Pałac Kulutry i Nauki [Palace of Culture & Science] Underground UN Solider Base [Cybernetic Operating Room] - 2:27 P.M.:

"What happened!?" Borys questioned, keeping his eyes on the monitor while inserting a needle into the IV Bag's injection port hanging from the monitor. Fluid nearly filled the entire injection port.

"Tatyana was going to wake up, but her eyes rolled back into her head, and the monitor went off," Kevon explained.

The monitor still beeped furiously as the room's only sound with the group watching, fearing the worst. Piotr landed two fingers on Tatyana's neck, his jaw clenching as he felt her pulse jump under his fingers.

"Shit..."

"What's wrong?" Kevon demanded.

Borys rubbed the back of his neck. "We might need something stronger."

Beep.

"Answer me, damnit!"

Beep!

The Polish Doctor looked over the monitor, hiding his face to avoid panicking in front of the group behind him.

BEEP!

"Tatyana's brain activity has increased, but so has her rate. The pain kicked in sooner than we anticipated. She's fighting to wake up, but the pain from the metal rods is more than she can handle. Tatyana is in pain but not fully unconscious. If she doesn't relax soon, the morphine won't be able to kick in due to her adrenaline levels. She could die from extreme heart palpitations. The pain loop keeps it on overdrive, making it worse," Borys explained.

"Can't you fix it!?" Raven exclaimed.

"Medicinal drugs can only do so much; even the stronger ones don't usually work," Piotr added. "Ninjas' brains are always tricky. We could try anesthesia to help slow her heart rate. Alongside the morphine, it could do some good. However..."

Emani was near tears. "Borys...?"

"There's a chance Tatyana might slip into a coma. If not, she should wake up around five with a severe headache. Lee told me there would be the possibility of a pain surge with the needles inserted into her brain."

Kevon didn't hesitate. "Do it."

Borys nodded. "Piotr..."

"On it."

Piotr rushed out of the room and quickly returned with the anesthesia. Borys hung the new bag on the vital signs monitor just under the screen, slipping the needle at the end of the plastic pipe into Tatyana's arm and tapping it down. He squeezed the bag and watched the clear liquid disappear into the needle. Gradually, the beeping subsided to a regular tempo.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Borys's eyes narrowed as he tapped a finger on his chin while studying the monitor. "Her adrenaline levels are falling, and brain activity is decreasing. We might be out of the woods, but keep watch. Tatyana will need some friendly faces when she wakes up."

Emani let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Ant."

He nodded. "No need. Just doing what I can to help a fellow family friend."

5:26 P.M.:

Kevon sat with Emani on one side of Tatyana's bed while Raven sat on the other. He held his daughter's hand while her boyfriend only stared longingly, hoping she'd wake up and say something witty like she always did when he was concerned for her wellbeing.

"Did you wait at the clinic's door like lost a puppy, Raven?"

He crossed his arms before huffing, "No. Cause I don't care about you at all."

Tatyana laughed. "Glad to know you and I are on the same page."

He rolled his eyes, but a small smile soon formed as she patted his back. "Thanks for waiting up."

Raven chuckled. "I remember times like this back under Chevalier Palace."

Kevon glanced over at the blonde-haired agent.

"I'd be waiting outside our built-in clinic for her to come out each time." Raven shook his head. "She'd always joke about it as if getting hurt was scrapping a knee. She never took it seriously. I remember feeling so bad when—"

A sharp inhale sounded from between the men. Tatyana's soft hand clenched, gently holding onto her father's hand. His rough skin and thick knuckles nearly put a smile on her face.

"Please don't... tell my Dad about that," Tatyana stated, her voice hoarse due to her dry throat. "He might jump over me and send you to the ER too."

Kevon laughed, sniffling as tears of joy slipped down his face and Emani's. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, girl!"

Emani let out a happy weep as her tears fell. Tatyana's eyes fluttered open, the stark lighting blinding as her vision began to sharpen. A sudden pain in her head reignited, not as intense as before but enough to still hurt. She smiled weakly after meeting her parents' eyes before looking at Raven.

"I told you guys. It's going to take more than surgery to kill me..." Tatyana felt her skull. "How long was I out?"

"That's not important," Raven quickly answered. "What is is that you're alive." He handed her the prescribed painkillers. "Here, doc's orders."

"Painkillers for breakfast? Lame."

After taking two pills and drinking some water, Tatyana inhaled sharply. "I hate pills. Did Borys say when I could leave?"

"No," Emani answered. "Considering your current condition, Ty, you shouldn't be going anywhere anyway."

Tatyana slowly blinked her eyes. "Fine. I'll stay in bed."

Kevon chuckled. "Glad you're back."

Click.

Victor and Borys entered the room, the Polish Doctor holding a keyboard and pen. The Frenchmen had a bag and his subordinate's tablet in each arm. Borys smiled at his most recent patient, conscious after the panic from hours ago.

"Glad you're finally awake," Borys remarked with a nod. "I was starting to get worried. I don't mean to intrude, but I need to check off a few items before I can determine the severity of her scars. Alright, Ms. Summers. I'll need you to move your appendages as I call them out."

Tatyana nodded as the searing pain behind her head subsided to warm numbness as if it wasn't there, the strong painkillers doing their job.

"Hands."

Although slow, both her hands clenched into fists before relaxing again.

Borys checked the first box. "Knees."

Tatyana lifted her legs, both knees tenting the long hospital wedding gown.

Another box checked. "Good, good. Feet."

Her black leather heels moved from side to side before relaxing. Emani sighed in relief, knowing her daughter wasn't paralyzed.

"Seems like it was a success," Borys surmised. "Victor."

"Hmm?"

"Tatyana is not to do strenuous activity for the next few days." The Polish Doctor tapped a finger on his chin. "However, considering the fast healing capacities of a ninja, the bandages can be removed as soon as each cut has healed. Considering how fast you heal, it should only take a day or two. Take one painkiller daily after breakfast, and please take it easy, Tatyana. I don't want to reopen your head to fix an overloaded scanner because you can't sit still."

She rolled her eyes as Raven and her parents chuckled. Victor smirked at the comment but said nothing.

"What do you think we've been trying to tell her for the past six years?" Kevon remarked.

"Right," Borys added. "Feel free to leave once you can walk, Tatyana."

Emani opened her mouth to speak, but Borys stopped her. "Please, no need to thank me. Just doing what I can to keep a family together. Tatyana alive and well is thanks enough. Until next time, friends."

With that, the Doctor left the room.

"I'm surprised," Tatyana began. "Lee didn't want to come to ruin the mood?"

Victor chuckled. "Left early on purpose, ironically enough. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing you bedridden. I guess he'd rather wait to see your healthy glare another time we have to cross paths."

She laughed. "One less thing to worry about. What's with the bag?"

"Clothes, and I made you breakfast."

"Thanks, Vic."

He nodded, pressing the power button on the tablet and swiping left until reaching the instructions for the retinal scanner. "The use of the scanner is straightforward, but I'm not going to go through the full uses yet with you. I just need to make sure it works. Blink twice."

Tatyana followed his instruction, and a small beep sounded from her tablet. Her eyes widened slightly as a blue line ran down her right eye. Scanning her surroundings, an outline of white light appeared over Victor, Raven, and her parents.

"See anything?"

At the bottom corner of her eye were the words Syncing…

Soon, information on the four people in her sight appeared in her vision.

CODENAME: Raven

REAL NAME: Rashad Xaviers

AGE: 27

RANK: Jōnin [2nd Ruler]

NINJUTSU TECHNIQUE: Shadow Clones, Phasing, Slight Teleportation

WEAPON: Dual Daggers

STATUS: Alive [Temporarily Off Duty]

CODENAME: Phantom Raven

REAL NAME: Victor Chevalier

AGE: 62

RANK: Mentor

NINJUTSU TECHNIQUE: Teleportation [Glitched]

WEAPON: Charged Katana, Dual Karambit Knives, Sig Sauer p3204 Pistol

STATUS: Alive [Temporarily Off Duty]

CODENAME: Lotus

REAL NAME: Emani Jada Summers

AGE: 54

RANK: Iron Fist Mentor [At Time of Retirement]

NINJUTSU TECHNIQUE: Teleportation [Smoke]

WEAPON: Dual Wakizashi Blades

STATUS: Alive [Retired]

CODENAME: Master Raven 03

REAL NAME: Kevon Eli Summers

AGE: 56

RANK: Master [At Time of Retirement]

NINJUTSU TECHNIQUE: Teleportation [Smoke]

WEAPON: Shuko Tegaki Claw Blades

STATUS: Alive [Retired]

"Huh, that will take some time to get used to. I forgot you were sixty-two, Vic," Tatyana jested.

The silver-haired fighter rolled his eyes in annoyance while Kevon and Raven laughed. Victor hated being reminded of his age, though he still moved as he did in his late twenties. He always ignored his age after seeing his first silver hair follicle at forty-nine. Age was a reminder of his long years. Victor avoided that topic despite a fulfilling life, but his close agents were always an exception.

"Good. It works. Blink once for rest mode. Twice for on and off."

She blinked once.

The words Rest Mode sat in the bottom corner of her eyes before three dots replaced them.

7:21 P.M.:

Tatyana sat cross-legged on the hospital bed, donning her untucked button-down shirt as she ate from the bento box Victor made. Katsudon - a heavy fruit salad along with two brownies. The agents bonded over shared stories as Kevon detailed a sparring match between him and Tatyana when she was sixteen.

"What!?" Tatyana remarked, her head shooting up from her bento box, muffled by the food nearly packed in one side of her mouth.

Emani shook her head, chuckling. "Mouth full, Ty."

Raven chuckled at her childish action. 'Cute.'

After swallowing her food, Tatyana cleared her throat and pointed her chopsticks at her father with a wry smile. "Okay, that is not what happened."

"So, I didn't slam you to the mat?" Kevon retorted with a grin.

"You do this on purpose! I would've won if you hadn't phased back."

Her father held his hands up in mock surrender. "It was an accident!"

Tatyana rolled her eyes. "Show off. I was one second away from winning when he cheats, and—"

"Oh, here comes the ankle sweep, and oh no..." Kevon punched his fist into the palm of his other hand. Smack. "Mat slam. K.O.! Round three win."

Raven and Victor laughed while Tatyana rolled her eyes. "You still cheated."

Emani nodded. "She's right, Kev. That would technically make the score twenty-eight to six."

"It's been ten years since that happened," Kevon recounted. "You two holding grudges now?"

