The rain falls endlessly on the white towers of Husheld, each drop carrying the weight of a city built on inequality. From your position on the 47th floor, you can see the human quarters below - geometric blocks of concrete where the workforce lives, serves, and dies for the comfort of the elite: Irises and Bio-Mutants like yourself.

You are Mane. Twenty years old, with short, spiky black hair that defies gravity and eyes the color of cold, blue neon. As a Meris, you possess a rare gift: the ability to reshape your very form, to become anyone you choose. And for those you haven't yet become, their thoughts are an open book to you. It's a power that sets you apart even from the mind-reading Lerises and the healing Hairises.

The organization you work for has given you a new assignment, one that could change everything.

You pull out the encrypted data pad, your reflection catching in its dark surface. Your true form - dark hair framing sharp features, eyes that can pierce through lies and deception. The assignment is clear: infiltrate the Compliance Bureau, the organization that manages human labor assignments. Someone has been helping humans escape the city, and your organization wants to know who. The pay is substantial, but the risk... the risk could cost you everything. You know you work for The Phantoms in order to help people, but you can't really remember the last time you felt like a good person.

Through the rain-streaked glass, you watch the human workers moving through their designated paths. Each one carries an identification chip, their movements tracked, their lives regulated. You've lived among them before, during missions, seen their quiet desperation and hidden hopes. Today, something feels different. There's an undercurrent of tension, whispered conversations that stop when supervisors, called samaritans, pass by.

You dial your brother's phone number. He somehow picks up immedialtely.

"Tell me more about the task, Irus. I'm not putting myself in danger if there's nothing else to it." - you say and hear your brother exhale sharply.

"Kier will help you with the mission. Maybe if we find who's responsible for all the human escapes, we can think of way to make this person join our team." - your brother replies, making you growl.

You don't want to work with Kier again. You two dated for a while, but she broke up with you a few days back. Seeing her every day makes your heart toss and turn, but not in a good way. You already hate today, and it hasn't even started.

You're so disgusted by the view that you light up a cigarette after a sigh. The mixture of the cold October air and the cigarette smoke catches in your throat. You watch how samaritans marsh their way to the municipality, as they do three times a day. They make a full circle around the city that way. You think of how unfair normal people's lives are. You for one didn't get to work like that a day in your life because you're an iris. These people work for your well-being, whether you like it or not. If they misbehave, they go to prison. You question whether you're actually helping them or you're being a hypocrite. For a second you think about what your life would be if you were human, but that thought quickly fades.

"Okay, big bro. But only if you pay for my psychologist after the mission." - you try to smile, but you can't.

"I know you and Kier aren't exactly on good terms, but you should learn to work together. All of us are a team." - Irus' voice sounds sympathetic, and somehow serious. You sigh and hang up.

You think for a second before replying.

"Okay, Irus. I'll be glad to participate in the mission." - you say with a smile. Maybe this mission will help you and Kier be close again.

"That's the spirit, kiddo! Okay, she'll meet you on the terrace in about five minutes. Be ready, and please, wear The Phantoms' outfit this time."

Irus hangs up. You quickly reach for your watch and choose the outfit you want to wear. Your clothes then change to a blue sweatshirt.

You see a passerby wearing headphones with his hands in his pockets that just stands in front of your building, inspecting it. You squint.

You focus and read the mind of the guy.

"What did Stas say... Should I break-in or wait for someone to open the door?" - the guy thinks. Your eyes widen. You know damn well who Stas is. This can't be good.

You hide behind a pile of tyres and keep watching in the strange guy's direction. What the hell does he want? You consider your options. It's best to stay put for now, but he looks suspicious, and no one else seemed to have noticed him. What is happening, for crying out loud?

You quietly wait for Kier to arrive, walking in circles on the terrace. You have your hands in your pockets, kicking little pebbles. You decide to sit on the ground at some point, constantly checking if five minutes have passed. They have, but you're forced to delude yourself to think otherwise. Where was this girl?

Suddenly, you get a phone call from her. You pick up, sighing. You know you're about to hear a lame excuse like "I'm putting my socks on, I'm coming!" When in fact in your opinion Kier won't even be close to getting ready. Still, you wanted to hear it from her.

