Author's Note:

- A while ago, I lost control of my life and everything was a flaming mess =u= ! Luckily, I managed to somewhat get back on the steering wheel by now, so I'm back! Anyways, been wanting to write this fic for 2 months. Hoping for this to be a short fic that will finish in 10 chapters or less. We'll see~

- Hong Kong because for some reason, it persistently came to mind when I was trying to think up a setting. So pack your bags guys, we're flying to Hong Kong! I've only been there a few times as a kid so I barely remember anything, but I did my best to research (and got super excited when I was reminded of how awesome Hong Kong food is!). Feel free to poke me if you spot anything weird XD

- *awesomely returns The Rainbow Monocerus' shoutout* Go and try to spot it :DD

- Trivia: This time, all the chapter titles are the names of various paradoxes. Have fun! ;D

Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction and has no connection to any military or law enforcement agencies. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any trademarks appearing in this work are the property of their respective owners.

【Chapter 1: Buridan's Ass】

If a donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty is placed precisely midway between a stack of hay and a pail of water, which way will it go?

The Shining Star, Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong 20:09

It was an exceptionally good evening for VSSE field operatives Giorgio and Evan.

They had been sent to Hong Kong to investigate a poison gas incident, initiated by none other than the feared world terrorists, Wild Dog, Wild Fang and their men. After a long and difficult battle, not only had they succeeded in foiling Wild Dog's plans, they had also managed to capture one of the elusive duo, Wild Fang.

Earlier in the afternoon, Giorgio and Evan had immediately handed Wild Fang over to the other VSSE operatives in Hong Kong, who were to file his papers and send him over to their main headquarters in Europe the next morning. Wild Fang's future interrogation certainly gave everyone hope of figuring out more about Wild Dog's organization and hopefully, how to stop him once and for all. Overjoyed, the Director had greatly praised and congratulated Giorgio and Evan for their success. Giorgio had thanked him, while Evan had grinned smugly.

Their work having finished early, Evan had then asked Giorgio if he wanted to go sightseeing in Hong Kong that night before they had to return to HQ the next morning. Giorgio, thinking that he might as well use some cooling down, decided to amuse Evan. So off they went to one of Hong Kong's top tourism spots, Victoria Harbour, following Evan's recommendation.

"Look tonton (uncle)! Aren't the lights amazing?" Evan asked, cheerful eyes reflecting the bright city lights as he leaned out against the railing of the deck of the Shining Star.

A passenger ferry operated by the Star Ferry Company, the Shining Star served tourists and traveled a one hour round trip around Victoria Harbour. Everyday at 8 in the evening, the Victoria Harbour would have a 15-minute light and sound show called 'A Symphony of Lights', where all the buildings of the Harbour would light up in beautiful vibrant colours, making it a well-loved attraction. To make it even better, Giorgio and Evan had caught the show at the rare times there were also fireworks, making the view all the more breathtaking. Being able to enjoy the trip without having to worry about unfinished missions, things couldn't get any better.

"Lean out any further, and all the siu mai you're holding will fall into the water," Giorgio teased. Evan laughed, puling himself back and holding his box of dumplings protectively. He continued snacking on it as he watched the lights.

"You know, tonton, it's not bad to have some relaxing days like this," Evan mused, feeling content.

"Even though you're usually the first to jump in when there's something exciting?" Giorgio asked.

"Euh... Yeah, but you know, a break could be good too, every once in a while. Don't you think that criminal activities had been on a rise lately? We keep getting longer jobs," Evan reasoned, looking up at him.

"..."

'And those evil men had grown more teeth, too,' Giorgio thought. Their missions had certainly gotten more difficult lately. The frequency of new missions being handed to them had increased as well, giving them almost no time to catch their breath. He studied Evan's face closely, noticing how he looked a little tired although he was usually brimming with energy. Giorgio sighed, folding his arms.

"You know, if you're tired, we can ask for some paid holidays when we get back," he suggested.

"And let you go on solo missions while I miss all the action again? Yeah, right," Evan narrowed his eyes at Giorgio with envy. Giorgio was his senior and the Chief still entrusted him with solo missions from time to time, even after he had paired up with Evan. Aside from feeling a little jealous at the special treatment, the last thing Evan wanted was to fall behind.

"Oh, Evan," Giorgio chuckled a little, rather amused. "No, no. Your health comes first, alright? Besides...," he said, putting a hand on Evan's shoulder, "I think that I've been working a lot lately as well, so... I was thinking of coming with you this time. Maybe we can go somewhere together."

