Debra pursed her lips as she continued checking the account records, annoyed at the midnight guard, Jones, who kept distracting her with small talk. She was using a program to detect the differences between the submitted account records and the dock records recorded automatically by the computer. So far, there had been two discrepancies and she was sure that this would displease her boss.

With her annoyance at Jones increasing every second, Debra was about to snap when with a low hum, the powers went out. In the dark Jones swore and tried using his battery-powered comm device to contact the guards outside. The crackle of static answered him before loud screams were heard from below.

Chills ran down Debra's back as Jones gestured for her to stay still. Grabbing an automatic rifle, he sneaked to a window and looked down to observe the situation and jumped with visible fright. His eyes caught a figure twice the size of an average man easily decapitating a guard's head. With his bare hands, the figure grabbed the guard's jaw with both arms and pulled in opposite directions. The guard was screaming as his jaw was dislocated, eventually, his screams died as the upper head was ripped apart cleanly, leaving only the lower jaw and a gaping hole, that was once his mouth, connected to the body.

Jones could barely swallow the bile that threatened to escape his mouth when the figure turned to look up at him. His mind screamed for him to run when he saw two bright eyes glowing an eerie blue staring right at him with a knowing glance; at that instance, he knew that the thing below has seen him. Pulling back, Jones tried to desperately activate the security systems but realized that it was hopeless. The entire sector of Sanctuary was powerless.

Bending down, he tried to check if the power input for the secondary generators were working when he was interrupted by the thuds of movement echoing through the room. Debra cupped her mouth to cover the gasp she nearly made when she saw a shadow speed past the window at an inhuman speed and Jones wiped the sweat gathering on his forehead while spinning around to try and detect where the footsteps were coming from.

Even as he aimed the gun, he kept stepping back while swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. His head pounded with fear as he pulled the safety trigger off. Suddenly, he realized that the shadow around him was darker than usual. Turning to look at Debra, he saw her staring back at him on horror. No, not at him. She was staring at the location behind him.

A figure was crouching above the window, a hand on the edge of the roof to support him as it leaned close to the window behind Jones. Before he could respond, the figure smashed a hand through the window. Amidst the shattering of glass, Jones felt the floor disappear before pain erupted from every pore of his body. His closed his eyes and shouted in pain as he felt the shards of glass dig into him when he was pulled out the window while Debra screamed in the background. Patters of raindrops kissed his glass-sieved body and his legs swung in an attempt to find a steady ground while he hung in midair, held by the vice grip the creature him in.

Yes, creature was the accurate word. Jones opened his eyes into a squint and stared at the thing holding him, blue eyes that were thrice the size of a human stared back at him. A flash of lightning illuminated the figure for a brief second revealing large serrated teeth in a jaw that wider than an average person; it looked like the jaws of a grinning wolf. His eyes widened in horror as the creature pulled him closer, growling in a low voice.

"Boo," the creature said in a grating voice and darkness filled Jones vision as a warmness filled his trousers.

Jason blinked when he saw the guard faint. Am I that scary? Ungh, he pissed himself, didn't he?

With the guard in tow, Jason leapt into the window destroying the glass that remained in the frames of the window. Glancing at the corner where the woman was hiding while covering her face, Jason tossed the guard aside and walked to the computer. The lights returned and power throughout the sector was restored with a press of his holo-display.

The technicians will definitely fix the loop I used to disrupt the power grid, Jason grimaced as he looked at the time at the corner of his HUD; he had five minutes before authorities arrived.

He pulled a small device from his gauntlet. It was shaped like a USB cover and he inserted it into a port on the computer. As soon as he pushed it in, a holographic image covered the port and melded it into the background. It was now impossible to see the port unless one looked for it carefully.

"I'm in," A.V.A reported through Jason's helmet. "I've downloaded their files, sifting through them now."

As Jason occupied himself with the computer, using A.V.A to hack into their systems and delete any feed that recorded him, the woman, Debra, tried to escape silently. As she exited the door, however, a figure came crashing down on her. The slim figure balanced herself with one foot and used her other leg to lithely wrap itself around Debra's neck. She then pulled Debra down slightly to prevent her from escaping or backflipping, and prepared to twist the leg that was flexibly holding Debra in a chokehold; with that twist, she could snap Debra's neck but Fenrir turned around and glanced at her.

