With all my training I begin to understand why I was chosen. But then I start to wonder if they could've just trained anyone. Why did they choose me?

»»-------¤-------««

A deep orange painted itself across the clouded sky, rain poured down to the streets. Even though the weather was all gloom, it didn't stop the people from going outside. The bright lights on the buildings, the street lamps, and the billboard signs were reflected by the wet surfaces. Light crept wearily into the darkness of the alleyways between buildings, allowing an anonymous hangout for debauchery and hoodlums.

Bor held out his hand, letting the rain land and splash on his black, skin tight gloves. A small breeze only he could feel brushed over his hand and the water droplets began to frost and freeze. He clenched his fist and he looked at the two people beside him, Xion and Saib. They're outfits were similar to his with their own personal adjustments. Black garments with a black gas mask - no tanks were visible, just masks with silver rings for the eye holes- and their hoods were up.

They looked down from the ledge on the building they stood on. The three spotted a white car that was unusually long riding in the gravity lane far below. Two other vehicles traveled suspiciously close to it, one in the front and the other in the back. Bor looked at the others and nodded. The two began to run in the direction of the gravity lane, hopping over boxes and metal tubes. Bor followed closely behind them, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He pulled his elbows as far as he could behind him and when Xion and Saib leaped over a ledge, he pushed out in front of him. A strong gust of wind pushed the two, helping them leap over to the other side. The two looked back at Bor as he crossed his arms over his chest and right at the ledge he swung them towards the ground creating an angled updraft of air, springing him towards them.

A cushion of air softened his landing and the three began to run again. Cutting their angle to a sharp right to follow the flow of the gravity lane that's now sloping down. And with no hesitation the three leaped off the building. As they began to fall, they saw the white vehicle beginning to approach them. They began to fall faster than the rain, it was almost like the rain was coming up towards them. Bor gathered the rain droplets and formed a large sphere of water. He stretched out his arms, as if he was shooting a bow, and the sphere turned into a cone of ice. Bor pushed on the cone of ice and it shot down with tremendous force where it would inevitably meet their target.

Xion and Saib decided not to waste time and split off towards the two other vehicles that were with the unusually long white vehicle. Bor pushed himself to catch up to his large icicle but it was going too fast for him. He held out his hand and squeezed his fist to gather more rain drops onto the icicle, condensing it.

Bor watched as his icicle pierced the car, just short of its center. The force of the blow shattered most of the windows and brought it crashing down from the gravity lane and onto the street below. Civilians watched as it crashed to the ground, car debris flying everywhere. In an instant, the streets were littered with glass and ice.

A cushion of air slowed Bor's arrival just enough for him to crush the ice and fall through the hole the icicle created. With a sudden thud onto the floor of the car, a man inside screamed for his life. Bor looked towards the back of the car and the man screaming was curled up into a ball. There were multiple escorts and, what seemed like, friends with him, some dead, some barely conscious. Bor scanned the bodies but the most important person seemed to be the one who was cowering in the back.

Bor heard glass crunch behind him and he quickly moved to the side as another man pointed a gun at his back. As the gunman saw movement he fired, missing Bor and almost shot the cowering man. Bor grabbed the gun and jabbed his palm in the gunman's chest with a gust of air, launching the man towards the front of the vehicle. His back crashed against the wall of the car but he still stood on his feet. The gunman took a step but before he could take another Bor shot him with his own gun. The man paused and clasped his bullet wound. He looked at Bor with gritted teeth but Bor unloaded the rest of the magazine into him. Finally he collapsed onto the floor, blood slowly leaving his body.

Bor checked the chamber of the gun to see it was empty and he threw it away. He turned back to the cowering man.

"I'm not him," the fear filled man said. "I'm not the Father!"

"Then who are you?" Bor said, small needle-like icicles started to float around him.

" I-I-I'm just a crew member. I-I got permission to use one of his cars to party. I swear that's it!"

Bor stared into his eyes. He walked up to him and grabbed his collar. "Then you're gonna tell me everything you know."