"Don't even. I was merely the referee," Emani playfully shot back.

"You waited ten years. Shame, Jada. I thought you didn't take sides."

She raised an eyebrow with a knowing expression. "I'm gonna remember that next time your Mom visits."

Kevon nervously gulped. "No need to bring Sheila into this. I'll take my loss."

Raven chuckled before discreetly looking over at his girlfriend. 'You lived with this at home?'

Tatyana nodded with a bemused smile. 'All the time.'

'Beautiful, isn't it?' Victor jumped into their telepathic conversation. 'Love like this never comes easy, but it's never a bore to experience.'

'One day, hopefully,' Raven thought.

'One day...' Tatyana repeated.

"Okay, okay," Kevon relented. "Why am I always the bad guy? You've had some moments too. Oh, I remember well. Your visits to the lake were more than eventful."

Tatyana spoke through her teeth in bashful annoyance. "Do you have to mention that?"

Raven grinned mischievously. "What time? What happened?"

"Raven," Tatyana warned.

Emani laughed. "Okay, that wasn't me cheating, but..."

Tatyana's head shook before it hung low. "God, why?"

Her mother laughed. "I was trying to fix her balance outside walking on rails. I took her to a lake near our place in Neo City, where a wide dock was stuck six feet from land. I made her practice a handstand on the edge. Five minutes in, she falls!"

"God, the water was so cold," Tatyana recounted. "But at four in the morning, Mom?! A girl needs her rest."

Emani shrugged her shoulders, her face non-verbally saying, Not sorry.

A few laughs ushered from the men as Tatyana grumbled. "I hated Saturdays for that specific reason."

"It did help with your balance, so you should be proud," Victor stated.

"Wait, wait," Kevon interjected. "Didn't you push your mother into the water at one point?"

Tatyana laughed with a proud expression. "Sure did."

Emani sighed, containing her laugh.

"It was so funny. Mom climbed out quickly, screaming: Ah, it's so cold! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

Emani laughed. "We cut training early and went home to a much-needed mug of hot cocoa."

"Lucky win, I'd say," Raven remarked.

"I should've grounded you for that, Ty."

Tatyana smirked. "Are you mad you didn't see that coming or the fact that I did?"

"Both," her mother snipped, crossing her arms.

The group laughed again, but a sharp sound caught their attention.

Beep.

Beep.

Victor obtained his phone from inside his pants pocket and stood from his seat. "Business calls once more. As much as I'd like to hear more embarrassing stories of your childhood, Tatyana, I have to see the current situation on our criminal trio."

"Booo!" Kevon disapproved. "You never hang out."

"Don't worry, I'll catch you next time at Thanksgiving. I'll bring the beer."

"Deal."

Victor nodded, looking over at Raven and Tatyana. "I'll see you two at the loft once finished with this."

"Understood," Raven replied.

With that, the silver-haired agent left the hospital room.

Kevon also stood from his chair. "I guess that means we should get going too."

"Why?" Raven protested. "I was learning so much."

Tatyana glared at her boyfriend. "Shut up."

Emani laughed. "Yeah, don't wanna distract her from eating. She's barely touched her brownies."

Her daughter's eyes rolled before she thought of something from earlier.

"Took you both long enough."

"Uh... Mom," Tatyana called, the uncertainty in her voice audible as she tapped her chopsticks on the box's edge. "About earlier, what you said about Raven and I. What did you mean by that?"

Kevon raised an eyebrow, slipping an arm through the sleeve of his leather jacket.

Emani racked a hand into her long, flowing dreadlocks. "It was only a matter of time before you both got together. Plus..." She winked at her daughter. "Mother's intuition. Sure, you could've dated anyone else, but having a relationship with a normal guy outside the clan would've been too mundane for you. Like your father, you need someone who can keep up, if not be nearly the same level. Despite only seeing you a few times during training in Chevalier Palace, it was clear how you and Raven interacted during spars, conversing and always getting in trouble."

Raven pointed an accusing finger at his superior. "Your daughter is a bad influence."

"It was no surprise and would only be a matter of when. Honestly, you two took the longest to admit it."

Both younger agents couldn't help but laugh.

"That would explain your small jokes back then, Mrs. Summers," Raven commented, remembering one of her commonly used jokes.

"Another pair of love birds in the nest," Emani said with a smirk.

Tatyana looked over with vivid confusion. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You'll understand soon enough."

"Okay...?"

Tatyana shook her head. "Missed that one completely."

"You both did. But you're father's right. We should get going, as I'm sure Victor will have you two working again once you leave here."

Raven sighed. "Not looking forward to that, but this was fun."

A soft smile formed on Emani's face as she stood. "We should do this again when it's not a doom situation."

"Hopefully, it won't be at my expense," Tatyana growled lowly.

Kevon walked over and kissed his daughter's cheek. "No promises, Ty. We'll stay in Poland for two days to ensure you're okay."

"And do call should you need anything," Emani finished.

After sharing a hug and final goodbye with each of her parents, Tatyana and Raven stood.

Kevon eyed him up and down before extending his hand. "Good seeing you again, Rashad."

"Likewise, sir," Raven replied with a firm shake.

Kevon stood outside the room, knowing his wife would speak with the blonde-haired agent.

"Apologies for Kevon's... aggressive behavior. He's extremely protective of Tatyana regarding other men outside the family."

"It's no one's fault, Mrs. Summers. She's worth protecting."

Emani's expression softened as she touched Raven's shoulder. "Not just Kevon, we all are. You're part of the family now, so you have our support and scrutiny."

Raven nodded, feeling the weight of her words. "I understand and will do my best to live up to it."

Emani showed a warm smile. "I have no doubts you will. Your mother would be proud, as I'm sure your father is. But I should go before Kevon starts worrying I'm giving you too much advice."

Nodding, Raven and Tatyana watched as the older woman departed, but not before giving each a reassuring smile. Tatyana was about to discuss something with her boyfriend before hearing her mother's telepathic voice.

'Take care of him too, Ty. You're no longer a single entity now.'

Tatyana looked at her mother. 'Right.'

With that, Emani left the room and joined her husband.

Raven crossed her arms. "Would your Dad fight me for that?"

"Probably, but I'm not willing to test that theory. Dad's warming up to you since I told him you're serious about us. If anyone threatens or fights you, it will probably be him. Luckily, you weren't around to hear that one."

"I don't even want to ask, but as your parents said, eat up. Victor needs us back at the loft for a new mission briefing and to get you adjusted to your upgrade."

She sighed. "Despite the torture of embarrassment, I was actually enjoying being bedridden."

"That's a first."

Tatyana shrugged. "Duty calls. Whatever's next will require our immediate attention."

Atrium Promenada [Shopping Mall, Rooftop] - 8:20 P.M.:

Nina's phone vibrated in her hand with a new text notification. A total of four texts from The Doctor. She tapped the notifications, each showing a brief list of details of the informants' names she requested. Her blue eyes narrowed at the first message.

Informant #1

CODENAME: Aux

LOCATION: Neo City, Downtown [Avery Heights Apartment, Room 340]

NOTE: 4 Soldiers On Patrol

Skilled in close combat & uses a bowie knife when fighting

Informant #2

CODENAME: Moon

LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

NOTE: 2 Soldiers On Patrol

Skilled in karambit knives and poisonous dust [Distracting her opponents]

Is very fond of arson and bombs

LEAVE HER ALIVE FOR ME TO STUDY…

Informant #3

CODENAME: L3xi

LOCATION: Paris, France [Seine River, Royal Larrieux Hotel-Penthouse Suite]

NOTE: 7 Soldiers on Patrol

Skilled in using a chain as a weapon with boxing

Informant #4

CODENAME: Red Capulet

LOCATION: Unknown [Never stays still]

NOTE: Often travels alone

Skilled in dual wielding, prefers a pistol and short sword

Subject is never far from where the one named Master Raven is [10 Mile Radius]

A heinous smirk plastered itself on Nina's face. "Perfect."

She turned around as the man of the hour and her long-time partner in her early days working under the Mishima Zaibatsu. He was a tall man with tanned skin, slim dark brown eyes, a pointed nose, mature facial features, and a neatly trimmed box beard connected to a low-shaven undercut. He wore a mostly black outfit with red detailing on his top. Black dress shoes, suit pants with extra armor strapped to his knees and upper thighs, and a Canik SFx Rival-S holstered at his waist. His armored Tekken Force vest with red detailing was fastened to his upper body. Over that was a long black trench coat and armored tactical black leather gloves fastened to each hand.

"Found your first kill?" Haruto questioned.

He raised his thick eyebrow, accentuating his hardened ocus, a usual cold stare resembling a glare. One that said, I could kill you.

"Codename is Aux. He's in Neo City, downtown specifically."

Haruto crossed his arms. "Hmm... Aron seems excited to get another job. That or he set his sights on a new plaything."

She scoffed. "Master Raven is my kill, but Aron should be in town. I need to sharpen my knife skills for this plan."

The former Tekken Force Commander narrowed his gaze. "I don't trust him. You didn't give him much to study in return. You're not careful; he could take that kunoichi right from you."

"I can handle it. Are you prepared to leave?"

"I'll send you a location. Make sure to pack everything before you leave. We can't afford noticeable traces."

Nina smirked. "Routine as usual, Haruto. I'll be there."

"Good."

Haruto began walking away, his footsteps echoing into the calm night silence before stepping onto the roof of an outdoor elevator and then jumping off. The ends of his trench coat flapped in the air behind him like a pair of long tails of a shadow. The rhythmic sounds of a subway train's wheels loudened in the tunnel he was heading for.

Nina blinked as Haruto seemingly disappeared into the tunnel's shadow. He leaned against the train's outskirts and stood on the connecting chain.

Vistula River; Coastal Loft - 9:31 P.M.:

Raven's eyebrows furrowed, scrolling through the functions of the retinal scanner on his superior's tablet screen.

· Thermal Mode

· Instant Information Retrieval

· Identification Scanning

· Enemy/Target & Location Tagging

· Calling Autopilot Equipped Vehicles [Precise Location]

· Automatic Hacking

· Weak Point Detection

· Mission Suit Sync

"That's... a lot."

The Ravens stood in the living room, waiting for Victor to return. In the meantime, they figured to familiarize Master Raven with its functions.

"The good thing is you can blink off some of these. The other news is that most of this will require subconscious focus. Did you add a three-way surveillance feature?"

Master Raven nodded. "In case I need to relay important information without compromising getting caught during a covert mission. I need to make sure we're all on the same page."

