidating.

So as he waited under a bridge in an older, less prestigious part of the city, although it didn't look all that rundown, he saw as a black van approached him.  Two people, a man and a woman, got out, and opened up the back of the van.  They unloaded a large, silver case.  It was nearly as long as Vance was tall, and quite wide as well.  Not only that, but it was very clear the case was hermetically sealed.  There was even a biometric scanner by the release clasp, so clearly he wouldn't be able to open it even if he wanted to by himself.  There was also a built in keypad, and then two old fashioned keyholes.  The two drivers proceeded to pass a key from each of them to him.  The designs were a bit strange, they looked like they were made with extremely advanced technology, and were a bit large.  People tended to use keycards or digital signatures though, so seeing physical keyes was very odd.

"Make sure you deliver it all to the client properly".

"Understood" Vance said, putting the keys into the case and grabbing the handle of the large case.  He started to walk off, when suddenly the drivers got a call over the radio.

"Hey, where are you two?  The courier is still waiting for the package at the drop point!"

The moment Vance heard that, he had a bad feeling he just got dragged into something dangerous.  The two people suddenly took out guns, but Vance just ran off with the case while dropping a smoke grenade to obscure their vision.

The hell?  Did I just get set up to steal a package?  Or is someone feeding them bad intel to try and steal it for themselves?  Or to get me killed?

Vance was not quite sure, but he had already been hired for a job, contract and all.  So nothing about his job changed.  Get the package to the delivery spot, the city port.  It was across the city of course, but this wasn't his first unexpected situation.

The Silver Case was quite heavy, and it was large, so he knew hiding wasn't really feesible.  The best option was to just get it done as fast as possible.

And yet, as he turned a corner, a group of commandos were waiting there in an alley, pulse rifles all aimed at him.  One of them fired, but they nearly hit the case, which caused another to stop him, and gave Vance the time to go around and take a different alley as they chased after him.  Right as a few of them turned the corner though, a sniper bullet whizzed by Vance's head and hit one of them in the legs.  Soon, several others suffered the same fate as they went around the corner, and it shook off those chasing Vance.

Is that sniper...helping me?  Nothing about the job said there would be support.

Still, Vance didn't question it, he had to get the case to safety.  He came out onto a street, where several drones were flying around.  Considering how late it was, there weren't as many people out, so that meant they had more flexibility in what actions they could take.  

However, Vance didn't have any other way, so he just raced across the street.  The moment the drones spotted him, they open fired with burst plasma rounds, while a few vehicles seemed to try to come down the road at the same time.  They were all unmarked, but all were different designs.  And the most important part, is that the occupants of the vehicles started a firefight with each other.

As he ducked into another alley, rather then Commandos this time, it was a collection of ruffians.  All of them had plasma torches, energy blades, shock batons, and a few had handguns pointed at him.  Vance quickly drew his own gun, and fired several shock rounds, stunning the gun wielders first.

"Consider that a warning.  Dont make any mistakes.  If you give me no other options, I will kill you".

"Hand over the package, and maybe we will see!  Dont think you can just so easily transport weapons under our noses!"

Weapons?  Tsk.  I am going to have to have a word with the client after this if its true.

"I dont know anything about weapons, just bringing this to a location is all".

"Like we would believe that".

They ended up attacking him, but their moves were unrefined and untrained.  They had some experience sure, but nothing formal.  Vance was able to easily knock two aside by kicking one into another with a great deal of strength.  One tried to stab his arm with a knife, but the knife just bounced off with a metalic klink sound being made.  Another tried to grab the case, but he moved it away and punched him, before moving to the side and smashing the former knife wielder in the jaw.

A few others came after him, but he proceeded to beat them all up in just a few seconds as well.  

"What a waste of time" he said, as he quickly ran towards the train station.  There were rail lines all throughout the city, and he could use one nearby to get to a station that would have a line to the port.

He had been worried about missing the train, but somehow he managed to make it just on time.  A stroke of luck for once, although he had forgotten to get a ticket in the process.

When he thought that, he suddenly got a ding on his phone.  He took it out and checked it, and there was a notification.  Apparently an e-Ticket had been purchased via his personal funds.  There was even a memo.

