EACH BLOW DELIVERED to the punching bag was filled with more power than the last. Soon enough, there was even a dent made in the material from sheer force. Beads of perspiration covered Travis's forehead in a gleaming sheen as he panted. Despite feeling the exhaustion seeping into each crack and crevice of his body, he refused to stop and simply breathe.

He had to use one way or another to let off steam, after all. Both his sisters had become people that he was unfamiliar with— one dead and one a murderer. Tammy's body might still be in the forest, rotting back into the earth for Mother Nature to claim. Meanwhile, Leah had just 'graduated' her training and became the first to kill out of the three of them. Things were no longer what he had remembered them to be and his quaint and unembellished life was nothing more than a far off memory.

Dallas had mentioned time and time again to Travis that it was their job to kill. That was the sole reason they were recruited; to be trained into the form of the perfect lethal assassins. However, Travis couldn't come to face that reality despite the months he had spent within Julius Cain's empire. He didn't wish to submit to the company motto: 'kill or be killed'.

Unfortunately, life was never said to be fair. It had always been that way for both the rich and the poor. The world operated on a give-and-take law. For every loss, something will be gained to replace it, and vice versa.

Previously, he had to forage for food in the dumpsters or sneak loaves of bread off bakery counters just to pull through to the next day. Now, food would be spread out prepared for him by the time he waltzed into the cafeteria at mealtimes.

In exchange for the delicious food to fill his belly and nice clothes to warm his back, Travis had to trade off his peaceful and simple life where the troubles he had were common lice and the unmissable scent of garbage. No matter which life he looked back on, Travis couldn't shake off the danger of death— one by hunger and one by murder. Even more so than before, the two siblings lived on the edge of a knife. One misstep and they would be down in the depths of hell.

As Travis trained in the gym, he was lost in his own world of thoughts. All noises were drowned out, mindless chatter from others reduced to mere whispers that couldn't even form coherent sentences in Travis's ears. However, a crackling voice that buzzed louder than any other still managed to grab his attention, causing him to stop his practice to listen in on what Julius Cain had to say to the masses this time.

"The Battlefield Arena matches will be postponed to next week due to some... maintenance issues. For the next few days until then, missions will go on as usual," Cain's voice said through the intercom. He then continued, "Nathaniel Jerald, Devora Evans, Travis Lane, and Dallas Rokos are to report to my office immediately. That is all."

♕♕♕

"I'm sorry."

Now that Leah's match was over and secured and there were no longer any excuses Nathan could come up with to postpone his apology, it was high time he apologized. He had been thinking of it for quite some time. It was only natural for Devora to be upset. After all, he was her partner and friend, a person that was supposed to keep no secrets from her. Yet, a source of distrust had come in-between their budding friendship. As a man, Nathan felt the need to take a step back and apologize for it. It was only right.

"What?" Devora spat, glaring as she chewed on an apple she had picked up from the cafeteria.

They hadn't been exactly fighting but their cold war was freezing and blizzardy. Anyone within a ten-mile radius could feel that something had been off between the two of them for the past few months.

"I should've apologized sooner. I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you. My family, that is. But I can't apologize for keeping in contact with them. That was my choice to make despite the dangers."

Truth to be told, Devora had long forgiven Nathan. Their little squabble was nothing more than her disappointment in him or even jealousy at how he could have his family with him while she didn't even have the choice to choose.

Other than that, she wasn't mad about having her life turned upside down. Or at least not anymore. She had more friends than she did previously and her room was much bigger than before, albeit sharing it with someone else instead of having a room of her own. There was always food waiting for her whenever she was hungry and the days she spent within the walls of this building were much more joyful than her days getting bullied in school.

Devora parted her lips, readying herself to reply when Julius Cain's voice suddenly echoed through the room.

"The Battlefield Arena matches will be postponed to next week due to some... maintenance issues. For the next few days until then, missions will go on as usual. Nathaniel Jerald, Devora Evans, Travis Lane, and Dallas Rokos are to report to my office immediately. That is all."

"What could he want this time?" Nathan lamented, scratching at the back of his head.

Silently, Devora looked up at Nathan, the apple in her hand reduced to nothing but the core. She licked her dry lips, standing up from the seat she was in before pushing the chair back in place.