"I don't know anything," the man's body shook profusely. "I really don't!"

"Then I guess your use for me is over." Bor raised his hand and the needle-like icicles began to rush forward.

"Wait!" He pleaded, tears streaming down his eyes. The icicles stopped right before they pierced his skin, though some drew blood. "I do have some info," he said quickly. "I can be of use to you still!"

Bor let go of his collar and fixed them, patting them down to profile. He then turned his shoulder, which turned his body, to face the door of the car. He pointed at the door and the cowering man opened it slowly but surely. He stepped out and one of the cars that was following was far across the street in flames. Xion brushed ash from her shoulder and Saib stepped over Bor's mess. The three of them surrounded him.

The image of their destruction painted clearly behind them.

—

After Jaeger dropped Kirin off at her apartment, she layed on her sofa with her feet dangling and her arm over her eyes in her usual night attire, which were sport shorts and a shirt. Her apartment was dimly illuminated though she sat quietly in her own darkness, listening to the busy street outside and the crackling of fire colliding with the heavy raindrops outside her window.

She wanted to sleep but she couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities of the mission - she couldn't help but feel dreadful - and how it was going to turn out. She let out a deep sigh and sat up from the couch. Her face buried deep in her palms and her right leg began to bounce nervously. With a rough wipe of her face she slapped her knees and stomped to get up. Kirin walked to her kitchen and popped the cork off a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass just to the halfway point. As the wine dribbled its last drop and the ripples almost settled, she decided to fill the rest of the cup. Without wasting any time she drank as much as she could her first sip and let out a refreshing sigh, or so she thought. She knew that there was no amount of wine that would help settle her but she did know that there was enough to help her sleep.

Kirin grabbed the bottle and glass as she moved away from the kitchen. She plopped herself correctly on the couch this time and turned on the TV. She took sips between the channels she flipped through. Quickly reading the headline of the news channel she flipped through, she paused on a drama show and quickly flipped back.

The reporter stood in front of what looked like a crash scene. A car was completely engulfed in fire and the other, a long white car, seemed to have taken a massive beating. The windows were shattered and near the center of the car was a hole big enough for a man to go through. Medical personnel rushing critically injured people into the backs of trucks and rushing them to hospitals, the sirens and the lights adding onto the reflective surfaces of the water.

The reporter began to explain what witnesses had explained to her.

"It seemed to be the Crown's doing," she said. "Witnesses have stated that men of black clothing came falling from the sky with these vehicles. Reports also say that they are Ursu. No wonder how this much devastation was caused. Eridani street is littered with glass and parts of cars, these roads will be temporarily shut down for maintenance."

Kirin paused the screen as it zoomed in on the wreckage of the long white vehicle. She recognized it, it belonged to the Father. A small ray of hope shot through her, causing her heart to almost burst out of joy but the feeling was quickly relinquished. There's no way the Father would be there. He's smarter than that, she thought. A knock came from her window, scaring her out of her thoughts. She slowly got up from the couch with the wine bottle in one hand and her glass in the other. She crept towards the curtains, stepping towards the corner of the window. With one finger, she parted the curtains just barely to peek outside. Gale smiled and waved at her.

Kirin sighed and rolled her eyes. She set down the wine bottle on the window sill and lifted the curtains. She gave Gale a cold stare and he smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.

"You've got to be kidding," Kirin said loudly as she opened her window halfway, just not loud enough for a noise complaint. "What are you doing?"

Gale eyed her night clothes but quickly looked back at her eyes, not quick enough though as her expression changed, disgusted at his action. "Can I come in for a little bit?" He asked. "Please . . . I brought noodles!" He pulled out two noodle packs, none that she's ever seen before.

"It's like . . ." she whipped her head to the clock displayed on the oven. "Late," she said, wincing.

"There's things to talk about,"

"What things?"

"Reporter things."

Kirin knew that he wasn't going to back down so she let out another sigh. She lifted the window all the way up and unblocked the entrance of her window swinging her arm open then collapsing it to her side soon after.

