บท 6: Chapter 1: Do or Die

•Year 2087, Present day•

•1st Ward, 1st Sanctuary•

Ana

"This is my last warning," Ana warned in a cold, bone-chilling voice. "Speak."

Contrary to her orders the man in the chair just spat on the ground, desperately struggling against his binds.

She felt goosebumps crawl up on her skin as she stared at the man tied to the chair, staring at her with all the hate he could muster. The man's clothes were stained red, the crimson liquid staining his skin in red. She shook off the uncomfortable feeling, making sure the man didn't notice her uncomfort.

Ana clicked her tongue and kicked the chair. Causing it to fall backward and break, scattering pieces of broken wound on the cold, hard ground. The man crawled away from the rubble of broken wood as fast as he could.

Bang!

Ana was faster. She shot him in the kneecap, effectively robbing him of the ability to walk. "You will never get any information from me! You have no choice but to kill me!" He shouted at her while squirming in pain.

She glared at him. Another dead end. "Then you die," she said simply while snapping her finger.

In an instant a wolf appeared from the shadows, growling at him. He tried to run away, but with his injured leg, he could only get so far before the wolf reached him and bit his neck, painting the ground in an uncomfortable shade of crimson.

"Good job, Alpha." Ana said, patting the wolf's head. "Now we just need someone to clean up" She added.

Ana removed her leather gloves and threw them to the ground. She clicked her studded diamond earring. "This is Agent Moreau. Target exterminated but no new information was gathered. Requesting cleanup"

She had been working on investigating a recently active crime group that seemed to be the main suspect in a series of disappearances and murders. The mark their members bore was identical to the mark beside her father's dead body. Which made her more curious about the case. But all her leads lead to a dead end. Literally.

Suddenly, Ana heard a familiar buzzing sound in the distance. She looked at her watch, "Shoot!" she cursed. The security drones must have started their rounds. Soon, familiar green flashes of lights started appearing. The thermal scans!

The call ended and. Frantically she reached for her belt, throwing a small silver ball into the building She clicked the buttons on her watch and in an instant, the building exploded into flames.

As the fire engulfed the building and everything in it in a fiery blaze, She watched in horror as it burned.

"Let's go, Alpha"

***

"ANA! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU?!"

A woman in her mid-fifties, with brown hair reprimanded her. Ana looked at the ground, ready to accept another scolding. 'Here we go again.' she thought. She felt Alpha nuzzling her hands as if trying to comfort her.

"Assassins work in the shadows. They leave no tracks"

"Yes, I know-" Ana answered

"Why did you burn an entire building?! What we need are quick clean kills. Did you really think biting that man's head off and then burning the factory were quick or clean kills? No! " The woman sighed in exasperation and slammed her hand on her desk full of documents.

"Dodge..." Ana tried to say. Dodge Villanueva., CEO of RAQCI. Not her real name. Nobody knew her real name. At least, nobody alive. On the surface, RAQCI (Reaper's Association for Quality and Calculated Information) was a multimedia company, supplying the sanctuary with the latest news and information. But RAQCI covers up as much information as it digs up because, behind its mundane façade, it was an assassination association. Composed of the best hired guns and hitmen.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Ana. I took you in because of a recommendation from an old friend. But your killing style is dangerous, impulsive, and messy. Last week you burned down an orchard from the 4th Ward!"

"That was because they wouldn't cooperate and you said to use any means necessary to ensure their silence." Ana answered. She left out the fact that the fire was completely accidental

"Yes, and I also said to leave no tracks. Ana, the way things are you are useless to our association. You're a coward who relies on your puppy to kill targets for you. Despite your skills, you are useless if you can't kill your target." she said coldly.

"We don't need useless people in RAQCI. We're removing you from this mission." Dodge added.

Ana's head shot up and her onyx eyes met her crystal blue ones. Dodge's features softened. "I know you're suffering from PTSD, Ana. You're an excellent shooter but you used to tremble while simply pointing the gun and others, look how far you've gone. But that doesn't justify your actions. I'll give you one last chance to prove yourself."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ana seared with joy when she heard that. She can't under any circumstance leave RAQCI. It's the only chance she has to solve the mysteries of her past and to find the culprit of Bryce's murder.

As an information agency, RAQCI has access to any and every piece of information that circulates in the sanctuary. They even have information from the pre-apocalyptic era-before the fall of humanity to the virus. All of this information is compiled in the cloud 9, A giant computer, the motherboard of all devices and gadgets in RAQCI. But most of this information and resources are confidential. Only the top agents are given full access to cloud 9.

If she wants to have access to these pieces of information she had to prove herself. She had to make a mark.

"This will be a long, drawn-out mission. You have 3 months to infiltrate the Academy, gather information, investigate, and eliminate. Your target: Valerian Vincenzo Vanguardia, The only son of our prime minister and no. 1 Scientist Mr. Verratti Venceslao Vanguardia." Dodge slid the files to Ana. Name, birthday, address, everything she needed to know was there.

"The prime minister's son? What kind of information should I pry from him?" Ana asked confused. This was not some mafia organization, rebel group, or serial killer. What information from him could Dodge possibly want?

"We have clients looking for dirt on the prime minister's name. There have also been rumors about him conducting unethical experiments during his days as a scientist." Dodge explained.

Dodge stood from her table and turned around, staring at the tall window behind her desk. "I've had trouble finding someone who fits the job description for this mission. But it seems perfect for you. You will study undercover at the Academy. Maximize your academic skills for this mission and make sure no one finds out your identity or your mission is over and so are your dreams of being top agent"

"Kill the target immediately once you've gathered enough information on the prime minister. Understand?"

"Yes!"

"Don't disappoint me again Ana. And one more thing, Alpha won't be coming on this mission" Dodge snapped her fingers and the office door burst open. In, came 4 guards each holding a tranquilizer and taser.

"What are you doing?!" Ana screamed as the guards tried to take hold of Alpha. But one of them grabbed her from behind and pushed her wrists behind her back. She could easily out maneuver him and flip him on his back but she doubted that would make Dodge any less angry than she was right now. So she stayed silent.

Alpha growled at the guards while they attached a collar to his neck. "Fail on this mission, and your puppy dies" Dodge announced. She pulled out a remote from her desk's drawer and flipped on a switch.

A charge of electricity ran through Alpha's body and he howled in pain, twitching and quivering from the electric shock. "NOOO!" Ana screamed.

Dodge locked gazes with Ana, there was a hint of amusement in her eyes that dared her to fight back. "The target or the dog. One of them will have to die by the end of the mission. The choice is yours to make, dear"