Pale white curtains fluttered gently inside a small and dim room, where Felix followed Maria into. Inside was a bed, a desk, cabinet, and a locker.

  “A clinic?” He glanced at the framed map hanging on the wall, and placed his finger on the red dot drawn on it, “You are here…Now if only it told us where the data center was.”

  “Since we don’t know where that is yet, I thought we should take a little detour.” Maria replied as she rummaged through the metal cabinet at the corner of the room.

  Felix took off his coat and whipped it across the air, dislodging several metallic shards stuck to the bullet-resistant fabric.

  “And why are we here? We’re wasting time. It’s possible that the other intruder has made it into the building.” He said in a stiffly before putting his black coat back on.

  “Painkillers aren’t gonna cut it”, She picked up a white lab coat on the chair, putting it on, and grabbed a syringe from desk and looked at him, announcing, “So we’re treating you, my dear patient!”

  “P-put that down.” He let out an uncomfortable whimper, staring at the syringe.

  A wry grin formed on her lips. “Hmmm? What’s wrong, scared of needles?”

  Felix averted his gaze, “N-no. They just… we don’t have the time for this…”

  “Really?” She then shoved him towards the bed and slowly brought the needle closer to him.

  As he tripped onto the bed, he covered his face in panic. The sight of the needle raised the drumbeat of his heart.

  Memories forced their way into the forefront of his thoughts. Screams and searing flames. A broken cage.

  Echoes of memories vividly repeated themselves, “You took the wrong vial!”

  The sight of a younger Professor Tetsuya marching towards him through a sea of flames, holding a needle full of prismatic fluid.

  All these sensations came crashing down in a few seconds.

  Felix gulped. His mismatched eyes darted away as he conceded, “Alright, fine. They make me uncomfortable, alright?”

  “I see… I’ll put the needle down.” Her expression changed to a more somber one as she watched his panic attack.

  “However, the ill must be treated!” She boldly exclaimed, holding back a chuckle.

  His expression slowly got better, giving a resigned smile and as he scratched his cheek. “Alright, Doctor Marie. I’ll put my trust in you.”

  She took a moment to collect herself from his reply and her expression softened, “You sure changed your tone quick.”

  “I guess I’m just glad the two of us aren’t dead…” He said in a lax, relieved voice.

  “Let’s try to keep it that way… It’ll heal soon, but just to be sure, let’s dab some antiseptic on your wounds…” Her energetic voice calmed down as she dabbed antiseptic on him.

  “Ahk… that stings... Doctor Marie, do you think it’ll leave a scar?” With a click of his tongue, his eyes closed, unaware of the glowing blue haze that began to form around his wound.

  Slowly, the wound began to close itself, and left only a small, patchy red mark. Bewildered by the light, Maria’s eyes widen as she muttered with a low voice; “So... we really are alike.”

  “Hm?” He opened his eyes as the haze faded.

  “All patched up. Don’t worry about it, nothing leaves a scar on us.”

  She smiled and finished wrapping the bandages over his wound. Her gentle expression ended the conversation without any further resistance.

  A metallic click echoed in the clinic as the holographic map once again projected from Maria’s watch.

  As she scoured the map, she let out a sigh, “There’s a few guards on the floor below us. Put the uniform back on, we should ask for directions.”

  “I don’t think that would work.” He said as he looked at the torn up uniform.

  She gave him an annoyed glance before immediately changing to an irritated grin, “Maybe we should just beat the information out of someone.” Maria pulled out a knife from behind and walked out of the room.

  Before she could step out of the room, Felix grabbed her by the wrist and pulled out his cobalt gun, firing it at the light bulb. The silent, concentric waves it shot out caused it crackle and malfunction.

  “What are you doing—?”

  “Shh…” He covered her mouth, pulling her into the metal cabinet with him.

  “Is it the intruder?” She whispered.

  An old, gruff voice could be heard walking towards their direction, “Yes, sir, I’m headed my way there.”

  “Yes sir, I’m here… there appears to be a mess.” An old guard replied through his radio as he entered the clinic. He tried to flip the switch on the light, only to see the light bulb was broken.

  “Huh? It’s broken?” The old guard cautiously stepped into the room, looking for the intruders.

  Jammed inside the cramped, metal supply cabinet, Felix held his gun close to his chest as he whispered, “Just one…”

  But Maria grabbed his gun, nodding in disagreement.

  “Got any more ideas from your movie?”

  The footsteps got closer.

  “Maybe…” she whispered back as she pushed his gun back down, “We’re still in uniform, aren’t we? We need directions, so close close your eyes for a sec and trust me.”

  Felix complied, closing his eyes. He grumbled, feeling a tight sensation squeeze around his body, getting wrapped in rope.

  “Follow my lead.” She whispered, drawing in breath and yelled out; “Help, help us!”

  His eyes shot open, looking at her with a panicked expression. He gulped and did as she instructed, “H-help! Help us!”

  “Sir, I think I found something. I’ll call back in a moment.” The old guard spoke through the radio in his hand, slowly approaching the supply cabinet.

  As he opened it, the two agents fell straight to the floor, both tangled in wires.

  “Huh, what the?” The old guard scratched his head.

  “H-help…”

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  A sweat dripped down Felix’s face as the old guard grumpily stared down at them.

  “… What happened here?” The old man scratched his head.

  Maria struggled as she spoke in a soft and sultry voice, trying to warm up to the guard, “S-sir, the intruder got in, so we decided to hide in here!”

  “What were you both even still doing here? Didn’t either of you hear the alarms?” The guard expressed in an irritated curiosity as he began to untangle the wires.

  “I was um… he was wounded, and I was treating him, when suddenly…” She quickly tried to come up with a story as she squirmed, trying to keep her disguise hidden from the guard’s sight.

  The old guard raised his eyebrow for a moment.

  “Cough. Fine… fine, I get it.” The old guard grumbled in an understanding tone. “I don’t mind keeping this a secret but… It’s common knowledge not to do those things during work hours, you know.”

  A vein pulsed in the temple of Felix’s head.

  “D-do those things?” She asked.

  “You youngsters today can’t hold it in, can you?” He said as he pulled out a knife.

  With a sudden crackle, a voice came out of the old man’s radio, “Did you find the intruder?”

  The old guard began cutting the two of them out of the rope.

  “No, sir. Just a couple of brats tied up in the cabinet… Yeah, I know, it’s the second time it happened. Same place, too. Kinky? Yeah, I agree.”

  “Kinky? Sir, I think you misunderstand. H-he was shot.”

  “Sure, that makes sense... still.” He answered disingenuously. “There, you’re free now.”

  Felix coughed as he got up on his knees, “Do you know where the intruder escaped to, sir?”

  “Not sure, but I believe that he’s headed to the server room. But everyone all says that it’s safe there and no one can open the database anyway. Bunch of stuck-ups won’t listen to me.”

  “Which is… where?” Maria added as she also got up.

  “Don’t you know anything? It’s in the top floor.”

  “On the left wing or the right wing?”

  “What’s with all these questions? Why are you speaking in Engli—?” Before he could even turn around to face them, an array of transparent concentric rings had struck him from behind.

  Felix lowered his cobalt gun and caught him before he could fall to the floor, placing him on the bed, and grabbing his bag.

  As he scoured through, he pulled out a piece of paper. “A map…”

  “He dropped loot… I’m a bit surprised people still use physical maps.”

  “Some people prefer physical things over holograms.” He searched the map, “Looks like where headed to the top of the building.”

  A transmission crackled, “ Can you hear me, is anyone there?”

  Felix picked the transceiver on the ground, and pinched his nose as he answered, “S-sir, he was shot. W-we need medical assistance, asap.”

  “Medical? U-Understood. Just stay where you are.” The voice over the transmission answered.

  “That should buy us a bit of time.”

  “Nice acting skills.” She perked up.

  Felix grinned at her, responding, “Guess I learned something from you.”

  Without wasting another moment, the two agents made their way through the floors of the labyrinthine construction site.

  *

  They reached the upper floor and paused just around the corner of a dimly lit hallway. At the end stood a single steel security door, where two guards stood, carrying rifles.

  Felix raised a hand, signaling Maria to stay back, “I’ll handle this.”

  Adjusting his stolen uniform, he stepped into view. The thick thud of his boots on the tiled floor echoed down the corridor, immediately drawing the guards’ attention.

  “H-Help!” He staggered slightly, as if he was wounded.

  “What are you doing here? Where’s your post? There are intruders!” One of them barked in Chinese, his brow furrowing.

  Breathlessly, Felix responded, “We were ambushed… they’re on their way here.” He spoke in English as he kept moving closer, halfway through the hall.

  The first guard exchanged a glance with the second, who raised his rifle.

  Felix lunged forward, and in the blink of an eye, dived underneath the guard’s gun.

  Startled and frantic, he could barely aim as Felix neutralized him with a sharp punch to his jaw, instantly incapacitating him.

  The second one took notice, lining his weapon at the intruder. But the blue-eyed agent was faster, slipping past his defense before he could pull the trigger.

  He grabbed the man’s wrist and pulled over him to the side, making him fire at the ground. Dozens of lead shards pierced through the floor in succession, leaving it cracked. But as the weapon ran out of ammunition, Felix grabbed the man’s head and drove it against his knee.

  In one swift motion, the guard’s face turned into a bright red as he collapsed.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Felix gently placed their bodies against the wall, one of which was still mumbling incoherently.

  Maria strolled up to him, commenting, “We may be overusing that fake-guard play.”

  “It still worked, didn’t it?” He exhaled.

  “Only worked because you’re fast on your feet.” She responded, mildly impressed.

  “I’ll take the compliment. We have to hurry. The guards downstairs probably heard the gunfire.”

  “Why didn’t you just use your quiet, pacifist gun from the corridor?”

  “Ion has an effective range of five meters. It wouldn’t have reached them.” He explained, retrieving an ID card from one of the guard’s uniforms.

  She took a look at the grumbling guards, “Maybe you should’ve just shot them in the head instead of going through all that effort.”

  “No unnecessary killing.” He glared at her.

  “Then shall I?” She smirked and pulled out her knife.

  “No.” Ignoring her, he swiped the ID card on the door’s lock. After a short few seconds, there was a soft beep, and the lock clicked open.

  A blast of icy air greeted them as the door slid open, much colder than the rest of the building.

  “After you.” Felix gestured. Maria took a step into the server room.

  It was dark inside, and filled with servers. Rows upon rows of black pillars filled the room like a library. The only light was from the blinking blue and yellow lights behind the glass panes of the tall machines.

  As they took a few steps inside, a sharp pop and crackle echoed from behind. Both agents turned toward the window wall, where vibrant fireworks burst across the night sky, their reflections scattering across the glass. Below, the city glittered with life and excitement.

  Maria looked at the glittering glass panes with a hint of contempt she saw her own reflection.

  Felix took a few steps further inside, “So this is the data center?”

  “Looks like it…” She answered, smashing her fist against the glass pane, cracking it in two.

  “What was that?” He reacted, hearing her shatter one of them.

  “... It’s unconventional to have a database on the top floor.” She responded, not answering his question.

  The faint pop of a distant firework took her attention, glancing forward. She walked on ahead opposite the door’s direction.

  In the center of the large room was a single onyx black table with nothing on top of it, “Maybe they just like the view from up here.”

  Felix pressed the ID back to the door, shutting the entrance.

  Maria threw away the lab coat and walked and spun the leather chair on the table. She pressed a glowing red button on the table, and a holographic projection popped out in front of her. A keyboard started glowing on top of the glassy table.

  “Stay on guard, I need to work my magic. Unless you wanna take a crack at it.” She ordered, putting the drive on the table, a neon red circle forming beneath.

  Felix shrugged and obliged. He took off the torn-up uniform, pulled out his pistol, and kept his attention glued to the door.

  Maria placed her hand on the screen and let out a soft hum. One by one, the system’s encryptions were unlocked. With a smile, a stream of .

  Suddenly, an array of holographic screens suddenly popped out in front of her.

  “I’m in. Now what… could I… be looking for?” She hummed in a singsong.

  The dark-haired woman scrolled through dozens of screens. She then stopped as one of the visuals came to her view. One of them, the image of a crown.

  She opened another, containing a blank silhouette with the word ‘Jackal’ underneath it.

  “Heh…” She smirked.

  Felix turned his head towards her, “Hmm?”

  “Come, take a look at this.” She gestured for him to come forward.

  “What is it?”

  Maria drew in and expanded one of the holographic screens, revealing a grainy recording of a city caught from a helicopter.

  “It’s… records of the Fallen Sun Catastrophe…” She tapped on the screen, letting the video play out.

  Golden flames swept through the skyline, engulfing the city in what looked like a sphere of yellow light. Above it was a photograph of the horizon, where it looked like a nuclear fireball formed on the city.

  As the yellow haze reached the camera, it appeared as if the video froze. But it did not stop playing.

  Maria pressed on the screen, swiping the video forward.

  Until a few minutes later, the city — it’s buildings, vehicles, trees, and people all of the frozen things started to come apart, slowly unraveling pixel by pixel under a yellow filter.

  There was no deafening explosion, no sudden burst of fire. Only an eerie stillness that disassembled the city, turning everything in it into mounds of fine grains and particles.

  “… This was the one that happened in China…” Felix’s voice cracked, muttering under her breath.

  “This must be it then.” She smiled and collected all of the holographic screens, dragging down towards the drive, where they transformed into strings of letters and numbers.

  As it began copying into the drive, Felix took a step back, feeling light-headed.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked.

  “I remember the day when that happened… It was a busy day in the agency…”

  Felix shifted his gaze back to the door, hearing the muffled sound of gunfire popping outside.

  Maria smirked, “Yeah, I bet it must’ve been pretty—”

  He suddenly pushed her away from the table, “Get down!”

  The hatch hissed open, just enough to let the barrel of a gun get through.

  With a loud bang, a bullet travelled towards the two agents, shredding off some of her hair as she fell to the ground. The window wall cracked open behind them cracked open.

  Felix whipped out his pistol and aimed towards the entrance.

  There was the slow sound clapping coming from the door, and a silhouette spoke, entering the room.

  “I didn’t expect intruders to be here.” A firework lit up the face of a blood-covered man walking in, dressed in a vest and a top hat, “ Why don’t the two of you enjoy the festival outside?”

  ~