Pairing: Asami/Akihito
Summary: AU. The megalopolis of Dis, a teeming hive of scum, villainy, cutting edge tech, and the elite, where things are rarely whatthey seem. Intrepid Takaba Akihito navigates the streets and the Grid with native ingenuity, pitting himself against the Board that rules Dis and the Who's Who of the Underworld, Asami Ryuichi
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Yamane Ayano, not me.

A/N: Thought I'd dive into to another chapter fic. First chapter is short, but the rest will be longer. This one is just a teaser. :) This will will plotty, sometimes porny, and hopefully fun. Not fluffy, but not heavy on the angst either.

"Sir, Suoh has arrived."

"I assume he had no trouble capturing our quarry."

"Ah." Kirishima touched the side of his glasses, the inner lens replaying the events at enhanced speed. "It seems the man in question led him on an unexpected chase. His methods were rather ingenious to be honest." Kirishima's pupils contracted and the replay stopped and zoomed in. A holographic display of the young man spun slowly in the air between them. "It was only a fortuitous occurrence that allowed our men to take him."

"I see." Asami smiled. "This should be interesting. Show our little hacker into my office. I want a full bio/psych report in addition to the standard background check."

"Understood."

Shit.

Slender magnetic cuffs on Akihito's wrists and ankles secured him to the uncomfortable metal chair. He was sure the design was deliberate, and that any guest who was invited to sit in it would probably find that particular discomfort the least of their worries.

How could he have ended up like this? He knew just how good he was at what he did, and he was never careless. They should never have been able to detect his tampering before he was well away.

But he couldn't waste time thinking about that now. He'd known the dangers of hacking into Sion's grid, and now he had to deal with the worst case scenario. If only that walking hulk had been as slow and dumb as he looked. Still, Akihito knew he would have outmaneuvered the beast if not for the sector brownout that had cost him precious seconds when the podcab he'd appropriated for his escape had gone into automatic shutdown.

Of course, he knew how to override the command, but in the full, mandatory shutdown required by a grid brownout in Dis, it was hopeless. His only choice had been to exit the vehicle. Its locks were easily disabled, and he'd ducked out into the now frozen landscape of what was usually a swarming thoroughfare of the megalopolis.

Unfortunately, Sion's security forces were uncomfortably close on his trail, and he'd felt the impact of a nano slug as he sprinted through the maze of vehicles, desperate to put distance between himself and Sion headquarters. He had cursed, barely slowing his breakneck run as ripped off his outer jacket, knowing the nanites were burrowing through the material with inhuman speed.

God only knew what their intended function was. Inflicting his death was probably one of the better outcomes he could have hoped for. He had expected they wanted him alive, but that didn't mean they couldn't mess with him in other ways.

His deceptively light jacket happened to conceal a lining of nanite-resistive fibers that given him just enough time to dispose of it without contamination. Despite the slowdown, he might have been able to make it to the sewer slums of Dis. He had dodged between the stalled traffic and ran almost doubled over, but just as he prepared to dive into an alley that concealed an entry into the underground domain, the grid had hiccuped and the flow of traffic roared to life around him.

A long tourist shuttle had blocked his path at the crucial moment and another nano slug hit him squarely beneath the shoulders. Without the protective armor of his jacket, the effects had been almost instantaneous. The bleached-blond hulk bearing down on him had looked grimly pleased, and Akihito had only the time to raise his middle finger in salute. At least he hadn't passed out before seeing the man's expression switched from smug to highly pissed off.

Probably it hadn't been the best course of action, all things considered. When Akihito had come to again, the hulk hadn't been gentle. Though, come to think of it, he hadn't been all that rough either. Someone wanted him in one piece, more or less.

Knowing the futilely of his actions, Akihito jerked his wrists out of pure frustration. He was angry with himself for being sloppy enough to get caught, and he couldn't even attempt an escape, not yet. He was certainly under observation and deep within the headquarters of the most powerful man in Dis if rumors were to be believed. Asami Ryuichi-whose name elicited wild, unbelievable tales and disquieting fear wherever it was whispered-was at the very least powerful enough to rival the Board who officially governed all of Dis.

Akihito knew that few had ever come face to face with Asami. He was expert at maintaining his anonymity and that of those falling under his umbrella of protection, a fact that Akihito respected despite how he despised other facets of Asami's imposing organization. What really grated was the tech the man disseminated to the population at large. It was always high-grade and cutting edge, and Akihito knew he wasn't even putting out the best of what he had. The minds and specialists Asami had working on his code were obviously top notch, though still inferior to Akihito and the small crew he worked with even within their limited means.

A glow of pride wiped away for the moment the apprehension the long wait in the uncomfortable chair had imposed on him. The abilities of Akihito and his associates had kept them well ahead of the game. Neither the legitimate powers that were nor the kingpin of the black market had been able to touch them. Their anonymity was unbreachable as well. Or it had been until now.

Akihito's spirits sunk low for a moment before his unquenchable determined outlook rose again. But even if he was exposed now, identities and appearances were changed easily enough. He only had to escape. They knew nothing of who and what he was, and he would keep it that way.