WARNING: Upsetting content. Discussions of death and bereavement.

Oren took the lead on today's fitness session, much to the relief of Raphael and Makoto.
HoloBot was having a much needed rest after yesterday's shenanigans.

The trainees were sat on the floor, with their legs crossed.
Raphael slouched slightly, as his long legs made sitting like this a little uncomfortable.

Ashryn laughed.
"You good there, Lanky Boots?"

Raphael rolled his eyes.
"I'm fabulous, thank you very much."

"Ok, so, I need you all to be quiet", said Oren, his voice trembling slightly.

Astra gave him a reassuring smile, and Oren felt much better knowing that if things went south, Astra would have his back.

"Today I'm going to teach you meditation."

"Huh?
How is sitting on the floor and thinking 'happy thoughts' going to help us against bloodthirsty creatures?", asked Ashryn.

"Um, uh, well it won't help you directly, but that's not what–"

"So this is a waste of time then?", interjected Ashryn.

"How about you listen to what your trainer has to say?", demanded Astra, before turning to Oren.
"Go ahead."

Oren nodded.
"Well, actually, we aren't going to think 'happy thoughts' now.
We're going to train our brains to focus on a specific memory, object, or emotion, and use that to help with our emotional stability.
A clear mind is really important when going into battle."

Astra nodded in agreement.
"We know that, in your combat sessions, you're learning how to fight when you're not thinking straight. Meditating will help you go into battle with a clearer mind, which will mean you'll make better decisions."

Raphael tried to hide his delight.
It was safe to say that his mind had gone into overdrive, with the tech competition, HoloBot's antics and the combat nightmares he still couldn't shake.

This is what he needed.

"Ok, so I want you all to close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and hold it for five seconds.
Now, exhale slowly, for four."

Everyone did as they were told, and Astra watched them to make sure they weren't messing around.

"Now I want you to do that again, but this time, try to picture an object, or person that holds significance in your life.
Think about them as you're holding your breath."

Makoto thought about their older sister, Hana.
They were naturally talented at everything, in fact, Makoto would go as far as saying she was naturally talented at life.

Whereas Makoto stumbled through life like they were on stilts that they couldn't control.

But she was still their safe place.

One call to her would make Makoto's day ten times better.

They really missed her.

Raphael thought long and hard about the only thing that brought him true joy.

His first invention.

It was only a small device that he made to help him tie his shoelaces, and it paled in comparison to the much larger projects he had worked on after it.

But it was the first time he was ever able to fend for himself.
He remembered running home after some of his classmates picked on him for ranting about a famous inventor for their
'Real Life Heroes' project.

But when he got home, and he made his invention, he knew that he wouldn't have to rely on anyone again.

He wouldn't need friends when he could make his own.

Rhiannon thought about Mikey—her twin brother.
The pair were inseparable as kids, and although their passions took them on different paths, they still cared for each other deeply.

After all, it's said that the bond between twins is much stronger than that of regular siblings.

Ashryn struggled.
She wanted to think about her twin brother, Harrison, but that image was quickly replaced by the car wreckage she pictured when she got the news of her father and young sister's accident.

She shook her head, in an attempt to push away the painful memories she hated re-living.
A new image appeared in her head, and it was much more vivid than the last.

It was of Ashryn and her family the day her younger sister was born.
There weren't many days in Ashryn's life that weren't dominated by strict regimes and practise drills.

But that day, that entire day, was perfect.

But Ashryn still couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of dread that came with remembering her little sister's face.

She shook her head, warm tears coating her eyelashes.
She cleared her throat before speaking. "This is stupid!
I don't see–"

An alarm blared across the building, the loud sound startling Astra, Oren and the trainees.

"Oh my gosh, that's a fire alarm, isn't it?", asked Rhiannon.

A few seconds passed, and Astra and Oren remained in their places, although Oren stood up.

"Why aren't we running?", asked Raphael.

Two minutes passed, and the alarm stopped.
Makoto noticed the somber expressions on the trainers' faces.

"What was that alarm for?", they asked.

Oren and Astra exchanged a knowing look.
Oren nodded at Astra, who nodded back, before checking something on her tablet.

Oren turned to the trainees.

"That alarm signifies the death of an agent, or agents, in a mission", said Oren.
"If it sounds for one minute, atleast one agent has died, but the mission was a success.
If it sounds for two minutes, atleast one agent has died, and... the mission was unsuccessful."

The air turned cold, and Oren's words sent a shiver down the trainees' spines. The alarm sounded for two minutes.