"Thank you for reminding me why we broke up! Asshole. Anyway, I'm almost there." - Kier sounds disappointed, and still barely surprised by what you just said. She's quick to hang up.

You groan and mentally slap yourself across the face. Maybe you shouldn't have been so harsh. You look down at the city streets. You spot a man at the market arguing with the clerk about the price, or at least that's how it looks from a distance. You wonder what the life of a human would be. Would you be one of those low-life human criminals or maybe a factory worker? Would you want to sign the contract when you were 18 that allows the government to experiment on you and try to turn you into a bio-mutant? Of course, not all people's bodies can take the serum required to do so. Some go mad, others die at the spot. You sigh. You think about all those kids that didn't sign the contract. They by default have to go to The Reboot Camp. There they are slowly deprived of creativity and critical thinking, in order to be 'fit' for society. You wonder whether some day your team would want to help those kids. The ones who want a normal life, like they deserve. The government brainwashes them, but the kids know exactly what's going on. You think there's a special place in hell for samaritans, the policemen who serve the government, not the people. You see how right now they've caught a thief, who looks like she hasn't slept for days.

"I know you're impatient, but I'm almost there. Stay put." - you hear that and you wonder whether being bossy comes naturally to Kier or it was a learnt skill with time.

She hangs up, leaving you no choice but to keep on waiting. You look down at the city streets. You spot a man at the market arguing with the clerk about the price, or at least that's how it looks from a distance. You wonder what the life of a human would be. Would you be one of those low-life human criminals or maybe a factory worker? Would you want to sign the contract when you were 18 that allows the government to experiment on you and try to turn you into a bio-mutant? Of course, not all people's bodies can take the serum required to do so. Some go mad, others die at the spot. You sigh. You think about all those kids that didn't sign the contract. They by default have to go to The Reboot Camp. There they are slowly deprived of creativity and critical thinking, in order to be 'fit' for society. You wonder whether some day your team would want to help those kids. The ones who want a normal life, like they deserve. The government brainwashes them, but the kids know exactly what's going on. You think there's a special place in hell for samaritans, the policemen who serve the government, not the people. You see how right now they've caught a thief, who looks like she hasn't slept for days.

You observe the situation for a bit longer. You feel like what's happening is unfair towards the supposed thief. You only heard someone scream 'Get the thief!' But you never actually saw a theft. You decide there is only one thing you can do to resolve the situation to at least fall asleep peacefully tonight. You have a very high sense for justice, so you cannot let this situation slide. In order to help though, you should know what's really going on here.

You close your eyes, then open them widely and stare at the thief, who is now being handcuffed by the samaritans.

"I didn't do anything wrong! I'm innocent! I just tried to negotiate a price and they called me a thief!" - you read the girl's mind and you cannot believe what's going on. You take a step back. You need to think this through.

At that same moment, you hear footsteps coming towards you. You don't turn around, thinking it's Kier. Then a hand covers your eyes. Another - your mouth. You cannot transform, nor scream. You forget all about the thief on the street. What do you do?

You successfully hit the perpetrator's ribs, making them step back from you a bit. It's a guy with a hoodie and big headphones around his neck. He tries to punch you, but you are quick to dodge it. You take a few steps back.

You two eye each other for a few quick seconds. The guy is obviously bigger than you, more muscular and maybe sent to harm you. He cracks his neck and knuckles, ready to fight.

You step on the attacker's foot, but they don't seem too impressed. They pull back a bit, but try to grab you again. Still, you are quicker this time. You throw some of the dust on the ground at him, creating a good enough diversion through the created fog. You run, then hide behind a chimney and see a guy with a hoodie and big headphones around his neck, looking for you.

You do your best to make your heart beat slower, but to no avail. You cover your mouth with your hand, so the attacker doesn't hear your breathing. You can only pray that Kier comes sooner.

You focus and put every power you have to good use. You cannot see the attacker's eyes right now, but they are close enough for you to try and read their mind. So you do.

"So this is Josephine Sewitski... I expected a bit more, well, at least now I know why everyone calls her 'Mane', like... What's with the hair? Anyway. Stas will be happy to see her." - your eyes widen at that thought. You cannot let this happen.

