Unknown Pov
I stared at the scene in front of me. Going over ways all of this could have been avoided. My eyes wide with fear. Seeing the glint of the sun reflect off the knife. The blade held in front of a certain person's throat. How easily the air and ground could be painted red with their blood. And then I locked eyes with them. My head began slowly pounding. I lifted my hand upwards and held my head as I felt like I got struck by lightning. Gasping out loud.

Monica's Pov Earlier That Day
I gasped as it felt like I was electrified and opened my eyes. Holding my pounding head and sitting up in my bed. "Just now.....what...?" I sat in pink pajamas and rubbed my face with my other hand. "What a strange dream." Looking around the bright pink wallpaper and cutesy vibe the room gave off. I smiled a little and stood up. Walking over to my dresser and grabbing my hairbrush. "I wonder if Elizabeth was serious about following me wherever I go....even...". I thought about Number One and what he told me to do. I could never read that guy. Telling me to join up with people and then surrendering to them. What's his goal? Or plan?

I turned to the mirror atop the dresser and raised my brush to my hair. I paused right before the brush touched my hair. The hair in the mirror was dark blue. Then I looked at my face. My eyes widened in confusion. That wasn't my face. It was older. But the person looked similar to me. The female face stared at me in similar confusion. Huh? I blinked rapidly and my hair returned to it's normal brown color. "Odd." I shook my head and sighed. So strange. I should take a shower.

David's Pov
I woke up with a small yell. Feeling like I'd been shocked in my sleep. Who was that girl I'd seen? I glanced down at my clothes and sighed. Seeing the shackles around my hands and feet. I was chained to the bed. This place seemed cool enough but the people here obviously didn't trust me. All because of that incident....that the nurse kept mentioning. Me being rescued from the neck of something. After waking up in the infirmary, she asked me frequent questions to see if I remembered more than I already did. But I couldn't. Eventually, she stopped asking and I was sent to a different part of the building and chained up. I held my head for a moment and saw a flash of a large creature with blond hair and large smile. Grey skin. Like the kind of thing I'd been told I came out of. What the hell did I just see? And why was I seeing it? I looked around for any sign of the creature but saw the normal boring white walls and decor of the room.

It's so bland. They gave me very little for this room. A bed. A nearby toilet. When I began to smell they'd take my shackles off and I'd be led by a white haired man with glasses to a shower unit. There was privacy when I showered. The man didn't follow me in there. But there were no windows or other doors. So I just had my towel and change of clothes and one exit. I wasn't going anywhere. Sitting here gave me a lot more time to think. About Dale. Was he alive? Did he even know where I was now if he was alive? What happened after that incident? Did the man with that knife kill him? These questions usually flooded my mind at some time during my days here. My mind then shifted to another thing. Charlie.

There were so many things I wanted to know about Charlie. Things I wanted to ask him about. How had he handled these past few months? Had he changed? Or did he still have that nerdy look to him? And what about Alex? I definitely hadn't seen him in a while. Not since the builder incident. And were those two guys who hung around him whenever hentai boy Tom, that quiet kid Gunther and Charlie weren't near him alive? Kevin and...Cody I think. Where were they all? I sat up a little and heard the shackles clank a bit. I couldn't go far. This entire situation is messed up. Wait. I was forgetting something. No...someone important. And then it clicked. I recalled who I was forgetting. An image flashed in my head of a slightly younger me clutching my phone and staring at the screen. A bunch of unread messages I'd sent Dale. The day everything went to shit.

A woman had her hand on my shoulder and a nervous smile on her face. Black hair and her eyes surrounded by wrinkles. Mom. Where was she in all this? The last thing I remember about her was that. And the next thing I remember was Dale and I in that building. Was she alive or...? Even after all this time, I still couldn't remember what happened that night. The sound of the door to the room opening yanked me out of my thoughts. "Huh?" I turned to the door. Seeing a tall man with blond hair and amber eyes. He wore a nice green suit and the white haired male followed close behind him.

The blond haired male smiled. "I'm sorry for you having been kept in such a state. I wanted to talk to you immediately but I've been quite busy lately." He looked down for a moment but took out a large metal key. He bent down and slid his key into a part of the bed. He unlocked my shackles and on my hands and feet. "It's truly a topic for another time. But now I've come to you because my schedule cleared up."

"Oh....". I nodded slowly. Not sure how to really respond. I rubbed my wrists. Wondering if this was a trick or test.

"I'm Chris. The commander of this monster suppression organization." He held his hand out to me.

My eyes widened. This was the guy in charge. "It's nice to meet you. I'm David." I reached out and shook his hand.

He let go of my hand after a moment. "I understand things have been harsh on you. Where you were rumored to have came from has been kept to as minimal people as possible. I had faith that you were a good person because you didn't rampage and kill us all. Even upon the first few days you were here. That's why you weren't thrown in with the other monsters we capture. If you even are a monster that is." He tilted his head to the side slightly. "That said, will you dedicate your heart to save humanity?"

I gulped. Nodding and placing my fist against my chest over my heart. "I will. I'm a good person. I promise. I'll do everything in my power to show people that and save humanity. I'll kill the monsters with you." Looking him in the eye.

