Esperanza felt tense waiting in her laboratory, thinking to herself.

“I need to warn them. They can’t get that machine- that thing will kill us all if Cody gets to it. How could I have been so stupid to follow in his tracks…do the others know?” 

She paused from her slight pacing and loud thoughts. 

“Because he saved me…how young was I? I only remember being alongside Hokaze. Only her and I are the only ones entrusted and closest with Camoren…was there something else as to why? It can’t be just because of us growing up together. Most of the employees here are hybrids. We aren’t human.How come I never came to that thought? I need to ask Haze about this. There must be a reason why Cody took more of a liking towards us the most.” 

Esperanza ran off outside the door to go meet up with Camoren as she knew the hitmen were stubborn enough to come back after her talk with them. 

Cody heard her in the distance,

“Esperanza! What news do you bring to me?” 

She hesitated, 

“None for now sir. Simply just waiting for them to arrive. Will they be coming here first or will they be on their way to get the device already?” 

Cody lifted a brow,

“I’m unsure, but knowing Enzo, they’ll be coming here first for a small chat before they go on to retrieve what’s mine. They’re so easy to manipulate. They’ll get it for me out of spite.” He noticed her expression meant something more than that simple question,

“Do you have something on your mind Es? It seems that’s not exactly what you wanted to know.”

Esperanza looked up,

“Ah- em…I just, I wanted to ask; why would you choose Hokaze and I to help? Aren’t there more efficient and more worthy workers or yours that can do our jobs better? Where did I come from? Why aren’t we exaclty human?”

Cody’s ears lifted,

“Why would you have such thoughts? I found you with Hokaze as human children. I took you both in, but you don’t remember much because I took that memory away from you, to take away the pain of that rememberance. I saved you both and *became* something much more now. Nothing else.” 

He immediately turned away and walked off as he waited for the appearance of the hitmen. 

“Just stick to your post for now. We can’t have any distractions.”

Esperanza bowed,

“Yes sir.” She thought, “He’s not telling me the full truth. I’ll find out for myself for sure.” 

Esperanza bowed and walked off to her post as told. “I’ll have to figure out a plan fast. And I know damn well those two idiots will come back at any second, so it would be useless to even try to contact them to stop em- I’d look suspicious. UGH THESE IMPULSIVE BASTARDS… THEY’RE…THEY'RE ONLY COMING TO PROVE THEIR POINT! To think they were smarter than this. It’s like Camoren knew theyd be this way since they have had a sort of history…” She waited. 

The doors slammed open once again, 

“Ah! Welcome!” Cody shouted enthusiastically.

“Listen, goat. We don’t give a shit as to what you give us. Give us the gadgets and we will go back and get your machine. In return, you LEAVE us alone.” Valentino gently shouted as he pinned his hands on top of Cody’s desk, taking a dominant stance.

“Woah there fellas- no need for any attitude… but fine; Esperanza said she found a be-“ 

Cody was cut off as Enzo and Val just snatched the ear pieces away from Cody’s hand along with the gadget used beforehand and instantly strutted away from the building. 

“Huh- I guess we shall just wait for them…Hokaze, hello dear come here.” Hokaze quickly walked towards Cody,

“Yes sir?” 

“Please watch over Esperanza and keep her company while these hitmen go off onto their heist once more, okay? I’ll be sure to keep these two under my own eyes but I want you two to make sure it goes smoothly.” Hokaze bowed and went along to accompany Esperanza.

“Oh! Haze! What brings you here hun? Did he send you off to watch me…”

“Aheh…yeah… He just wants me to make sure everything goes to plan and watch with you…” 

Esperanza squinted but brushed her odd attitude and just focused onto her computer to make sure she played her part to help the hitmen. 

“Hey Es?”

“Yeah?”

“What exactly do you think Cody is up to?” Hokaze tilted her head out of curiosity,

“Hm…well, I’m not exactly sure. All I know for now is that he just wants to use that machine to do something horrible to our world. I don’t know what it’s even capable of or what it’ll do but I need to stop him. I just really need those two to work together with me on this if we’re gonna do something about it. Haze, we might need you as well. You know Camoren’s passkeys to a lot of things, he only entrusted you with it, will you help us?”

Hokaze hesitated, feeling unsure and uneasy about playing any part in this. “Uhm,,, maybe…”

Esperanzas ears lifted,

“Maybe? Is it because you don’t want to betray his trust?”

“I guess so…it’s, something else but..uhm,, I dunno. L-Let’s just focus on these guys for now, what’s what I’m here for….” 

“CHESS-!” Camoren shouted in command, 

“Y-YES SIR- WHAT IS IT?” He came running and tripped along the way into the rush from Cody’s command.

“Get me the others, and give a good word to the law enforcement officers about our plan.” Cody grinned maliciously in a satisfactory manner. 

Rain. A thunderstorm came crashing down during their heist. 

Shoes were scraping against the rocky yet wet ground as they approached the large rich white doors. Blasting through the doors, clothes soaking wet. “HEY, ASSHOLE!” Valentino shouted.

