Captain Murray thought that today was a day where he would finally get a big break in the case, finally capturing a key figure that could help him solve the headache he had for the last two weeks.

Long nights, useless clues and clueless witnesses were grinding his nerves down to bits and he longed to have a proper meal and ‘long conversation’ with his wife.

He had heard wild ‘’horror’’ stories from his predecessors, that rarely there could be a case that basically required them to live at the station.

Murray always treated their stories as mere boasting about how hard they had it in the olden days when they were active, but now he realized that the horror stories about office sleeping bags and paperstack pillows were real.

FUUUCKKK THIIIIIS. I could be reading a good night story for my little babies, go to sleep next to my beautiful wife and wake up refreshed. But where am I? STUCK IN A SHITTY GOVERNMENT FACILITY WITH A GEEZERS STUDYING A MUTATED FREAK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Feeling stifled, he kept watching the restrained ‘Two’ being researched by a bunch of old men with one eye while scrolling pictures from his phone on the other.

Have strength John, calm yourself. After this is over, I will apply for a vacation and if it's not approved…HAH, there is no way it would get rejected.

An unusual voice carried over to Murray's ears, and he could feel in his bones that tonight would be chaotic once again.

Without having to guess the situation, the general alarm startled the doctors surrounding ‘Two’.

Cracking his knuckles, Murray felt that he could let out some steam and vent his frustrations on the unlucky bastards that decided it would be a good time to annoy him.

‘’Stay here and don’t let anyone in when I am gone. Some little shits are trying to stir trouble here so I won’t be gone for long.’’ With a gruff voice, Murray left the basement laboratory and slammed the reinforced magisteel door shut with a bang.

Muttering profanities while strolling the empty hallways, he saw some pale staff peeking from the windows with fear reflected in their eyes.

It was obvious that the idea of armed intruders in their workplace to the regular staff was horrifying, but their doubtful and questioning looks were bothersome to the already pissed-off Murray.

‘’What are you lookin at so fearfully? Never seen a frustrated officer before?’’

Just as Murray said those words out, he began to regret them.

At the end of the day, they were working for the same entity, the government and it was not like him to lash out at strangers or people in general.

I better just keep my mouth shut or I get shat on at the board meeting…Fuck! Altho it might not be such a bad thing to take a brief ‘’forced vacation’’. Thinking up to this point, he snapped out of his thoughts when he sensed multiple people behind the corner basically oozing with hostility.

Peek-a-boo… I see you. Cracking his neck on both sides, he strode confidently to meet the intruders.

Trevor, the young and arrogant rising star of the Duma guild shivered in an unassuming pile of debris and junk in a certain medical facility.

With trembling eyes, he turned to look to his left where one of his friends had fallen. With his yellowish eyes still open and head turned to Trevor’s hiding place, Trevor could only feel grief and regret.

Where did it all go so wrong? Why me, WHY? I was supposed to be the star today.

Thinking back to the meeting where he had voiced out his dissatisfaction as the first person among many, he now knew the intent behind the meaningful looks given by the few in the know.

Maybe he would not have been appointed as the team leader of the Omega group and all of this would be a problem for someone else.

Everything went swimmingly at first and Trevor was filled with gratitude to the executive that gave him the job.

He felt ecstatic: To be acknowledged as a team leader with unlimited potential along with the usual flattery, Trevor thought that the assignment would be his chance to rise through the ranks.

The difference in treatment and benefits between rising stars and the true core of the guild was stark, and Trevor was keen to show his worth.

Just the monetary benefits and possible personal guidance from Isaac, a grandmaster, were enough to tempt Trevor to take risks and responsibility.

After all, a hot blooded youth in his early twenties could easily find places to burn money and show off his success.

Women, power and wealth. All this was within his reach in this competitive field and he was willing to make sacrifices for it.

With a quiet voice he grumbled aloud. ‘’It is not an opportunity… It is a fucking slaughterhouse.’’

And yes indeed it was. After breaking into the medical facility, Trevor and his team took the lead and everything went just as they expected.

Few civilians and only a few trained personnel were able to resist their assault, but the joy of easy success was short-lived.