You know who Stas is. He's the leader of Secret Tactical Agent Syndicate, or S.T.A.S. for short. He's one of the good guys, much like you and your team, but Stas goes to great extremes to achieve what he wants, plus, you don't know his motives. His brother on the other hand... is the exact opposite.

Your phone suddenly rings. Luckily, you were now hidden, still you can't help but think that you should put your phone on silent due to what just happened. You're paranoid that this dude can hear your phone from the 47th floor. You pick up.

"Mane, what's going on? I sent you the assignment details and you still haven't looked at them. Is something wrong?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. There's this... weird dude walking around our premises. He's considering breaking in." - you say, almost whispering.

"I take it you've read his mind? Of course you did. Mane, he's not top priority right now. Even if he breaks in, we know how to act." - your brother's calmness sends shivers down your spine. Can't he sense this is important?

"But Irus-"

"Drop it. Now. Read your assignment and call me back. Your new mission is with Kier." - with that, your brother hangs up.

"No, nothing's wrong." - you say through gritted teeth. You decide to take matters into your own hands.

"Okay. Now read the assignment I sent you. Your mission is with Kier. She'll be with you soon. Call me back if you have more questions." - Irus hangs up, leaving no space for a debate. You groan.

You unlock your phone and see the assignment. Apparently there's someone who helps normal people escape the city. You and Kier have to find out who. You roll your eyes at the thought of having to work with her. You notice something's happening beneath you, on the street. Someone yelled something about a thief, but you didn't really catch what's going on. The supposed thief is in fact a young girl. You observe the situation for a bit longer. You feel like what's happening is unfair towards the girl. You never heard nor saw what happened, but you wanna help. You decide there is only one thing you can do to resolve the situation to at least fall asleep peacefully tonight. You have a very high sense for justice, so you cannot let this situation slide. In order to help though, you should know what's really going on here.

You close your eyes, then open them widely and stare at the thief, who is now being handcuffed by the samaritans.

"I didn't do anything wrong! I'm innocent! I just tried to negotiate a price and they called me a thief!" - you read the girl's mind and you cannot believe what's going on. You take a step back. You need to think this through.

At that same moment, you hear footsteps coming towards you. You don't turn around, thinking it's Kier. Then a hand covers your eyes. Another - your mouth. You cannot transform, nor scream. You forget all about the thief on the street. What do you do?

You successfully hit the perpetrator's ribs, making them step back from you a bit. It's a guy with a hoodie and big headphones around his neck. The same guy you saw on the street earlier. He tries to punch you, but you are quick to dodge it. You take a few steps back.

You two eye each other for a few quick seconds. The guy is obviously bigger than you, more muscular and maybe sent to harm you. He cracks his neck and knuckles, ready to fight.

You step on the attacker's foot, but they don't seem too impressed. They pull back a bit, but try to grab you again. Still, you are quicker this time. You throw some of the dust on the ground at him, creating a good enough diversion through the created fog. You run, then hide behind a chimney and see a guy with a hoodie and big headphones around his neck, looking for you: the same guy you saw earlier.

You do your best to make your heart beat slower, but to no avail. You cover your mouth with your hand, so the attacker doesn't hear your breathing. You can only pray that Kier comes sooner.

You focus and put every power you have to good use. You cannot see the attacker's eyes right now, but they are close enough for you to try and read their mind. So you do.

"So this is Josephine Sewitski... I expected a bit more, well, at least now I know why everyone calls her 'Mane', like... What's with the hair? Anyway. Stas will be happy to see her." - your eyes widen at that thought. You cannot let this happen.

You know who Stas is. He's the leader of Secret Tactical Agent Syndicate, or S.T.A.S. for short. He's one of the good guys, much like you and your team, but Stas goes to great extremes to achieve what he wants, plus, you don't know his motives. His brother on the other hand... is the exact opposite.

You aren't ready to fight this guy. Even if your fighting style is better, you stand no chance against his strength and build. You have not more than a minute to decide what to do. You eye the stranger and clench your fists. The battle pose you're in suggests you want to fight, even though chances are you're gonna lose.