"..." At that, Evan's expression suddenly changed as he lit up. His eyes widened, a little glassy as he felt touched. "You... You are...?! Really...?"

Being busy with missions, they had never really gotten much of a chance to go out and have fun together during their 2-year career of being partners, so Evan was thrilled. But a question that bothered him came to mind, and his heart sank.

"But, don't you usually prefer some quiet time alone during holidays so you can relax?" He asked doubtfully, not wanting to bother Giorgio. Giorgio only smiled at him.

"Yeah, but I might as well spend more time with you every once in a while," he repeated, "You're my important partner and I won't trade you for anything. Promise."

"...!" Evan gasped, staring at Giorgio wordlessly. But Giorgio could see the overflowing excitement in his eyes. The beautiful fireworks and bright lights that lit up around them were as though they were expressing his joyful emotions.

"Here, have all my siu mai! It's a gift!" Evan exclaimed happily, immediately shoving his box of dumplings into Giorgio's hands. Wide grin not leaving his face, he then proceeded to lean happily against the ferry's railings again, already dreaming up the most fun ideas on where and how to best spend their holidays.

"You know, maybe we can go to Israel and ride camels! Or maybe pick somewhere closer to home and see the ancient cities of Greece... Or, or! Maybe we can go to Rio again! Our last time there had been crazy!" He suggested idea after idea excitedly.

Giorgio laughed, feeling happy for him.

Hotel, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong 03:12

After having much fun at the ferry, their night was followed by Evan tasting and sharing every Hong Kong street food that he could get his hands on with Giorgio. So far they had tried the siu mai, fishballs, fried chestnuts and egg waffles before their stomachs gave up on them. The two had then returned to their hotel feeling very satisfied. Feeling rather beat after the long day, they had immediately cleaned up, went to bed, and fell sound asleep.

Giorgio was just having a perfect, dreamless sleep among the comfort of his sheets, when he was suddenly woken up by the persistent buzzing of his phone. Jolted awake and feeling disoriented at first, he immediately scrambled for the phone on his bedside table. Grabbing it in the darkness, he sat up groggily and squinted at the glowing screen, the sudden bright light hurting his eyes.

'3:14 a.m... Which testa di cazzo would call at such an ungodly hourー'

He had barely finished his thoughts when his sleep-blurred vision focused and he tensed. The caller was one of the Hong Kong VSSE agents in charge of Wild Fang, Agent Steven Wang. The surprise woke Giorgio up and he quickly answered, nervous if something untoward had happened.

"Yes. Bruno here."

"Mr. Bruno, sorry for having woken you up," Steven answered from the other side, calm. "Things are alright, so not to worry. But since we need to send the subject away first thing in the morning, we had a few questions about his reports and documents that need clearing up quickly. We're sorry to disturb you, but could you please come?"

Giorgio let out his breath and sighed in relief. At least it wasn't news of Wild Fang escaping. He glanced over at Evan, who was still sleeping peacefully in the single bed next to him.

"Should Agent Bernard come as well?" Giorgio asked.

"Well, we just need more clarification about the apparatus and facilities that you've encountered during your mission. If only one of you could do it, then one of you would suffice."

Giorgio turned over to sit at the edge of his bed as he listened, facing Evan. Evan had a faint smile on his lipsーmust be dreaming about the fun holidays ahead. Giorgio carefully tidied his partner's sheets and continued watching him as he replied.

"I'll come by myself, then. I'll tell Agent Bernard about it when he wakes up in the morning," he said.

"Alright. We'll be waiting for you."

Stanley Prison, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong 04:42

Stanley Prison, one of the six maximum security prisons in Hong Kong, was where they had decided to detain Wild Fang temporarily. Giorgio had gone there immediately after his call and met up with the three agents in charge of the criminalーSteven and his two colleagues. With how meticulous Giorgio was, he managed to take care of the documents quickly and within an hour, he was done. His colleagues thanked him greatly for his cooperation.

"I hope things will proceed smoothly after this," Giorgio said, "Let's hope that Wild Fang doesn't have anything up his sleeve when he was being transported."

"Oh, Mr. Bruno! You don't have to worry about that," Steven laughed. "HQ said that they had sent one of their best agents to ensure that Wild Fang would be transported safely. He should arrive in a bit."

"Wonder who it is," Giorgio thought aloud.

