Trigger Warning: There's an attempted sexual assault in this chapter.

The Handler proudly took a picture to commemorate Lila and Rose's first assignment. It was the day after their shared 16th birthday, and the girls were all dolled up for the occasion and bouncy with anticipation.

Then, they took a Briefcase and went to kill someone. It was simple, really.

Rose wasn't sure what this man had done in order to be targeted by the Commission. He'd been undone by his own free will, and that was enough information for her. Bad luck for him, but a stimulating outing for the girls.

They even picked out official codenames: Lila was Echo and Rose was Shadow. They were just a formality, though; The teenagers didn't need to bother with them much, since they were working with each other.

Shadow and Echo became the youngest temporal assassins in the Commission's history. Lila, especially, was proud. She sincerely enjoyed her work. She loved to drag out every assignment and create a narrative out of it. String along the victim, make them trust her. Only once she had them wrapped around her finger would she kill them.

However, for Rose, the novelty wore off after the first assignment. She went to each job and got it over with as quickly as possible. She cringed to think of how she was a murderer, and the body count was only increasing with every assignment.

After several months of grumbling about Rose ruining her fun, Lila announced that she wanted a new partner. She seemed to be daring Rose to beg for her to change her mind, but of course Rose was too prideful to admit how much she didn't want to be assigned someone else to work with.

The Handler was rather taken aback, but granted the request.

So, Lila went off to work with her new partner, Mango, immediately, and didn't look back. She stopped taking time off, and Rose barely saw her anymore.

Rose had been deeply upset about Lila leaving her, but once she met her own new partner, she thought that maybe it wasn't such a bad turn of events. Jackal was 19 and very attractive. A huge flirt, too.

The first few assignments Rose and Jackal carried out were relatively enjoyable for Rose. If she just closed her eyes while they took care of the mark, it wasn't so bad.

At nights, she would visit Jackal's motel room, wherever they were staying, and they'd talk late into the night about everything and nothing.

But, something happened, one night, while they were staying in a little town— a village, really— in Alaska. The year was 1977.

It was well past midnight, but Rose had never felt more awake. She was curled up on the edge of Jackal's bed, and they were making a game of asking each other questions. "Where were you born?" She inquired.

"Boston," Jackal answered promptly. "What's your least favorite food?"

"Red peppers."

"Hey, me too!"

"You're making that up," Rose protested.

"Am not! I swear." Jackal gave her one of his devilishly handsome smiles before asking one of his favorite questions: "What's your real name?"

"You know I can't tell you. 'Shadow' is good enough." As the adopted daughter of the Handler, of course Rose swore by Commission protocol.

Stretched out on the other side of the motel bed, Jackal implored, "C'mon, at least tell me what letter it starts with."

Rose gave him her own coy smile and said airily, "I don't know if you've earned the privilege to know yet."

And then, he sat up, leaned over, and gently kissed her on the lips. "How about now?"

It was Rose's first real kiss. She was elated, and didn't think twice about leaning in for another one. So much for Commission protocol, she thought giddily.

But, suddenly, Jackal wasn't being gentle anymore. When Rose realized where his hands were going, what he was trying to do, she felt sick to her stomach. As calmly as possible, she told him that she didn't want this to happen.

But Jackal acted like he didn't hear her and carried on with trying to peel off her clothes. With as much force as she could muster, Rose pushed Jackal off of her and hastily got to her feet, ready to get out of there.

"What the fuck, Shadow?" Eyes blazing with rage, Jackal jumped to his feet and lumbered towards her.

How did this situation get so out of control? Rose could fight him or run away if she wanted to, but she didn't. A better idea came to her. Quickly, remorselessly, she informed Jackal that she'd heard a rumor that he'd never again be able to hold an erection.

Then, she walked out of that motel room and returned to the Commission alone. Jackal was someone else's problem now.

The Handler asked no questions about what had happened, but gave Rose a long, knowing hug before supplying her with a new partner and a fresh assignment. Only later would Rose wonder if she'd been assigned to that pervert on purpose.

Wahoo, contrary to what his codename suggested, was a very serious man; Ex-military, experienced, in his late twenties. Definitely on the attractive side, but much too old for Rose. They treated one another very politely and never had any disagreements.

Rose resignedly settled into the endless cycle of waking, working, traveling, killing, and going back to sleep. But, considering what had happened with Jackal, she thought it was for the best. Things had gotten out of hand, and now she was making up for it.

Besides, she did get to see some truly splendid sights, as she traveled through time and space. And, after 16 years of having every minute of her life planned out for her, it was refreshing to have more control over how she spent her time.

Rose was well-equipped to handle anything that was thrown at her, and she took pride in a job well done. That was her favorite part; reporting to the Commission that the job had been successfully completed.

She only hoped that the Handler was keeping an eye on her. Was she proud?

Rose didn't know for sure, because the Handler didn't contact her at all while she was working— Which was all the time, now. Rose was never in touch with Lila, either.

Well, Rose had dreamed of independence for years, and now she had it.

