It was the first time in five years as Natalia, Ayeka, Kayla, and Ryoko is in the same building and in the same room. This is all possible with Detective Constable Chloe Serpentine as they all sat around the table. Chloe entered the room, holding some folders. Handing out the binders of information as Chloe turned on the interactive monitor.

Chloe started her presentation, “good afternoon, ladies. As you well know, I called you here today because we have an urgent case. Before we all begin, I just want to say it’s nice to see all four of you in the same room again.”

With that positive statement, there was a sudden hush filled the room. However, all personal feelings aside could wait for now.

Chloe pulled up a series of pictures of a tall and muscular mysterious figure wearing a biker helmet and a long jet-black oilskin duster coat on the screen, “As of right now, this masked crusader is gunning down members of an elite assassination squad known as the Red Arrow. They were once a part of the Dark Nebula Coalition as their own private army. Since then, the Red Arrow has been split into two factions. One is with the Coalition, while the other is declaring their independence. There have been sightings of these groups popping up sporadically for years in Munich, Prague, Rio, and now in New York. However, both leaders of these fragmented groups have been captured by the police.”

“Mentos Darker…” Ryoko joked, sifting through the crime scene photos.

Chloe didn’t find any humor in it as she continued, “It’s Memento Dark, Shimizu… But now we have another problem, someone is killing members of both internal factions. Nobody knows who this person is.”

“Why don’t you ask the Angel boy who it is. You have his email, right?” Kayla added.

“Would you please be quiet?” Ayeka admonished.

Chloe’s patience was indeed running thin as she barely got through to the briefing, “It’s your job to find out the identity of the masked gunman. By looks alone, six-foot-tall wears a biker helmet and an oilskin coat to hide his face or body. Extremely strong, took out 23 red arrow members in one night. The un-sub is taking out those who are affiliated with that said organization, so let’s focus that first. Cast out the net a little, if need be—"

As Chloe was about to conclude the briefing, the Sentinels and the Aethereal Queen walked into their presentation.

“I hope we didn’t interrupt anything,” Lycka announced.

“Oh, no, we are actually done,” Chloe said.

“Good. I hope it won’t let such a bother, but my Sentinels are going to be shadowing your team from here on out,” Lycka said to much chagrin from Chloe’s team.

“Any particular reason?” Natalia defended.

“We think this would be beneficial to our case,” Alpha Crucis being vague.

“Why, all because I didn’t cry like a baby during my evaluation?” Natalia blurted out.

“We talked about this before. No. You have your job, and they have theirs. Maybe all of you can learn from one another. Permission granted,” Chloe accepted. “The NYPD will be aiding us in this investigation as we will sharing detailed files with them. Let’s all meet up here at the end of the day,” Chloe concluded as everyone started to exit the room.

“Natalia, hold on one second,” Chloe asked as everyone else left.

A moment later, both Chloe and Natalia were alone. Chloe cut to the chase, “I just want to say I’m glad to have you back. Regardless of what you think of me. In all honesty, I wanted you to be the leader of your group again. Dolph and the others thought otherwise. Looking back at it, how could I? If you still let your personal issues with everyone cloud your own judgment--”

“Yeah, I get it, I’m a complete bitch. I have a personality of a dog shit sandwich like everyone would say about me,” Natalia recanted.

Chloe shook her head in disagreement, “you see, that wasn’t even my point. My real point is with you going to have to make a choice. Sometimes, you can have it all. You can’t have both. But some people can’t and must let go of one or the other. We can’t live in a world of gray all the time. That’s not how we progress as people. There are times that absolution is essential. You wanted to stay comfortable, but are you really comfortable?”

“How can I be comfortable if nothing has changed?” Natalia questioned. “Why can’t we go back to the way things were?”

“Because if we do go back to the way things were, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would probably be dead, and you would be presumably in a room full of criminals being subjected to God knows what… again,” Chloe bluntly answered as is made Natalia cringe.

“Are you serious?”

“That is all, Agent Silvestri,” Chloe dropped the subject as she left the room, leaving Natalia behind to contemplate what was said to her.

Chloe didn’t get too far as Lycka met up with her down the hall, “You actually think this will work, don’t you?”

“What do you mean, your Majesty?”

“I mean, I should never play chess against you for money. That’s how you supplemented your income, Detective Constable?”

Chloe snickered at the fact the Aethereal Queen caught wind of her plan, “Dave Eggers once said, ‘You invite things to happen. You open the door. You inhale. And if you inhale the chaos, you give the chaos, the chaos gives back.’”

“That’s one hell of a way to do it. Let’s hope so…” Lycka endorsed.