Chapter 4: Duty

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A dried pool of blood surrounded a prone man clad in military gear as a hooded, masked figure that was as equally geared holstered away their assault rifle before carefully turning him over, taking off his helmet for a quick inspection.

They were in the middle of a wide, open road in an abandoned district. Old, rusty and worn buildings surrounded them while leftover debris littered the area. The temperature was freezing. A gray sky gloomily hovered above the area as snowflakes gently drifted towards the ground. No life could be seen and not a single sound could be heard, a calm silence.

A dark red stain rested above the man's heart. He had an average body with tan skin. His blonde hair was peppered with white while slight wrinkles adorned his fine face. He would have definitely been considered good looking if he was back in his prime.

The masked figure solemnly stared at the fallen man after finishing the inspection, tightly clenching their fists,

"Gaiden..." (Figure)

Cold chills suddenly flew down the figure's spine. Kicking with their foot in reflex, the Figure leapt away from the body before rolling into cover.

THUD!

A large crater appeared at the spot where the Figure was standing moments ago.

The Figure breathed heavily as they sat in an alleyway with their back against the wall. Mixed thoughts and feelings were rushing through as they thought about Gaiden before a sudden calm enveloped the Figure, their mind switching into battle mode.

No explosion, a silenced sniper rifle maybe?...But I've never heard of one being able to make craters...Wh-

The Figure ducked as a bullet passed through the walls of the alleyway, dust and debris exploded into the area from the impact.

Quickly grabbing something from their chest, the Figure pulled a pin and threw the cylindrical object outside of the alleyway, back into the middle of the road where Gaiden lay.

Gray smoke quickly rose from the object. Patiently waiting, the Figure honed their hearing in anticipation and observed the area.

The smoke finally covered the area, obstructing the sniper's view.

THUD!

Another bullet ripped through a portion of the smoke, clearing a noticeable trail towards the area where the Figure would've exited from the alleyway if they had done so before colliding with the ground to create another large crater.

The bullet came diagonally through the smoke from my North...The only building in that general direction with this much elevation advantage would be the old apartment complex. They're very skilled to be able to shoot at that distance...

Finishing their calculations to pinpoint where the sniper was, the Figure took out another smoke grenade from their chest and strongly threw it towards the opposite end of the alley, finally stopping in the middle of another road.

Just like last time, smoke quickly expanded into the area. Immediately standing, the Figure turned away from the thrown direction and ran, briefly entering the smoke that covered Gaiden's area and dragging his body before exiting into another alleyway.

The Figure gently rested Gaiden's body against a wall and ripped the dog tag from around his neck before continuing towards the end of the alleyway, cautiously exiting into the road and moving from cover to cover.

No reaction. Taller buildings should be in this direction so I'll start heading that way. Hopefully, it stays like this...Forgive me Gaiden...I'll come back for you...

With a heavy heart, the Figure continued to weave between the alleyways as they took a detour towards the apartment complex, away from the sniper's line of fire.

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The masked figure stood on a porch that led to the only entrance of the old apartment complex, inspecting the area with an assault rifle drawn. It was easily the tallest building within this area, nearly tripling the size of all nearby buildings. Overgrown vines were wrapped around the building and the windows were shattered. The paint was peeling off and rust gathered along the metal railings and supports. It could clearly be seen that the building hadn't been maintained in a long time.

No resistance along the way...The door's trapped...Alright, let's make an announcement.

Stepping away from the porch and coming to the side of a wall, the Figure quietly searched through a bag resting on the side of their pants, near their pistol holster before finally drawing a round object from it.

Pulling a pin, the Figure threw the object so that it rested right in front of the entrance before ducking back into cover.

BOOM!

A loud explosion resounded throughout the area as the Figure quickly peeked around the corner with their rifle aimed towards the entrance, finally entering the building once the figure was sure that nothing was there.

Eyes adjusting to the darkness, the Figure entered into the reception area. An entrance with a stairway sign was directly standing to the right of the reception counter. Silently moving, the Figure pumped their senses into overtime, approaching the stairway before slowly turning the doorknob. It was locked.

No reaction from the surroundings, they're not here...Could probably just break the door open...Hmm...

Searching around the area, the Figure noticed an elevator to the far left of the reception area and moved towards it.