"Threat isn't over yet.  Remember, the package matters more then the case.  If necessary, use the keys to unlock it.  I set it up so you can access it.  The code is the day you decided to become a detective".

...the client?  Is he watching?  The sniper must have been his then.

He then got a text.

"Dont make such a sour face.  I do apologize about the danger, but know that I had no other alternative then this.  I am really pushing myself too, and I pretty much reached my limits here for now.  Good luck!  And there are badguys on the train".

It was already late at night, so there were very few people on the train.  As such, perhaps it didn't matter to the people who suddenly walked into the train car, looking quite annoyed.

"You have something that belongs to my boss".

"Not according to my contract".

"A contract?  Hmm...we will just have to see about that.  Now, give us the case.  Its not like you can open it anyways".

"If our positions were reversed, would you?"

The man let out a small chuckle.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't trust me either".

At that point, they all drew weapons, and the few innocent people there ran away to the train car behind Vance.  At the same time, the City Administrator's voice suddenly spoke through the train.

"Remember, violence in public areas is stricky prohibited, especially in public transportation!  Aggressors, please stand down at once!  Oniichans should not fight in places like this, especially with such dangerous tools!"

Without waiting, suddenly the group that had taken out weapons were sprayed with foam from the supression system.  They tried to move towards Vance, and a few fired their weapons at him, but Vance took cover behind some of the seats.

The ones who fired the guns suddenly got extra foam on them however.  But once of the bullets bounced off the side, and shot a wheel off the case anyways, which seemed to make them more conscious about shooting.  Plus, they seemed to get sucked into what was now a giant mound of white foam.

Thank you City Administrator.  You can be such a pain sometimes, but clearly you are also quitte useful.  Glad I didn't take out a weapon either.

He saw the way they stood, they were well trained like the commandos.   He had considered for a moment taking out his gun to act, but the City Administrator had more of an itchy trigger finger then he did it seemed.  He didn't even give them a chance to heed the warnings.

Well, it was a public transportation area, which have very strict laws on this, so Vance could understand.

Perhaps because it used a young boy's voice, or perhaps because it often spoke using child-like vocabulary, but Vance and many others saw the City Administrator as sort of like a nagging, dutiful younger brother who wanted everyone to be safe and be the best versions of themselves that they could.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the train suddenly coming to a stop at a station.

"Alert, it appears the tracks up ahead have recieved damage!  I am afraid this is the final stop for this rail.  Please make sure you dont leave any luggage behind, and no littering!"

Vance quickly grabbed the case and got off the train, with those people behind him just managing to get free of the suppression foam.  The doors however slid shut behind Vance.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"You have been detained for unlawful weapon possession and brandishing, as well as discharge, on a public transportation system!  Please wait patiently for authorities!"

This was just yet another reason why Vance tried to avoid using force, and especially too much force.  Being strict on himself with this let him avoid such issues with the City Administrator, which had a good deal of control and oversight over all systems it was connected to.  Well, it didn't have unlimited ability however.  People vandalized his connection points all the time, and at any given moment there were at least a dozen hackers trying to hack him, so depending on the situation his processes could get clogged up and he might not have as much oversight or control as other times.

Either way, right now Vance had to focus more on getting to the port.  The best way there was cut off, and as he saw drones fly overhead, he knew they were still on his tail.  He slipped into a back alley to try and lose them, and that was when he got a notification flash.

"Another Social Media game has just been started!  Tonight its a Scavenger Hunt!  For the next twenty four hours, post any image of a silver case that you see out there!"

You gotta be kidding me.  I will never make it to the port like this.

"In addition, due to an accidental navigational tower bug, for the time being, all ports and airports in the city are being closed to ensure public safety!"

Just how many people want what is in the case?!

As he thought that, a few more commandos appeared in front of him as he turned into an alley.  Vance quickly activated a signal jammer and rushed them, punching them and kicking them until they were unconscious.  He could hear drones approaching, so he ducked down into a sewer tunnel, and took an old underground route.

And yet, he came face to face with more Ruffians.  They attacked him with knives, guns, energy blades.   He managed to avoid the guns, and he blocked the rest with his right arm, the same one that deflected the knife earlier.  He then punched them all with it, and sent them flying.