"Makes sense. You'll get the hang of it."

Raven the top of the screen. A smaller screen appeared at the bottom left corner of the tablet's screen, displaying a mini view of himself as he stood in the living room.

"Okay, try thermal mode."

Her eyebrows creased. "How?"

"Blink, of course. It should work automatically if you're thinking about it.

Master Raven did just that, the room painted in purple, with Raven now a still silhouette of yellow, red, and orange.

"Good. Now, mark me like you would a soldier."

She blinked again - A white O appearing over his silhouette.

"Reset."

The colors returned to the small screen.

"Now, scan me."

Soon, information appeared on the mini screen's left side until it began to visibly glitch. Raven looked up at his girlfriend, her right eye now holding a pale blue color. His eyebrows furrowed. 'Is that…supposed to happen?'

Master Raven inhaled sharply, a sting erupting in her head that grew in intensity. A yellow warning sign pulsed in and out of view in the center as the screen disappeared, words now plastered at the screen's bottom.

SCANNER STATUS... Deactivated.

Her eye reverted to its original honey-brown color as the pain slowly subsided.

Raven's eyebrows furrowed under his shades. "Hm... that's gonna take some work. I guess we'll save that for later when your head heals."

Cli-Click.

Victor entered the living room. "I don't mean to interrupt your small testing session, but I require a special vision for a reconnaissance operation. Some soldiers have spotted an unauthorized private jet nearby."

Both agents looked at each other before following their superior out of the loft's entrance.

PKP Cargo Connect Terminal:

Victor, Raven Master Raven hid behind a shipping container. The cool night and dark shadows against the bright lighting of a tall lamppost crafted the perfect setting for watching from the shadows. Ideal, at least for Master Raven and Raven, with Victor standing out due to his silver suit. They all could sense the presence of several other people. Not calm, dormant auras of regular citizens. These were stronger and abnormally vibrant. A slight wind blew, the woman's tie waving in the wind.

Raven couldn't help snickering. "This is why spies wear black suits, Vic. Classic and easier to blend in."

The older man rolled his eyes.

Master Raven looked up at a lamppost nearby, a perfect vantage point to see who was in their proximity. She took a step forward.

"Wait," Raven stopped her. "Should you even be teleporting right now?"

She stayed silent, her focus sharpening even as her boyfriend eyed the bandages on her head.

Poof.

Raven sighed. "She's supposed to be taking it easy."

"True, but you know she hates it when you eye her injuries when saying things like that," Victor reminded. "Like it's out of pity since she's injured."

"Just hope nothing bad happens up there."

Master Raven stood on the lamppost with impeccable balance despite wearing heels. She slowly crouched into a low squat, resting both arms on her thighs. With a blink, the retinal powered on. Raven and Victor's glasses showed the expansive lot from atop the lamppost.

"She paired it with both our shades," Victor remarked. "Ingenious."

Able to see the armored Mishima Zaibatsu private jet from her vantage, Master Raven's vision quickly turned purple, words sitting at the bottom of her right eye. Thermal Mode Active. Master Raven narrowed her eyes to scan the lot before her sight landed on a duo of figures. A blue outline appeared as the scanner automatically zoomed in, and several lines of information appeared beside the figure.

Nina Williams

"Silent Assassin"

Assassination Arts

Weapons: Dual Fort 12 Pistols

The unwanted yellow triangle of warning pulsed in her vision again. With a slight growl, the woman blinked it away even as the pain in her head returned. She looked over at the person Nina was talking to. Again, an outline and words appeared.

Haruto Iketamo

"Commander Crow"

Shaolin Kung Fu, Krav Maga

Weapons: A Modded 1911 Pistol [Red Steel Buster]

The pain worsened, and Master Raven inhaled sharply to channel her Ki.

Poof.

Victor's eyebrows creased, and the warning sign turned to a light shade of orange as he looked over at Raven. "What's the warning for?"

"The scanner is sensing strain on her mind. She needs to shut it off for a few minutes."

"I'd com her if she had her earpiece on."

Master Raven grunted, hands gripping a pipe that lined the high bridge near Nina, Haruto, and the jet. She focused on the two again.

"You made sure to cover your tracks?" Haruto questioned.

Nina smirked. "Amateur hour, Crow. I never leave a trace."

"You weren't followed?"

"Of course not. The curious security guard should be found two days from now."

The former Commander rolled his eyes but paused. Master Raven swung herself back and forth towards a small opening of the nearby bridge's leg, big enough for her to hide in and a shadow dark enough. She swung forward...

Tck!

Haruto's head shot up, a few dark birds flying off from the bridge's guardrail. His eyes narrowed, jaw clenching. A single car went by, its yellowed headlights filling the dim night and lining the bridge. Master Raven breathed heavily, sitting with one leg lying down and the other bent with her arm resting upon it. She swallowed hard, feeling her heart pound as her hands stung after nearly slipping had it not been for the pointed toes and rubber heel of her shoes catching the thick concrete. The pain in her head intensified even more as she turned slightly, her eyes landing on the jet while listening to Nina and Haruto's conversation.

"Are you sure you have nothing to do while we're here?" Haruto pressed. "No last confirmation visit with Dragunov?"

"He'll be hiding out until this part is done."

A third heat signature of a person looking over a box caught Master Raven's attention, one that wasn't a Tekken Force soldier standing on guard.

"Is Aron inside?" Nina asked.

Master Raven slid a kunai from her pocket, able to see him through the window. She could kill him right now and foil whatever plans Nina had with this crazed criminal.

"Unfortunately. Aron's been eager to speak with you again."

"Right…"

"If he pulls anything, I'm sending him to visit his victims at first chance."

"Got it. Anna will meet us in Neo City after we've landed."

Master Raven narrowed her eyes, the scanner zoomed in, and another outline appeared in the box he was leaning over. Her slim eyebrows furrowed, the box filled with numerous knives, syringes, and surgical tools.

"What the hel—"

The triangle turned dark orange and quickly to red.

"Agh!"

Both criminals froze before the former Commander shouted, "Let's go! Now!"

Poof.

Raven caught his girlfriend in his arms as Master Raven stood on her feet but felt weak and on the verge of collapsing. One of her hands noticeably shook, and the pain behind her head only seemed to worsen as though it was piercing more than just that area.

Master Raven looked up at Victor's hard look of exasperation before hanging her head low, the bandages darkened with blood seeping through them.

"They're heading to Neo City; I wasn't able to catch why or a specific location-"

"Not another word, Master Raven."

Victor never called her that outside a mission unless agitated.

Coastal Loft - 9:57 P.M.:

Raven placed the roll of bandages down on the kitchen counter after applying the last bandage clip to the back of his girlfriend's head. Victor stood behind the counter, leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed. Tatyana sat utterly still, her suit jacket hanging on the back of the chair.

"Done," Raven declared.

"Give us a moment, Raven."

With a mute nod, Raven headed for his room and closed it behind him without glancing back, knowing what would occur. Victor stood from the fridge, walking over directly in front of his top subordinate. Master Raven leaned her arm on the counter, chin resting in her palm. She tore her dark tie from her collar and tossed it away.

"You cannot keep doing this, Tatyana," Victor began.

His voice was softer than she thought it would be, laced with concern that had an underlying sharpness.

"I get that you want to continue to be on top as an agent, and I know you hate being off duty when injured. But..."

Victor paused, a feeling of déjà vu settling on his shoulders after conversing with Kevon two decades ago.

'The irony of it all.'

"I'm not going to allow you to do this again. Especially after being fresh off the surgery fiasco."

Needless to say, Master Raven was shocked. "Vic—"

"No. I've been lenient for too long. Even then, I took risks letting you back into the field with your injuries. It won't be tolerated any longer. As of now, you are to take time off to recover until I say otherwise."

"Victor, come on!" Master Raven pleaded. "That was my first try, and I discovered where they're going. I can't be on off duty at a time like this!"

His silver eyebrows only sunk, accentuating his already displeasure, seemingly cold without his glasses to hide them. "You can and will. They fled because of your impatience, something unbecoming of a Master Ninja. You are on bed rest until further notice. That's an order. Understood?"

She sighed. "Understood."

"We're leaving for Neo City soon, and I fully expect you to head home once we land. If not, there will be severe consequences."

"Yes, sir." Master Raven gathered her jacket and tie before departing for her room without another word.

Victor's shoulders relaxed as he sighed. "Just like Kevon..."

Master Raven sat on her bed, light eyes staring at the carpeted floor below her heels. Her eyes wandered to her sheathed blade leaning against the corner. She scoffed, hating being injured for this reason and sitting idle to feel useless - exactly like her father. It was incredibly frustrating when she wasn't using the time for meditation or relaxation. She slowly brought a hand to the back of her head, fingers landing on the new bandages. It felt foreign and odd as the spot her hand touched stung. A sharp inhale escaped her before she removed her hand.

"Okay... This shouldn't be too hard."

Despite relenting, Master Raven had difficulty relaxing with a mission in progress, even after disputing with her superior. Luckily, she took on her mother's self-awareness, knowing fully when she was in the wrong.

"Just a few days..."

Mishima Zaibatsu Private Jet - 11:01 P.M.:

Shing!

A quick hand snatched the knife from Nina's hands before the tip landed at her throat. She inhaled sharply, feeling the blade nearly poking into her skin. A cynical, bloodthirsty chuckle sounded behind her. The edge of the blade was cold against her neck, grimacing as she held still. Knowing Aron could fully see a vein pulse under his blade.

"When they block, swipe their knife and slash... or stab. Either way, blood will be on the floor," Aron explained before chuckling. "I can't remember when you and I were this close, Nina. I still wonder what would happen if I poked your porcelain curtain and saw the color drip freely."

"Can it, Doc," Nina snapped, spinning around and pointing one of her pistols at his head.

Aron stared at her unimpressed before his face twisted into a wide grin, a wicked laugh echoing from the unlicensed Doctor. He bent backward, pointing at the blonde before quickly calming his laughter with a sigh. His shoulders were hunched over as the familiar twisted smirk plastered onto his face.

Tap.

He suddenly stepped toward her with both hands clasped behind his back before bending down to her level. Their faces were inches away, close enough for Aron to count each eyelash.

"Do you feel threatened, Williams? Do I... scare you?"

She gritted her teeth. "You're a creep with more sense of criminal brain than most people I've met."

He chuckled, blinking his purple eyes. "Thank you..."