Reading the mind of the perpetrator didn't help much, and now he has wrapped his arms around you even tighter, in such a way that you cannot break free. You have to think of an escape route, and do so quickly. You aren't ready to fight this guy. Even if your fighting style is better, you stand no chance against his strength and build. You have not more than a minute to decide what to do. You eye the stranger and clench your fists. The battle pose you're in suggests you want to fight, even though chances are you're gonna lose.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You then glare at the guy with your eyes half closed.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, but we don't have to fight. Leave me alone, okay?" - you say, invoking laughter from the stranger. He then grits his teeth, smiling.

"It won't be fighting if it's against you. Two hits, kid. I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin and cross your arms. At least now the attacker's smile turned into a frown. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man makes a step forward, but before he can reach you, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole in his forehead. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You then glare at the guy with your eyes half closed. You clench your fists and try to land a crouchet on the stranger's chin, but he catches your hand and twists it behind your back. You groan, but mostly out of annoyance.

"You don't wanna fight me, kid. I only need two hits: I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin. Your attacker groans. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man twists your arm more, in a way that's more than painful. But before he can do anything else, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole on the back of his head. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, but we don't have to fight. Leave me alone, okay?" - you say, invoking laughter from the stranger. He pushes you hard on the ground and then grits his teeth, smiling.

"It won't be fighting if it's against you. Two hits, kid. I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin and slowly get back on your feet. At least now the attacker's smile turned into a frown. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man makes a step forward, but before he can reach you, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole in his forehead. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You clench your fists and try to land a punch on the guy's ribs, but he catches your hand and twists it behind your back. You groan, but mostly out of annoyance.

"You don't wanna fight me, kid. I only need two hits: I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin. Your attacker groans. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man twists your arm more, in a way that's more than painful. But before he can do anything else, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole on the back of his head. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

When you have hidden behind a pile of bricks successfully, you hear your phone ringing. You pick up, as your hands are shaking.

"Mane, where are you? I heard gunshots, are you okay?" - you swallow the saliva in your mouth when you hear your partner's sympathetic voice. Right now it feels like the only good thing that's happened lately.

You make your way to Kier, tiptoe-ing your way towards her. She's standing where you used to be before the whole situation with the guy. You quickly fill Kier in on what happened.

"We cannot have a corpse on the terrace. Lead me to him." - you nod at what Kier said.

As you two walk to where the struggle happened, you don't exhange anymore words. You let silence settle in between you two, maybe because both of you are overthinking what just happened. The redheaded girl next to you seems thoughful and worried. She's constantly looking around, as if she's trying to spot the shooter. But you and her both know that he's definitely smart enough to have already fled the scene.

When you and Kier reach the scene of the crime, you see no body, and surprisingly, no blood puddle either.

"Are you sure this is where it happened?" - Kier squints.

"Yes." - is the only thing you're able to say.

"This isn't good. The shooter is a pro since he's even capable to cover his tracks like that. We should report this to the team." - you simply nod at that, but neither of you can look at the other.

You aren't ready to fight this guy. Even if your fighting style is better, you stand no chance against his strength and build. You have not more than a minute to decide what to do. You eye the stranger and clench your fists. The battle pose you're in suggests you want to fight, even though chances are you're gonna lose.

Reading the mind of the perpetrator didn't help much, and now he has wrapped his arms around you even tighter, in such a way that you cannot break free. You have to think of an escape route, and do so quickly. You aren't ready to fight this guy. Even if your fighting style is better, you stand no chance against his strength and build. You have not more than a minute to decide what to do. You eye the stranger and clench your fists. The battle pose you're in suggests you want to fight, even though chances are you're gonna lose.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You then glare at the guy with your eyes half closed.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, but we don't have to fight. Leave me alone, okay?" - you say, invoking laughter from the stranger. He then grits his teeth, smiling.

"It won't be fighting if it's against you. Two hits, kid. I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin and cross your arms. At least now the attacker's smile turned into a frown. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man makes a step forward, but before he can reach you, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole in his forehead. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You then glare at the guy with your eyes half closed. You clench your fists and try to land a crouchet on the stranger's chin, but he catches your hand and twists it behind your back. You groan, but mostly out of annoyance.