"Unnecessary," he said in a cold voice.

"Hmph, you sure know how to take the fun out of a sweet date," Melanie complained with a pout as she used her leg to toss Debra away, knocking her out in the process. Melanie was wearing a mask that covered her upper face, leaving only her full lips and delicate chin bare. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail to prevent it from interfering in a battle.

"I have what we need," Fenrir said, ignoring Melanie's coquettish complaint. "I'll forward it to you once I've compiled everything. For now, let's check those containers."

"Why waste time?" Melanie asked while following Jason who jumped down the tower. "The police will be here soon."

Fenrir didn't answer her and approached a container. He grabbed the lock and tugged it off, using pure strength to break it apart. He pulled the opening aside and Melanie peered in, her expression changing once she saw what was inside. Jason, knowing all too well what he would find, sighed internally and moved to her side.

Inside were dozens of children, of all ages, covered in shackles and dressed in ragged clothes. They squinted their eyes at the brightness that engulfed them from the opening even as they pulled away in fear, a response that was ingrained in them from the treatment they received at the hands of their captors. Soon, however, they realized that the two standing in the entrance was not their captors but none of them neared their rescuers, especially when they saw Fenrir. His haunting eyes and gleaming teeth frightened them as some children began to visibly shake while older ones covered the younger ones protectively.

"Sta-stay away, you monster!" A child shouted nervously when Fenrir took a step forward to reassure them. Her voice was breaking from fear while she shuddered non-stop but still, she held her hands out defensively while standing in front of the children.

Melanie, who was gripping the edge of the container tightly, shook herself out of her memories. She was thinking about how her childhood was when she was kidnapped and treated just like these children, how she was just as defiant as the one who spoke. Her eyes misted as she saw herself in that little girl. She turned to look at Fenrir and saw him standing there with a hand half-raised, unsure of what to do or say.

"Let me," she said softly with a hand on his chest. Fenrir looked at her and nodded before walking some distance away. He could still see the kids and vice versa but the children calmed down once they saw him move away.

"Hey there," Melanie said softly as she crouched in front of the girl. She saw the girl looked back at her bravely before her eyes traveled to look at Fenrir who had his head turned away, trying not to exchange eye contact with the children. "Don't worry about him, he's only mean to bad people. And you're not bad, right?

"My name's … Bell. And he's … Beast," Melanie said while comforting the girl who looked at her suspiciously. "Don't worry, we're here to rescue you. Look, we've already taken care of the bad guys."

Melanie pointed at the entrance where they could see a few bodies lying on the ground. Fenrir, who heard her, kicked a nearby corpse to prove it was dead. Melanie's eyes followed the brave girl's eyes, which widened when she saw the blood on the ground.

"On second thought, don't look," Melanie said while moving her body to place herself in the girl's vision. "Do you have a name, dearie?"

The girl shook her head, refusing to reveal her name as several other children approached Melanie when they realized she won't hurt them.

"Do you have a home? Do any of you?" Melanie asked in a breaking voice. Deep down, she knew the answer to that question but her heart broke regardless when she saw them shaking their heads.

Of course, She thought. They had to be orphans and homeless kids. No one would notice them disappearing. Some would even rejoice at it. Fucking, rotten, world.

Melanie closed her teary eyes, trying her hardest to forget the pain of her past that these children reminded her of. Her heart ached as she watched them go through everything she had once experienced.

If not for him, I'd be …

Melanie looked back at Fenrir who was still keeping his distance, worried at the fact that he might still frighten the children.

"Listen," Melanie said as she cast a spell to unlock the shackles around the kids. "The police will be here soon. Stay here and wait for them, they'll help you."

While she spoke she conjured a spell to distribute the packaged preserves that were sitting in a corner to the children. She wanted to stay and watch over them, but the rage that was blinding her was beginning to erode her thoughts.

"I promise, they'll help you," Melanie repeated quietly before whispering to herself menacingly: "And I'll make sure those traffickers get their just dues."