Aron paused, his gaze leaving her jaw almost seeming to peel back the skin with his stare alone before inhaling sharply. "I hope you know I have my eye on a few people surrounding those informants..."

Slipping her pistol back into the holster on her leg, Nina crossed her arms.

"I want the tall one. Usually, I hate imperfect scars ruining the natural skin's beauty. But... I'd love nothing more than to see how she functions. Her brain, bones, and possibly create fresh scars before I carve away the flesh within. I must have her."

Nina glared daggers at him. "Master Raven is mine."

He smiled, a wide, broken one with his canines glowing in the light. Nina restrained herself from shooting him between the eyes to get rid of that mocking smirk, her hand trembling near her pistol.

"That's if I don't take her first." Aron ran his long tongue over his top left canine, pointing the knife at her right eye as his head tilted at an odd angle. "Let's try again, shall we?"

Nina swiped the knife from him while rolling her eyes. Haruto stepped away from the door to the cabin, hiding in the spacious cockpit's dim shadow. His dark eyes met Aron's teasing purple irises before disappearing out of view.

Coastal Loft - 12:01 P.M.:

Master Raven lay on her bed, donning her usual pajamas of a black sleeveless cropped shirt and shorts while staring at the ceiling from being bored of switching modes with her retinal scanner. Her tablet was beside her as she ignored the sting in her head. An annoyed sigh escaped as she placed her arm over her eyes.

'Victor's right. I should've returned sooner. But why—'

A sound at her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come in..."

With a slight creak of her door, Raven stepped inside and stood in the doorway, surprised to see his superior still in her pajamas.

"You decided not to come?"

"Victor ordered me to take a few days of recovery and practice with my new upgrade due to last night's close call."

Raven sighed before walking over to stand over her, his eyes landing on the nightstand near the bed. An untouched glass of water with a trio of ice cubes sat next to her bottle of painkillers.

He raised an eyebrow. "How's your head?"

"Usual headache," she casually answered.

A deep frown formed on Raven's face. "Tatyana..."

Reluctantly, Tatyana sat up in bed before taking a pill and drinking the water afterward with an exhale. "Happy now?"

"Doctors orders, unless you want to keep wearing those bandages in your head. I hope you have a more constructive way to pass the time while we're gone. Victor and I will scout Dragunov's last location before doing the same to Bishop's mansion."

"So fun stuff. Come to rub it in my face?"

Raven knew she was only speaking like this due to being forced to take it easy with her current injuries. He chuckled before pecking her cheek. "Take it easy. If not for yourself, do it for me. I want you back at my side, but that can't happen if you're not relaxing properly."

Her agitation softened. "Fine, since you asked and not demand."

"Cool."

Raven exited without another word. Tatyana groaned again and lay back down, alone in her thoughts and boredom. The pain in her head had begun to subside but did nothing to end her itch to follow Raven and Victor. However, she knew better than to disobey the Frenchman's orders.

"If I'm going to be stuck here all day, I should at least do something..."

She stood from her bed, stretching each hand overhead before performing a handstand. She took a deep breath as her arm was at an angle, slowly lifting her body weight.

"Jeez..."

Her muscles strained. Usually, doing a handstand while meditating was effortless for Tatyana. Being bedridden for nearly two days had taken a toll on her surface-level capabilities. The strong painkillers didn't help either. With a resigned sigh, she fell back to her feet with a hand on her hip while rubbing the back of her neck.

"This is going to be one hell of an ordinary day..."

Sitting back down on the bed, Master Raven stared at the ceiling and remained that way for the next several hours. She spent most of it reading and meditating, not bothering to resume testing her retinal scanner further. Instead, Master Raven focused on restrengthening her Ki and taking one of her days of mandatory relaxation. After all, she wanted these bandages off her head to return to fieldwork as soon as possible. Raven reminded her she couldn't do that if she disregarded Borys's instructions.

8:48 P.M.:

Nightfall had enveloped Poland, and Master Raven found herself reading a random book from the shelf. It was called 'Marks of a Ninja' by Yukiozo Manji.

Click.

Raven opened the door. "Hey."

"Hey," Master Raven replied, putting the book down.

A smile formed on her face at seeing her boyfriend still dressed in his mission suit. Raven approached before sitting at the end of the bed and lying beside her.

"Been keeping busy?"

"As busy as a flower in the sun."

He laughed. "Sounds boring."

"Don't remind me. Felt weird not being able to meditate while doing a handstand. Never thought I'd miss my routine until now."

"A workaholic even when relaxing. Who has a routine for relaxing?"

"It helps to keep my mind off this whole mission." Master Raven huffed. "You guys are out having fun while I'm stuck here."

Raven rolled to his side to face her while propping his chin on his hand. "You're the lucky one. I had to scope out a tunnel train system built by the Russian army during the fifth tournament. It almost turned critical if Victor hadn't seen that last soldier."

"Like I said, fun stuff."

Next Day - 12:14 P.M.:

Master Raven observed her reflection in the mirror as her brown eyes turned gold in the bathroom's light. She stared at the bandages over her head, slightly off-white from being a day old. A hand landed on the back of her head for a tap. The stained bandages no longer stung. Carefully, she unrolled the bandages and placed them on the counter before feeling there again. Her hair was ruffled messily, but there was no scar or seam in her skin where they made incisions. With a sigh of relief and a small smile, Master Raven tossed the bandages and clips into the trashcan by the door before turning off the light and heading back into her room. She reclined on her bed, blinking amid the stale silence of her room before her light brown eyes landed on her tablet.

"Some research wouldn't hurt."

With a short blink, Master Raven's right eye faded into that pale blue as three lines of words appeared across her right eye.

UNITED NATIONS DATABASE

USERNAME:

PASSWORD:

The information almost instantly filled the login page without a second thought. Master Raven quickly searched for Anna Williams in the database, hoping to find useful information.

"THORNED ROSE"

NAME: Anna Williams

AGE: 43

HEIGHT: 5'6

ORIGIN: Ireland

WANTED IN: United States, Ireland, Japan, Italy

KNOWN CRIMES: Murder, Arson, Breaking & Entering, Kidnapping, Aiding G-Corporation Military, Evading Authorities

KNOWN ALLIES: Bishop, The Mechanic, Kazuya Mishima, Lee Chaolan, Bruce Irvin

Master Raven mostly skimmed over the long paragraphs until she came across a particular name in a paragraph.

Bishop

Eyes narrowed as Master Raven automatically searched for his name in the article. A particular paragraph caught her eye, containing a picture of a newspaper's front page.

BISHOP, A NEW PROBLEM IN POLAND!

A lavishly dressed criminal named Bishop kills crime lord Arnold Istani and raids home for his chess-themed cane.

PARTNERS IN RED

Bishop and Anna Williams were seen together raiding a Mishima Zaibatsu laboratory - an explosion afterward led to over a hundred deaths of Tekken Force soldiers and employees. It's believed that Bishop also has contact with a criminal named The Doctor. Master Raven scrolled to the bottom of the page and viewed the date.

11/2

Cross-referencing recent headlines with that date, she skimmed through several articles and news reports until one headline specifically caught her attention.

ASSASSIN MEETS A DOCTOR, ANOTHER G-CORPORATION LABORATORY ATTACKED!

Blonde haired Silent Assassin clashes with a known psychopath, Aron Atlas. Both were caught on camera fighting before escaping the facility together.

"Wait..." Master Raven searched the Doctor's name and found... "Local Harvard student and G-Corporation intern, Aron J. Atlas miss—"

Ding-Dong.

She blinked before sitting up in her bed. "We have a doorbell?"

Cautiously, Master Raven grabbed a kunai from her nightstand drawer and walked towards the door. Her footsteps became lightly silent with caution as she hid the weapon carefully behind her back. Master Raven's eyes widened at who was at her doorstep.

"Mom...?"

Her mother donned another causal outfit similar to yesterday. Brown, knee-high suede boots with short heels, jeans, and a long-sleeved white turtleneck sweater with a heart-shaped cut below the collar. Resting around her neck was a thin chain of polished gold.

Emani laughed, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smirk. "Were you really going to stab the first person you see at the door?"

Sighing with a subdued chuckle, Tatyana stepped aside for her to enter before closing the door. "Dad sent you here to keep me company?"

"No, but close guess. One of us should ensure you're not straining to adjust to your upgrade. Long story short, mother's intuition. My current job is to keep you distracted. Bandages are gone already, so you heal faster than I thought."

Master Raven nodded, forgetting she'd taken off the bandages earlier today. The cuts resealed themselves without such much as an overnight scar, one of the many perks of being a ninja and always in the best condition. Average and even deep wounds healed after a few hours, days, or even a week.

Emani walked to the record player, sifting through the vinyl to find something to play. "I'm surprised; I thought you'd be out with Victor."

"I overworked my scanner on my first test run and nearly passed out. Victor ordered me to take a few days off."

Her mother paused as she held a record in hand. "Just like Kevon when he was your age. You have to slow down, Ty."

Tatyana leaned against the wall, folding her arms over each other and holding both elbows. "It was only the first run."

"First of many before this," Emani reminded before placing the vinyl on the record player's platter and setting down the tone arm. "I still remember Victor's emails about your unchecked persistence and stubbornness."

Another sigh left Tatyana, taking in the pointed silence between them. It was soon drowned out by a familiar Chaka Khan instrumental with an extra kick of drums and a soft bass. She didn't nod along to the beat despite knowing the song well, Mary J. Blige's voice filling the living room.

I will love ya anyway, even if ya cannot stay

I think ya are the one for me

"Not everything can happen at your speed when you want it to. You have to learn to adjust your speed before something forces you to do so," Emani added.

Here is where you ought to be

"I would tell you that story, but that's for another time. Plus, I don't want to go through reliving that again."

Tatyana raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak but decided against it.

I just want to satisfy ya

Cause you're not mine, and I can't deny it

"So, ever thought about changing up your hair?"

"Mom, what—"

Emani gestured for her to come closer. With an annoyed sigh, Tatyana lowered her head so her mother could get a better look.

"Hmmm, looking fuzzy there. When was the last time you saw Toni?

"A month and a few weeks, maybe."

Her mother shook her head. "How about a touch-up?"

"Isn't Dad going to want you back by a certain time?"

"Girl, I don't have a curfew. That man will be fine without me when I can teleport back if needed," Emani playfully shot back, looking her daughter up and down.

"Seriously, Mom? I can—"

"I know you never leave Neo City without your Hair Kit. Go get it."

