Teresa felt like screaming out of frustration. Instead, she chomped hangrily on a hamburger with Edward looking at her weirdly. It was evening, and both were off duty for the time being. Teresa had dragged Edward to the nearest fast-food centre and forced him to buy her food.

"What?" she snapped at him as she caught the look he was giving her.

Edward immediately raised his hands and eyebrows defensively.

"Bloody hell! Can't a chap watch you gobble food?" he exclaimed.

Teresa went back to eating. After she finished, she drank up an entire bottle of water.

"I have to leave the day after tomorrow," she informed him off-handedly.

Edward nodded in understanding. He already had been told by Mr Bakshi. The mission was a secret between them both which is why he was more worried than surprised.

"Are.... are you sad or something?" he asked, not having the slightest clue about what she was thinking.

"Not sad," she sighed in response. "I thought I'd finally be able to lead my own team.... It's just disappointment you know? And I'm tired"

"You got a week's rest," Edward pointed out to her annoyance.

Teresa didn't retort back anything. She was simply spending her last evening with her only friend before heading out towards her apartment. She still had to visit her dad and tell him about her already next mission. She was lucky that the stupid mafia was not located in another country. Their headquarters was in San Jose. Probably an hour or two drive away.

"When will you be back?" he spoke after a while, his pale face full of sadness.

"You know better than asking that"

"Where are you going this time?" he probed on.

"I can't tell you and you shouldn't ask," she warned with a tone of finality.

She had to go back now. She had to go through the mission file she was given on the mafia and get some sleep.

Ugh.

"You w-ee-l have a person watching over you all the time in case the mission gets out of control. A lookout. You're not totally alone so don't be afraid. Just be cautious all the time. This mission is being revived again after about twenty years. Beware"

Mr Bakshi's voice rang inside her head.

"I'll- I'll see you.... In a year or two I hope," she smiled sadly, getting up from the chair.

They hugged again but with the air hanging about them in melancholy. One last time, she breathed into his chest and ruffled his hair. And for the last time, she patted his neatly ironed uniform. The one she wore and prided over too. It was the uniform of CBI, Central Bureau of Investigation.

Edward didn't smile. He just kissed the side of her head fondly and held onto her. Teresa had always been like a sister to him. She was so much like a two years younger sister to the twenty-seven-year-old guy.

"Beware," he whispered so softly that Teresa almost didn't catch it.

"I will," she promised confidently as they broke apart.

A horrified expression fell on his face, but he soon masked it with a smile. She saw him walk away towards their station with a backward wave. Soon she turned the other way towards her car.

I wasn't supposed to hear it, she realized only later.

*

Back in her apartment, she sat with a black file at her desk. It wasn't as thick still yet a wave of lethargy washed over her. She began reading it. The writing was minuscule. Her head hurt simply at the sight. She quickly skimmed over the pages of information. She was already familiar with half of the notes, yet the file never seemed to end.

From what she read, the mafia gang called the Shadow Killers was widely known. It was a dangerous, criminally active group that robbed and killed people. Yet it was oddly interesting. They never really bothered the ordinary people people. The victims were often the politicians and noblemen (the ones who weren't so noble) that were troubled.

Shadow Killers... huh. Should've been the Noble Killers.

They had very few cases related to drugs and illegal trafficking. It was mostly the bloodshed that was in the light. More the reason to find it disturbing.

Her work was to become one of them and earn the trust of the gang leaders. There was no information on the man who ran the mafia. None at all. At least, that's what the file said. There were rumours that it was Jordan Grey, a thirty-six-year-old man who looked very strong for his age. Yet Mr Bakshi had specifically told her it wasn't him.

Her mission was as clear as the Kadarshian's glass heels. Find out who the leader was and inform the CBI of all the important activities and locations, and she was a free Californian woman once again.

In short, her work was to find the leader and inform them about all the happenings and important locations.

Should be easy.

Teresa finally flipped over to the last page which had the picture of a handsome man. She quickly read the name to confirm his identity.

Agent Richard Moore.

He was the agent who had died on the mission twenty years ago. There was no report on how he'd been caught, but there were revolting details of his torturous death. The parched, yellow paper stated that his nails had been chipped off his skin altogether. He had been beaten bloody and had been found dead, lying in an abandoned warehouse, with a bullet in his head.

The picture attached along the details was disgusting. The face in it was beyond recognition.

A brave man.

Teresa, instead of closing the file, observed his face longer.

Agent Moore's name hung on the 'Sacrifices Made BY Our Men' board. She was sure of that. Teresa had never paid much attention to it, but she did recognize the name. Otherwise how in the Holy Dead did she sense a familiarity towards the name? She stared at the picture of Agent Richard Moore.

A queer feeling of nostalgia washed on her. Something in those solemn grey eyes made her feel familiar to his face. Her intuition told her that she knew the man. That somehow, she was related to those broad shoulders, those freckles across his face and the black hair. She felt like she knew him, but she could not place it from where. It was almost like seeing someone whom you've seen before but forgetting about him now.

Even the bald patch in the centre of his head looked kindred to her eyes.

Teresa shook her head and closed the file shut. Her temple ached acutely right where her scar was above an eyebrow. She washed her face with cool water and went to bed earlier than usual. Thoughts of Richard Moore roamed her head despite her efforts to not think about him.

So stupid.

At last, sleep came to her and with it came the forgotten memories that she called dreams.

*****

And what do you think about this???

Yes I uploaded the chapter earlier than usual because I was in a very irritant mood and just edited this chapter out to distract myself.

Guess you can vote and come back eh?