She walked out of the container and looked at Fenrir who was watching her.

"Don't stop me," Melanie said to him in a quiet and calm voice, full of venom. He watched her go back up the station and turned to look at the children one last time before following her, another sigh threatening to escape his lips.

Jason knew what was going through her mind, he knew how she was taken by traffickers who sold her to those scavengers that wanted to remove her organs. When she began to defy them, those scavengers decided to torture her, using her as an example to quell any other children from following her lead. He could still remember how much pain and suffering she went through, and knew that this situation only brought it all back. And Melanie needed, no wanted, to vent it out on these people, regardless of whether they knew better or not, she held them responsible.

Melanie, who reached the top before Fenrir, pulled a knife out and walked to the guard, Jones, who was just stirring up. She kicked him hard twice, once making him move into a fetal position, and again to make him lie on his back. She sat down on his stomach and began stabbing him repeatedly. Jones, feeling the pain, woke up but couldn't stop her as she brought the knife down on him again, and again, and again. Her eyes were full of unabated hate as she watched him cry out in pain while blood spurted everywhere. Even after he stopped moving, even after the warmth of life left his body, she continued stabbing him, blossoms of blood splatters painting her beautiful face with wet red flowers.

Jason who caught up watched her but didn't try to stop her. He understood her anger, and her actions satisfied the thump of anger he was feeling as well, but as she continued without stopping, he shook his head realizing that she was now drowning in her emotions.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"That's enough, he's dead," Jason said as he pulled her away.

"No! It's not enough, it's not!" Melanie almost screamed hysterically.

"Mela-"

"DON'T STOP ME!"

Jason, seeing that it was futile, used his powers to press a button. The breather that was shaped like a wolf's jaw split from the center and moved to the sides of his face, revealing his lips and chin. He grabbed Melanie and kissed her, silencing her screams and stopping her struggles.

A jolt of electricity traveled through both of them as Jason pushed his tongue into her mouth and Melanie, after a moment of stunned silence, reciprocated by wrapping his tongue with hers; her split tongue surrounded his and slowly coiled itself around his tongue. The taste of fresh blood that was splattered on her lips made the kiss a little salty, but neither of them stopped. Instead, Jason pulled her closer and kissed her more roughly. After a minute of intense kissing, he pulled away.

"Better?" He asked breathlessly after licking his lips. It was a novel experience, getting kissed by a tongue like hers. It was quite … enchanting. And addictive.

"Mmhm," Melanie nodded as her crazed eyes slowly filled itself with tears. "Sorry, I was just so … so ... angry."

"I know," Jason replied to her whisper as he continued holding her and Melanie rested her head on his cold, bloody, chest. They stayed like that until the sound of sirens began nearing them.

"We have to go," Jason said and Melanie nodded.

Climbing to the roof of the station, Jason activated his bike which came flying at them. They both climbed on and flew off into the sky but Melanie turned to look back at the port.

"You can come back after an hour and help them," Jason said when he noticed her reluctant gaze.

"I know," Melanie whispered.

"Need me to take you home?"

"As tempting as that might sound, no," Melanie answered with a bitter smile. "Come to my place another time. When I'm in the mood to play."

… I meant as in drop you off, not what you're thinking. Then again ... Jason thought but didn't retort. A part of him wished to devour her but right now he already has enough trouble with women.

After dropping her off on a rooftop a few blocks away, Jason flew back to the Loft but didn't go to sleep right away. He entered the shower room and took a long bath, his mind wandering back to the children at the port.

They'll probably be sent to an orphanage or a welfare center, He thought as the hot water cascaded down his chiseled body. Damnitall.

Exiting the showers, Jason went back to the first floor where Ava was. The latter was standing next to the supercomputer which was, once more, out in the open.

"And?" Jason asked Ava quietly.

"Police are already on the scene," Ava answered perfunctorily. "AEM has been notified, I estimate they will arrive on the scene in forty-five minutes."

"Hmm, and the bait?" Jason asked after giving a noncommittal groan.

"Still in the docks," Ava replied. "They'll move her to an AEM precinct once they've finished gathering evidence."

