"I hear something…" Josiah tilted her head in the air, her eyes narrowed, as if searching for something lost.

Etrius strained his ears. "I don't hear anything."

Josiah scoffed. "That's because you don't have advanced powers. Follow me." She took off in a fast walk through the alleyways, Etrius following close behind. Josiah stopped at every few turns, her eyes scanning the streets, trying to figure out which turn to take to keep themselves hidden, and get to… Wherever she was going.

Josiah stopped at the end of the alleyway, her eyes staring ahead. She was deathly still.

Etrius frowned. "Josiah?"

Josiah shushed him by raising her clenched fist. She moved toward the center of the alleyway. A green dumpster obstructed her view of the empty streets, but something wasn't right.

Someone's hand was splayed across the floor, the rest concealed behind the dumpster. Josiah recognized her instantly. "Nox!" She darted forward.

From the edges of consciousness, Nox could sense someone moving into the alleyway. Her heart hammered faster with fear and alert, but she couldn't move a muscle. The obsidian shard in her pocket weighed her down. She felt someone's hands drag her across the floor, and check her pulse. She forced her eyes open, seeing two silhouettes above her, both with green eyes.

She tried to say something, but the words wouldn't make it past her lips. She heard Etrius' voice grate in her ears.

Nox. Nox! Can you hear me? His voice echoed in her mind, just barely.

Nox shut her eyes and focused, the mere task draining her of energy. Ob—Obsidian… Pocket… Lloyd…

Etrius's hand felt her pocket. Sure enough, he felt the sharp jab of a crystal. He plucked the Obsidian shard out.

Nox inhaled sharply at the sudden effect.

Etrius muttered an "Oh my God…" under his breath before rose to his feet. He hurled the shard into the distance. Nox could feel it's effects ebbing away. Etrius fell back to his knees, grabbing her shoulders. "Talk to me, Nox. How long were you here? What the hell happened?"

Nox opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't form. Her throat was parched. Her stomach swam. Her head spun. Nothing around her seemed real.

Etrius' brows knitted together. Nox?

It… It's… Lloyd.

Lloyd? What happened to Lloyd?

He… traitor… She felt the edges of reality crumbling away.

Nox! You aren't making sense. What. Happened. To. Lloyd?

"Maybe I can help." Josiah placed one hand on Nox's forehead, the other one on her heand. Her fingers lit up like white embers, the light curling around them. She shut her eyes, trying to focus. But the steady line that always existed in the forefront of her thoughts was broken. "I can't do this. I've never done this before." She locked her gaze with Etrius'. "Not with Obsidian."

Nox's eyes fluttered. Lloyd… Led the team…

Etrius leaned forward. Go on, Nox. I hear you. Lloyd led the team—then what happened?

Traitor. She forced the word to form. Three Elders… Was a trap.

Etrius could only assume that The General was controlling Lloyd, the same way he controlled him.

Etrius… I… Failed. Couldn't stop him… The darkness closed in on Nox's mind.

Nox? Nox!

Josiah passed a hand over her face. "She'll be alright. She just needs rest."

"You can't control Obsidian, and now you're suddenly an expert?" Etrius grated.

Josiah cast her hair aside. "Whatever. I suggest we stay here, or find somewhere safe until Nox fully recovers."

"We're in the middle of a fucking apocalypse. Where is it safe? Besides, we can't just stay out of action. The team needs me. I need to leave."

"And what if you get captured?" Josiah grated. "I lost you once—I can't lose you again."

Etrius's eyes remained fixed on Josiah's. They grew distant with recalling memories from so long ago. Josiah didn't need to look into his past to see what he was recalling. She could see it through his eyes. "You're the one I can't lose."

Josiah dragged a hand down her face. "Etrius, we need to stick together. I… Okay, I'll admit it. I can't do this without you. I need you. Nox needs you. The team can take care of themselves. You've trained them that way."

Etrius let out air through his nostrils, looking to the floor. Josiah crouched down, hooking one of Nox's arms over her shoulder. "You coming, or what?"

Etrius remained still for a moment, contemplating. Then he grabbed Nox's other arm. Together, the two of them walked away from the alley.

Nox's mind was cast into a world of darkness and memories. One particular memory she never wanted to visit, and was sure she never would again…

It had only been 30 years since Nox was put into cryo-sleep. After a lab fire that caused the entire building to evacuate, Nox's cryo-chamber had been opened. She awoke to find herself in some sort of Naval Research Lab, in Washington DC.

Finding out what the Major had done, Nox ran away to find a resource war destroying country after country, leaving a path of destruction in it's wake.

