Knowing that Ryu could be in danger, he activated his powers to get a spirit to enter his body. He stiffened his muscles, getting into position before darting across the map. "At least I get the easiest job." Anora told herself, keeping her eyes on the fight between Polin and Caelira.
Ikra was someone who tried his best to be a father for his family. No matter how much he tried however, it seemed that life had an equal challenge for him to deal with if he wanted to keep them safe.
He sped inside the building, flying through the fire to find himself in the middle of the explosion. Wafting the smoke away, he could barely make out two figures. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make the figures out.
They were too focused on each other, neither turning to take notice of Ikra. A baby in the hands of one of them cried out amidst the chaos, a voice that Ikra knew well, the voice of his daughter.
Pin.
He was so focused on what happened with Ryu recently, he had forgotten that Pin was also taking residency in the camp. "Wait!" Ikra shouted out, startling both of them from the standoff.
The person who held Pin went on all fours, his body moving like an animal as he went out of sight. "I thought I would have more time." The other man talked to himself, his pace suddenly speeding up.
He grabbed something from Arm's desk and walked away. Ikra reached his hand out to grab his arm, "Hey you can't just–"
The mysterious person grabbed his hand and twisted it, breaking his joints. "I don't have the luxury to deal with you." His movements were fluid-like, it was so efficient it was almost alien.
Ikra then had another ancestor possess him, this time a contortionist who specialized in assassination techniques. His body became extremely flexible, the pain fading away as it adjusted.
"You're the special one, aren't you?" He commented, noticing the slight shift in his expression. Ikra tried to attack him again, but he was always met with minimal force. Each time he went to attack, he was easily brushed off. Ikra tried all sorts of surprise attacks, but he ended up seeing through all of them.
The man made his way across the floor, making sure that Ikra's attacks wouldn't connect. It felt like he was guiding him, each strike redirected, each movement predicted. Entering a room, he lured Ikra in only to slip past him.
"This should be enough." he spoke to himself, locking the door shut. "Hey!" Ikra shouted out through a small opening, "What the hell are you doing to my kid?" He questioned him, trying to find a way to open the door.
"What kid?" The intruder asked him, not letting his words distract him from what he was trying to do. "I heard her voice, my daughter's voice," Ikra told him. "The guy who took off just now." He explained.
"At least give me a name, an organization or someone to target." Ikra begged. He was tired of the world preventing him from being with his family. His legs gave out, making him fall to the floor.
He took his frustrations out by punching the steel door. "Why the hell do you guys keep getting in the way of my family?" He asked, knowing that the answer wouldn't come to him.
"You must be mistaken," He heard the intruder say. "I don't know who the person was from earlier." He told him before opening the door. Ikra saw that he was holding tight the last witness, a little girl.
"The world seems to have given you one too many trials. Take this act of kindness as a break from the storm" He told him before taking his leave, forcefully pulling the captive along with him.
"Save me!" She yelled out, immense pain in her voice. Ikra knew he should've tried to stop him, but he was concerned for his family more than anything else. He rushed towards the surveillance room, finding it in shambles.
In one of the cracked screens was a frozen image, one that filled Ikra with rage not just at the person he saw, but at himself as well.
There, he saw Warhound roaming the hallway. Ikra punched the screen, cracking it into multiple pieces. His face was filled with anger, his fist bleeding from the shards of broken glass.
I should've killed you when I had the chance.
The figure he saw from the smoke, the movements like that of a wild beasts, it all fits the bill. Ikra wallowed in his own regrets, staying on his knees as the building continued to burn.
"I think it's safe for me to go now." Wing told the director, excusing himself from the room. "Thank you for your concern." The Director told him on his way out, a friendly wave accompanying his warm smile.
He went his way down the highest point of the headquarters, watching the chaos from above. There seemed to be many casualties, some of them important fighters.
Wing wondered what else the intruder would come for other than The Director's head. As he looked around, his eyes caught one of the witnesses roaming around.
It was the young girl being held from her hair, clearly trying her best to resist. They were being dragged around by a man, someone he didn't recognize.
Looks like I'll have to step in.
Wing quickly broke the window and cleared enough room for him to shoot. He took a deep breath, manifesting his revolver as his eyes locked on the target. Then, he shot multiple times, all of them aiming for the head. Just as he had thought it was over, the intruder moved.
Wing tried to curve the bullets such that it would hit him, but they failed to land anywhere fatal. He was surprised, he swore that the man kept his eyes on all of the bullets as they whizzed by.
And now, he was staring the intruder in the eyes. He brought out a gun from his waist and shot at Wing, causing him to jump back for cover.
The bullet landed at the wall just behind him, its trajectory meant for his own head. Wing quickly went back to aiming, looking around to find that the intruder vanished. "Now you've done it." Wing felt challenged, he hadn't met someone that was that skilled for a long time.
Meanwhile, Polin was almost finished dealing with Caelira. Even with her skills, it was unavoidable for there to be a drop or two splashing onto her skin. If it continued to drag on, she would eventually end up melting.
