"Snova", a cold voice boomed, signaling the dancers to start their exercise once again.
The young brunet shifting his weight to his left leg, ready to start 45 sets of fouettes from the beginning. The room full of mirrors and blank faces weren't new to him. The black performance surface was drenched with sweat from all 20 boys in the room. The dancers were still aching after the first 10 reps, but knew better than to show any amount of pain or discomfort in their expression. A neutral face was one of the first techniques they learned in the Academy. As he lifted his right leg, the brunet agent thought about his first day in this "home".
"The Academy is an underground facility in Russia that train men and women from their youth into the top agents. It was started after the Cold War in an attempt to secure that important information and people from around the world could be handled and processed without interference from an outside source with an agenda. That is all you need to know, agent podsolnechnik, "the woman who injected him previously said, looking down at the strapped young boy on the operation table.
The world looked fuzzy to him. A steady beep came from his right side, as numerous gloved hands came within his peripheral vision. He felt like an empty shell.
"By perfecting your body through this surgery, you will be paying us back with your entire existence. The next time you open your eyes, we will begin training you into a weapon. You are no longer Eijun Sawamura, a boy who had an unfavorable start in life. You are now agent podsolnechnik, a tool for international affairs and a being of absolute perfection," she stated as he once again felt the darkness swallow him.
That was the last time he saw the mysterious woman. However, true to her word the second he came to he was thrusted into training every day for the last 10 years. Steel floors, quiet hallways, white walls and gray bunk-beds decorated the interior of his new home. Human interaction between his peers resembled talking to mirror. The Academy was built on a system to make each of its student's similar, personality wise. The only thing that made the boys different was their genetic make-up, all 20 boys hailed from different ethnicities. They were clones, a blank canvas only to be painted with a personality once they had a mission. To agent podsolnechnik it was like a breath of fresh air to acquire a new personality. It was nice to have flaws that made him act human instead of a weapon, he'd like to think that was what made him different, instead of a clone like the rest.
A sharp clap snapped him back into the present. He like the rest of the teens in the room, halted with his right leg still in the air.
Two figures walked into the white and black dance room. Their polished black suede shoes, straight backs and red business coats, gave an indicator to all those present in the room that this was a pick up for a mission.
The man on the left spoke first.
"This is a pick-up for Podsolnechnik," he spat in a thick German accent.
The woman on his right stepped forward and glanced at all of the agents, who still did not move from their position.
"Can't you release them, eh?" she asked the instructor in English with a Canadian dialect.
The instructor just stiffened his back and clapped his hands twice. One clap signaled to relax, the second one was for the agent to go with the guests.
"Mission time," Podsolnechnik thought briskly walking toward the red coated visitors.
They barely waited until he was 10 steps behind him before they both started leaving the room.
"You will hear the details later, but there is what you will know now," the woman said looking back at the agent. "There is a plane waiting above ground for you headed to Tokyo, Japan. Your file, passport and suitcase are waiting for you on said plane. Headquarters' announcement will start in 10 minutes and they expect you to be ready. Do not disappoint the Academy. Remember absolute perfection."
The agent repeated the last three words and followed the duo into the elevator at the end of the hallway.
When they reached above ground the man handed agent podsolnechnik a thick white coat rimmed with fur, similar to the one he was brought in.
Two guards led the way to the aircraft as duo stayed inside the dome.
A charter plane surprised the agent but he kept his face impassive as he walked onto the steps. "There would be plenty of times to show expressions but now was not the time or place. He sat on the seat with a gold electronic tablet and manila folder on it. He counted 15 heartbeats he had left before headquarters would inform him about his mission. Deciding to look at the folder after the announcement he gave his attention to the tablet. When he pressed the silver button on the side and the Academy motto popped up. The brunet placed his left-eye in front of the inside camera to give the eye scanner a clear shot of his caramel orbs. After a small ping signifying conformation, "absolute perfection" popped up on the screen while a robotic voice repeated the words.
"To know, you simply need to ask," said the monotone robotic voice.
'What's the mission?" agent podsolnechnik asked.
"Go to Tokyo and win Koshien," a robotic voice answered.
"Khm? High school is one thing, but joining a baseball team?" the brunet questioned tilting his head to the side.
"You will receive more information as the operation progresses," the voice said.
"Da, I understand," the brown-haired agent replied.
"One more thing," the robotic voice said, almost like an afterthought, "Don't go looking for more than what is instructed."
Before the agent could reply the screen abruptly cut off.
As the plane took off Agent Podsolnechnik opened the folder. His eyes widened as they read across the page.
File Name: Ace of Diamond
File Number: 7067
Name: Eijun Sawamura
Birthday: May 15
Age: 15
Blood type: 0
Occupation: Student/ 1st year of High school
Objective: Win Koshien
Personality: hot-headed, loud-mouth small town boy
Hometown: Nagano
Position: Southpaw /Pitcher
Time: N/A
"Eijun Sawamura", he said rolling that name across his tongue. His cover had his real name. But—what did this mean? Headquarters' told him specifically not to look for more than what was there, but this was something else. It was personal in a way. He was using a name he hadn't heard in 10 years. Pursing his lips together, he thought about how this assignment made any sense. Koshien was big in the baseball world in Japan. Was this an assassination and the only way to get close to the target was winning the tournament? Pushing his dark-brown hair out of his eyes, he leaned back and let his mind wander.
"I'm Sawamura Eijun again," he thought with a smile on his face, "For at least the next few months I am not a clone. I am Eijun."
As the charter flight rode off into the harsh winter weather, Eijun allowed himself to have a few hours of bliss before his mission began.