"You don't wanna fight me, kid. I only need two hits: I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin. Your attacker groans. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man twists your arm more, in a way that's more than painful. But before he can do anything else, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole on the back of his head. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, but we don't have to fight. Leave me alone, okay?" - you say, invoking laughter from the stranger. He pushes you hard on the ground and then grits his teeth, smiling.

"It won't be fighting if it's against you. Two hits, kid. I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin and slowly get back on your feet. At least now the attacker's smile turned into a frown. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man makes a step forward, but before he can reach you, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole in his forehead. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

You close your eyes and exhale sharply through your nose. You clench your fists and try to land a punch on the guy's ribs, but he catches your hand and twists it behind your back. You groan, but mostly out of annoyance.

"You don't wanna fight me, kid. I only need two hits: I hit you, you hit the floor. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation, turn yourself in. My boss will be very happy to have you in his team."

"I already have a team. Tell your boss to go to hell." - you grin. Your attacker groans. You feel proud for being able to remove the smile from his face.

"Suit yourself." - the man twists your arm more, in a way that's more than painful. But before he can do anything else, you hear a gunshot.

Next thing you know, the guy is lying unconscious on the ground, with a bullet hole on the back of his head. Your heart starts to beat so fast that you can hear it in your ears. It prevents you from hearing anything else. Your instincts scream 'Run!' So, you do. You know it's not Kier who shot the guy. No one in The Phantoms, who is a distractor like yourself, is allowed to shoot or to carry a weapon. The situation replays in your head over and over again. The shot didn't come from above, it felt like it came from behind you. You still aren't sure who was the shooter aiming for. You didn't see who your saviour was, but you did owe them your life now. That is, if you consider your attacker being the target and not you.

You think about your job in The Phantoms in order to distract your mind from what just went down. You're what The Phantoms call a distractor. It's your job to make sure no innocents are present when a crime is about to happen, and to also distract the samaritans when it's necessary. You sigh. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

When you have hidden behind a pile of bricks successfully, you hear your phone ringing. You pick up, as your hands are shaking.

"Mane, where are you? I heard gunshots, are you okay?" - you swallow the saliva in your mouth when you hear your partner's sympathetic voice. Right now it feels like the only good thing that's happened lately.

You make your way to Kier, tiptoe-ing your way towards her. She's standing where you used to be before the whole situation with the guy. You quickly fill Kier in on what happened.

"We cannot have a corpse on the terrace. Lead me to him." - you nod at what Kier said.

As you two walk to where the struggle happened, you don't exhange anymore words. You let silence settle in between you two, maybe because both of you are overthinking what just happened. The redheaded girl next to you seems thoughful and worried. She's constantly looking around, as if she's trying to spot the shooter. But you and her both know that he's definitely smart enough to have already fled the scene.

When you and Kier reach the scene of the crime, you see no body, and surprisingly, no blood puddle either.

"Are you sure this is where it happened?" - Kier squints.

"Yes." - is the only thing you're able to say.

"This isn't good. The shooter is a pro since he's even capable to cover his tracks like that. We should report this to the team." - you simply nod at that, but neither of you can look at the other.

You can't stop looking at the empty spot where just minutes ago you were about to get beaten up and potentionally kidnapped. Kier is now dialing your brother, sounding very upset, but who wouldn't be?

"Yes, she's right next to me." - the redhead says at some point and gives the phone to you.

"Mane! Tell me what happened, in great detail. This is important." - Irus sounds worried, but still in a formal way somehow.

You hear Irus sigh on the other side of the line. You hear something about him giving the phone to someone else.

"Don't play dumb with me, Mane." - Ms. Skit's voice. You're not surprised. Irus was never good at leading his own battles.

You have a love-hate, mostly hate, relationship with Skit. You call her Sket, just like the British jargon for 'bitch'. Kier does the same. You two can't stand Skit, who so happens to be the distractors' supervisor and one of the full-fledged agents of The Phantoms.

"I won't play dumb if you stop playing smart, Sket." - Skit giggles slowly at that sentence of yours. Kier smiles next to you.

