The plane descended from the air, and the two arrived at their destination.

“Felix?” Maria called out. The agent slowly opened his eyes, barely rested, “We’re here. Are you ready?” She asked.

He glanced out the window and saw the darkness of the night, “Yeah… I’m ready.” He clutched his four-leaf clover under his shirt.

The two descended on an area thick with trees, just outside the city.

Maria stretched out her arms as she got down, dressed in a black cat suit, adorned with an array of belts and straps that carried her limited equipment.

Felix set his iron-soled boots on the ground and took a deep inhale. The air was thick and hazy, and explosions could barely be heard from the distance.

Nearly his entire body had been covered in a thick black trench coat that was left open in the middle, on his collar was a strip of metal with both points shaped like arrows.

The faint blue light from his left eye stood out in the evening darkness.

The whereabouts of their targets were supposedly unknown. However, it did not take long for them to spot it.

Maria pulled out a grappling hook and swung around to the top of one of the buildings. Felix then followed, climbing through the windows and crevices.

Above them flew a Chinese dragon kite pulled by a drone. The dusk sky was filled with excitement and color, as the loud sound of bangs, clangs and crackles could clearly be caught in every direction.

“Is this why you were staring out the window, enjoying the festival’s fireworks?” He asked as the flurry of lights reflected in his eyes.

“Well… that…” She responded vaguely as she stared at the festival from an unknown rooftop as the wind blew against her hair.

In the center of the excitement stood a wide, twenty-story office building. At its front was a tall metal gate with only one entrance. Though the town had buildings, none came close to as tall or as gaudy as the massive one in the center. It was a clear indication of where they were headed.

“Now why would a skyscraper need a guarded gate?” She asked.

He glanced over to her and replied, “Unless they have something to hide.”

The two smirked at each other before jumping off and moving on ahead.

On the streets, Maria gazed with cold, narrow eyes as the surrounding streets had logos and symbols of the Golden Lion Agency and other organizations from the association. All of them vandalized and covered with rubbish.

Rows of food stalls lined the streets as the two walked through the crowds, only to stop at a particularly small stall with a red bird standing on two intersecting arrows shaped like an ‘x’.

Felix knocked on the counter, “Excuse me.”

The man inside the stall glanced at the two agents, hanging on the walls were festive masks and other knick-knacks, “Anything you like, anything you see, all only a hundred.”

“You’re a robin, right? We’re from the agency.” Felix explained.

“We need the word, word bird.” Maria added.

The man turned around and with a grumpy tone replied, “There’re a lot of agencies.”

Felix pulled out from his pocket a small golden pin with a lion and symbols engraved. “Felix Aster, and this is Venom Vanguard.”

“I told you to use V.V.”

“Right… V.V.”

“Golden Lion, huh? I take it you two wanna get in that big building over there?” The man responded as he pointed with his chin.

“How’d you know?” Maria asked.

“Another Elite Agent came by earlier, lookin’ for a way in, same as you. Had me scout the area. Left a while ago after I told ‘em there was no other way in.”

“From which organization?”

“Confidential, but not from the Golden Lion. From the looks’a things, I assume you’re on the same mission. Tough luck, the place is teeming with guards. Can’t even see it from above. They shoot down my surveillance drones whenever they get too close.”

“Is that so?”

“You’d think the mafia would be more reclusive.” Maria expressed her disbelief as she looked at the building.

“It got renovated just a month ago. According to sources, it was funded by some corrupt politician who wanted to line his pockets, so it got larger at terrifying speeds with cheaper material.”

“Thanks for the info.”

“Before you go, care for a mask? Only a hundred.”

“No thank you.”

“Then, how about taking these with you? On the house.” He said as he reached out to give him a pair of sunglasses.

“What? Why?”

“Might want to hide those eyes of yours, Black Cat. They stand out like a sore thumb.”

“You know who I am?”

“Black hair, glowing blue eye. Wasn’t too sure at first, but once you showed me your badge, well, I didn’t need an introduction. Word goes around in the Robin Network. Anyways, better to be safe than sorry.” He reached it out to him.

“Thanks.” Felix answered as he took it.

“Got anything for me?” Maria perked up excitedly.

“All out of freebies, I’m afraid.” The robin shrugged.