15 minutes later:

Emani carefully trimmed her daughter's hair. "Other than your recent mishap... about Raven."

Her eyes caught a new tension forming on her daughter's shoulders though seemingly relaxed.

"What about him?"

'There is it.'

"I hope you know the hardest part is yet to come for you two, especially Raven."

"I'm not following."

Emani shook her head. "I mean with our family."

Tatyana rolled her eyes, knowing how blunt and sometimes abrasive her family can be. Mainly her uncle Gerald and her closest cousin's best friend, Donny Lance - a pretty boy who was the same age as Tatyana and used his good looks to become a player. He was better known as Donny Red in the Neo City streets, primarily due to the bright red fedora he always wore. Even with his laundry list of women, he was keen on landing Tatyana as his actual girlfriend. Donny went as far as learning martial arts to get closer. It quickly became less impressive when she broke his nose at the age of sixteen at the last family reunion she would attend before departing to Paris for training. Though she turned down every flirt, rose, and gesture, Donny refused to back down. He'd ask about her at each family gathering and hope for a chance at the next gathering. Tatyana would never admit aloud that she was glad she missed a few holidays if it meant not having to deal with Donny.

"Look..." Tatyana's tone grew sharp as if she were angry. "I know Raven can handle himself, but if anyone has a problem, they can talk to me."

Emani giggled. "Of course. Not worried about Donny?"

"I have no reason to care about that imbecile."

Emani flicked the back of her daughter's head.

"Ow!"

"Family is still family, Ty. Even if you don't like them." Emani began sharpening her daughter's right sideburn.

Tatyana's eyebrows creased before turning her head to the side. "Who's idea was it to make him an honorary member?"

"He did take care of Brienna, remember?"

"Her choice of friends is questionable. I stand by what I said."

"Hopefully you'll remember that when your uncles start scrutinizing Raven. Are you willing to put yourself in the middle?"

"I learned to mind my business well enough, and Raven is my business. If they want to talk, they should also be comfortable doing so in front of me."

Emani nodded. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on you then. However, I do have a question. When did it finally happen?"

"What?"

The clippers' edge glided along the thin line between Tatyana's braids on the left side of her head and her low buzzcut.

"You and Raven. Every relationship experiences a tipping point in which the tension finally releases." Emani sharpened her daughter's left sideburn. "Your father and I had ours—"

"Ew! Mom!"

Emani placed a hand on her hip. "I know you ain't talking. You and Raven have done more than kiss. You're twenty-six, for God's sake, Ty."

"Okay, but why do you need to know?"

"Ty..."

Her daughter huffed. "I can't believe I'm saying this. Don't tell Dad."

The room filled with a mid-tempo instrumental with the occasional bass strum.

How can I love somebody else?

"Spill!" Emani playfully shot back, lining her head.

"We got into an argument, and he shoved me against the wall. Not that I helped the situation by being stubborn beforehand."

Her mother paused, but it was short-lived as a laugh escaped her. "Not as bad as I thought it would be. Your father and I were sparring, and he pinned my arm behind my back. Next thing I know, I'm lying on the mat with him on top of me. Nothing was planned, but I don't regret how you came about."

That image will forever stain Tatyana's mind. "I did not need to know that. My mind is forever plagued."

Emani laughed. "Trust me, if I wanted to mentally scar you, I'd tell you about that canceled Mother's Day visit you had planned."

"Did you guys—"

"That was by accident. I didn't think he'd buy that for me."

"Again, why—"

"And done!" Emani exclaimed, turning off the clippers. "Next time, call your stylist. On time."

"No promises. These past three months have been hectic."

"Didn't think you'd be too busy to visit Toni."

Tatyana removed the red hair cape from her neck and shook it out before giving her mother a pointed look. "Some of us aren't retired."

Emani crossed her arms. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Both women laughed again.

"Despite being grossed out again, thank you for the much-needed visit and touch-up, Mom."

"Anytime, Ty. I should probably go."

"Actually, you mind staying?" Tatyana shyly asked. "I could use the distraction and a few more hours of company."

3:01 P.M.:

Tatyana nodded to the music while looking over the detailed overview of each function for her scanner. Her mother continued to sing along to a Faith Evans song.

"I can't even take my mind off loving you," Emani sang, matching the singer's pitch and power. "And I wanna say..."

She began half dancing and singing to the song while sweeping the loose hair from the floor. Tatyana had, for once, forgotten her current mission to enjoy these moments with her mother. That familiarity and nostalgia of listening to Emani sing and having her around was all that mattered.

Cli-Click.

Victor and Raven walked in, staying silent as they watched mother and daughter jam out to the music. A small smile formed on Victor's face, as it was nice to see her with a smile again - a rare occurrence even in small moments of tragedy. Even Raven found himself nodding along to the music's beat and tempo.

"Oh, Victor..." Emani chuckled nervously, turning down the record player. "Didn't hear you guys come in."

The Frenchman smirked. "It's fine. I wouldn't mind letting you girls have your time to have fun."

"Cute," Raven remarked.

Tatyana smiled shyly while avoiding her boyfriend's curious gaze.

"We've been at this for a few hours, so I should get going. I'm sure you three have business to discuss."

"Very well. Thank you for keeping your daughter busy."

Emani laughed. "No need to thank me. Just keeping her head on straight. I don't want her turning into you."

Victor joined in her laughter. "Good one, Jada."

Tatyana and her mother hugged before Emani said, "Please call if you need anything. I do hope to see you and Raven this year on Thanksgiving. Be safe, Ty. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

Poof.

Tatyana's eyebrows creased. "I keep forgetting she's a retired ninja."

Victor shook his head as he joined his subordinate at the counter and sat at her left side. Raven sat on her right side.

"Glad to know you had fun while we were gone," Raven said.

"Mother's intuition, as she said herself. But I needed that," Tatyana admitted. "What happened while you guys were out?"

"We marked the location of Bishop's oceanside mission. We would've scouted the inside for evidence, but our tech doesn't have the X-Ray layout functions."

Tatyana opened her mouth to speak, but Victor gave her a knowing look.

She sighed. "Mandatory time off."

"We did find that Dragunov is heading back to Russia using the underground tunnel system."

Tatyana placed a hand on her chin. "Explains why we couldn't fully track him during his travels to Poland. Does it go anywhere?"

"Great Britain, France, China, and here. We've already sent several soldiers to seize the station under the Prime Minister's Palace."

"Bold place hiding in plain sight so blatantly. It could be from the extra Tekken Force presence here."

"Possibly. Anna is taking a private yacht ride with Bishop to Neo City. We've placed a tracker on the boat and will know exactly when they dock. What did you do while we were gone?"

"Other than getting a touch-up, I found some interesting things about the correlation with Aron, Nina, and G-Corporation. Turns out..." Tatyana tapped the corner of her tablet's screen as a holograph appeared before the trio. "Aron's connection to G-Corp is a bit personal. I found his connection to the company and Nina after cross-referencing an article around Anna and Bishop."

The holographic screen displayed two articles side by side.

Victor rubbed a hand on his chin, his light eyes skimming through the article on the left. "It seems Aron was once a hopeful kid. Something must've changed after he went missing."

"Only for three months?" Raven surmised. "Seems too quick for typical G-Corporation activity. Maybe a ransom kidnapping?"

"Or," Tatyana began. "they could've considered him a failed experiment. Aron going to several facilities for what seems like sporadic killing sprees isn't logical when he had a hopeful future in bioengineering."

"My question is, why would he ally himself with Nina?" Victor questioned. "Is there any camera footage?"

The screen filled with a video. Tatyana blinked and shook her head, realizing she had already started to use it without a second thought. A video showed a tall guy with brown hair and Nina in her leather suit standing inside a hallway littered with bodies of both G-Corporation military and scientists. Several few words were exchanged between them before Nina found herself with an arm pinned behind her back with Aron's knife at her jaw. The tanned edge trailed her jaw as she grimaced, struggling to break his hold.

Tatyana paused the video. "Is it just me, or is that knife... odd?"

"Zoom in a bit," Victor directed.

She enhanced the image as several lines of information appeared beside it.

Classic Bowie Knife

Material: Bone

Animal: Human [Tibia Leg Bone]

Presumed to be deceased, Dr. Jene Hesheki's bone

"The hell..." Raven's face cringed with disgust. "This guy needs help."

Tatyana crossed her arms. "Whatever they did to him is beyond fixing. Termination is no longer a question."

"Limitless potential gone to waste. Prepare to leave tomorrow night. We need to find Nina as soon as we land."

"Aron must know more than he leads on if he could restrain Nina," Raven continued. "He might know a thing or two about how the human body works and will use it against us, considering his desire to be a bio-engineer."

"Dually noted," Tatyana remarked.

4:00 P.M.:

Tatyana lay on her bed while staring at the ceiling, preoccupied with researching everything on Aron. Her right eye again held its bright, pale blue color as she sifted vigorously through the UN Database. A spike of pain erupted behind her head, causing her to wince and blink almost frantically.

Knock.

Knock.

She blinked one last time. Rest Mode… appeared at the bottom corner of her eye.

"Come in."

Raven opened the door, now donning a black sleeveless hoodie with blue sweatbands on both arms, jeans, and his pair of Tim's. "Hey."

"Hey," Tatyana replied, sitting up in her bed.

He slipped his hands into the hoodie pocket. "You look bored. Were you just lying on your bed the whole time?"

"Ha, ha. I was doing research on our high-alert POI. So far, despite Aron's sparse record of crimes, I was able to find a few things."

"More than the creepy things we know?"

"That's merely the tip of the iceberg."

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "I can't tell if I want to know or just wait until we terminate this guy to ask."

Tatyana laughed. "Long story short, he has a total of thirty-nine counts of murder. At least everything the UN has been able to keep track of. Other than that, he's been known to make weapons out of his victims' bones. Knives, arrowheads, swords, and even spine barbed whip—"

"Okay, I get it," Raven stated, gesturing for her to stop. "Are you going to be doing research all day?"

She shook her head. "I'm calling it. Had another pain spike and don't want to risk it."

"Nerdy as usual."

"Shut up." She threw a pillow at him.

Raven easily ducked. "Woah! Jeez, you trying to kill me, woman?"

Tatyana grinned. "I might."

They shared a small laugh as Raven sat on the bed next to his girlfriend. "I was going to head out for some fresh air since we have time to relax before leaving tomorrow. Want to join me?"

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to change."

