Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted his heel against me.

The world has changed drastically. Over thousands of years, machines have evolved with exceptional artificial intelligence brought in the human race, but some people's greed for power has remained the same. Millions have died, and many have suffered. A political leader created a hierarchy class called Human Clusters to maintain quality rather than equality among them. 

Gaia is a world where people are separated based on the symbol embedded in their right deltoid arm. The emblem glows in the dark and quickly identifies them based on hierarchy and status. 

The Celtic Dragon symbol represents a country's highest leader, who oversees the country's economy, infrastructure, and social status and has the authority to give commands when a war arises between them and their people. 

The Red Bull symbol is a form of government that oversees the country’s wealth, finances, and taxes. Corruption that ordinary citizens cannot control is expected. 

The Black Lynx symbolizes soldiers who work under the command of the Celtic Dragon. However, some Red Bull opponents have discreetly established a secret agency that does their dirty work. They are called the shadow assassins of the Fallon Organization, and their mark is the Black Eagle. The agency has a strong foundation and disguises itself in the community so that even the Celtic Dragon cannot terminate it.

The Flores symbol is the middle-class citizen who was naturally born rich and famous, which benefits the country.   

Unfortunately, the government neglected the welfare of ordinary people because of political greed and egocentrism. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a symbol; some were born out of bad luck. They were called the Rattus. Because they were born unmarked, they were treated like rats and trash. Among them were Iris Jin and Colleen Yung. 

People like Iris and Colleen lived in the ruins of slavery or the ruins of the poorest, who eat one loaf of bread a day and a bottle of water rationed by the givers. The givers act as the good Samaritans, supported by middle-class citizens who were born philanthropists of the country.

Despite Iris Jin and Colleen Yung being unmarked, they were naturally born with fighting skills to survive. They fight those who prejudice the weak and help those in danger. The street children looked up to them as heroes. 

After being caught by the Fallon members, Iris and Collen were locked up in the dungeon for a month without food and water until the Head of the Fallon Organization recognized their talents by fighting for their lives against the best fighter of the Fallon. 

Iris Jin and Collen Yung were marked as one of the Black Eagles.

Three hours earlier…

It was a vibrant sunset inside the Fallon Organization Walls. Iris Jin was running in the training field when Colleen saw her from a distance. 

“Iris!” Colleen shouted and waved her hands up. 

Iris stopped and looked at her. Colleen ran towards her, and they ended up in a running relay. As they reached the finish line simultaneously, they caught their breath, sweated, and chuckled. Colleen suddenly braced Iris's shoulder. 

“Should we go treat ourselves to karaoke after our last suicidal operation?” Colleen teased. 

“Suicidal? Ha! We are just going to retrieve a silver case. It's a piece of cake,” Iris said, taking a sip from the water bottle and sharing it with Colleen. 

“I know—but I heard they are going to put a capsule tracker on us in case we get stuck.” 

“Well, it's a common Fallon protocol when our operation is dangerous. So, taking precautions is not going to hurt us. Plus, we are shadow assassins; who will dare to take us down?” Iris boasted. 

“Correcto! And we can yappy yippy at karaoke later.” Colleen said happily. 

They looked at each other and laughed again as they walked toward the metal gate of the Fallon underground headquarters. 

The Fallon Team Secret Operation—Iris Jin, 25, leader of the shadow assassin and under the supervision of Fallon Moteif and Colleen Yung, 21—was tasked with retrieving a silver case that was stored in the old Golden Empire of Verticulas, now known as the Ruins of the Golden Empire.

The organization had speculated that the Leaders of Vēntas protected the silver case and had wholly sealed its location.

Neither of them knew what was inside the silver case. However, the opposition government was greedy enough to let the shadow assassins do the dirty work for them.

Their opponent is the Leaders of Vēntas. Though they could not terminate the Fallon Organization, the assassins would pay the prize for it. 

Iris and Colleen knew how the Vēntas hid and sought to kill their enemies. It’s not something you dare to imagine the after-killing effect. It’s gruesome that you wish you’d never get caught by their bloody hands. Bloodier compared to an assassin like them who kills mercilessly but leaves the remains intact and not distorted. 

In a solid Gaia-technology helicopter, Fallon Moteif, Founder of the Fallon Organization, painlessly injected Iris and Colleen with the capsule tracker on their nape and wished them luck. 

“You two had never failed me once. So make sure to make me proud.” Moteif wisdom of words. 

“Yes to High Moteif,” they addressed him like praising a god. 

Iris and Colleen smiled at each other for the last time and jumped off the helicopter. They soared through the full moon sky until they reached the dark, secluded ground of the Ruins. They quietly removed the parachute belts and put on their black masks. Iris looked at Colleen, who nodded as they pursued the operation. 

“Are you ready to snap their heads off?” Iris grinned. 

Colleen smirked behind her mask. “Of course! Let’s go rock and roll.”