A few tried to shoot at the case, but Vance moved it out of the way before they could hit it.  He then proceeded to kick them into the water, pull them back up, and then smashed their heads into the wall until they were unconscious.  It didn't take very long, but he could hear others searching the area.  Drones and people.  He saw a nearby service ladder, and decided to follow it up, bringing the case with him.

He came out in an isolated warehouse.  It was completely clear and empty, but this was just ridiculous to him.

"Now I understand why it paid so well.  I guess I dont have a choice.  I didn't want to do this, but I will have to break Rule 3".

He placed the case on its side, and proceeded to enter the pin.  He then used the fingerprint scanner as well.

"Registration Process Started.  Please input keys Alpha and Omega".

Alpha Key and Omega Key?  Who named this?  Its absolutely corny.

He put the keys in, and as he unlocked the locks, he felt the keys prick him suddenly.  He looked at his hands, and saw slight traces of blood as the seal on the case deactivated.  it clicked open a bit, and some sort of cool gas emerged from it.  He proceeded to flip open the lid, and was surprised by what he saw.

Inside the case was what appeared to be mostly filled in space, with metal and various displays.  However, there were two depressions on both the top and the bottom of the case where one could put two objects.  Or rather, in this case, two people.

Yes, the cargo was people.  Children to be exact, with silver white hair.  Both of them were completely naked, except for a choker around each of them.  Attached to the front of the choker was a lock with a large keyhole on it, the same shape as the keys used to open the case.  The keyholes had an engraved symbol around each of them.  On the younger boy was the Alpha Symbol, while the older one had the Omega Symbol.

Furthermore, what appeared to be tattoos seemed to be placed on their body, but they were strange and quite unsettling.  There were four in total, and they all looked identical.  A barcode.  One was placed right above their right ankle, one was placed on their left thigh, one was placed below their right shoulder, and one was placed right under their left eye.  Furthermore, below each barcode was some sort of serial number.

The two boys were laying inside the case, naked, in a fetal position.  But it seemed whatever had been keeping them unconscious ended the moment the case opened, as the two began to stir.  Vance had no idea how what appeared to be a nine year old and a seven year old boy could get in such a position, or be marked like this, but it was clear he would no longer be able to complete this job now.  Not with his strict rules.

He did agree with his client on one thing though.  The contents of the case were infinitely more valuable then the case itself, and leaving it sealed.

Hmm...he knows about my Rule 1, but told me to prioritize opening the case and saving the contents.  To the point he had me sign a contract for it.  And I was not the one who was supposed to get the package...could it be, I was hired not to deliver the children, but rescue them?

As Vance came to this revelation, the two boys seemed to wake up as they opened, their red eyes meeting with Vance.  That was the older boy looked back down at the rest of his body, and seemed to realize something.

"You...in a warehouse...did we get purchased by some pervert?!"

That was his response.  Vance could sympathize with the situation.  He looked around, and found a single old large cloth, quickly bringing it back to them.

"Dont worry, I am not the one who did this to you.  I am not totally sure, but I think...I was hired to save you".

"...what?" the boy said, as Vance wrapped both the boys in that large cloth.

"Listen okay, we need to get out of here.  Anyone sees us with this case, and the people after us will know you were the package" Vance said, helping them to stand up and step out of the case.  Their small bare feet and legs were a bit unstable, but it seemed they could walk just fine.

Vance then took out an explosive charge, and set it for ten minutes or for proximity detonation.  He tossed it into the case, where it activated once they stepped out of range.

"Why should we go with..." the older boy said, but Vance just grabbed both their arms and dragged them along.

"Dont argue.  It will make noise and attract attention.  I dont have any clothes for you to wear, and quite frankly, I doubt even my shirt would stay on you".

The two boys were otherwise naked, with only a blanket to cover them.  Frankly, he didn't care too much about them being embarrassed, but two naked children would obviously draw attention, especially so late at night.  But with at least this much, people might not bother as much, at least around here.

"I am taking you back to my place.  We can talk more there".

He had a place nearby, it was very secure.   That was where he could take the boys to be safe, and give them a good and proper examination as well.

Roughly nine minutes later, they heard an explosion in the distance.  That would destroy the case, all traces of DNA, and should help keep them in the clear for a long time.