The briefing about the mission informed them that the confidant of Isaac, Robert was captured.

The mission was to rescue him as quickly as possible while Team Alpha has their own mission at the SDU and Bravo secures the perimeter here.

Instead of Robert, team Omega found an unwelcome surprise: Steaming Captain of the SDU.

As soon as Murray found out that the facility was breached by armed men, he blew his top off and assumed the stance of taking no prisoners.

With a relentless fury towards his enemies ,he bare handedly encountered the members of Omega team and dove in like a wolf in a herd of sheep.

Trevor tried to recall the encounter with shaky eyes and it was almost like his healthy tan had been replaced with ghastly paleness.

Just as he stood in the lead with his friend, full of confidence and arrogance, ready to free Robert, a lone man with a fiery temper stood in their way.

At the time, he only felt that the man was somewhat familiar, but he could not recall seeing the man before at the time.

A thought appeared in his mind, that the man was unfit to carry the SDU uniform as he spouted vicious curses at their team like a drunken sailor.

Only after closely inspecting the foul mouthed man Trevor finally recognized the man: Oh for fucks sake, isn’t that THE Murray?

With his heart beating like crazy and hands shaking, he was panicking and trying to speak their way out of the situation but just as he opened his mouth, Murray had already moved.

Recalling bits and pieces of the event, he vividly remembers the sensation of his second in command pushing him through the wall with great strength.

While he was flying through the wall, he saw a visible supersonic shockwave in an oblique shape shattering his second in command into lumps of meat from the hole in the wall.

The man who was part of his close circle, had given his life to save Trevor from the assault of a grandmaster.

That was the last thing he remembered after losing consciousness.

After waking up, he could not sense Murray, nor his teammates nearby.

Trevor was by no means new to the world of the metas: Having completed missions for assassinations, scuffles between guilds or businesses, he had never actually witnessed a grandmaster attacking with no hold barred.

He could feel the arrogance and the feeling of importance as a rising star of Duma guild stomped into the cracks of the earth.

His strength being at warrior stage, closing in to the master threshold was nothing to write home about.

The comparisons are odious sometimes. Just because you know that there is a gap, it is a whole different experience to actually witness it first hand.

The sound of quiet footsteps resounded in Trevor’s ears and broke him out of his reverie. He desperately tried to close his eyes, calm his furious heartbeat and hope that he would not get noticed.

Only after a sound of debris being removed, he knew that the person was looking for something…or someone.

Focusing his senses, he could feel that he would not survive a direct fight.

Ruptured eardrums, impaired balance and multiple fractures in the ribcage were at least the ones he could identify. After this judgment call, he decided to surrender in hopes of survival.

‘’If you can hear me, don’t attack. I am only tryin to help ya.’’ The unknown person called out.

Trevor could only submit to fate and call out that he understood and he was alive.

The person dug Trevor out and reached out his bulky hand to pull him out under the debris.

‘’Nice to see familiar face ‘round here. ’’

With wide eyes Trevor gawked at the person helping him. Robert, the person they were tasked to save. Having some complicated thoughts about the whole situation churning in his heart, he decided to accept things as they came.

‘’Robert, we came to save you… But…Things are as shitty as you can imagine.’’ With a downcast face, Trevor spoke out while ripping out a piece of his sleeve.

Without waiting for an answer, he started to bandage some of the bleeding wounds and then asked Robert for an explanation.

‘’The bigshots are fighting so if you want to get out, now is the time.’’

Trevor quickly nodded and started to limp towards the exit in the hope to complete the mission despite the losses. Only, he could not hear Robert following him.

‘’Come on! We gotta leave, now!’’

‘’As a piece of advice: Leave Duma and disappear from Runa. Isaac considers both you and I as a cannon fodder or bait. So if you don’t want to die, disappear or get protection from the government. I am sure they would be glad to make a deal with you.’’ Crossing his arms and showing no intention to leave, Robert sat his large frame firmly on the nearby chair.

Feeling stifled at the unexpected answer, the pieces in the puzzle finally locked in place in Trevor’s head.

That blonde dickhead actually wants me to be his little pawn. Isaac, you would sell out even Robert? What is so important to discard your whole career and business...