They discreetly and swiftly moved into the shadows, quietly snapping each soldier’s head around the area and hiding them behind the shadows of the ruined castle. When they reached the far end of the palace, they saw a steel door attached to the underground.

Iris quietly opened the door with a faint creaking sound while Colleen covered her and watched in the area. Iris signaled to her that it was safe to enter. 

It was dim when they reached the palace's underground, and the full moon glade lit the subterranean river at the far right end. There was only one river passage, the one they were in, and they had yet to learn where it led.

“We have to swim underwater. Moteif said that the silver case is on the underside of that ruined wall.” Iris pointed to the dark entrance.

Colleen agreed. 

They wore snorkel masks, jumped into the deep river, and swam far more below. They'd seen parts of the ruins, such as bricks, broken statues, silver platters, and jewels. The more bottomless Iris looked at it, the more she saw uncollected skeletons and shattered skulls littering the ruins. The small fish make it their home. 

When they rose from the water, it was very dark and quiet. They turned on their night vision goggles with illuminators. They were surprised, as the place had no security camera.

It’s unusual to hide a silver case without security. Iris thought as they moved along.

The surroundings smelled musty, and there was a foul odor of dead rats. At the far end, a torch of light could be seen. As they entered the strange place made of old bricks, a small sculptured archangel holding the silver case welcomed Iris and Colleen. 

They nodded to each other.

They checked every corner of the walls, ensuring it was safe to take the silver case. 

“Isn’t it strange that nobody’s here to protect the silver case? Not even a security camera in this area,” Colleen said.

“Beats me. There’s no sensory to detect intruders either.” 

“Do you think taking the silver case will be safe?”

“Don’t worry. If something happens, the capsule tracker Moteif implanted in us will let them know. It reads our pulse and triggers Moteif’s assistant tablet.

“Sweet! Then, let’s hurry and leave. I can’t wait to sing along with you.”

“Focus, Colleen.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Colleen pouted and looked around again. 

When Iris took the silver case, the three corners of the walls started to shake, and several spears and poisoned arrows were shot at them in every corner.

They swiftly dodged, which was covered with a dark plum-colored poison. 

“What the hell...where did it come from?” Colleen's pierced eyes made her feel tense and alert. 

“Colleen! Behind you!” Iris shouted. Her eyes were surprised. 

They jumped in intervals, using their bodies to backflip, and rolled on the uneven cemented ground. The spears and arrows continued shooting at them like lightning-shooting stars, but most came from above the dark ceiling.

“What kind of a trap is this?” Colleen crouched, dodging and backflipping side by side. 

They needed to reach the exit door. 

Iris smirked. “Maybe it was installed thousands of years ago,” she said as she dodged, jumped, split, and rolled on the ground several times. 

“How long is this going to hold us up?” Colleen hunched over. 

“Keep going until it runs out of spears and arrows.” Iris backflipped and split to avoid the arrows above her head.

“Ugh… I’m getting bored already!” 

Colleen pouted, and Iris was focused until everything settled down. After retrieving the silver case, Iris clutched the handcuffs from her left wrist and placed the other on the silver case handle.

They dived again into the river to return to where they first entered the underground. 

“Wow, that wasn’t difficult. But I didn’t expect the arrows and spears to have poison in them,” Colleen said, and they both threw the goggles into the river. 

“Yeah, but that was fun. Let me call Moteif and tell him we completed the mission.” Iris smiled and took out an old flip phone. 

Colleen shook her wet hair and tapped her right ear using her left hand.

“Sir, the silver case has been compromised. Requesting for pick-up.” 

“Good job, black eagles. Please stand by.” Moteif hung up. 

Moteif signaled his head to his assistant. The assistant looked into the tablet, detecting their pulse, and activated the capsule tracker by pressing the red button. It would take 30 seconds before it exploded their heads. 

Iris returned and saw Colleen, who stood and smiled at her excitedly, not knowing what came next.

“Finally, we can brea–” Colleen was interrupted by an explosion from her nape. 

Colleen’s head was cut out and separated from her body. The blood burst out from her neck, and her body fell sideways on the ground as the blood overflowed. Her head rolled towards the stairwell, where her eyes closed with a warm smile. Iris's eyes widened in shock before she could even say a word.

“Coll—” Iris's nape exploded while her tears dripped. 

Iris knelt, and her body fell sideways, facing Colleen’s beheaded body to hers. Her eyes were opened in tears as her head rolled over and fell on the river. 

When Moteif came to retrieve the silver case, Iris's right arm reached for Colleen. Their lifeless bodies were carried and thrown into the river. One of the assassins took the head of Colleen and threw it at the farther end of the river. 

They were never regarded as part of the organization for over ten years of working with them; they became pawns rather than loyal assassins. They thought joining the Fallon Organization rewarded their hunger for living a simple life. Iris Jin and Colleen Yung lost their lives for nothing of value.

The years they had tried to survive were perilous for risking their lives until the end.

Moteif ensures that no one will ever find their dead bodies after the mission they have accomplished.