"Thank you," Gale said as he put a foot in. "It was starting to get freezing out here." As he began to put his other foot in he knocked over the bottle of wine, shattering it and spilling the wine under the window. Gale paused in his tracks to look at Kirin who seemed, at this point, unamused that that happened. "I swear I'll buy you a new one."

"Just get in already," she said, walking towards her room. "And don't forget to shut the window and close the blinds!"

Without hearing his reply she shut her door behind her and began to sift through her pant drawer. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and quickly put them on. She then grabbed the flannel that sat on her bed and put it on then rolled up the sleeves just below her elbow. Looking over at the mirror in her bathroom, she began to quickly fix any errors in her looks. Kirin doesn't wear make-up, she never understood its use in society. I don't need make-up, she said to herself.

Kirin opened her door to find Gale in her kitchen preparing a pot of hot water. She should've known better that he was going to make himself at home.

"It's a new flavor in the line. Maybe you'll like it." Gale smiled then pointed at the TV with a spoon in his hand. "Now that's going to be talked about a lot at work."

"Why are you actually here, Gale?"

As the words crashed in his throat he tilted his head and chuckled. "I can't just come see a friend?"

"Coming to see a friend usually means visiting in the day,"

"Come on, Kirin. We've been working with each other for a couple months. We're practically best friends." He said, moving the pot of noodles to the island.

Kirin couldn't figure out what he was after. She crossed her arms and gave him a half smile. "We eat and then you can leave," she said walking towards the island.

Gale began the final preparations of the noodles and set a bowl of it in front of Kirin. "Actually . . ." he hesitated to say his next words.

Kirin could see his struggle on his face as he began to bite the loose skin on his lips and his hands were always shifting. She could tell that he had something to say, something she could recognize from the countless customers at the coffee shop.

"What's the matter, Gale?"

He shot a glance at her but quickly looked back at his bowl. "I don't have a place to go back to," he mumbled.

Kirin winced as she leaned forward.

"What?" She said,

Gale gripped the edge of the table and released the tension in his jaw that he just realized.

"I don't have a place to go back to." He exhaled deeply. "I need help,"

"Gale," Kirin paused and tried to make eye contact with him but Gale's pride couldn't make it happen. "Gale I don't know how I can help, I'm struggling myself. I'm in debt to the landlord here. I'm barely making ends meet."

"I just need a place to stay for the night, it's starting to get cold out there."

Kirin began to notice the signs.

"Gale," she began. "How long have you been homeless?" He didn't reply, he stayed looking away from her. "Gale, do you actually work for the E.C.N.?" Kirin couldn't recall anyone with his name now that she tries to remember it. She remembered that there was an article about a robbery at a clothes store. No money was taken but there were articles of clothing missing. There have also been police reports about a con artist who targeted a lot of small businesses. The suspect left no other obvious evidence but she started to realize . . . "Who are you?" Kirin began to step away from the island. "Get out of my house. . ."

Gale turned to see her almost crying face. "Kirin, I-"

"Just. Get. Out! Before I call the police."

"Kirin, I'm the man I've shown you. This is me!"

"You expect me to trust you!" A tear streamed from her eye. "I was starting to think we could actually be friends."

"We can still be friends," Gale began to come around the island. "I was just trying to survive," he looked solemnly in her eyes. "I still am."

"I don't know how many people you've tricked but you won't trick me."

"I'm not trying to trick you," he began to get a knot in his throat. "I'm genuinely just trying to make a friend." Kirin paused, staring into his eyes. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She thought that there's no one to trust outside of her tiny circle. "Look, I'll get out of your life. Just let me stay this one night."

Kirin, despite the feelings that were running through her, couldn't bring herself to kick him out.

"I have nothing worth stealing,"

"I'm not here to steal, I was trying to be here as a friend; for a friend."

"Well," she said, storming– into her room. "You're here." She slammed her door and locked it. She began to barricade the door with whatever she could quickly find, including her laundry basket, and threw herself onto her bed. This was a friendly reminder, she thought to herself, that I can't trust anyone.