They said their farewells, then. Giorgio stepped out of the prison's premises afterwards, stopping to look up at the dark skies that were just starting to light up a faint blue. With the last of his work for this mission done, he could finally relax a little. He thought about how Evan would thank him for taking care of the last bit of formalities for him later and smiled proudly to himself. Everything was well.

Then suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, Giorgio took a look at the caller's name.

'Evan. Speak of the devil. Is he already awake?'

Giorgio picked up the phone, wondering if Evan had woken up to use the bathroom or something, and was probably surprised when he didn't see him and his things there in the room.

"Buongiorno, bambino. (Morning, kid.) Missed me?" He said, chuckling a little. However, to his surprise and astonishment, the man who replied on the other side of the phone wasn't Evan.

"Ah, Agent Bruno, I've certainly missed you," a familiar, dreaded voice replied instead in a singsong way, snickering.

Wild Dog.

Giorgio's eyes widened as he tensed immediately. He rushed into the shadows at the side of the prison, where no one was there to see him.

"Curse you, Wild Dog. What do you want? What did you do to Evan!" He hissed demandingly.

"Oh, relax, my dear Mr. Bruno, your precious friend is safe here with me," Wild Dog replied ever so gently. Giorgio heard the phone being passed over, and then Evan's voice.

"No, tonton! Don't you dare listen to him! GAH...!"

"Evan!" Giorgio exclaimed as he heard some struggle on the other side of the line. "Wild Dog! Touch him again and we don't have any deal! What in the world do you want?!"

"Oh, but Mr. Bruno, you don't understand who's in power here, do you? I'm free to do whatever I like, as long as I don't kill him, right? Let's say that I'm feeling a little... irritated, at the moment," Wild Dog laughed.

"As for what I want, it's simpleーI want my little apprentice back. Move fast enough and maybe you can get your friend back in one piece. If you fail, I'll make sure that he dies such a slow, painful death that he'd remember it all throughout his next lives. Do we have a deal?"

"Putain... The VSSE will never agree...!" Giorgio could hear Evan's protesting, faint panting voice through the phone.

"Oh, I'm sure they wouldn'tーTrading such an important criminal for just one little junior agent? Unacceptable!" Wild Dog said, "But your friend Mr. Bruno here is different, is he not? That's why I've decided to contact him, and not your organization. Hahaha...!"

"...," Giorgio gritted his teeth in anger.

"So yes, Mr. Bruno. You only get to keep one of them, so choose wisely," Wild Dog warned. "Wild Fang, or Mr. Bernard?"

Giorgio's frown deepened and his breath quickened, frustrated. They had worked so hard. So hard. And for the first time in history, the VSSE had succeeded in capturing Wild Fang. Letting him go would cause them to lose all their leads on Wild Dog yet again. His logic told him that the mission and the world always come first, but Evan...

"Tontonー Giorgio... No...! Please no...," his partner whimpered.

The more time he spent in indecision, the more there was no telling what Wild Dog would do. Giorgio took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He breathed out slowly, calming himself down and clearing his thoughts. Opening his eyes again, he answered against all his better judgement.

"Alright, I'll get Wild Fang for you. Evan had better still be alive when you return him!" He spat angrily.

"Ah, I know you'd say that. Good boyーMr. Bernard must be really happy to have such a caring partner," Wild Dog smirked triumphantly. Seeing that his conditions were being met, he continued to press on.

"Well, considering you're already on location, you have till six o'clockーabout one hour to at least get your hands on Wild Fang before he's sent off. I'll be monitoring you and I'll contact you again," he ordered.

"Move fast Mr. Bruno. Time is ticking~"

Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong 04:50

At the terminal for international arrivals of the Hong Kong International Airport, a certain undercover VSSE agent straightened himself up and stretched a little, loosening up after his long flight from Europe. He took in a deep breath and looked up at the slowly brightening violet skies.

The VSSE had sent him here on an important emergency mission. The famed criminal Wild Fang had been successfully captured by his comrades. His job would be to escort him, and ensure his safe trip back to the HQ in Europe for questioning. He certainly couldn't let his guard down on this one.

A black car pulled over next to him, and another agent in sunglasses stepped out, greeting and addressing him politely.

"Sir, I'm here to pick you up. We'll be heading to Stanley Prison where the subject is detained. The trip would take a little over half an hour," the agent explained concisely. He nodded.

"Thank you. Let's be on our way," he replied coolly.

The fresh morning wind blew through his black leather jacket and jet black hair, and the VSSE's one man army, Agent Richard Miller, was ready for his mission.