By the time they made it there, the two boys were clearly a bit tired.  Between their short legs and the fact they had been drugged to be unconscious while in the case, it was very likely this amount of moving was too much for them.  As such, he picked them both up and placed them on his shoulders, taking the blanket into his hands as it was impossible to keep them wrapped up while doing this.  The two boys were too distracted by the sudden change to make any fit or protest, and he carried them up the stairs to a door.  He placed his hand on the scanner, and once it confirmed it was him, the door opened up and he took them into his office.

"You two good to stand now?"

The two nodded, although the older boy was a bit slower.  He put them down, and told them to stand there in a voice full of authority as he went over to the desk and the door slid closed, locking automatically.

"W-what are you planning on doing to us?!"

"Niichan, I think this man is a good person at heart!"

"He has us locked in his apartment naked!"

"Hmmm, this is true".

"Relax.  That said, you cant get dressed yet.  Leaving aside the fact all my stuff is way too big for you to even wear the shirts, I need to do a medical checkup".

"What, so you can sell us as healthy?!  So we get bought by some perfect?  So you could use us yourself?!"

"...you know a lot of adult things" Vance noted.  "I am not like that.  I dont deal in human trafficking, I am a courier.  At least normally, but it seems I ended up being a rescue party this time.  Now, do you mind telling me your names?  It would be nice if I could call you other then 'You'".

"...you can call me Oz" the older boy said.

"You can call me Astra!" the younger boy replied.

Botth of them had moved their hands to cover, but Vance quickly forced the hands away.

"We are all guys here, so dont be shy.  And hands at the side, no playing with yourself".

"Thats not what I was..."

"Dont talk unless I asked a question while I am doing an exam.  I need to look over every inch to make sure you are healthy.  Depending on what drugs they used, or if the case took any damage, there could be some lasting side effects, so I will need to do this regularly.  Get used to it".

"How about I just leave then!"

"It seems like half the criminal underworld is looking for you right now.  And also, you have no clothes, no money, and those strange barcode marks.  I wonder, what happens when I scan them".

As he took out his phone, suddenly Oz covered up all the ones he could.

"...that contains private information.  Please dont look at it".

"It might help me treat you in the long run".

Astra ran in front of Oz, and covered the others.

"Please dont do that.  Its...very unpleasant".

Vance sighed, and put his phone away.

"Alright, fine.  I will hold off for now.  But Astra, please stand in place with your hands at your side.  I am not done yet, so I want both of you to stand perfectly still".

"Uhg...this is definently some perverted fetish isn't it?  Making two boys stand naked in your office while you give them an exam?"

"I truly worry about how your parents brought you up.  Thats right, who is your family?  Do you know where they live or any phone numbers where I can contact them discreetly?"

"...our parents abandoned us.  Me and Astra are orphans".  

"...apologiizies.  I didn't mean to bring up something painful" Vance said, as he continued doing the full body examination.  Oz however hit a limit, and tried to run off, but Vance grabbed him and brought him across the knee.  When Oz realized he was about to do, he squirmed like crazy, but the spanking began.

"Calm down and behave.  The more you keep squirming, the longer I go".

Oz eventually stopped, and proceeded to obediantly stand in place.  His face was as red as his bottom, which looked like cherries while Vance proceeded with the examination.

One might think it was a bit excessive and unnecessary, but right now they were being proven wrong.  The evidence was hid very well, but Vance saw it.  Signs of repeated injections.  Some surgical scars.  Hidden from view, but as Vance felt their skin, he could feel the basis of those marks.  It was something he was familiar with, as someone who had both detailed medical training, and the senses and observational skills of a detective.

The injection marks could indicate a drug issue, but they were too young for that, and the places included areas that were unnecessarily hard to reach, like the back.  The pressence of surgical scars that they had gone through the effort to hide as well was another factor.  Not to mention, Vance wasn't a pervert and definently wasn't into kids, but he did notice they had extra care putt into them to make them as attractive as possible.

The more beautiful your merchendise looks, the more likely people are to buy it.

All together, it was clear to Vance these two had suffered under severe human experimentation.  Whatever they did had to be successful, because they even went through the hassle of shampooing their hair.  He could smell it in Oz's hair.  He was sure Astra would be the same.