Raven leaned on the wall beside his superior's room, hands in his pants pockets. It'd only been a few minutes since he'd been waiting but hadn't noticed. He could only think about how happy Tatyana looked while jamming with her mother before Victor spoke. It looked like the conflict of rogue Tekken Force soldiers, but having Dragunov and the Williams sisters on their backs didn't matter. Her smile and vibrant glow spoke of happiness. She looked adorable, to say the least.

'Hope I can make her that happy one day...'

Cli-click.

Tatyana stepped outside her room, placing her hands on her hips. "Too much?"

She wore an outfit Raven hadn't seen since she was eighteen - a revamped version of her trainee uniform. Red mid-rise converses, her dark navy O-yoroi ninja pants with new hip cutouts and pockets, a white belt with the clan symbol for the buckle, and matching suspenders hanging from the belt. A white sleeveless crop top with a turtleneck collar and a cropped red hoodie with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows.

Raven's eyebrows rose as he viewed her up and down, earning Tatyana a laugh.

"Raven..."

"Haven't seen that on you in ages," Raven smirked. "Still looks good on you."

"Thanks," she answered. "Had to get the pants resized. It turns out that I was much skinnier than I am now. Kinda hard to believe I was still growing into my figure back then."

"Age eighteen at the height of five foot nine. I was starting to worry you'd end up taller than me."

Master Raven smirked, speaking in a baby voice. "D'aw, you worried I was gonna dwarf you, w'ittle W'aven?"

"No," Raven answered shyly before looking at the wall. "It's just weird when your boss is taller than you and isn't a guy."

She rolled her eyes as she walked towards the front door. "I should buy some four-inch heels."

He followed her. "Please don't!"

Varso Tower:

Tatyana took a deep breath, standing at the edge on one leg with the other bent at an angle while her hands formed the Tora sign in front of her chest. A calm, warm wind blew as the bright sun shone over the city. Several polished buildings glinted in the light, and the sea sparkled under its afternoon rays. Slowly, a content smile formed on her face. Peaceful moments like this were hard to come by, but she enjoyed them to the fullest, especially when meditating underwater. There was just something more ethereal about the aquatic environment that brought true tranquility and serene silence.

Tatyana blocked a punch without moving and craned her neck just as a rubber sole missed her head. She placed a hand on her attacker's chest before shoving him back.

"Gagh."

Raven stumbled back to regain his footing. "Come on, Ty. Watching you take in the sunlight is fun and all, but I can't spend all day meditating."

She laughed. "I have to take it easy. Doc's orders, remember?"

"Those bandages are off your head, and you did dress for sparring."

"Fair point, but I needed a reason to wear this again."

"Sure you did. Can you at least teach me a few moves? I know you have some up your sleeve."

Tatyana opened her eyes to glance at her boyfriend. Raven noticed her mischievous expression, from the subtle raise of her eyebrow to the smooth upward curve of her lip's left corner. She was egging him on, finding her usual amusement in teasing him.

"And what makes you think I do?"

"The crop top was a dead giveaway. Plus, you always practice at the highest vantage point."

Tatyana chuckled, inhaling a quick breath of air through her teeth. She grunted with a hand on the ground and twisted, swinging her legs up to execute a half flare on the roof's edge before placing both hands there. Holding still, Tatyana smoothly transitioned into a handstand with bent arms. The three dreads at the right side of her face hung over with her legs curling towards the edge.

"Show off."

Exhaling deeply, Master Raven closed her eyes and slowly lifted her body. She straightened and lifted her legs to hold a perfect, straight handstand.

"Where'd you pick that one up?"

"Data analysis," Tatyana answered. "I was reviewing your previous fights with Eddy Gordo and decided to modify a few of his moves."

"Remind me to start studying your matches. I—"

The familiar sound of a SWV song met their ears as the master kunoichi's phone rang. It lay on the ground, face up alongside Raven's.

And I know love will be right here

"Who is it?" Tatyana questioned.

He picked up her phone, looking at the caller ID. Dad Without saying anything else, Raven answered the phone and put him on speaker. "Hey, Ty."

"Dad!" Tatyana grunted again before picking up her phone and returning to her feet. "What's up?"

"Is that you on Varso Tower?"

"How could you tell?"

"Girl, I raised and trained you since you were six. You think I don't know damn well how to tell my own daughter's ki from miles away?"

She laughed. "I keep forgetting that. You nearby?"

"Yeah, I was out taking a stroll in a park and had time to stop a jewelry store robbery. Mind if I join you guys?

Master Raven paused, looking over at Raven, who gave her a thumbs up. "Sure."

The phone hung up shortly afterward before...

Poof.

Kevon rolled his shoulders after materializing. He wore an outfit that made both agents feel somewhat underdressed. It mainly was all-black - a turtle neck sweater with a dark gray collar and sleeves, a thin gold chain around his neck, a red military watch on his right arm, suit pants with a gold chain hanging from the belt loops on the right side of his pants, and matching dress shoes with sand colored soles. On his face were black aviator sunglasses.

"Nice spot with a good view," Kevon remarked. "Who picked?"

Just as her daughter opened her mouth to speak, Raven pointed a finger at her. "The tower was a dead giveaway, sir."

"High spots to merely meditate, huh?"

Tatyana rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha."

Kevon quickly folded the sleeves up past his elbows. "Alright, how about a practice spar with your old man?"

Tatyana stretched her arms overhead with an exhale, hands falling to her sides before placing her phone back on the ground next to Raven's.

"Boooo! This lady is playing favorites," Raven jokingly called her out.

She couldn't help but snicker. "Like I'm gonna say no to my Dad."

"Uh-huh."

"Watch and learn, Rashad," Kevon stated, taking his stance to mirror his daughter.

Looking between the two, Raven noticed the similarities in how they stood.

Each had widened their stance with shoulders leaning toward the enemy, the base stance for all agents. Kevon leaned his weight on his left leg with the opposite extended, the rectangular toe of his shoe nearly touching his daughter's foot. His arms were parallel to his chest but crossed with his left hand posed in the sword finger position while his right crossed over his left. His other hand posed into an open claw, ready to tear away at his opponent.

"Ready?" Raven said.

Kevon smirked. Tatyana blinked amid the sunlight as an identical grin formed.

"Fight!"

"Tah!"

Kevon shot forward. Tatyana leaned back as his kick missed her head by mere inches. She blocked his fists, stepping back with each block while looking down at his feet. Kevon's left foot slid forward as he took two steps with an aimed knee. His daughter blocked and ducked as a high kick sailed overhead. Spinning around, Tatyana swung her arm into a back fist that Kevon avoided by weaving back. He crouched to the ground and executed 'Quicksand' to send his daughter airborne. Rolling forward, Kevon landed a kip-up kick to her stomach. Master Raven curled herself into a ball before landing on her feet and recovered for a slow sweep kick.

"Hah!"

Kevon jumped over her low kick and extended his foot.

Thud!

"Ah!" Tatyana grunted as she slid back.

Kevon bobbed on his feet. "Come on! Faster and harder, Ty!"

She blinked with renewed focus on her father. Tatyana sprinted and slid, inhaling as Kevon swung his foot around for her jaw. Springing back to her feet...

Smack!

Her knee landed against Kevon's jaw, and he quickly recovered to channel his Ki.

Fwoom.

Phasing through her following kick, Kevon planted his hands on the ground and grunted while twisting his body, Tatyana's low sweep missing him. He swung his foot to trip her before swinging another for her jaw, which she blocked.

"Nice!" Her father remarked.

Just before Kevon could recover, Tatyana pulled him toward her by his pants chain. Standing, Kevon parried her neck chop before hooking his ankle around her to take hold of her body for a take. Master Raven groaned, inhaling sharply from the ground's impact. Kevon chuckled, holding out a hand to his daughter.

Accepting his hand, Tatyana gave her father an annoyed look. "Every single time."

Kevon chuckled. "You'll get it one day."

"Yeah, when you're too old to stand."

"Twenty-nine to six. Another win is once again secured."

Raven stood, looking both surprised and impressed. "I see where she gets that corkscrew move from. That was quite the spar."

Kevon nodded. "Thanks, Rashad. So... you want to have a go?"

"Sure."

Tatyana raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "I'm not picking sides, but be prepared to lose."

Raven laughed. "What? Ye of little faith?"

"I have it, but not that you'll win. Dad over here likes being slick."

"Ha ha! That's gold, Ty!"

"Ready?"

Both took up their stance, stoic faces on each as they waited for Tatyana's signal.

"Fight!"

Raven skipped back just as Kevon stepped toward him, sporting a devious smirk despite his current goal. Without warning, Kevon executed 'Kronos Lathe.' Raven stumbled back as the kick barely missed him before ducking under the shorter man's high kick - a feint as Kevon's fist landed in his gut. Inhaling sharply, Raven blocked a spinning back fist and ducked under an elbow to counter with a quick low kick. Kevon leaned back from the other agent's high kick and threw his head into Raven's chest. Giving no time to recover, Kevon's foot collided with Raven's knee before spinning around to aim his foot at the agent's jaw. Raven slid back, blocking just in time to catch the shift in Kevon's stance into 'Soul Zone.' A clone shot forward as Kevon smirked before flipping over the clone into a cartwheel. Raven skipped back again, watching the older man with keen eyes. Kevon pulled off a back handspring, leaving one foot to come down on the agent. Raven blocked, and Kevon quickly countered with a solid kick to the agent's knee. Turning around, Kevon backflipped as his knee caught Raven's chin before the toe of his dress shoe sent him flying. Master Raven winced at the sound of her boyfriend crashing on the ground. That was a hard landing, even for him. Raven breathed heavily, groaning as he lifted his body from the ground. His back was stung by the impact of the concrete rooftop.

"Okay," Raven strained. "I can see where she gets the need to show off."

Kevon laughed before helping Raven from the ground. "It runs in the family. But it started from Emani. She used to be one hell of a show-off but toned it down after Ty was born."

"I'll remember that in case she wants to test my mettle. Can you teach me a few moves?

Kevon laughed, looking over at Master Raven, who put her hands up in mock surrender. "Don't look at me if he starts using your secrets against you. Just don't start teaching him my techniques. I must warn you, Raven. My Dad isn't a light trainer and damn near a perfectionist."

"Alright," Kevon began teaching perhaps his new protege. "The trick is to bait them with a seeable attack..."

Coastal Loft - 8:21 P.M.:

"You weren't kidding when you said your father was a stickler for execution," Raven grumbled after rolling his stinging shoulders.

Master Raven chuckled before closing the door. "Told you. He was just as strict when I was a kid. Probably more so now since I can handle it."

