Except for distant traffic and birdsong.

Li deeply enjoyed the quiet.

He was deep in the silence like one might be drifting far beneath the water’s surface.

But somebody tapped on his window and he was suddenly lurched back to the present. His right hand, lieutenant Rhitwies, an androgynous woman, short quirky hair, pencil pant suit, with carefully emotionless eyes was tapping meaningfully on the car window. She couldn’t see him through the tinted glass so Li rolled down the window in response. She pointed down the street, whispering, “That’s her.”

In the same way that one would flag down a waiter and place an order, Li gestured toward the little old lady crossing the street. And his men, trained KNNA soldiers dressed down like farmhands, disembarked the roof of his automobile. Hitting the stone roads, trained dogs after a scent.

This avenue was never empty. Kaipen Nung was a small city, it had been forced to build on top of itself as many thousands of people flocked to squeeze into it's walls. So few places were ever empty. And this street was still lively with citizens and travelers. But funnily enough, no one seemed to notice the little old lady being snatched off the street, being handled and handed off like a bag of rice.

When his men deposited her into his carriage, they seated her on the seat facing their boss with impersonal care. The door shut immediately and she took in her new surroundings, dazed. Her white hair escaping her ponytail in frizzy wisps.  Li eyed her as he rolled up his window, concealing them from eyes human and virtual.

His 'carriage' was designed to look like a dirty rusting cattle transport from the outside, the kind of tall rectangular thing with many small vents, looking like a traveling wall of lockers or perhaps an overgrown cheese grater. But from the inside, all one could see were fine leather seats, velvet cushions, the mini bar, and tall tinted windows. A custom bulletproof stealth limousine that probably cost more than this grandma’s entire apartment.

The same could perhaps be said of the watch Li held toward the crone, which began beeping madly when it got within a foot of her. She pulled back from the noise with a start and Li quickly silenced it, tugging his sleeve over its distinctive clockface.

When her eyes began to really settle on Li, she first noticed the three rings he wore on his right hand, which had been nearest her, then on his tailored suit, his lap blanketed in silks and furs, and finally his face. She paled. The wrinkles around her mouth became finer as her lips parted and trembled. He could see the darkness of her eyes swell until he could see his own reflection.

And Li felt a smile twist into existence on his face. He could tell by her reaction that it must have been an unfriendly smile, wide and smug.

I am probably turning into a monster, he thought.