Felix put on the sunglasses and walked away, and Maria followed suit after waving goodbye at the old merchant. As the two walked further away from the main road, the festival’s excitement weakened down to a hum, yet the pop of the occasional firework echoed.

The two circled the area and found that every nook and cranny was littered with guards. With every step they took behind the wall, a guard would be able to see them from within. Back and forth they searched for a way in before meeting back at the front gate.

“The security in this place is ridiculous…so, how are we supposed to do this?” Felix muttered.

“We go in, you protect me, I get what we need, we get out. Easy peasy.” Maria nonchalantly explained as she brushed her hair to the side.

“Mhm.”

From the looks of things, I wish it would be that ‘easy peasy’. Sorry, chief, but I don’t think we’ll be able to keep a low profile.

Maria raised her finger with a bright smile.

“I have an idea. Saw this in a movie once.” She said before picking up a stone and throwing it at the edge of the outer gate.

A movie? Did you just say a movie? Really? Why do you think that would work?

“What’s wrong with you?” Felix couldn’t prevent himself from shouting under his breath.

“A great, many things.” She smugly whispered.

“Did you hear that?”

“Let’s go check it out.”

The voices of the guards could be heard from outside of the wall.

WHY DID THAT WORK?!

“Wait here.” Maria gestured for him to stay put.

“V.V., wait, what are you—?!” He reached out to grab her,

But when the gates opened, he begrudgingly resigned.

Both of the agents continued to stay hidden in wait for the two guards to leave the camera’s field of vision, Maria walked out and revealed herself while Felix kept to the shadows.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Hey, you. What are you doing here?” One of the guards called out, pointing his rifle at Maria.

“I was just curious why there was such a large building in such a small town.” She replied, feigning an innocent smile.

“That’s none of your business.”

Another guard walked by to them, tipping his hat, “Now, now. Don’t be so hard on the girl, there’s no harm in sparing a minute to explain to her about the greatness of our leader. You see, it’s because—”

As the guard spoke to Maria, Felix’s fingers twitched for a moment, as the corner of his eyes followed a colorful blaze soaring upwards into the sky. It rose higher and higher, then finally — BANG.

The sky was painted with a flowery red firework as both of the guards fell to concrete.

“But… why?” The guard frailly asked with his last breath as Maria’s smile was the last thing he saw.

The two men fell to the ground as Felix approached Maria.

“Why were they speaking English?” He asked with his palm covering his mouth.

“Why did the robin?” She retorted

“He’s an informant.”

“This guy’s a sentry.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“And yet that’s how it was.” She shot back with lowered eyebrows.

“I… point taken. So, what now?” I wish I could reply, but I couldn’t find myself an answer, so my only option was to concede.

“Calm your nerves. We’re going through the main entrance.”

Maria giggled while Felix gulped. As she uttered those words, his heart began to race. The thought of getting killed started to cloud his vision, but it wouldn’t take long for the rest of the guards to notice them being gone for too long.

The gate reopened to let the guards back in, and the two agents entered. Inside appeared to be a wide, half-finished construction site circling the building.

A cold-sweat dripped down his face as he scanned every guard from behind his sunglasses, his ears filled with the cracking of the fireworks, forcing him to imagine the gunfire.

He glanced towards Maria, but he saw from the corner of his eye that her expression remained calm, no, she wore an undaunted smirk as she continued forward.

Unpleasant thoughts intruded further into his head.

The bright lights caused him to blink rapidly. The sound of fireworks felt like explosives drawing close. With each passing step, the harder it became to breathe. It was impossible to make his movements look natural with the trench coat underneath the guard’s uniform.

Did the discomfort come from the hot and humid air, or was it the guard’s uniform worn over his gear, with several layers of fabric suffocating him and stifling his movements?

The closer they got, the tighter it felt.

There was less than ten meters left towards the entrance, there was a security camera mounted on the wall, watching their every step. Ahead of them was a glass door. The first hurdle was already halfway cleared, and yet…

“You there!” A guard shouted, cutting through Felix’s cluttered thoughts and bringing him back down to earth. As he approached the two agents, he squinted at them, scrutinizing their appearance and uniforms.

“Y-yes?” Maria replied.