"Smack me in the head if I ever become like that one day."

"Noted."

"Had fun playing outside?"

Victor stood in the kitchen with a magazine skimming over the most exotic supercars of the current year - a glass of wine on the nearby counter.

"Training with Kevon is..." Raven hesitated to wisely choose his following words. "...definitely not like training back under Chevalier Palace."

Their superior smirked, noticing the pause in his subordinate's words. "Close one there, Raven. Hate to ruin your fun, but we leave for Neo City in an hour. Pack your belongings and weapons."

He gave Master Raven a pointed look.

She sighed. "I know, mandatory time off."

Raven chuckled as they began to walk towards her room, his tone changing into a playful, mocking voice. "Oh, no. She's forced to take a few days off. The horror."

"Shut up..." Master Raven sat on the bed to stretch out her legs. "That was a good practice session, but I'll need to relax for the next year after that."

Raven chuckled and crawled toward her, his lips meeting hers as his strong hand landed on her back. "I could think of a few ways we can relax..."

Master Raven giggled in his embrace. "As much as I wish we could, an hour is not enough."

Another kiss followed against her neck, Raven's breath tickling her. "I hate when you're right..."

He moved around her, laying his head on her lap, allowing Tatyana to slowly stroke his hair.

"I like to be on this objective with you guys, but I'm glad for this time off. Could use it to sharpen my Ki and adjust to the upgrade."

"What? No paperwork?"

"Ew. Organizational emails are boring."

"Ironic for a woman that wears the dark suit well."

"Suits are stylish, and heels are a girl's best friend."

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "Always thought those were diamonds."

Tatyana shrugged. "They're not as impressive when you've seen them all. Besides, I'm more of a dive-into-the-action kinda girl."

"Of course."

Neo City, Atrius Inc. Docking Bay - 10:00 P.M.:

Aron slung an armored box of weapons over his shoulders, grinning like a maniacal maniac, which he certainly was. Once again, the unsightly glint of his abnormally long canines caught the moonlight. "Remember, Nina. Always go for the throat."

Nina scoffed with an eye roll. "Whatever..."

Without another word, Aron put on his cream-colored Panama hat and disappeared in the loading area's dimmed shadows. Nina and Haruto leaned against a fence without so much of a glance between them. For now, they took in the familiar silence and atmosphere of the city: the calm ocean waves behind them and the distant engines of cars several feet away. A bright red and white Rolls-Royce slowly pulled into the lot. The dark window of the passenger side slowly rolled down, revealing the infamous brunette Williams.

"What's the plan?" Anna spoke.

"Lay low in downtown for now. I'll contact you once we're ready to take down the second target," Nina instructed.

"Don't keep me waiting, bitch."

The window rolled back up as the car smoothly turned around and disappeared into the night with a sharp purr of its engine.

Nina stood from the jet. "Where will you be while I'm tracking our next mark?"

"The usual, securing our next hideout," Haruto answered. "I happen to know the perfect spot near a construction site - an abandoned apartment building I've had my eye on, even gave it a few upgrades. Vehicle elevator, underground tunnel entrances, exits, and a hidden armory room."

"Subtle as always. I'll be back before midnight."

Haruto nodded as Nina hopped on her motorcycle before pulling back the throttle. The engine roared to life with the rear wheel spinning. She leaned back to perform a wheelie before racing into the night and leaving Haruto. The former Commander spun a cigarette between two fingers while holding a lighter in his palm; the cancer stick soon turned into a white and orange blur. Slipping a pair of dark tea shades from his pocket, Haruto placed them on his face and flicked the cigarette airborne. The lighter opened, a flame dancing from the nickel-plated hood. Haruto caught the cigarette in his mouth, holding the lighter to the tobacco rod's end and waiting for it to cinder. Closing the lighter, an orange glow reflected from the dark tea shades, nearly illuminating the entire right side of the Commander's face.

Slipping the lighter back into his pocket, Haruto began walking as his heavy footsteps echoed into the sparse loading dock.

UN HQ, Outside Courtyard - 12:29 A.M.:

"Staying late again, Vic?"

The UN trio stood near the master kunoichi's BMW.

Master Raven placed her duffle bag into the back seat before shutting the back door. "Of course he is. Vic stopped resting after he got his first gray hair."

Victor laughed. "No rest for the wicked or silver-haired foxes. Besides, the nightlife keeps you young."

"I'll remember that when you buy your first cane," Raven rebutted, grinning.

His superior laughed while fixing his tie. "See you in the morning, Raven."

"Of course."

With that, the agents got into their vehicle and drove off.

"You'll be okay being left alone for the next few days?" Raven asked, looking over at his girlfriend.

"What am I? Nine?" Master Raven laughed, easing up on the gas as she neared a yellow light. "I'll be fine."

"I know how you get. You like keeping busy."

She looked at him. "Just meditation and practicing with the scanner. Simple stuff."

The light turned red as several pedestrians began to pass. One guy in a cream-colored Panama hat walked by the car and glanced at the woman, winking under the shadow of his hat. The light turned green.

Honk.

Master Raven snapped out of her trance and eased her foot onto the gas pedal. Raven scanned her features with noticeable concern. Rarely did she ever hold a quizzical expression. Yet this one was a visible mix of familiarity and caution. No one knowingly looked in her direction other than the usual catcall whistles or stares due to her hairstyle.

"You okay?"

"Uh..." Master Raven tapped a finger on the leather steering wheel. "Y-yeah. Just thought I saw something. That's a sign to go to bed."

"Okay."

Downtown, Avery Heights Apartments [ROOM 340] - 1:01 A.M.:

Aux's eyes narrowed as he observed the monitors filled with several information windows, the left screen showing news clips and documents on Aron Atlas. He sighed, raking a hand over his short, blue-dyed fade. A notification popped up on the computer monitor on the right from his security camera icon at the top left corner of the screen. His thick eyebrows furrowed, and an image of a guy in a cream-colored hat paused near the steps to the building. He looked up, almost as if to stare at the camera itself.

The UN soldier walked over to the window. "Should we investigate?"

Aux stood from his chair, walking over to the window to carefully lift the blinds as the guy tipped his hat before walking off.

"Leave it, but be on guard," Aux answered. "Besides, the pizza guy is here. I ordered three 'cause I know every soldier loves a classic pepperoni."

The soldier sighed, watching another man with a red shirt and matching bag walk towards the building, his eyes narrowing behind the black visor. "Hmm,"

Aux rubbed his hands together, "Alright, huddle up everybody. Pizza will be here in T minus ten. Q, do me a favor and grab those beers, please?"

"One sec."

Q walked over to the trio of computer monitors by the door.

Beep.

Beep.

Tatyana's eyes fluttered open, her phone vibrating on the nightstand beside her bed. She reached over, careful not to disturb Raven, as his arm was snaked around her waist. Picking up the phone, her eyes were greeted by an image notification from Aux - a picture of the guy in the hat.

Does he look familiar to you? The guy was spotted nearby and stared up at the building. We'll be on high alert until then.

She typed a fast reply. No, but inform Victor and secure the perimeter.

Understood.

Tatyana looked back at the picture. 'We may have a bigger problem on our hands...'

Abandoned Buringham Apartment Complex [ROOM 156] - 3:22 P.M.:

"You IDIOT!" Haruto yelled, throwing his glass of water to the wall.

Crash!

Glass littered the floor as water pooled near the wall. Breathing heavily, as he looked at the screen of her laptop. Aron glanced over from admiring his collection of bone weapons.

"You put our target on high alert! How the fuck are we supposed to take him out with soldiers watching for suspicious activity!? You better come up with a plan or—"

"Wait," Nina interjected. "This might give me an opportunity. They'll be watching the main entrance, allowing me the window to strike. From my basic knowledge, most apartments in Neo City have a balcony with sliding doors. I could enter through there and finish them off."

"I'll take care of the snipers," Haruto grumbled. "Nice going, genius."

Aron ignored his words. "It would be best to get the layout of their soldier's positions. As for the informant himself..." He looked over at Nina with his crooked, lusting smile again. "I'll be watching when you begin your dance later today. Don't disappoint me."

Nina's hand hovered over her holstered pistol. "I'll be back. Don't kill each other while I'm gone."

Haruto looked over at Aron, the slightly shorter guy chuckling darkly before focusing on his weapons. "If you're thinking I would kill you now, you're wasting your time. Your inner workings don't interest me like the others."

The former Commander crossed his arms. "Very reassuring. I hope you know that won't stop me from considering putting a bullet in the back of your skull."

Aron laughed. "Bullets, so primitive and easy. You wouldn't be able to kill so frequently if you had to do it without weapons. Feeling the blood soak your hands and—"

"Shut up," Haruto demanded.

Another bone-chilling laugh occurred from Aron. "Of course."

Victor looked up, his sharp blue eyes landing on the sniper atop the building as he pressed a button at the right of his shades. "Status?"

"Clear on the rooftop, sir."

"Understood." Victor turned to face his subordinate. "You sure you saw the same guy?"

"Positive," Master Raven answered. "I was sure I was seeing things since he seemed to vanish just as quickly as he appeared."

Victor stroked his beard. "Hmm, you think this could be the Doctor?"

"I don't know. People around downtown can be just typical downtown creeps."

Her superior nodded. "Perhaps, but we can't take any chances. I'll keep Raven on call in case something happens. Whoever this person is... they better hope to not find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time."

5:21 P.M.:

Haruto hid behind a roof box vent, his modded 1911 Pistol in hand with a silencer equipped to the muzzle and a black Sako TRG 61 A1 Sniper Rifle strapped to his back. He pointed his pistol at the soldier standing in the left corner, his finger squeezing the trigger ever so slightly.

"Wait," Nina warned, she hung from a rope near the roof. The hook was firm in place while she listened intently.

Q looked over at the room down the hall, able to still hear the music coming from his room. He shook his head. "Why would they hire this guy? He doesn't even take his job seriously. Playing video games like a kid and is almost always too busy at his turntables to search for intel. Check-in, Mark three?"

"Mark Three, all clear."

"Mark One and Two, all clear."

Q sighed in relief. "Eyes wide, gentleman."

Nina gripped the rope. "Now."

Haruto aimed for the one on his left, quickly shooting down one on the right before gripping the sniper at his back. Looking through the scope, he inhaled deeply and held his breath. Another shot rang out, the single sniper falling to the floor.

"Snipers are down. Make this quick, Nina."