Holstering the rifle onto their back, the Figure pried open the doors to the elevator. Noticing that the cables were in decent condition and that nothing was rigged onto them, the Figure unhesitantly jumped, grabbing hold onto them before starting to climb up.

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Exiting into the highest floor, the Figure unholstered the assault rifle. Light weakly passed through the broken windows to the left of the Figure while shadows danced across the doors to the Figure's right. Shards of glass and pieces of junk littered the floor. A stairway could be seen at the end of the hallway.

Slowly walking through the dim hallway, the Figure focused their aim towards the doors.

An eery silence lingered in the air as the Figure quietly passed the doors, steadily nearing the end of the hallway while making sure to watch their step.

Noticing a sudden movement from above, the Figure rolled forward, landing in a crouched position and turned, immediately firing the rifle.

A stray Shadow weaved back and forth, dodging the bullets as it rapidly closed the distance between them.

Completely inhuman!

Right before the Shadow fully closed the distance, the Figure pulled out a knife with their left hand and lunged forward, swiftly slashing horizontally towards the shadow.

The moment the knife was swung, the Shadow slightly tilted to the right and bent backward in response, dodging the knife. Continuing with the momentum, the Shadow countered with a high roundhouse kick.

Stuck in a forward momentum from swinging the knife, the Figure immediately flexed their arm, absorbing the roundhouse kick aimed at their head. Grunting from the numbing shock that was spreading throughout the Figure's body, the assault rifle involuntarily dropped.

Resetting its posture, the Shadow kicked the ground and threw its right hand towards the Figure, relentlessly continuing to apply pressure.

A gleaming object was in that very same hand, noticing this, the Figure moved to divert the direction of the hand's swing. The Shadow forcefully stomped the ground in reply, stopping its forward momentum before powerfully turning to hook its left fist, catching the Figure off guard.

The fist connected, sending the Figure crashing towards a door, breaking it upon impact.

Coughing up blood, the Figure lay breathlessly inside of a musty room with dusty furnishing and fragments of the door surrounding them. The Shadow approached the figure with the assault rifle that was dropped. Blood was leaking from the Figure's right hand.

Shit...

Carefully aiming at the Figure, time seemed to slow as the Shadow pulled the trigger.

Blood and wooden fragments immediately flew towards the Shadow's face as the Figure swung with their right hand, momentarily blinding it. Continuing with the momentum, the Figure quickly rolled away from the Shadow's line of fire.

Bullets flew into the room, the Shadow blindly firing at the direction of the Figure's last known location.

Immediately taking advantage of the opportunity, the Figure drew a pistol from their side holster while rising, instantly closing the distance between them and fired into the Shadow's abdomen.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Dropping the assault rifle, the Shadow gradually fell to the floor.

With the pistol still aimed and ready, the Figure kicked the assault rifle away before inspecting the Shadow.

The Shadow was lightly geared. A dark hood covered the shadow's head while a mask covered the lower half of its face, only the eyes were visible. The Shadow wore a dark blue camo suit on its body, which seemed to darken or lighten depending on the time of day. Knives and bags were attached to a belt around its waist, but nothing more could be seen on the Shadow. A pool of blood was gradually growing around the body.

Nothing that would identify their alignment huh?... Expected as much.

"Haha...This is how...I'll go huh?..." (Shadow)

The Figure's stomach fell, thoughts racing and colliding with each other.

It can't be...This voice...

"No..." (Figure)

Trembling, the Figure unsteadily aimed at the Shadow.

"This is?..." (Shadow)

The Shadow slowly turned towards the Figure, trying to get a better look.

Noticing those familiar eyes, the Figure immediately dropped to their knees and took off the Shadow's hood and mask in order to lessen the burden before continuing to check on the Shadow's wounds, scrambling to stop the bleeding.

A woman with the same familiar well-sculptured face, flawless snow white skin and wavy, violet hair that reached past her shoulders greeted the Figure's sight, a small smile could be seen on her face. She hadn't aged a day since the Figure last saw her, she still remained youthful looking.

"I-I'll get some help right away! Let me stop the bleeding, just hold on! Rest and conserve your energy! Yo-" (Figure)

A gentle hand rested on the Figure's arm as the woman quietly shook her head, signaling the Figure to stop.