"So, they didn't win?", questioned Rhiannon, her voice nothing but a faint whisper.

Oren shook their head.
"I'm afraid not."

"What happens now?", asked Ashryn.

"All your sessions are cancelled today", said Astra, holding up her tablet.
"I just got an email from Head Guard Calihan.
Your robes are in your rooms, so head back and put them on."

"Robes?
Why do we need to put on robes?", asked Ashryn.

"When an agent dies on a mission, every agent, every member of this agency is required to wear a red and black robe over their uniforms", she explained.

"We spend the whole day in mourning", added Oren.

"What about other missions?", asked Raphael.

"If they can be paused, they will be.
If not, then they will have to carry on as normal.
But everyone is required to meet on the Training Grounds from 5pm until midnight, for the firework display", replied Oren.

"Firework display?", questioned Makoto.

"It's our way of showing respect", said Astra.
"It's how we honour them."

"What, just the agents that die on the field?
Not the one's that die of old age or something?", asked Ashryn.

Rhiannon was suprised at the matter-of-fact way that Ashryn spoke about death.
She hoped it was just a coping mechanism for her.

"You'll see what we mean later", said Astra.
"But we honour every agent's death, whether they were on a mission, or not."

★★★

The sun began to set, purple, orange and blue hues melting together, forming a beautiful sunset.

Everyone wore the same colour robes, but the senior members of staff wore red robes, instead of black ones.

The Trainers were on the other end of the Training Ground, whereas the trainees were closer to the door, having been one of the last ones to come outside.

The whole thing unsettled Ashryn.
She didn't like to think about death in general.
Her eyes landed on Raphael, who was fixing his hair.

She smirked, before approaching him. "Hey.
Why don't we skip this and head inside?"

Raphael raised an eyebrow at this.
"Oh?
Trying to get me alone, are you?"

Ashryn rolled her eyes.
"Like I said before, egotistical inventor boys aren't my type."

Raphael chuckled at this.
"You say that now."

"And I'll always say it", said Ashryn. "But, this whole fireworks thing is taking a long time.
Everyone's too busy out here to notice anything that's going on inside.
Why don't we do some exploring?"

"Exploring?", he questioned.

"Yeah.
We won't get this chance again, will we?"

"Why would I want to explore with you?"

"We can help each other out."

"How so?"

"I bet there are files somewhere about all the entries for the tech competition. If you find them, you can get a headstart in the competition", she said.

"Who said I needed that kind of help? My invention would beat a security system any day!"

"That's just Minerva's invention though. And not every agent is like Minerva", she reminded.

Raphael contemplated this.
They waited a few seconds, before looking at Ashryn again.
"What's in it for you?"

"You can use your expert computer skills to help me find some things.
You know, you scratch my back and
I'll scratch yours."

Raphael smirked.
"Oh, I see what's going on here", he said, taking a step closer to Ashryn. "You just want me all to yourself."

There was something about Raphael's tone that sent a tingling sensation along Ashryn's body.
The blonde young woman folded her arms, and stepped closer to him, their torsos touching.

"Keep dreaming, Robo Boy."

Raphael laughed, blowing a few strands of Ashryn's hair out of her face in the process.

"Lead the way, Blondie."

★★★

Faizah held on to Alessa's arm as they watched the sunset.
Alessa didn't say a word as they were making their way to the Training Grounds.

"Nella, I know how hard this is for you", said Faizah.
"Your first one since... your Mum."

Alessa just closed her eyes, letting the wind wash over her, the cool breeze soothing her.

"I'm here for you, ok?
We all are", said Faizah, looking at the Trainers.

Faizah's hand trembled slightly, and she felt her legs go numb.
She let out a little scream as she swayed, but Finian quickly caught her.

"Faizah?", questioned Alessa.

"I'm fine", she insisted.
"I've been trying to build my strength back more.
I must've pushed myself too hard."

"Remember what I said?
You need to–", started Oren.

"Pace myself, I know!", finished Faizah. "I'm sorry, ok?"

Oren's face softened.
"It's ok.
None of this is your fault anyway."

Alessa felt Oren's glare burning through her, but she didn't dare look at him. When Faizah stepped away, she looked at her.

"Faizah?"

"I'm just going to sit down for a bit", she said, her breathing laboured.

Oren rushed over to her, and held his hand out.
"Here, let me take you."

"Oren, I'm fine–"

"I know, but... it would make me feel better to know I was there for you."

Faizah smiled sweetly.
"Oh, alright then!
Thank you, Oren."

★★★

Ashryn and Raphael weaved through the crowd, thankfully only having to walk a short distance to get into the building.