“You both…” He then looked over to Felix, who tensed up in response.

Felix’s eyes darted to the other guards patrolling the construction site. The attention was now on them.

He tried to keep his breathing steady. But as the guard looked him in the eyes, he saw the blue glow hiding behind the sunglasses.

A bead of sweat rolled across his cheek as his heart pounded. His hands trembled beneath the stolen uniform, curling it into a fist that crackled with a blue electricity.

“Who—?” Before the guard could even ask who they were, Maria’s knife was already drawn. In one swift slice, she slit the guard’s throat wide open. Blood sprayed, staining their stolen uniforms and snapping Felix out of his daze.

Before the dying guard could drop to the ground, Felix immediately grabbed the pistol hanging from his belt.

He lined up his shot, his aim perfectly centered at one of the many guards. But the guard looked at him with panic and fright.

He froze for a moment, unable to pull the trigger.

But the hesitation immediately subsided as the guard reacted to his pause, shooting him on the shoulder.

“Grhk!”

“Felix?!” Maria glanced at him worriedly, only to avoid a bullet coming her way.

“I’m fine!” He yanked out the shell lodged in his black coat, and began emptying the pistol on the surrounding guards.

Guards fell down one after the other. There was no room mercy. Here, it was kill or be killed.

Maria immediately understood. She then crouched down, her arms slipped behind her stolen uniform. She pulled out several knives clasped between her fingers and sent them in a dozen different directions.

Above them, a firework lit up the sky with iridescent red particles.

The klaxons rang loud. The glass door locked, and the industrial shutter of the rolling grille lowered. The entrance had been sealed off.

Over a dozen sentries cornered them on the ground, guns were pulled from every side, aimed at the two intruders heads. Dozens of gunshots flashed from every direction, turning into a deafening blur. But the two agents pushed through, avoiding the gunfire as much as they could while mowing down the men that stood in their way.

A stray bullet struck the pistol out of Felix’s hand, forcing him to draw out his own. His hand trembled from the shock.

Sparks flew in the frenzy as Felix whipped out his cobalt gun. He deflected some of the oncoming projectiles flying his way, all while he circled around Maria. His mission was to protect her. He did not forget that.

“Back up, we need back up at the front gate!” One of the sentries called out through the radio. “It’s the intruder! We caught the intruder! There’s two of them!”

Maria looked up and yelled, “Get inside before the other guards get here!”

“You have to get in there, first!” He suddenly recoiled as a stray bullet struck the sunglasses. It’s shards scraping across his face as it fell to the ground.

The two agents were caught in the center of attack. Little by little, their stolen uniforms were torn apart. trapped in a monochromatic barrage of bright flashes and black bullets. The only color was the pale yellow from the muzzles, and the blue light radiating from Felix’s eyes.

A stray shot suddenly grazed at her cheek, which she quickly clutched as it bled.

Noticing this, Felix quickly wrapped himself around her, shielding her from the shower of lead.

Maria’s eyes widened as she watched the bullets bounce off his black coat. She instantly realized from his pained expression that, though it was bullet-resistant, the impact still took a toll on him.

She scowled, grabbing his arm before tossing him towards the entrance, “Get your ass in there!”

The beads of sweat that filled Felix’s face were swept off by the wind as he was thrown across the air. As soon as he got his balance, he then instinctively hopped on the heads of the guards who stood in front of him.

As he got close, he fired repeatedly at the glass-door before crashing through it, bracing his face as he slid through the scattered shards and tumbled through as the rolling grille was coming down on him.

His body spun through the concrete and into the tiled floor, before slamming to a halt against a decorative fountain, causing it to turn on.

Another wave of sharp knives soared across the area, which forced sentries to duck, and provided Maria a path to run through. As she raced to the entrance, one of the half-dead guards on the ground caught her by the leg, causing her to stumble.

As the fountain’s water splashed against his face, Felix’s mismatched eyes shot open.

Inside, his limited light source shrank as the shutter descended. He quickly rushed back towards the rolling grille with his face pressed against.

“V.V.!” Felix shouted, his face pressed against the cold tile floor.

He watched with his blue eye as she fought just to get back up. Slicing through with her knife. But just as she was back on her feet, one of them struck her back down with the back of his gun.