"We're making our exit!" Her partner told her as he passed by the two fighting, not wasting even a second to walk away. "Why leave when you haven't even tasted the dessert yet?" Anora asked him, her gun already pointed at him. "I prepared it just for you, you know?"
She looked at Jen, she was struggling to break free from his grasp. "Don't even try, you wouldn't leave a scratch before you end up dead." He told her, his voice tired from the day.
Anora lit her eyes up, seeing that he was telling the truth. "Polin." She called one of the soldiers back, the situation was too unexpected for them to act confidently.
Polin looked hesitant knowing that they could win if it continued, but decided to follow orders. He stood back as the two made their way out with the last witness.
Wing eventually caught up, being angry at the two as he saw them stand by while they took the last witness away. "You'll be explaining this to me later." He told her as he passed by, trying to catch up as the intruders made their escape only to end up failing.
The camp suffered a loss that day, with many personnel either dead or suffering from injuries. Its defenses and buildings were also destroyed in many areas, causing a financial blow.
In light of the recent attack, The Director has called for many emergency meetings in hopes of bouncing back to normal operations. In one of them, Wing was called to attend a briefing.
There, he was met with Anora and Sylira with their usual argument. "You embarrassed me in front of the privates!" She got up to Anora and placed her finger at her forehead. "I could've handled it myself, don't act all cocky and steal the spotlight."
"All I saw was a Sergeant who was in need of help," Anora told her. "If I had let that fight continue any longer, you would be six feet under with a crushed wind pipe."
Anora applied pressure to the area that had internal bleeding with her hand, causing her to instinctively flinch backwards.
"We are in a camp full of soldiers, people who rely on each other in a fight. There's no need for blue falcons here." She scolded her before noticing that Wing was there. "And you. If you think that anything I said was wrong, correct me." She told him before opening the door.
What mess am I getting into now?
Wing sighed, passing by Sylira as he entered the room behind Anora. There, the director was waiting with his hands busy organizing files. "Right, where's the third one?" He asked, only seeing the two of them.
"I'm here." Sylira announced her presence as she entered the room, still recovering from Anora's grip. The director nodded in acknowledgement, standing up to grab a picture he had framed.
"The recent attack cost us a lot," He started the conversation, "Some of our best people died defending our base." He went to his computer and displayed the faces of the deceased.
One of them was one of their best assassins, someone who could kill from thousands of meters away using a projectile seemingly invisible. Another was someone who was able to manipulate the earth, a crucial asset in the desert.
"The Free City." He said, showing them a picture. In it was an aerial view of the city, people barely even visible. "I love this place during the night time, it's cold winds breezing through your face when you look out is to die for."
"It's a staple for those who seek refuge from the lawless outskirts. The last stand for those who lived in the Badlands. If The Free City falls, then so does the last hope for order down here."
He then made a symbol with his hand, clasping it with his thumb between his index and ring finger. "Have you ever heard of The Ember Pact?"
The Director looked at Wing, knowing his past. "We'll not only earn some funds through them if the mission's successful, but also keep watch on the current state of the city through them."
"All you have to do on paper is to protect a V.I.P named Elion. But in reality, you'll be making a detailed report on whether it's still the same city we all used to know."
He looked at the three of them, each having different experiences in the city. "Note that I chose you three because of your past. I hope that along with this mission, you may also finish what you have started there as well."
The Director each gave them a photo of Elion along with a brief profile of his history. "You may go now." The director sat back on his chair, eyes back on his folders.
As time pressed on, he spoke again. "You know, I expected Wing to stay back, but not you." He looked at Anora. "I would like for us to speak privately. I'll wait for Wing to finish outside."
Anora went out, closing the door behind her. "So what do you want?" The Director asked Wing, his attention still focused on the documents.
"I want Don to join me in this mission," He told him. The Director laughed it off however, "We can't have someone who's being held captive join a mission like this just because he's worked with you before."
"This is a special case," Wing argued. "Just like the others here, he also has a link to The Ember Pact. Considering his years in the field, his insights would help a lot with tricky people."
"Tricky people like assassins?" The Director asked him, "You said it yourself before, he's a criminal. You spent years chasing him down, only to let him roam as a free man a few days after catching him?"
"He shows no signs of wanting to escape, sir. He's someone I've known for a long time, and I could tell you with my position on the line that Don won't escape liability."
The Director sighed, he reached down to one of his drawers and pulled out a folder. Wing recognized the folder he had, it was the one he made about Don. "You truly are peculiar for this request, Wing."
"You know, this is the highest regard you've held for someone." The Director said as he continued to read through the file. "Pretty surprising seeing how much you hate criminals."
He closed the folder, taking a moment to organize his thoughts before talking. "Judging from what I can see, it should be fine as long as you take responsibility for his actions."
"Thank you sir," Wing told him before heading out. "Remember, I'm believing more on you than on him, Wing." The Director clarified as he left. As he went away, Anora made her way inside. She made sure the door was shut before making her way to The Director. "Let's talk about Sylira."