"Aoife's office shouldn't be that far from here", said Ashryn.

The pair walked through the halls, taking extra care not to be too loud.
A young women with auburn hair walked towards them.

"Sh*t, come here!", hissed Ashryn, before grabbing Raphael and pulling him into a storage room.

Their bodies pressed against each other as they tried to stay very still and very quiet.
Raphael smirked.
He let his hand brush against Ashryn's, and the young woman's eyes widened at the contact.

He flashed her a charming smile, and after a few seconds, Ashryn smiled back.
She intertwined their fingers and reached for his other hand.

"Nat!
What are you still doing here?
We should be outside!", exclaimed someone from the hall.

"Sorry!
I thought I saw two people here, but it must've been a trick of the light."

"Alright, well, let's get going!"

The pair listened intently as the two agents walked away, their footsteps getting quieter and quieter.

When she was satisfied that they had gone, Ashryn grabbed Raphael's left arm and twisted his right one behind his back.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!", he exclaimed.

Ashryn smiled.
"You'll have to try harder than basic hand holding to win me over, Metal Man."

She let go of his arm, grinning triumphantly.

He gently stroked his arm, in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Oh?
So you want to be won over?"

Ashryn's smile faltered.

Raphael beamed, clearly proud of himself.

"Just... hurry up and move so we can get to the office!"

Thankfully, they had no more close calls, and despite Raphael taking the mission a little too seriously,
(by attempting a somersault)
they managed to make it to Aoife's office.

"Cr*p, there's a security system!", frowned Ashryn.

"Of course there is.
Who wouldn't have a state of the art security system for their office?"

"Can you hack it or not?"

"Hack it?
No, no, I'm not a computer whiz.
But I can use my code breaking skills to break into the system without leaving a trace?"

"Dude, that's literally hacking!"

"Yes, but hacking seems so... serious.
I prefer to have fun with it."

"Ok, well 'have fun' with this security system before I punch you in the face."

Raphael scowled, but did as he was told. "I don't even know why I'm doing this. Why would Aoife have the tech competition files?"

"She has to oversee every project", she replied.
"Have you submitted yours yet?"

"How did you even know I was entering?"

"Oh, Rhiannon said something about it.  Honestly, I'm a little surprised.
I thought you'd be shouting that news from the rooftops."

"Yeah, well...  I've had other things on my mind."

Ashryn just nodded.

"I should've known Rhiannon would talk.
That girl's got a mouth like a leaky tap", he said.

"You're still on about the combat thing? Just let it go."

"I like to hold grudges."

"Good to know.
Just don't get too obsessed with it, ok? We've still got a mission to do."

"Don't worry, I won't put her in harm's way for some warped revenge plan.
But I'm keeping my grudge for a long time, thank you very much."

Ashryn sighed.
"Whatever."

"Done it!"

"That quickly?", questioned a surprised Ashryn.

"What can I say?
I'm amazing."

Ashryn pushed the door open, and ran inside, scanning the room for any other security measures.

"Keep look out."

"What about the tech files?"

Ashryn groaned.
"Just, give me your phone!
I'll find them and take a picture!"

Raphael handed her his phone, and Ashryn quickly opened every drawer to look for any information on high profile cases.

With every drawer containing regular files, Ashryn began to lose hope.

"There's nothing here!"

"I don't know what you're looking for, but it's not like she'll keep it in an open drawer."

"Right.
Well, we'll just look for a hidden cabinet then.
You can hack into any security network, right?"

"Look, we got lucky with the security system outside.
And if what you're looking for is important, it'll be much harder to get it. We don't have enough time for that."

Ashryn exhaled sharply, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

She spotted a drawer marked
'Tech Competition Files' and approached it.
She opened it, pausing when she saw a file on top of them.

Judging from its positioning, Ashryn could tell it didn't belong there.
She grabbed it and opened it, taking a minute to glance at the door and make sure Raphael was still doing his job.
The file contained a series of handwritten letters.

Ashryn couldn't believe what she was reading.
Not only did the agency take on high profile cases, but they also let people off paying—very rich companies, no less, as long as they did a favour in return.

Yet they expected a payment from others?

"Ashryn, someone's coming!"

Ashryn quickly snapped out of it, and got Raphael's phone so that she could take a picture of the tech files.

★★★

Ashryn and Raphael slinked back into the crowd, just as the ceremony was about to start.
Aoife stepped forward, getting closer and closer to the building each time.