Knowing that she had to leave her old life behind, Nox picked up a career that would pay her well enough to survive in war conditions.

Assassination.

Washington DC - Nox's First Awakening.

Nox pulled the dark hood over her head, shadowing her face. Her eyes were set aglow, watching the city being torn apart below. A smile crossed her face. After weeks of assassinating and fulfilling contracts, seeing so much death hadn't fazed her as it usually would. Not once did she regret her career choice. Two thousand dollars a kill. More than enough to get her through a month with skyrocketing food and water prices.

Nox stood at the edge of the building, her eyes taking in the signs worn out on the streets. She could barely tell the street names or numbers, but she knew where she was going. Her victim wasn't far from here.

A baby wailed in the distance. The streets were rioting, police and military personnel forced to use lethal weapons to keep the violence down. The smell of blood lingered in the air. Nox could feel it—breathe it—and for a moment, it was all she could see.

Nox backed away a few feet from the edge, then leaped off. She felt her powers coursing through her system, lightening her weight and causing gravity to die beneath her. She never had to worry about making it out alive through the dangerous streets, or grapple across buildings.

Her feet landed softly on the opposite building. It creaked and moaned beneath her weight. Nox frowned, but not at the unsupportive structure.

There.

Overhead.

Someone pulled themselves up from the roof, their grappling gun still embedded in the building's surface. He wore a pointed hood, stained with blood. Another assassin.

Nox quickly lowered her hood over her face. She reached into the back of her belt, producing a dagger. She had to save her bullets for the target. She didn't move from her spot.

The stranger acknowledged Nox's presence, and he stood frozen on the edge of the building. His brown eyes caught the light of the fires below, through the shadow of his hood.

Nox swallowed hard. "You there! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The stranger remained silent, his eyes wearily on Nox.

"I said—"

"I heard you the first time." He had a British accent. He approached Nox, no weapons in his hands to show her he wasn't afraid. Nox wasn't about to feel guilty just because she didn't let go of her dagger. "What business do you have here?" He was a few feet away from her now, circling her, inspecting her. Nox had to move around once he began to move away from her line of vision.

Nox tilted her head up in defiance, but not enough to show her face. "None of your business."

"I believe it is." Lloyd showed her a contract—her contract.

Nox felt her pocket. Surely enough, it was gone. Anger rose to her face. "Son of a bitch."

Lloyd's eyes hastily scanned the document. "Derek Frank. Lives on Southern Avenue. Hm… You see, I don't believe in coincidences. It's no mistake you and I are chasing after the same target." He closed the distance between them, his breath hot on her cheek. Nox shut her eyes, avoiding his.

Lloyd seized her arm. "Who are you?" He demanded.

Nox remained silent.

Lloyd grabbed her hood and yanked it down, revealing her face. Soft light bled from her eyes. Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

Nox's breath caught. "Look—I can explain."

Lloyd's gaze narrowed as he locked his eyes on her. "Can you kill?"

Nox blinked, the light momentarily flashing away before returning. "What?"

"Can. You. Kill."

Nox took a deep breath, just realizing that she's been holding it in. No use in hiding anymore. "You read the contract. Of course I can kill. Look at the hellhole below us," She gestured to the war-torn streets below the building they stood on. "This is the easiest and quickest career they have available in a time like this. Assassination. It's either kill, or be killed."

Lloyd's eyes raked through her, as if searching her for something, contemplating. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Alright then." He relinquished his grip on her arm. Nox could feel blood circulating back into it again. Lloyd beckoned her with a crook of his finger. "You're coming with me."

Nox almost laughed. "And why would I do that?"

"We're chasing after the same target. No use in one of us taking him down alone. With your… uh… powers, and my skill combined, we'll share the spoils."

"I just don't see how you can move around in that uniform."

"If you don't like it, I can take it off."

Nox rolled her eyes. He was flirting with her!

Lloyd gave a soft, husky chuckle, lowering his hood. He had a sharp, angular features, earthly brown eyes, a goatee and black hair tied back into a short ponytail. Nox could tell he was in his early twenties. There was something familiar, yet richly exotic about his features.

It was now when Nox actually recognized him for who he was. He wasn't known very well to the public, but among the shadowy groups of assassins, he was best known for taking down targets without a single fail. Even when he first stepped into his career, he was young, but showed excellent skill in the art of assassination.

Nox was never one for dating, especially with celebrities. But there was something about him… Something she couldn't escape…

And it was drawing her towards him.

Perhaps sticking around with him wouldn't be so bad after all.