Ranen descended in the elevator. He didn’t know what he had expected from Luona. A missing persons case? Should be easy, with his sniper’s eye. Briefly he wondered how much he would be paid for this job. More or less than a regular mission? But then he reminded himself that this was his friend, and that he was doing this for old times’ sake.

The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out to meet the air conditioning on the lower floor. Only a couple secretaries typing away at whatever it was that secretaries did. A customer or two sipping coffees. Not that different from HQ. Just less exciting, less magical, perhaps.

Ranen breezed by through the automatic doors, the outside wind blowing his long hair into his face. He scowled beneath his scarf, and tightened his hair tie. He should carry more with him…

He nearly tripped. A woman had stuck her foot out as she was leaning against the wall of the building, smoking. Her hair was dyed silver under her black hood. Several bandages were plastered on her face and hands.

“Are you that sharpshooter that everyone’s been talking about?” she asked, her voice hoarse and soft.

Ranen didn’t answer. So she’d tripped him on purpose?

“Too high and mighty to even answer a civilian like me, eh?” She stamped out her cigarette. “Well, no matter. I’m not a civilian; I’m a criminal.”

A criminal? Ranen wished that he had brought his gun with him. But before he could do anything the woman laughed and said:

“You should have seen the look on your face. So you really are Ranen, eh? Worried about being assassinated in the streets? Much like some…familiar victims of yours, no?”

Ranen tried to grab her arm, but she easily dodged and stepped away from the wall, a smirk lining her face.

“Truth be told, I wouldn’t have bothered you in the first place, if some extraordinary circumstances hadn’t come together recently. Look at me now, trying to provoke one of the government’s top sharpshooters. How strange life is, don’t you agree?”

Before Ranen knew it, she had whipped out a knife and had aimed it at his throat, and he jumped backwards, trying to avoid the sharp arc.

“And now I think it’s time for yours to end.”

Not if he couldn’t help it. Ranen didn’t plan on getting killed by anyone. He didn’t plan on getting killed at all. And even if he was going to get murdered, he didn’t want it to be by this woman. Even if she did look slightly cool.

Ranen grabbed hold of the woman’s wrist, twisting it, trying to keep the knife away from him. She ducked under his arm, untwisting her wrist, and elbowing him in the ribs, hard. He still held on, trying to wrap his other arm around her so that he could throw her to the ground. But she was agile, and had been trained in martial arts, so she slipped out of his grasp and kneed him in the stomach.

Ranen let out a grunt, losing his footing. She slashed the knife through the sleeve of his coat, drawing blood.

“Where are Luona and Ava?” she asked, pinning his arms to his side and flicking the blade beneath his chin.

Ranen found that he could not shrug, so he gave an inner sigh and said quietly, “Don’t know.”

“You don’t know? But you were just with them, no?”

He hadn’t seen her when he had entered the building. Which meant that…

“You bugged the room?”

She scoffed. “Wow, you actually have some brains. Yes, the room was bugged. But you didn’t say a single thing up there. It was only thanks to the camera I planted there as well did I know that you had gone in. Now, where are your two little friends? I’m afraid I have some business with them.”

“What kind of business?”

“Something similar to this, I guess,” the woman replied, pressing the blade deeper into his skin. “No, they’re actually going to be useful, unlike you.”

Ranen glanced around them. Why had no one noticed the scene? They were in the middle of a city, for heavens’ sake. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Oh, I thought you might want to know. It’s Kendra. Ring a bell?”

Kendra, Kendra… Ranen remembered, his eyes widening. “You’re - ”

“Your one failed mission. That’s right.” Kendra grinned by his ear. “You were so upset that time, I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me sooner.”

That time he had been assigned to shoot her, and she had disappeared right before his eyes… He had missed grandly, of course.

“I am going to finish my mission,” he growled. “You are going to pay - ”

“Are you, though?” she asked, pressing the blade still deeper, shutting him up. “Mm, I don’t think so. Say, do you know why you were put on me in the first place?”

“Kind of,” Ranen replied, trying not to breathe.

“Heh. You’ll have to tell me later, then. For now, you’re coming with me.” She was surprisingly strong, dragging him to his feet and towards a black van parked on the curb. “You’d better hope your friends come to find you soon.”

Ranen tried to resist, but she still had the blade pressed against him. He wondered why no one around them was reacting. She was an ability user, right? Then maybe she had something to do with disguises? Invisibility? Would make sense…

“You’re going to be good, all right?” she said pointedly as she tied his hands together. “I don’t think I need to worry about you calling out, do I?”

He responded with a glare, and she laughed.

“Right, let’s go on a little trip together, shall we?”