"Keep talking, you'll do extra laps at the next Phantom Training." - Skit replies, obviously through a smile. Or at least that's how it sounds. "And maybe you won't participate on the next test for promotion to a higher rank than a distractor." - you groan at that. "Now. What happened, exactly?"

"I was attacked by a guy with brown hair, green hoodie and headphones around his neck. He was tall and slightly muscular. He said something about Stas wanting me on his team, it seemed like he was gonna do anything to achieve it." - you explain quickly, hearing a 'mhm' out of Skit after every sentence you say.

"Okay. Me and Vancrooves will take care of it. You and Kier - come back to the base. We'll delay the mission a bit. This is more important."

"Okay, I'll let you talk to Ms. Skit and explain the situation to her." - you nod, quickly realizing Irus cannot see it.

"Okay, Mane. Let's see if you can explain thoroughly what happened, instead of being all sarcastic. Don't play dumb with me." - Ms. Skit's voice makes you want to take the challenge to not be sarcastic, and purposefully lose it.

You have a love-hate, mostly hate, relationship with Skit. You call her Sket, just like the British jargon for 'bitch'. Kier does the same. You two can't stand Skit, who so happens to be the distractors' supervisor and one of the full-fledged agents of The Phantoms.

"I won't play dumb if you stop playing smart, Sket." - Skit giggles slowly at that sentence of yours. Kier smiles next to you.

"Keep talking, you'll do extra laps at the next Phantom Training." - Skit replies, obviously through a smile. Or at least that's how it sounds. "And maybe you won't participate on the next test for promotion to a higher rank than a distractor." - you groan at that. "Now. What happened, exactly?"

"I was attacked by a guy with short brown hair, green hoodie and headphones around his neck. He was tall and slightly muscular. He said something about Stas wanting me on his team, it seemed like he was gonna do anything to achieve it." - you explain quickly, hearing a 'mhm' out of Skit after every sentence you say.

"Okay. Me and Vancrooves will take care of it. You and Kier - come back to the base. We'll delay the mission a bit. This is more important."

You and Kier had some time to walk around a bit. You knew you wanted to talk to her, say that you miss her and that you want her back. You pull out a cigarette. You feel like you really need one, but it was the last one in your pack. You notice Kier glancing at it with curiosity.

"Do you... maybe wanna smoke this one with me?" - you force a smile. It's not easy to smile after the situation from today. You were still kind of scared of what's to come.

"Sure." - Kier replies, stopping at her spot. She motions to you to give her the cigarette. You do, and you light it up for her. She exhales smoke.

"Is it any good?" - you ask, hoping it's not a stupid question. Kier grins.

"Of course. Huse is the best cigarette brand. You always had good taste." - after taking another hit, the redhead gives the cigarette to you, placing it between your lips.

You two glance at each other as that moment lasts, neither of you looking away. You decide now's the perfect time to talk to Kier about the things that really matter.

You decide to keep the cigarette to yourself. You light it up and take a long drag on it. Kier watches you as you smoke, probably waiting for you to remember that you should both go back to the base. You two then continue walking.

At some point you suddenly stop to glance at Kier. Neither of you looks away for a few seconds. You decide now's the perfect time to talk to her about the things that really matter.

"We had some good times while we were together, didn't we?" - you say after you take a drag off the cigarette. Kier sighs.

"Yeah. We did. But we had some serious issues too." - she replies with a serious face, motioning to you to continue walking, so you do.

"Serious enough to never try again? I-I'm willing to change!" - you insist. Kier forces a smile.

"I could've lost you today, so I promise I'll consider us trying again." - she takes the cigarette off your hand and puffs on it.

Kier barely looks at you. She sighs. Before she replies, she motions to you to keep walking, so you do. You don't want to keep the team waiting after all.

"Yes, sometimes. I miss many things about you. But I don't miss our issues and overall differences, Mane." - the look on the redhead's face is somewhat sad, almost nostalgic.

"Could you consider us dating again?" - you ask, hopefully. Kier eyes you for a quick second and shrugs.

"Maybe. But I need more time. I need to make sure we're both good enough for each other not to destroy what we have or... had." - Kier stops in front of the elevator on the terrace that leads to the lower floors.

Thank you for playing The Phantoms! New chapters coming soon!