Location: Wynnedown, Morley.

Time: 8:45 AM

Honk~

The sound of honking vehicles filled the express, the rush hour was suffocating enough to make car owners wish they were pedestrians. Workers in their work clothes, from three piece suits to denim overalls, walked up and down the sidewalk, heading to their various offices.

Shhh~ Skreee~

Steam filled the clouds as the train grind to a halt, the 12 cabin behemoth closely stopping to let in a new batch of passengers while some came off it.

A young man in his early twenties in a vest and overcoat came off the fourth cabin, a leather briefcase in one of his gloved hands. His shoes clicked against the hard ground, his fedora covering most of his face as he blended into the crowd, vanishing from sight.

Soon, he appears once more, this time in front of a building a few blocks away from the train station. He walked in, stopping by the secretary and handing over a passport looking document.

She gave it a brief scan, her rosy lips curling into a polite smile as she returned the passport.

“Head straight down out the back door, a vehicle should be waiting for you.”

The young man remained silent, retrieving the document and placing it in the inner handle of his coat before heading for the narrow corridor that led to the backdoor.

Upon exiting the building, he saw a silver Mustang waiting for him just as the lady had said. There were 3 people standing before the vehicle, all dressed in clothes that hide their features while letting them blend in, just like the young man.

“You should be the fourth person. Welcome, we are your traveling partners.” One of the trio approached the young man with his hand extended. He has a large frame and the fedora and sunglasses couldn’t hide his charisma.

“Codename: Cerberus.” The large guy spoke, his deep voice and over 6ft build made him really seem like a wild beast.

The young man nodded his head, ignoring the outstretched hand. He glanced at the others who were silent, scrutinising each of them.

“Ha-ha, well, this is Black rose and Hyacinth.” Cerberus introduces, casually laughing off the awkwardness of the situation. “Well, I’ll be driving.” He added before walking around the vehicle to enter the driver’s side.

All four of them got into the vehicle while Cerberus explained, “You should pick a codename before we arrive at the base. We have to head out soon, from what I heard, we are the last ones remaining.”

Chakaka~

The vehicle engine kicked to life, roaring out as Cerberus pressed upon the acceleration pad. With a sudden jerk, he placed the vehicle on a different gear and zoomed off, tearing through the alley, out into the streets as driving towards their destination.

Cerberus drove like a professional, swerving in and out of the traffic, passing places that a normal driver wouldn’t even think to thread upon and getting out without a single scratch on the vehicle.

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Even stranger was the lack of police attention, but no one seemed to mind. Soon, they arrived at a rather secluded area, the vehicles proceeded to tear through a forest path, heading deeper and deeper.

“We made it just in time.” Cerberus chuckled loudly as he parked the vehicle at an opening. The place was deserted, the only sign of any previous human activity being the worn out train tracks before them.

‘Although it’s worn out, there are signs of wear.’ The young man noted.

Choo~ Choo~

All four of them looked towards the left, even before it’s appearance, the massive smoke tower rising into the sky gave away its presence. A large steam train was approaching and it seems like this is what they were waiting for.

But strangely, there is no train stop.

“The train will slow down slightly for a few minutes, if you can’t get on by then, you get left behind.” Cerberus said, the playful tone in his voice still apparent but with a slightly serious undertone.

Choo~

The train honked once again as it approached, getting closer to the group. Suddenly, the young man turned around and walked away. The other trio stared at him for a brief moment before ignoring him entirely. It wasn’t strange for one to quit during a test like this.

Chuga~ Chuga~

The sound of the locomotive engine drew nearer and nearer as each of them began to take measures to ensure they were able to get on the train.

Cerberus laughed boisterously once more as the train finally closed in. He was the first to make a move.

Whoop~

He grunted as he jumped up and latched onto the side of the train. His lifting strength was no joke and with a slight flex of his muscles, he pulled himself up, landing on the very top of the cabin.

He looked down at the others, watching how they each planned on getting on the train. Black Rose was a lady, and her every movement carried the grace of one. Without troubling herself, she pulled back her coat to reveal a gun-like device strapped to her latex covered thigh.

Pulling it out, she aimed at the front cabin of the train and fired, launching a grappling hook at the moving train and using it to pull herself toward it. Once she was close enough, she latched onto the window, pulled open the glass and slipped in.

‘That leaves Hyacinth and the nameless guy.’ Cerberus looked around for a bit before suddenly chuckling, ‘Looks like he really did run away.’

Brrrr~

Hyacinth was running alongside the train, trying to build up enough momentum to lift himself up once he grabbed hold of the train when he heard a strange noise from behind him.

“Hahaha, I knew he wouldn’t just run away!” Cerberus laughed loudly as Hyacinth’s face immediately turned sour. He looked back to see the Mustang they had parked behind approaching him at freighting speed.

“This bastard!” Hyacinth cursed at the young man who was casually standing in the vehicle as it got closer and closer to the front cabin.

The vehicle was getting dangerously close to Hyacinth and he could tell from the young man’s facial expression or lack thereof that if he didn’t make way, he would truly be run over.

He also knows that if their positions were to be reversed, he too wouldn’t give a rats ass what happened to anyone else. The test will only get tougher, hence, it was better to weed out the weak ones now.

“Fuck this!” Hyacinth yelled as he grabbed a metal railing attached to the train.

Crack~

The sound of his shoulder dislocating was less than subtle and what followed was a slight cry. But a dislocated shoulder was better than what could have happened.

Unaffected, the young man casually leapt off the speeding vehicle and onto the train cabin, watching as the car kept speeding till it crashed into a tree.

“You really are something, I like how your nonchalance seems so casual.” Cerberus spoke loudly as he approached the young man, grinning like a kid. The young man looked at him for a brief moment before walking away.

“Come on! I’m just trying to make friends.” Cerberus yelled, this time sounding a bit offended.

“Making friends is useless, at this stage, we are all enemies. You better prepare yourself.”