The alarm from before rang out, but this time it seemed to bring a sense of peace with it.
When the alarm stopped, Aoife turned around, so that she was facing the crowd.

The agents began to turn too, and the trainees followed suit, albeit a little slower.
Sophia swiftly moved through the crowd until she reached the trainees. She gave a nervous Makoto a small smile.

Everyone looked up at the sky, which was as black as coal.
A few seconds later, Aoife's voice boomed through the Training Grounds.

"Agents Moira Mason, Jefferson Andrews, Chantria Chea and Belinda Rogerstone were tasked with rescuing Augvalian Royalty from the grasp of treacherous ice creatures", started Aoife.

Aoife paused for a few seconds, the agents hanging on every word.

"Unfortunately, the ice creatures overpowered them, and the Augvalian King and Queen could not be saved", she said.

Ashryn had to bite her tongue to stop herself from scoffing.
Why couldn't Royalty pay for their own safety, instead of risking the lives of these agents?

"Sadly, we... lost Agent Mason and Agent Rogerstone", frowned Aoife.
"They died protecting the King and Queen, and their own teammates can testify to the tremendous courage they exhibited, as they risked their lives to get Agent Chea and Agent Andrews to safety."

The faint sound of sobs could be heard from further down the field, and Raphael assumed they belonged to the surviving agents.

"The Unit for the Abolishment of Evil has lost two incredible agents.
But more than that, we've lost two valued members of our family", said Aoife.

Calihan stepped forward.

"Join us in celebrating, and honouring their lives tonight.
And keep them in your memory forever", he said.

The fireworks exploded in the sky, crimson, cherry and ruby red sparks dancing around in the sky.

They formed '3689' in the sky.

"What's that number?", questioned Ashryn.

"That's the code on Moira's pager", replied Sophia.

"What, so she's just a number to them?"

Sophia shook her head.
"No!
She died in the field, so these ceremonies are to honour the deceased's work as an agent."

Ashryn's blood was still boiling over her discovery in Aoife's office.

How could they pretend to care so much about people they put into the dangerous situations?

Why couldn't the Royal families use their money to hire guards, as opposed to using their influence to get free labour, essentially?

"And what about the agents that don't die in the field?
They just die of, I don't know, old age or something?
Are they just forgotten?"

"Of course not!
They also have ceremonies, but their surnames are spelled out instead of their pager number, to show that they didn't die in battle, but that their loss is still felt."

"Oh", said Ashryn.
"That's... nice, I guess."

★★★

Alessa watched as Agent Rogerstone's pager number appeared in the sky.
The more she stared at it, the more the numbers seemed to rearrange, until all she could see was
3759.

Her mother's pager number.

The number Alessa had grown up seeing on her mother's pager, the one that brought her so much comfort—was the one thing she didn't want to see in the sky right now.

Alessa just stared at the black sky above, her eyes desperately trying not to get drawn into the sparks to the right.

"Alessa, how are you doing?", asked Faizah.

When Alessa didn't answer, Faizah placed a hand on her shoulder.
She leaned her head against Alessa's left shoulder.

"I'm right here, Alessa.
I'm not going anywhere."

"Rowdy should be here", sobbed Alessa. "Mum would've wanted him here."

Imelda gently rubbed Alessa's back.
"I know, Alessa.
But she was his partner.
This is probably too much for him to handle."

"But it's not too much for me to handle?
I needed him here!"

Her friends surrounded her, giving her enough space to breath, but also letting her know they were there for her.

★★★

The group went back to their rooms with a newfound appreciation for life. They weren't new people, but they were starting to realise that life here wasn't all fun and games.

Makoto watched as Raphael went into his room, then Ashryn went into hers. They quickly ran forward when Rhiannon approached hers.

"Um, wait!
Uh, sorry..."

"Are you ok?", questioned a concerned Rhiannon.

"Yeah, yeah!
I–I think so.
Today was a bit... rough."

Rhiannon nodded in agreement.
"Tell me about it.
I want to call my brother and have an hour long conversation with him now."

"That sounds good.
I uh, well I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you?
Why?"

"I was really worried I wouldn't make friends here, and I just.... I didn't want to be alone.
I'm just... well I'm just really glad to have you."

Rhiannon felt her heart increase by about two sizes.
She smiled brightly, before pulling Makoto into a hug.

"Aww, you're the sweetest!
I'm really glad to have you as well."

Makoto smiled, quickly easing into the hug.

"You know what this means, right?

"What?"

"We need a friendship handshake."

"Oh, heck yes."

★★★

Alessa opened the door to her room. She froze when she saw her bed.
She had looked at her bed every day, but something about today brought back a memory she had tried to suppress.