Once he ran up his finger along Oz's spine, when he got to the back of the neck, he felt something else.  more surgical scars, and also another barcode and ID number.

This is...brain surgery?!  What experiments were they doing there?!

Once he was done, Oz's face was extremely red, and even Astra was quite red.  He probably knew enough from Oz already, but Vance wouldn't allow for any potential clue to be missed, and he was following through with what he had been taught from a young age.  He too endured the same thing as they did right now, from his own father, a famous doctor.  He was also strict, but kind as well, and made sure to explain the reasons for everything he did.  If someone could out-reason him, he would concede, but few ever did.

And it was because of his thorough principles that he had saved tens of thousands of lives, and still did each and every day.  Vance could only ever wish he could live up to the legacy of his father.

As for Astra's examination, as expected, shampoo and soap of high quality were used.  He also had many of the same surgical scars and injection marks that had been hidden.  To the naked eye they did not exist, but if one ran their hands along the skin and really observed, they could find them easily.  As much as medical technology had advanced, those skilled and those who were incredibly good at observation could find these things still.

However, when checking the back of his neck and his head, he noticed several of the surgical scars for the head were different from Oz's.  It appeared they operated on different areas for Astra, focusing on different results.  But since they were sold, it must mean both boys, while having different results, both had results that they could sell.  Considering the amount of force deployed to find them, it was probably a lot.

Once he was done, he sighed.

"So, tell me.  What sort of people would subject two young boys like yourselves to such horrific human experimentation?"

"...cant we leave that for another day?" Oz replied, his face still as red as they come.  

He proceeded to put Oz over his lap, and gave him another round before putting him back.  Astra protested heavily, but that just got him a round of spankings as well as they both had red butts and faces now.

"I may be strict, but understand I am trying to help you, so it would be better if you just listened.  I was shot at repeatedly.  There were people who really want to take you away somewhere, and they wont care if they have to murder me to get you both.  Others seemed to not care what happened to the case, so long as what was in it did not reach its destination.  That means, they will try to kill you the moment they learn the truth and find you.  And they will kill me as well for getting in the way.  So I have a right to know, why they are after you, what happened to you, and what sort of threat I am facing".

Oz however seemed to errupt into a rage, not caring even if he got spanked again.

"You think you have the right huh?  How entitled can you be?!  You think we caused this, you think we wanted this?!  We were taken from an orphanage by people who promised us an education and a chance to have a life, and then we got taken underground!  They took our clothes, they punished us if we tried to resist, they did horrible things to us!  All because they wanted to create people with psychic abilities!  So many lucky people say the Insittute is a perfect, wonderful, charitable place!  Well thats not what happened to us!  Apparently, what happened to us was said to be "how the Institute can help so many others" and "progress the future", but what they did to us was torture!"

"Niichan".

"And it wasn't just me, they made me watch as what they did to me they did to my brother as well!  Then we were made to stand in a room, just like this, as they examined us to be bought and sold!  And you think I can just stay calm and obediant, that you have the right or are even capable of understanding what we went through?!"

At this point, tears were rolling down Oz's face.  Even when he got spanked, he never cried, just complained and screamed, but now he was crying.

Vance just nodded.  "See, answering my questions was really simple wasn't it?"

Oz became ticked off, and seemed to focus on Vance, only for the choker to beep a bit.  At that point, Oz seemed to suffer from a combination of shock and exhaustion, as he collapsed.

"Niichan!"

At that point, Vance picked up both Oz and Astra.

"I will order some clothes, I got your sizes during the examination after all, so lets get both of you two to bed".

"...could you lay us on our bellies please?"

"Yeah, trust me, I understand.  My father did this to me also".

"Thanks".

Vance felt like Astra was just a bit more obedient and calmer then Oz.  The only thing he did wonder though, as he carried them upstairs, was what their real names were.

It was obvious they gave fake names after all, but considering they were being hunted, that was probably the safest option at the moment anyways, so he didn't plan to press it too much.  Now there was just one trial left waitting for him.

He had to hope he could get a comfortable night sleep, cause after everything, he couldn't be sure Oz wouldn't kill him if they slept together in the same bed while both were naked and having been spanked.