The blonde assassin loosened her grip on the rope and swung toward the designated room. The distance between her and the glass door lessened with each second as she gripped the knife in her other hand.

Crash!

Glass flew inside the entryway, and Nina rolled forward just as a soldier aimed his gun. She elbowed the soldier on her left, throwing a knife at another who aimed his gun. The blade lodged itself between his eyes. She ducked under a high kick, slipping her weapon from its holster and aimed. Three bullets punctured his chest cavity. Another soldier gripped his hunting knife. Taking her own from the dead soldier on the floor, she smirked and beckoned him to come closer. He went on a dead sprint.

"Hah!" He grunted while swiping his blade.

Nina blocked, retaliating with two quick shanks to his side. He jumped back, swiping at her once more. Parrying his blade, Nina stabbed the knife into his eye.

"AAAg—"

She slashed his throat, watching as he stumbled back in shock, holding his neck as it bled profusely through his gloved hands. Blood pooled around her heels and seeped into the carpet floor. She hid near the front door, waiting for the person in the room down the hall to come out.

Aux's eyebrows creased as he looked towards the door, pausing his Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game. He wasn't sure if the gunshots he'd heard were from his game or outside. Aux grabbed the bowie knife from the bookshelf next to his bed. Holding it in reverse grip as he slowly crept into the hall. His eyes widened at the bodies littering the living room.

"Shit..."

Aux blocked a high kick, and the impact sent him careening to the wall. He inhaled sharply, eyes blinking. Catching the glint of a pistol's muzzle. He rolled back to avoid the gunfire and ran around into the kitchen before vaulting over the counter. He brought his legs in front of him, which landed against Nina's stomach. She grunted and stumbled back. Aux advanced and pulled off a tornado kick. Nina leaned back and jabbed with her knife. Aux smirked before blocking and retaliated with a spinning back elbow. Nina weaved away from the blow and executed 'Head Ringer.'

Aux stumbled back, bobbing on his feet as he wiped away the blood over his lip. "Let's go!"

He charged Nina and rolled forward, springing back up and aiming 'Sudden Strike.' She skipped back as the knee barely missed her nose. Recovering, Aux crouched low to the floor, his low swipe kick landing its mark. Her heel landed against his chin as Aux nearly fell forward, leaving him open. Nina wasted little time shoving her blade into his throat. Aux's smirk quickly turned to one of pained shock as his hands shot to his throat, dropping his knife to the floor.

"That was disappointing..."

Aux couldn't speak as he croaked out blood while his neck leaked from the wound in his neck. Nina strolled over, gripping the hilt of the knife still lodged in his neck. His wide hazel eyes pleaded for her to let him die. She slipped her glasses onto her face and pulled the knife leftward, opening a sizable wound into a long gash. Aux tried screaming, but only blood flooded from his mouth as the knife engraved itself across his neck. With a swift movement, she pulled the blade from his open neck.

He fell to the floor, joining the bodies that littered the floor. The pool of blood surrounding the door, kitchen, and hall on the hardwood floor widened, nearly reaching the apartment door and flowing into the hall.

"Status?"

Nina tapped a finger on the device in her ear. "Mark One is terminated."

"They'll find the bodies sooner or later. I'll see you back at our safe house."

Tatyana's Apartment - 6:21 P.M.:

Her phone suddenly vibrated to life, interrupting Tatyana's moment of peace as she sat on the floor with her legs crossed. A call from Neo City's top police detective, Ean Winters.

She answered the phone. "Detective..."

"Ms. Summers. Hope I'm not interrupting, but I need you at the Avery Heights Apartments building. Raven's already here. The crime scene here is… beyond my officers' investigative capabilities."

"I'll be there soon."

She ended the call. 'What could be so bad that they need Raven and me to investigate a crime scene?' Tatyana got up from the floor and called a contact labeled R. Xaviers.

"Detective Winters called you too?"

"Uh... yeah."

Tatyana put the call on speaker and tossed it on her bed before heading to her open closet with only a few outfits on hangers, one of them being the black halter with diamonds woven into its fabric. She couldn't help but smile, which was soon replaced with inquisition.

"Did he tell you why he wants us investigating the crime scene?"

"Whatever happened up there must be way outside his jurisdiction. Especially if all three snipers Victor positioned on the rooftops are dead."

"What?"

"Whoever did this is no normal criminal and had help, considering they can't be in two places simultaneously."

"Makes sense. Where's Victor?"

"He's checking the outside security camera footage. From what I've seen, they haven't seen anything unusual. The important footage is inside, or we're looking in the wrong place."

"I hope it's nothing too serious."

"You and me both. Police work isn't my thing."

"Agreed. I'm getting dressed and will be there in a few minutes."

"Understood. Raven out."

The call ended as Master Raven picked her suit from the hanger. "Something's amiss..."

Poof.

6:32 P.M.:

Raven leaned against the armored hummer, arms crossed over his armored chest while fully dressed in his mission suit as he waited for his superior to show up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Tatyana appeared next to him, staring up at the building as her brown eyes caught sight of a hook and rope hanging from the side.

"Only a few minutes. Detective Winters is inside. Whatever happened in there must be worth the trouble. Nobody is allowed to enter the building for the next two days. He's inside talking with a few soldiers now."

"Didn't ever think we'd need to be called in to investigate a crime scene."

"You and me both. First time for everything.

"Unfortunately."

Detective Winters looked over at the two agents approaching, a mix of concern and disgust on his face. United Nations soldiers blocked both sides of the hallway, guns in hand, in case they needed to use force with any unreasonable citizens.

"Glad you both are here. Looks like a horror story in that apartment. The carnage was discovered by a neighbor, who called the cops. The place seemed quiet as far as I know. A few loud noises here and there, but nothing worth checking out. At least... until now."

Master Raven nodded. "Got it."

"If you need me, I'll figure out what to do with the angry patrons back from work."

With that, Detective Winters excused himself to walk down the hall and downstairs back to ground level.

Raven's eyebrows creased. "The only one staying here was Aux. Usually, he would check in unless he cleaned up or relaxed after taking out the intruder."

"True, but Aux knows the protocol; he would..."

Master Raven's brown irises landed at the bottom of the door, blood leaking from underneath to create a pool around it that shined under the hallway's stark lighting. The soldiers stepped aside, letting the agents closer to the door attached with police tape. Her foot landed in the puddle, the faint scent of blood reaching their noses as they moved closer. Ripping the tape away, Master Raven hooked her hand around the knob and pushed it open.

Raven inhaled sharply. "Woah..."

Meeting their eyes was the living room and front entrance pooled with blood, several bodies of soldiers littering the floor while Aux's body lay in the center of them all. Master Raven swallowed hard, repulse forming on her face. The blood's aroma didn't bother her, but seeing it pool everywhere was more than unnerving. It looked more like a killing spree than someone breaking and entering.

Using her foot, Master Raven flipped Aux's body over and inhaled sharply at the grisly scene. "No wonder why he didn't call in."

Raven nodded, his shades outlining the soldiers' bodies in red. "Most of these soldiers have been shot, except for this one. Knife to the head, thrown from the shattered doors. The intruder must've entered from there and crashed into them. Aux was playing video games when it happened."

Master Raven blinked, a single word appearing at the bottom of her right eye. Scanning… After a few seconds, a few lines of information appeared near the open wound.

Full Open Neck Laceration

She lowered into a crouch to examine Aux's neck wound. The scanner zoomed in closer, and a line of yellow light pulsed along the edge of the torn skin.

Extrema Ratio Fulcrum Knife

Blade Material: Unidentified

Her eyes shifted down to the visible mark on his chin. They narrowed to see a small but visible mark of a heel. Standing, Master Raven went to the sliding doors to imagine the soldiers' position. The way their bodies lay seemed to tell where they were coming from.

'Two beside the door...' She moved her hand, imitating a throwing knife. 'One fell—'

"The intruder had a gun and a knife as well. Nina only uses guns during close and far combat," Master Raven trailed before shifting her stance, posing her finger like a gunman with one eye closed and aiming at a target. "One, two, three. Still, that doesn't explain who-"

"They wiped the inside security camera footage," Raven interrupted.

Master Raven placed a hand on her hip. "This seems too messy to be Nina's work and probably a senseless killing."

"Maybe, but this was no regular criminal. If Aux couldn't take them out, they might be more skilled in combat than him. The one thing we know for sure is that the intruder was female and definitely had help. Taking out the snipers is a two-man job..."

"One removes the extra eyes, while the other eliminates the people inside," she finished.

Raven approached the kitchen counter, spotting a pair of handprints. Looking over at the hall, he spotted another bullet hole in the hallway and its residue leading into the kitchen before disappearing into the blood puddle.

"He ducked a gunshot, ran into the kitchen, and vaulted over the counter," Raven declared. "There was a fight, but the heel must've caught him before the neck stabbed somewhere along the lines."

"No clear motive, but there was a struggle..." Master Raven's eyebrows sunk in frustration. "This doesn't make sense. They swung inside and shot three soldiers, threw a knife at the last one, fought and killed Aux, but left without taking anything while wiping the footage before fleeing. The killing seems... personal."

Her boyfriend crossed his arms. "Your guess is as good as mine. I won't write off Nina's name yet because of the timing after Poland." A deep frown found its way onto Raven's face. "I can't imagine how much this will affect his mom and older brother. Victor won't be looking forward to the funeral."

"Neither of us will..." Tatyana corrected.

Abandoned Burningham Apartment Complex [ROOM 156] - 7:52 P.M.:

Nina eyed the plastic knife in her hand. "Didn't think you'd be right, Doc. Plastic knives do work well. However, getting used to the force needed when slicing is annoying."

Aron rubbed his hands behind his back. "The Doctor knows best. Plastic is hard to detect on the skin and makes a perfect mess. They won't suspect you until it's too late. The scene you let was quite the sight. I was proud, I must say. All that blood, flesh and—"

"Cool it, Doc," Haruto snapped. "We get it; you like blood. No time to celebrate, Nina. When are we going after the next target?"

"As soon as you find another place for us to hide out."

The Commander rolled his eyes. "We're leaving when I do, immediately."

Aron sat in a chair, crossing his right leg over his left while twirling the knife. "Oh, I look forward to seeing how well our next patient can endure pain. I could learn something from her use of poisonous powders." That crooked smile formed again. "The possibilities..."

Nina guiltily looked over at Haruto, who stayed silent as he glared at the blonde. He instantly knew she had no plans of letting him near their next target, and Nina wasn't keen on telling Aron that piece of info.