"Let's go," she curtly said at first, tossing the core into the trash on her way out of the cafeteria. Then, she turned back. "Thank you for the apology. And I'm sorry too. For getting so mad and being so unreasonable."

Hearing her words, Nathan lit up like a lightbulb. His lips stretched wide into a grin as he took her hand in his ever so naturally. Hurriedly, he began to tug her along as he scurried in the direction of Cain's office. There was no need for him to hold her hand but Nathan simply wanted to. He had missed her company dearly and was simply taking advantage of the situation.

Whether she knew his intentions or not, Devora didn't stop Nathan from doing as he wished. Her hand simply laid contentedly in his large ones, clasped between his fingers as if that was where it belonged all this while.

When they finally arrived, Dallas and Travis were already standing in front of the huge doors that led to Julius Cain's office. Both men wore grave looks on their faces, their eyes not even sparing Nathan's and Devora's interlocked hands a glance. Dallas was the one to reach out, knocking three times before standing back. Almost instantly, the doors swung open.

On reflex, Devora pulled her hands back and away from Nathan's, hiding them behind her back.

"Ah, you're here."

Devora barely missed the little boy that sat on the large couches in the office, wide eyes large and round with curiosity as he imagined the strangers. Julius Cain sat opposite the boy, leaned forward like they were conversing before the four agents had entered the room. The boy was fairly quiet, not making a single sound despite owning a pair of calculative eyes. They glimmered with inquisition before turning back to face Julius Cain when the older man spoke.

"Since you're all present, I would like you all to meet my son Markus."

In a second, Markus was up on his feet, walking past the three men as if they didn't even exist before stopping right in front of Devora. Taking her hand in his smaller ones, he kissed the back of it, flashing a charming smile.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss."

With that, he walked back to his father's side. Cain whispered words into his son's ear, a stern expression set on his face. It took a few seconds more before Markus was running out of the room with great hurry, disappearing past the humongous doors.

"Pfft," Dallas scoffed under his breath. "He sure is his father's son, alright."

Beside him, Nathan cleared his throat, seemingly attempting to cover up his laughter.

"Now," Cain sighed, making his way to his desk. "I believe you're all wondering what I've called you here for."

In a flash, a stack of files was thrown onto the table where Julius Cain sat behind. The man leaned back against his seat in an attempt to find a comfortable position.

"These are some new targets that are ordered to be cleared. Travis, Devora, I believe that Nathaniel and Dallas will have the basic rules and regulations of a standard mission explained to you. I expect news of your success with this operation by next week's end latest. That will be all."

With clear cut instructions given, the four were shooed from the office. When they finally left, Devora could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. Her first mission would mean her first real kill. However, how unfamiliar was she really with taking someone else's life?

"So..." Travis trailed off as he flashed glances at Dallas and Nathan. "What are the rules?"

Out of the corner of Devora's eye, she could see Nathan cringe slightly. He pivoted his body away, chewing on his bottom lip with worry. Devora and Travis had to turn to Dallas for answers instead.

"There are many. Some are placed out for us by the company and others by us agents ourselves. The first rule, or rather, a necessity is that we must succeed in our missions. If we don't, that could only mean two things. We're either dead or we're cowards that ran. As you can see from... Leah's... match..." Dallas paused, side-eyeing Travis to gauge his reaction. Seeing that the younger teen didn't even flinch, Dallas continued, "Julius Cain kills off the cowards present in his organization so we're dead either way. There's no room for failure."

Dallas's lips were pressed tightly into a thin line, his eyebrows furrowed painfully as his eyes darted to Nathan, signaling for help.

With a sigh, Nathan stepped in for Dallas.

"The second rule got Dallas a broken arm. Whoever gets left behind stays behind. We don't do rescue missions unless approved by Julius Cain himself. And that's rare."

"But you rescued us from the illegal camps," Devora pointed out, her hands resting on her hips.

"That's because that was my mission. To save you. And the other children, of course. I wasn't running back to save you while disregarding my main task," Nathan clarified. "You might want to take a look at these files. We leave at sunrise tomorrow. It's better to get the work done faster than later."

The black files were passed from Nathan to Travis's open arms. The younger boy took it without hesitation, flipping it open immediately to scan through the pages. Nathan didn't stick around any longer after, however. As soon as the files were passed down, he had already turned, walking away from the group.

————

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