*

Gale raised his hand to knock on her door several times but he couldn't find the courage to. He began to pace around the apartment but he ended up sitting on the couch. Exhaling into his palms, he dragged his hands down his face until his fingertips reached his chin. He couldn't help but focus on the rain and his heartbeat, both he couldn't help but just listen.

"It is just about time for lights out," Epsilon spoke with glee, making Gale's head jolt up. "You have thirty seconds before I turn off the lights."

Gale slid down from the couch and onto the floor. Before he got comfortable he decided to look underneath her door but he couldn't see a shadow shifting. He stared just a for a little while longer before he gave up and sighed as he stared up into the ceiling. He sighed as the lights turned off and he shut his eyes.

He couldn't help but run through what happened over and over, making him twist and turn. His eternity in that memory felt like hours but he knew that it had only been minutes. Nothing comforted him, not even the constant lullaby of the rain. Gale knew there was no sleep to be had, that each scenario he had run in his head all went bad and that this was inevitable.

Letting out another sigh he turned away from the couch and opened his eyes. A pair of dirty boots sat in front of him, ones that he didn't recall being there. He shot up from the floor but cold hands grasped his throat, carrying him to his feet and eventually off the floor.

Gale felt the blood pressurize in his head and his arms flailing trying to break the chilling grip but failed. He looked into the eyes of what seemed like a man. Black clothes with a black mask was all he could gather.

He eventually grabbed the man's wrist and tried squeezing as hard as he could, trying to kick him in the groin but ended up kicking the table instead. Gale shot a glance around the room with what vision he had left and eventually landed on Kirin's door. The masked man tilted his head and looked where Gale's gaze stopped. Releasing its grip on Gale's throat, he began to march towards Kirin's door. Gale coughed, the air scratching its way out. He reached out trying to scream, to warn Kirin that someone was coming for her but he couldn't stop coughing.

His body couldn't help but feel numb on the floor. He tried with every ounce of strength to get up but he only managed to move a knee up. Gale watched as the man stopped and tried the door.

"Don't," he managed to barely get out but he couldn't resist the urge to cough soon after.

The man didn't stop, he didn't even acknowledge Gale and his commands. Was he after someone? Was it Kirin? Why does he want her?

Gale couldn't waste time to ask hypotheticals. He began to feel the fibers in his body come back to their senses but the feeling was too slow. The man in black bursted through the door with a blue flash and he entered the room. Gale found strength to crawl but his sense of weight was disoriented, tipping too far to one side every now and then in his slow crawl. He couldn't help but watch as he walked into her room.

Gale gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the palms of his hands. His knee slowly came slowly underneath him and the other one slowly followed behind it. His arms shook as they supported the weight of his body as he got on all fours. With all the strength he could summon he got up, staggering but he stayed on his feet.

With slow but sure footsteps he got to Kirin's door. His arm crashing into the door frame. "Kirin," he cried out as loud as his throat could let him. "Kirin!" Gale cried out again.

As he turned the corner, a dense ash cloud fell onto Kirin's bed. As it dispersed and touched the fabrics of her blanket, they seemed to evaporate.

Leaving no trace.

Gale saw Kirin curled up into a ball, covering herself in her blanket. He could tell that she was shivering, her breathing was heavy but quiet.

She was scared.

Gale scanned the dim lit room in search of the intruder but he left no trace. The window -a dull orange light pouring from it, spreading its luminescence across the floor and spreading itself thin into the walls - that was in her room was closed shut and the last way out was the way he came which he didn't see him exit.

His head began to have a pounding headache as he fully entered her room. Still cautious and wary he eyed the corners of the room. Still he found nothing, absolutely no trace. He began to ease himself as much as his body would let him.

He took another look at Kirin, dumbfounded as to where the dark ash went. What the hell was that? Gale couldn't help but notice Kirin shivering under her blanket. He reached out to console her but stopped.

Gale turned for the door and paused before he walked out. He took another look at her as he closed the door behind him.