A pack of guards swarmed around, ready to fire.

She persevered, slicing through each enemy, injuring most and dispatching a handful. But every bullet that struck her took its toll. Her movements quickly grew dull and stiff, each slash slower than the last.

“Maria!” Felix called out and pushed the iron-bars back up, only for one of the guards to take notice and fire at him.

Though the bullet landed on the ground inches shy away from his hand, it was enough to make him recoil instinctively, causing the metal wall to once again descend.

Maria noticed this and retaliated, sliding in and between the many guards, in one swift slice, sliced the man who shot at Felix, splitting him in half.

Though the rain of gunfire drowned out any other noise, the thin sound of squelching flesh and splattering blood caused them all to cease fire for just a brief moment, petrified by the sight of a man’s top half sliding down to the ground.

Despite all of the sentries having a clear, point-blank shot directly at her head, they were all hesitant to pull the trigger. Their faces filled with terror after witnessing what she had just done.

Fireworks lit up the night sky, outlining her blood-stained face in its radiant colors. Yellow, blue, red and orange all flashed behind her as she shot him a smile.

As the guards opened fire, the industrial shutter closed shut. A wall of metal was now blocking his view and kept him in darkness. Only dim green lamps lit up his view.

Unable to see the outside, the black-haired agent got up with wide eyes, “No…” He whimpered.

Felix turned around and saw the cascading interior above the fountain. Shafts of light entering through the empty spaces of what looked like a shopping mall.

Agitated and alone, he leaned against the wall next to him. His gradually slid against its surface as the adrenaline began waning. As his body settled into a sitting position, a deep, heavy gasp escaped his lips, and he began to take in deep breaths.

The security camera in the center of the ceiling stared intently at him.

With a pained grunt, he picked out a shards of glass lodged in his body. The uniform that he stole were now in tatters and covered in holes.

Felix then picked out a lead bullet out of his shoulders, with an irritated look, he flicked it towards the camera.

But as the security camera cracked, a loud boom followed. The shock waves of the explosion could be felt inside the building.

“No.” He got back up and ran towards the metal gate, slamming his fist against it.

He repeatedly struck the wall, but as it started to ache, he stopped. In the silence, he realized that the symphony of gunfire had ended, and that the only sound he could hear was the uneven splatter of the fountain.

With his teeth grit and his fist tightened, Felix smashed his fist against the iron wall, a loud metal bang resounded, and blue particles scattered from his fist and lit up the darkness for a brief few seconds.

The thick metal wall was left with a fist-shaped dent. He took a step back, clutching his throbbing fist.

“…Maria…” His eyes furrowed with frustration, he steeled his resolve to continue the mission and began to walk.

But as he started to walk away, he heard another explosion blast against the gate.

Little, unsettling rumbles ran through the entrance, quivering above his head and beneath his feet.

Felix looked back and saw a massive dent against the iron-wall. It was immediately followed by another explosion, which dented the gate even more.

He took a step back, and a drop of sweat dripped through his face as he pulled out a gun.

But it was followed up by one final explosion.

In an iridescent burst of ephemeral particles, the gate broke open.

From behind the golden firework stood a black-haired woman, with a sweet, cheerful smile on her face. Her face was in pristine condition, the blood gone.

He lowered his ornate gun, and his expression filled to the brim with disbelief. “Maria?”

She crawled through the hole made in the metal gate, “Yes?”

“How… how did you survive?”

“Let’s just say a rogue firework came to my rescue. Or a couple of them at least.” She beamed cheerfully.

“I don’t think that’s how fireworks… sigh, I see. I’m glad you’re alright.” Felix conceded his thought and smiled awkwardly, still in disbelief. “I thought I was gonna have to do this alone.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave you, partner.” Maria smirked.

He scratched his cheek as a wave of relief washed over him, “Yeah… I’m glad. Then let’s go, partner.”

She nodded her head in compliance.

The two operatives made their way into the building alive. Behind them, the camera buzzed silently, its fractured lens still fixed on their figures.

Inside a dimly lit surveillance room, a man in a top hat stood over three corpses.

His face illuminated by the flicker of broken screens, watching them. He held up a shattered data drive against the screen, and grinned.

~