After a very long year of this monotonous life, Rose was informed via pneumatic tube that she, alone, was to report to the Commission immediately. Wahoo was to carry out their current assignment by himself.

Rose nervously said goodbye to Wahoo and departed.

The Commission had always been a somewhat foreboding place— a fortress, really— but returning to it after so long felt like seeing an old friend to Rose.

On her way to the Handler's office, she poked her head into several other rooms. All of the case managers were delighted to see her again. She even got an invitation to join one of them for lunch ("They're serving Thai food in the cafeteria today!") but Rose was sure that she'd be dining with the Handler, and declined.

However, the Handler wasn't the only one waiting for Rose: Lila was slouched in her usual chair in the familiar old office. The moment Rose entered, Lila jumped to her feet.

The two girls studied one another warily.

Rose was shocked at how much Lila had changed in the months they'd been working separately. Lila's face had lost its baby fat, and she had gone from lanky to lithe. She looked alarmingly grown-up and self-assured. Rose was sure that she, herself, hadn't changed at all, and felt rather self-conscious.

The two girls had parted on bad terms, but now greeted one another with warm hugs and misty eyes, all past grievances forgotten.

The Handler, wearing her signature red lipstick, beamed as though this was the most lovely sight she had ever seen. "I'm very glad that you two like each other again! It certainly makes things much easier."

Lila pulled away from embracing Rose. "Makes what easier? Why'd you call us here, Mum?"

The Handler beckoned for them to sit down. "Carla is bringing in tea and scones momentarily," she told them. "But as for why I've summoned you both… Well, I want you two to be partners again!"

"You do?" Rose asked excitedly. "What about Wahoo?" She didn't mind working with her current partner, but of course Rose preferred Lila. They were as good as sisters.

"Yeah, and what about Mango?" Lila chimed in. Rose couldn't tell if Lila was as enthusiastic about this new development as she was.

"Wahoo and Mango will partner up," the Handler explained. "Then, you two can go back to working together."

"Wait, I thought your partner's name was Jackal?" Lila said aside to Rose, who smiled ruefully.

"I'll tell you all about what happened later," Rose promised before shifting her attention back to the Handler. "Why do you want Lila and I to work together so badly?"

"You two are the dream team! With your brains, spirit, and, ah, special talents. My little ruthless angels! I wouldn't be surprised if you two went down as legends here: The most dangerous assassins in history."

Lila mouthed the word legends to herself, eyes aglow with the prospect. She was clearly sold on the idea.

Like Rose, the Handler amusedly observed the effect her speech had had on Lila. "I admire your ambition, darling, I really do. But first, before you return to the field and make your mark, I must insist that you both take a vacation from work. Just two months."

Lila, appalled that her destiny was being delayed, opened her mouth to object, but the Handler pressed on. "I know how hard you both have been working, but you're only 17! You two may still train daily, but no new assignments until October. I want you both here to celebrate your 18th birthdays!"

Lila wasn't totally on board with these conditions, but Rose was ecstatic. After months of living in a sad stupor, Rose was back with her family, and wasn't leaving them again any time soon.

Rose and Lila's 18th birthday was days away now.

An ominous fog was looming outside, but the girls were training inside of the Commission and were having a perfectly good time messing around in the gymnasium.

As usual, they went up to the Handler's office for lunch after hitting the showers.

"Have you two made up your minds yet, about what you're doing for your birthday?"

"Dinosaurs," Lila quickly said.

"No," Rose said, elbowing Lila. "We're never doing that again. Not after last time… Let's just stay here. Binge old Disney movies, eat lots of food."

Lila shrugged. "That's fine, too." She peeled apart the slices of her sandwich and inspected its contents. "I told Carla, no mayo…" she grumbled.

"You really need to pick your battles," Rose scolded her mildly.

"Everything's a battle, if you care enough," Lila said with dignity.

"There's my fierce girl." The Handler gazed at her daughter fondly. "You know, I'm very much anticipating you two distinguishing yourselves, once you return to work next week."

"You could have already seen that happen, if you'd let us start—"

The Handler smiled indulgently. "All in good time, Little One. I know how eager you are."

"You'd better not get all weird again, once we're back out there," Lila warned Rose.

"I won't!" Rose insisted, but she felt her face grow warm. Sure, Rose didn't enjoy her job, but she did enjoy working with Lila. She wasn't going to ruin that again.

"Well, corrections aren't for everyone," the Handler said tolerantly. "It's understandable if you can't stomach-"

"I can, I swear!" Rose meant it. She had to prove to the Handler that her training hadn't been for naught, that she was worth something.

"Hm." The Handler didn't look terribly convinced. She bit into her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing. "I have an idea, actually. What if both of you went undercover when needed, but Lila was to independently carry out the, ah, messier aspects of the job, while you, Rose, specialized in interrogations?"

Rose and Lila glanced at each other and saw that they were both pleased with this proposition. This way, Rose could have a clean(er) conscience, and Lila could have all the fun she wanted.