After the firework display, Alessa went back to her room.
She had been bottling up her emotions all day, but her mother's death finally took a toll on her.

She realised that after today, she'd never see her mother again.
She'd be buried along with the other deceased agents, but she'd never get to see her face, or ask her to hug her again.

All she wanted was for her Mum to hold her.

She broke down, covering her mouth with her hands to muffle the sound.

A knock on the door startled her, and she quickly wiped away her tears.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Oren on the other side.

"Oren?
Wh–what are you doing here?"

"Faizah wanted to stay with you but, well, you know how she gets when she doesn't sleep properly.
She's currently arguing with Imelda, and I'm pretty sure she's physically pinning Faizah down right now."

Alessa chuckled.

Classic Faizah.

"Thank you for making sure she gets rest.
Did you, um, did you need something?"

Oren shook his head.
"Oh, no, I uh, I just wanted to check up on you."

Alessa's eyes widened slightly.
"Y–you did?"

Oren nodded.
"I–I completely understand if you need space but, I could sit on the floor?"

"Wait, you... you want to sit with me?"

Oren nodded.
"Yeah.
Is that ok?"

Alessa gave him a small smile.
"Y–yeah, sure.
Um, you can sit next to me, if you like?"

Oren nodded, and made his way to her bed.
He sat down, but made sure to leave enough space between them.

Alessa stared at the floor, the silence unsettling her.

"Did you see Roberts eat that whole bucket of pot grease yesterday?"

Alessa chuckled, the absurdity of his question, along with the equally absurd nature of Roberts' ability to say yes to any dare, making her laugh.

"Yes!
I don't know how he didn't need to go to the Clinic", replied Alessa.

"That man's got an iron stomach."

Alessa's smile faltered.
"Mum used to say he'd do dares all the time to make her smile, because when she was pregnant with me, she was terrified."

Oren's face softened, and he frowned when he saw Alessa attempt to suppress her cries.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Hey, it's ok.
It's ok to cry, you know that right?"

Alessa's bottom lip trembled, and she quickly looked away from Oren.

Oren gently cupped Alessa's face with his hand, and although she flinched at first, she didn't tell him to move.

He slowly moved her head so that she was facing him.
"I care about you, Alessa.
You were there for me when I was just the new kid that tripped over everything."

Alessa chuckled softly.
"It took Miss Omara a year to get her Freezum Ray fixed after you stepped on it."

Oren grimaced, but laughed.
"Ugh, don't remind me.

Alessa laughed.

"But... you did Natasha's laundry for a whole month just so she could help me fix it properly."

"Yeah, well... anyone would've done that."

Oren shook their head.
"I don't think so."

"I was only being a good friend.
You know, because that's what we are, we're fr–"

"Can you just take the compliment please?"

Alessa paused, before pretending to pull something out of the air.
"Ok, I've taken it."

Oren rolled his eyes.
"You're such a dork!", he exclaimed, laughing.

"So are you!"

"True.
That's why we work well together."

Alessa smiled, and it was in that moment that she remembered Oren was still holding her face.

Instinctively, she reached up and placed her hand on his arm.
He smiled softly, not taking his eyes off her.

"I just want to be there for you, Alessa."

"I know.
I just, nothing makes sense.
I don't know what to say–"

"You don't have to say anything.
Even if you just want a hug, I'll give it to you.
We're all feeling your mother's loss.
She meant a lot to us as well.
You're not alone, Alessa."

Alessa stared at his face, already aware of how genuine he was being.

She knew she could trust him.

Even when he first joined the agency, she knew that they'd become friends quickly.

She felt safe with him.

Without saying another word, she wrapped her arms around Oren, closing the gap between them.
He hugged her back, gently rubbing her back as she cried.

________________

Hi.

I'm so sorry that this chapter was so long! Would you say that 1,000–2,000 words is a better amount?

This chapter was quite a sad one, but I loved writing it because having fireworks as a way to honour their family was something I thought was really beautiful.

Ashryn and Raphael are snooping buddies! Or, atleast for this they were. What do you think Ashryn will do about the information she found out?

Rhiannon and Makoto's friendship just keeps getting stronger! I'd love some suggestions on what their handshake could be!

What did you think of both of the flashbacks? Oren and Alessa's relationship is very different in her flashbacks, compared to present day. Do you have any idea about what could've happened between them? Also, the flashbacks aren't in chronological order. So, the flashbacks in this chapter take place before Astra and Sophia start to date.

Any theories?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest