Chapter 6: Rank 2

Sector 19

Shoutarou hummed to himself as he sat on the couch in the now quiet night club. STAM’s forensic team was all over the building collecting samples and trying to find any information that they could. He looked over at his partner who was holding his head in his hands, “Come on Seiji, so what the agent got away? No one has ever caught one of the black agents,”

“It’s not that…” Seiji was controlling his emotions from coming through his voice.

Shoutarou rubbed the back of his neck and grabbed the small necklace around his neck. It was a pair of dog tags with his name and identification number printed on it. On the back there was a small finger print scanner- but he didn’t need that right now. He tapped on the small plate and it came to life with a projected screen, "Look, we haven't even lost rank with this. If you think about it we might even gain a rank since we actually did someth-"

“It’s not that…”

Shoutarou sighed, “Think of what we did do, huh? We probably just permanently shut down one of the first drug houses in the Sectors. You and I started the movement to get rid of Free from-”

Seiji jumped up and kicked the couch he had been sitting in, “IT’S NOT THAT!!!” he let out a scream of frustration as he threw one of his daggers into the cushion, “It’s that damn elementalist!! She was out there taunting us! She knew that I would give chase to her over capturing one or two mutants and left me looking like a fool!!!”

Shou stared blandly at Seiji’s display. He seemed to always have the worst luck when it came to the 013 agent, he touched the scar on his right eye brow, i guess we've all had some bad luck… his mind started to play back that distant memory, of the first time they had met agent 013.

2118: Sector 8

“Another job well done, eh Shoutarou?” Seiji grinned as he walked alongside the mutant trapped in the cage, “I think we might be the luckiest team in the group. Every mission we’ve been on has been successful!!”

“We also haven’t run into any MRPA agents,” Shoutarou grinned as he pulled the cage behind him, “If we keep this up we will be the top ranked in no time,”

“Haha! And then that smug Kyoushirou won’t be able to say anything to me!!”

The two boys walked along happily through the streets as they finally left the crowded city and pushed through the park, “You know, I wouldn’t mind running into an agent….then we would really be able to kick out Kyoushirou from rank,”

“Are you nuts Seiji? The black agents are crazy. We wouldn’t stand a chance,”

“Come on, I’ve been dying to try out our weapons against a mutant that can put up a fight. Not one of these light ranked,” he knocked on the cage.

“Don’t jinx us please, I don’t have that kind of confidence,”

“You shouldn’t have that kind of confidence,” the two men froze suddenly at the strange voice.

“Show yourself!!” Shoutarou pushed his thumb on his dog tag and pulled out his pistol. He looked over his shoulder to see that Seiji had pulled out his daggers already as well.

“I suppose this is our first meeting...” from between the trees walked a girl with a cloak on, “Perhaps I should introduce myself,” she pulled down her hood to reveal her bright red hair and a half grin, “I’m Agent 013...of MRPA,”

Shoutarou gulped in the presence of one of the black ranked agents, “Shoutarou, a container,” he nudged Seiji who seemed too stunned to move, “this is my partner, Seiji,”

“The disposer right?” 013 smiled at them and Shoutarou nodded, his fingers tightly wrapped around his gun, “So could you please release my friend in the cage?”

At the absurd question, Seiji snapped out of his stupor, “Like hell we will! You can take him over my dead body!”

013 seemed to ignore Seiji almost completely as she stared into Shoutarou’s eyes, “I’d really like to not fight any agents tonight,”

Feeling almost captivated, Shoutarou sighed and shook his head, “I’m sure you know we can’t just give him to you,”

013 nodded and pulled off her cloak. She was in a skin tight suit with the MRPA crest on the chest. Her presence was intimidating as she tossed the cloak on the ground and stood before them, “Then I guess I have no choice. I must say you two are unlucky to meet me on a day like today….”

“Why is that,” Shoutarou raised his gun and pointed it at her.

“Because today I am at my strongest,”

Shoutarou squeezed the trigger to fire, but 013 had already dodged and was suddenly underneath him. She grabbed his arm and pushed her leg into his stomach as she threw him into a tree.

Shoutarou lost his gun the moment his back made contact with the tree. His back slid down and he coughed to catch his breath, but he saw a bright light coming toward him. He jumped to the side as fast as he could and looked back to see the tree was now a lump of burning ash. He turned to see 013 with that same half smirk and a ball of fire in her hand.

Seiji attacked from behind but 013 knelt down and leg sweeped him to the ground. Shoutarou quickly scrambled for his gun and fired twice at the agent.

013 screamed at the impact of her arms falling limp by her side. Sensing danger she jumped away from the two boys and examined her arms, “Paralysis?”

Shoutarou made his way back to Seiji and helped him up, “That’s right. You’re lucky I missed your spine,”

“Come on Shou, we can take her,” Seiji held tight onto his daggers as he glared at the agent who swung her limp arms around.

“I wouldn’t be so sure around that,” 013 grinned and lunged forward again, attacking both of them with fire laced kicks. Seiji blocked a kick aimed at his head and quickly used his other dagger to stab her calf. Without stopping to scream of the pain, the agent swung her other leg around and kicked Seiji right in the side of his head and sent him flying into a tree.

“Seiji!!!” Shoutarou ran over to see that he was knocked out cold. He turned hesitantly back to the agent who was trying to figure out a way to pull the dagger out of her leg without her hands.

“That boy is fine. He is just unconscious,” she grunted while trying to reach the dagger with her mouth.

Shoutarou quietly walked back over, “Let me get that for you,” he bent down to her leg and pulled the knife out quickly and dropped it to the ground.

“I’m surprised,” 013 said as Shoutarou backed up to stand beside the cage,

“Why is that?”

“You could have shot me just now and I would have been captured right?”

“Right,”

“But you didn’t,” she smiled at him while her eyes stared at him up and down trying to understand.

“I don’t want to defeat you with such dirty tricks...” he clenched the grip of his gun and pointed it at her again, “Everyone deserves a fair fight,”

She grinned and knelt down to lunge at him again, “You’ll regret that naive thinking soon enough,”

Shoutarou lined up his shot and fired, but once again 013 evaded the attack. She wrapped her leg around his arm and pulled him to the ground; his gun once again falling from his hand. 013 got to her feet first and kicked the pistol away from the groping hands of Shoutarou, “Fair fights will get you killed,” she pulled back her leg and kicked the side of his face, knocking him out.

Shoutarou could feel a stinging pain on the side of his face as Seiji screamed at him to wake up, “Shou! Shou wake up!! The mutant is gone! That black agent and the one we caught earlier...”

Shoutarou slowly opened his eyes and groaned at the pain in his face.

“You look like shit Shou. What happened?” Seiji helped sit him up.

Shou groaned again and lifted his hand to the stinging in his face, “She kicked me and I knocked out….”

Seiji nodded, “Man she kicked you hard….” he picked up a small bloody piercing from the grass.

Shoutarou moaned, “Not my eyebrow piercing….that thing was brand new too…..damn that 013,”

“I swear I will not rest as an agent until I have her head as a trophy. The Elementalist will die by my hand….” Seiji clenched his fists and jaw tightly.

Shou sighed and wondered how long it would be before Seiji broke protocol. He had come close several times in the past, but it would only get worse.

The Present

His thoughts were halted by the light ring of his cell phone. Seiji’s temper calmed immediately as he recognized Shou’s ringtone.

Shou coughed a few times to clear his throat before answering the phone, “This is Agent team 2, Container,”

“Mission report agent,” it was Blue’s secretary on the other side of the call. Her voice was lifeless and bland as always.

“We located the hideout and were drawn into battle with the Elementalist 013,”

“A black Agent? Continue,”

“She managed to escape with several injuries and the Free dealing mutant also ran. The hideout is being swept by forensics and the humans that were here have been taken to the hospital for treatment,”

“Understood. Follow up with all the humans from the hideout and then report back,” there was a faint click on the line as she hung up.

Shoutarou sighed deeply as his hand dropped from his ear.

“And?” Seiji asked curiously.

“How many humans would you say were sent to the hospital?” Shou looked up at the ceiling.

“I dunno. Around 60?”

Shou clenched his fist and shook it up in the air, “Why didn’t I do my homework during lunch?!?!”