Jason nodded and sat down in front of the computer, his finger tapping the armrest of the chair. The reason why he prevented Melanie from killing the woman, Debra, was because of two reasons.

First, her survival would ensure word of him spread, from the police, to AEM, to the gangs and syndicates running the underworld. Fear was an effective weapon, and he wanted to use it to intimidate the underworld.

Second, he was planning on using her as bait. He knew that the smuggling syndicate would try to silence her before she could give a statement and he was hoping that they would send someone with more in-depth knowledge of the syndicate. That way, he could swoop in and interrogate the assassin.

Getting up, Jason used a hologram to hide the computer again and then turned to Ava. "Compile the information in your head and stay hidden upstairs. I don't want you coming into contact with any of the girls."

"Complying with your orders," Ava said as she turned to walk away.

"Will you be heading out again?" A.V.A asked Jason through his comm device.

"Yes, but this time I won't be using the Fenrir armor," Jason answered. "Pull out my Phantom armor instead."

A hidden display lifted itself from the ground, revealing Jason's Phantom Armor. Unlike his Fenrir armor, this one was less intimidating. It was an under-armor covered with separated plates that protected his vitals with a suede jacket on top. The jacket looked like any normal biker jacket, but it was bullet and fireproof while being completely insulated from electrical attacks. He also had a pair of pants that were composed of the same material as his jacket, giving him the same amount of defense as the latter provided to his lower body.

Dressing quickly, Jason pressed a button on the under-armor that covered his neck. Immediately, a mask formed around his head. The mask was completely black but the eyes, that looked like goggles, were shining red. At the same time, the Council insignia appeared on his chest, in between his unzipped jacket. Jason took his weapons from the display: two advanced pistols and two single-edged military knives.

Once he was done, he left the Loft quickly as the display slowly sank back into the ground. Unlike last time, Jason hopped into his flying bike without activating the built-in scrambler. He also flew at a lower altitude, intentionally allowing both cameras and satellites to pick up his locations.

Now then, Jason thought. Time to see if any fish will eat the bait.

***

Junco rubbed her eyes as she replayed a video clip again. Her desk was cluttered with opened files, scattered papers, a mug of cold coffee, and the wrappings of a half-finished tuna sandwich but she ignored it all and continued pressing the rewind button, her eyes locked on the screen.

The video was a short video clip taken in low quality by a bystander. It was showing the one and only fight that Fenrir had with the Reaper. The choppy quality of the video would occasionally fizz with static as sonic booms filled the area. Her ears had already been deafened by the repeated booms, so Junco had silenced the video and instead tried looking for visual clues. She paused near the ending and started filtering the screen, slowing the video down and watching it frame by frame.

A minute before the shockwave hit, the camera angle tilted but Junco could still see the two fighting from the corner of the video. At first, she watched it carefully, not understanding why she had this unnerved feeling but suddenly it hit her with a shock: the Reaper used a move that Fenrir also once used.

That's …

Junco opened another window and searched for the video where Jason was fighting the headless ghost. She quickly skimmed through it and paused it to watch carefully once she found what she was looking for. Her breathing stopped as she confirmed her analysis: Fenrir and Reaper both used the same moves. The timing was also off; Jason fought the headless ghost years before meeting the Reaper.

What does this mean? They're not the same person, there's evidence of them being in two different locations, but could it be that they were trained by the same person? No, that's not it. Rumors and sightings of the Reaper were reported since before the war. Then … could the Reaper have been Jason's teacher?

A chill past through Junco's back as this thought crossed her mind. She felt like she discovered something dangerous and wasn't sure what to do. Should she tell her C.O, Raphael, her suspicions?

No, not yet. I can't tell anyone about it. Junco shook her head and turned back to her computer. She copied everything she needed into a hard drive and reformatted her laptop, erasing all evidence.

"You seem busy Lieutenant Junco," a voice, approaching her table, said to her.

Turning her head, Junco saw Colonel Watson approaching and immediately stood up and saluted her. "Colonel!"