Cody turned around in his seat. Both hitmen drop the device on the ground while soaked up in water from the rain outside, their bodies a little exhausted, a little hunched over as their hair dripped in water accompanied with angry faces. 

Enzo spoke up aggressively,

”There, we proved ourselves to get your stupid device. Now leave us alone. We don't want any of your rich talk or offers. Our interactions back then should’ve been the last. Should’ve been dead when I went after your family, you were just lucky I couldn't find you; look where that led us to huh? Some sort of stupid cliche revenge.”

Cody just stood listening, smirking a little,

”Ah, Enzo; my apologies for not specifying enough when I thought I already explained clearly.” He growled as a nerve was clearly touched,

”I'm only around you two and have stalked you to learn your strategies. For my own blackmail of praise. I was simply curious as to where you ended up as we were best friends Enzo! My parents were just unfortunate to have been brutally murdered by your ungrateful hands.”

Enzo scoffed as he pinned his hands on the desk Cody was sitting at, getting closer to his face.

” What’s wrong? Upset that your sad privileged life didn't work out for you anymore while your asshole parents pretended they gave a shit about you? Manipulating you to think you were all that special? Did your insecurity hit so hard that you put little horns on yourself to feel better about yourself? Jealousy really takes it for some people huh? Then stalking me and my partner because you were all alone, coping with the fact of how I used to be. So quit the bullshit and leave us alone. Now be a good little *goat* and take your device n go do what pompis villainous rich assholes do.”

Cody squinted with a toothy frown, clearly affected by his words. Enzo rose up as his eyes had expressed enough anger and turned around along with his partner and walked off. Before Valentino opened the door, Cody spoke out loud,

”Before you go. You two are forgetting something.” He grinned.

”Smile~.” 

Enzo and Val both felt something was off, they immediately knew right outside those doors were cops….Val grabs Enzo’s arm,

”LETS GO!” 

Val and Enzo ran off as the cops busted through the doors and followed them. Valentino sought a window and redirected, dragging Enzo by the arm still. 

“SHIT.. WHERE'S THE CLOSEST WINDOW?” Val shouted In a sweat.

”UP THERE!” Enzo shouted, pointing upwards to a second floor.

”We’re going to have to run around this corner to reach the stairs-“

Enzo nodded and followed his beloved from behind as he shot some bullets from being tailed by the cops behind them. 

Esperanza shouted,

”UP HERE, HURRY!” Wings sprouted from her back shoulders after touching her pendant. 

Enzo and Val jumped up and each held her hands as they were lifted for a quick second before being thrown up towards the second floor. Esperanza dropped herself onto the ground as they watched them reach the window at last.

”Get out of here you two…..” She watched. Val and Enzo quickly try to break the window as the cops swarm up the stairs. 

“Hey, give me your knife hun.” Val complied and handed him his knife. Enzo aimed towards the middle of the window with the knife held close to his chest, then full forcibly ran through and shattered the window.

”HOLD MY HAND-“ Valentino does as told as Enzo shoves the knife into his belt and holds onto Val as they run out and jump. Landing heavily onto the ground, Val lifted Enzo up to continue to run…

“GAK-!” Valentino fell to the ground, he was tased. Lights flashed them within the rain. Tons of police cars.

“VAL!” Enzo shouted as he tried to lift him up but was shot by a taser as well, he a little less unphased however and stood up and ripped the lines off of him and growled. Valentino then opened his eyes as he saw the taser lines on his chest and ripped them off of him as well, a little weakened but he stood up quickly. They were surrounded. 

Chess came out from the crowd from the police and the cars.  

“Surrender yourselves! We don’t want anyone getting hurt. It would be much more convenient for both sides!” He shouted.

Enzo growled as he squinted, the rain became heavier and much more difficult to see through. Valentino turned to him,

“What do we do… there’s nowhere to go this time…” Enzo became angrier and angrier, knowing he had dragged his own beloved into this, his own childhood friend trying to break them apart out of revenge, knowing he fell for it, blinded by his own anger. Camoren then walked through the crowd. 

“Sorry boys. Our agreement unfortunately had to come to a cut.” Only Camoren slight shadow was visible throughout the rain and the light.

“There you guys go. As promised, I hand you the wanted hitmen, you hand me my machine. Stolen or not, corrupt cops come in handy, don’t they Hokaze?” Hokaze emerged next to Cody. A little guilty by even being a part of it. 

Enzo and Val stood their ground. Valentino then lifted his hands in a surrendering motion. 

“Wh- Val..what are you doing?!” Enzo silently shouted.

“Just, follow my lead. Let them take us.” Val whispered. Enzo trusted whatever he had in mind and followed his motion, also lifting his hands.

“This better be a plan…” Enzo whispered. 

Camoren then walked up to them both, closer and closer but keeping a slight distance. “You two were too easy.” He teased. Enzo kept his cool while staring into his eyes. 

“This isn’t over, goat.” He growled.