Tears started to drift down as the Figure dismayingly looked at the woman's condition, knowing full well that it was impossible to save her,

"Why?..." (Figure)

Sadness could be seen in the woman's eyes as she saw his tears,

"...Headquarters sent...Us here...For Mission...I...Didn't know..." (Woman)

Struggling with every word, the woman slowly raised her hand, taking off the Figure's Mask and weakly wiping away the tears that stained his face,

"You look better...When you're...Not crying..." (Woman)

A young man with dark, short hair, stared at her with a pained expression.

Caressing his face, her eyes were filled with happiness as she admired him,

"Haha...Don't look...At me like...That either..." (Woman)

Breaking down, the young man tightly embraced her as he buried his face into her chest, his shoulders silently heaving.

The woman warmly smiled, gently brushing the usual spot on his hair,

"You've...Grown....I'm so...Proud...You'll be...Fine..." (Woman)

She tightly hugged him, earnestly trying to get her feelings across,

"Follow your...Beliefs...Live...Freely...Okay?..." (Woman)

The young man weakly pleaded with her, despair evident in his voice,

"...I'm so sorry..." (Young Man)

"Uh-uh...It's not...Your fault...I was...Running out of...Time anyways..." (Woman)

The woman gently lifted his face up, making eye contact with him.

Her eyes were very bright, pride and joy could clearly be seen in them as she lovingly smiled at the young man in assurance,

"I love you..." (Woman)

The young man choked on his words, tearfully struggling to come to terms with this sudden turn of events before finally nodding with a broken smile,

"I love you too...Big Sister..." (Young Man)

Nodding in satisfaction, she continued to brush his hair as she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the young man's body,

"I'll leave it...To you...Let me...Stay...Like this...For a...Little longer..." (Woman)

Time slowly passed as the sound of gentle breathing flowed throughout the room, calmly quieting until only silence remained.

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Bonus:

"Has Violet Storm been taken care of?" (???)

Holographic figures were sitting at the opposite sides of a conference table in a dimly lit room. Medals and ribbons were worn on some of the figures' chests while other figures wore luxurious suits or beautiful dresses. Their faces melded in with the shadow, but their bodies could clearly be seen. The owner of the voice was an old man dressed in a suit that commanded respect, sitting at the end of the conference table, clearly visible to all.

A figure wearing a uniform adorned with medals and ribbons responded in a respectful tone,

"Yes Chairman, she and agent Gaiden belonging to Covert Ops will no longer be a hindrance." (???)

An arrogant voice echoed throughout the room,

"What's so special about a single boy for you to go to such lengths?" (???)

A figure wearing a luxurious black suit and tie was leaning backward in their armchair with their feet propped onto the table.

"If you want firepower, we can easily supply them to you. If you want men, we can easily blackmail them to join our cause. If you want resources, we can just march into a nearby country to pillage them. So why spoil the boy with this much attention?" (Arrogant Figure)

The Chairman calmly replied,

"Because he is the lone survivor of the Black Death experiment." (Chairman)

A solemn silence surrounded the room.

"I thought the experiment was a failure. Why haven't we been notified of this?!? Are you crazy?!?" (???)

A bulk figure with arms the size of tree trunks shook in outrage, fear evident in his voice.

"No one besides the people in this room has been informed of this. His capabilities have not yet been fully utilized as a safety measure in the case that he turns against us. There is no need to worry. He no longer has any connections that would anchor him to his past, we have made sure of that. We just need to wipe away his memories and implant the methods to utilize the project. He'll be a useful tool for us in the future, don't you think?"

The silence continued to linger in the room, evidently clear that the figures were feeling uncomfortable.

A bright smile was painted on the old man's face,

"Do you doubt me?" (Chairman)

An ominous aura drifted from the Chairman, clearly contrasting with his 'friendliness'.

Flinching, the bulk figure leaned slightly away,

"N-No Chairman, we would never do such a thing." (Bulky Figure)

The aura receded as the Chairman nodded.

A figure in an elegant dress politely bowed towards the Chairman, speaking with reverence,

"He is under our custody, we will begin the memory revision as per your orders." (???)

"Good, with this, we'll gain the upper hand in the Great Wars. The future of Arya will be bright...You are all dismissed." (Chairman)

The other figures all politely bowed towards the Chairman in unison before disappearing one by one, closing the curtains to a meeting that would eventually spell their doom.