“Is everyone in place?”

Natasha, who was the watchdog for this mission, asked over the radio as she whipped out her computer from a van far away.

“I’m in place.”

Nathan was the first to respond through the headset as he sat in a basement parking lot dressed like a homeless man in ragged clothes with a bear bottle in hand.

“They won't even know what hit em’ here in this basement!”

Lana was the next one to confirm, she sounded perky seeing as she was about three hundred meters away and strapped with a long bow in hand. She wore a black white and red jacket that complimented the silver rapier that swung from her waist.

“I’m here and waiting.”

Riku calmly responded as he took a deep breath hoping nothing would go wrong.

“And I will be nearby, for when you guys need my assistance.”

Miss Debeers chimed in, her tone oddly nonchalant for the gravity of their mission. Her voice crackled through the headset, carrying the faint sound of her eating something.

"Wait nearby? Shouldn't you be here to protect us?"

Nathan questioned, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, realizing their lifeline seemed distant.

"Protect?"

Miss Debeers chuckled, her amusement tinged with an eerie quality.

"My goodness, you kids have it all wrong. I'm just here because you haven't done anti-interrogation training yet.

I'm just here to make sure I put a bullet in any of you when you get captured, you know, to ensure you keep the assassin world a secret."

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Her words hung in the air, casting a shadow over the mission. The eerie silence that followed left a chilling imprint on their souls.

Nathan gulped audibly, and the rest of the team followed suit, realizing the gravity of their situation. They were in this alone, with no safety net.

As Natasha attempted to regain her composure and focus on her role, she issued a final, chilling piece of advice. "Don't worry, students. It's not so bad. By my count, you've already made five minor mistakes and two major ones, and you're still alive. So just do your best. Anyways, later, students. I'll be a few minutes away."

The silence left in the wake of Miss Debeers' departure was deafening. The reality of their mission bore down on them, and the weight of their inexperience felt suffocating.

Their focus shifted to Natasha, who had access to security cameras in the area. She became their eyes and ears, monitoring the approaching target.

"Here comes the target, guys. Be ready," she relayed, her voice tinged with urgency.

Lana was already adjusting her position to aim at the step as the target descended. She drew her bow and took aim.

But something wasn’t right. One, two, four, eight, sixteen. Lana’s eyes opened wide as over twenty men descended from the upper floor all surrounding the target.

“I can’t get a clear hit!” Lana's panicked voice echoed through the radio, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.

With over twenty guards descending upon their target, Lana's aim had faltered. Her arrow embedded in the wall, serving as a futile testament to her missed shot.

“I… I can’t get a clear hit!” Lana shouted again, desperation evident in her voice as the guards closed in.

The situation worsened when one of the guards spotted Lana and alerted the others. Panic coursed through her veins as the man pointed in her direction. She released another arrow, hoping to buy herself some time, but it barely grazed one of the guard's arms, eliciting an angry shout.

“There she is!” the guard yelled, confirming Lana's worst fears.

Bullets whizzed through the air as the guards retaliated with a barrage of gunfire. Lana dove behind a concrete pillar, her heart racing as the world around her turned into a deadly battleground.

“Are you all just going to let her die?!”

Riku's voice crackled with urgency over the radio.

Cut the damn lights already!”

Natasha heard Riku’s words and was shaken from her fright. Her trembling hands fumbled with the controls, panic gnawing at her composure.

Her mind raced as she tried to remember how to disable the lights. Gunshots over the radio and Lana's terrified voice only intensified her fear.

"Please, Natasha, hurry up! I don't want to die here,"

Lana's voice quavered, desperation seeping through the radio.

“ARG!

I’ve been hit!”

Lana continued to voice over the radio. Making even Nathan start to panic.

Nathan felt a surge of fear and anger. He was about to break his cover, ready to intervene and save Lana. The situation felt like it was spiraling out of control.

But then, in the nick of time, darkness shrouded the parking lot. A blackout engulfed the area, leaving the guards momentarily disoriented.

The sudden darkness provided a brief respite

For Riku this felt like a calm before the storm. He took a deep breath, steadying his heart beat as he lunged forward.