"At ease, Junco. And please, call me Sam," Watson said. "It's alright to call me by my name when off duty. You're technically not in the military and, frankly, it's so stiff being called Colonel by everyone. All the time."

"Thank you, ma'am," Junco replied as Watson looked at her cluttered desk with curiosity.

"Busy night?" Watson asked.

"No, ma'am. I mean, Sam. Ma'am," Junco answered with her hands held behind her straightened back. "Just reading up on some reports."

"Fenrir and … the Reaper?" Watson frowned before looking at Junco. "You didn't get the memo?"

"Ma'am?" Junco asked, confused at Watson's words. The latter pulled a communication memo into holographic form and passed it to Junco.

"As of seventeen hundred, Fireteam Salvation is to cease all investigations into the latest Reaper case … effective immediately … I … I don't understand. Why?" Junco asked Watson after reading a part of the memo out loud.

"The higher-ups don't want our best Fireteam to be investigating these ... rumors," Watson answered. "To them, the notion of an investigation is tandament to acknowledging the sightings of Reaper as being legit. Besides, they're … reluctant to admit that such a being could exist. Didn't you feel the same way?"

"I did," admitted Junco."But that doesn't mean I don't believe there's no killer out there."

"Officially, we're declaring it as an attack done by another gang," Watson said. "Personally, I think it's better this way. There would be mass panic if the public knew of these … unknowns."

"But …"

"It's out of our hands, Junco," Watson said, cutting Junco off. "Take the day off tomorrow and relax. Hang out with Raphael, if you want."

"I-" Junco, with flushed cheeks, wanted to retort to Watson's tease when the latter received a call.

"Excuse me," Watson said and answered the call through her headpiece. "Watson here."

Watson listened carefully as her face changed, a frown forming on her face.

"I see," Watson said finally. "Would you object if I sent my best to aid in your investigation? Alright, they'll be there in fifteen."

Watson grimaced as she cut the line and turned to look at Junco. "Lieutenant, contact Raphael for a debriefing. I need Fireteam Salvation to be ready in eight minutes."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Junco saluted and used a comm to contact Raphael.

Five minutes later, Fireteam Salvation was gathered in a secure conference room along with Colonel Watson. Raphael and Suni were still out and were attending this meeting through a secure holo-vid while Junco and Dhole attended in person.

"There was … an incident at the western piers just twenty minutes ago," Watson said. "A company was loading cargo when they were attacked. Only one survived; a freelance accountant who is in the police’s custody. Unfortunately, she's delirious and in panic, so the police were unable to get anything coherent from her.

"What we do know, however, is that this company was a cover for a smuggling op. The container was full of children who had Esper aptitudes of varying levels. Not to mention, these were guardianless children," Watson said while opening a holographic report in front of each member. Suni swore under his breath while Dhole grimaced as they read the report in the children. "Currently, we don't know what to do, so the police is keeping the children at a makeshift shelter in the port while trying to sort through them.

"Fireteam Salvation, I need you to go and help with the investigation. Find out what the children saw and gather evidence of whether this is an attack perpetrated by Practitioners, ASAP. You are dismissed." Watson waved her arm and stood up while Suni and Raphael's holo-vid ended.

Watson rubbed her eyes as Junco and Dhole left the room when she received a notification. Satellites had picked up movement from an active Phantom that was moving quickly and Watson raised her eyebrows in surprise.

They caught on quick, didn't they? Watson thought after triangulating his destination.

She quickly realized that the Phantom agent was moving to the vehicle in which the only survivor of the attack was being transported. She understood the reasoning behind the Phantom's movements and contacted the transport, telling them to be cautious.

Soon after, another notification came, informing Watson that another Phantom appeared, and this one was requesting AEM to transfer the children that were rescued into her custody. The notification also gave Watson this Phantom's designation and she grimaced when she realized that it was Viperess.

No choice but to acquiesce, Watson thought. Still, it's a little too coincidental that two Phantoms would move so quickly, is it not?

Despite her misgivings, Watson agreed to transfer the children's well-being to Viperess before sending a command to have an escort take her to the first Phantom. She had a feeling that the one moving to escort the transport was Jason, and she wanted to have a private conversation with him.