"You have my respect." He nodded back at me. "I look forward to working with you. You'll be coming with me to another building. That's where the new recruits will be. None of them will know about your incident. You may even see a familiar face or two." He glanced at the white haired man. "Come on, Victor. Director Micheal has entrusted us."

The man named Victor adjusted the glasses on his face. "Micheal....right." He narrowed his eyes at me.

Chris led the way out of the room.

Victor stared at me for a moment before following after Chris. Obviously expecting me to follow after.

Had I done something wrong I didn't know about? I frowned nervously and sighed. Getting up and following.

Elizabeth's Pov
I stared down at the flyer in my hand. "These guys must be desperate if they're hanging these things everywhere." I stood outside. Wearing a light blue jacket. And blue jeans. "Did so many people really die in that one operation that they've gotta advertise everywhere? How annoying...". I let out a small sigh. "But...if she's really serious about wanting to help people....I'll follow her." I walked along the slightly cracked sidewalk. Feeling the light heat of the sun against my back. I gazed at the buildings around me. Some with broken windows. Others were boarded up. The world had changed. And the people in it were slowly beginning to change. Some learning to adapt, while others showed their true colors. I see. Will you listen to what I said before, Monica? I stopped upon arriving at the building where the trainees would be staying. Verifying that this was the building by glancing down at the flyer and looking at the map of the city that was under the picture of the building.

"I hope that white bitch didn't think I'd be hanging around here all the time." I pushed open the front door and peered inside. Brown painted walls. Wooden floors. Old paintings of determined people. This place was definitely something. I closed the door behind myself and walked forward. My boots earning some creaks from the wooden floor beneath me. After walking through the hall a bit, I could see multiple other doorways leading to other sections of the building. But I focused mainly on the doors in front of me. I pushed those open and I blinked slowly. It was a giant room with pillars to support itself and marble floors instead of the wooden ones that led inside. "How strange....". I muttered. Staring at the numerous people in the room. People of different age groups. Some young children. Teens. Adults that were barely adults. Older folks. No elderly or babies though. "When they said everyone was wanted, they really meant everyone."

"Yeah. Anyone and everyone. Even lazy people like me who dragged themselves out of bed and kinda don't wanna be here." A short girl smiled tiredly at me. She wore a shirt with some Korean guys on it. And wore black pants.

"I can feel that don't really wanna be here part." I stared at her.

"Mm. I'm only here because my friend made me." She turned to a taller boy who stood next to her wearing dark brown clothing.

"Kinda same. I'm only here because of my friend though." I shrugged.

The short and tired girl seemed a bit shocked. "You came here for the sake of someone else? Noble. You seem like a nice person so....I'm Scarlett. He's Xavier." She pointed at the boy who hadn't said much yet.

"Me. Nice? That's hilarious. Don't go around telling everyone that." I chuckled. "But I'm Elizabeth."

"I'm so glad you're making friends." A familiar voice said from behind me. "I thought you'd be mean to everyone besides me."

I turned back and huffed. "It's not nice to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Monica."

"I'm sorry." She smiled. "It was accidental. I just happened to hear as I walked in." She wore a pink jacket and had on dark blue jeans.

"I totally believe you. Like one hundred percent." I rolled my eyes playfully. I opened my mouth to say something else but I was cut off by the sound of the door opening behind us again. I turned my head partially to glance at who was coming in.

A white haired male and a blond haired male led a black haired boy with green eyes in. The white haired male whispered something in the boy's ear before walking out with the other male. The boy stared straight ahead. Not looking at any of us as he walked past. Heading for a separate part of the room from everyone else.

I stared at the boy for a few moments before turning back to Monica. But she was staring at the boy as well. "Hey. Got a crush or something?" I waved my hand in front of her face.

She blinked a few times. Snapping out of whatever thought she was in. "No. Of course not." Her cheeks were a bit pink at my words. "His entrance was just....strange and totally not normal."

"Hmm....". I felt a weird feeling in my chest.

"It was indeed quite strange." A blond haired boy glanced up from his book. There sure were a lot of blond people around. He stood up and walked over to the other boy.

I stared at the other two boys and sighed. Scanning the room and glancing up. There was a staircase towards the other end of the room and a tall buff older man with black hair stared down at us coldly with an odd look in his eyes. He leaned against the railing and had on a professional look to him. He didn't seem lost like the rest of us. And he held a whistle and a stopwatch.

The male lifted his whistle to his mouth and blew, a high pitched noise piercing my ears. I reached up to cover them in slight annoyance and pain. The male moved away from the stairs. "Greetings, new soon to die wastes of space. I'm Herbert. And I'll be your training instructor."

David's Pov
I glanced up at the man named Herbert. Not exactly focused on what he was saying. Training of our lives. We'd be worked until our bones ached. I was still wondering about some other things.

"Excuse me?" A quiet and timid sounding voice whispered into my ear.

I turned slightly so it wouldn't be obvious I was no longer paying attention to Herbert. In front of me was a small boy with blond hair and sky blue eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt and had on blue jeans. He held a large book in his hands and had black rimmed glasses on. He reminded me of Charlie. Nerdy and possibly introverted. "Yeah? Wassup?"

"I...well...I just saw you standing alone and I figured...well I wanted to reach out. I have my fair share of being alone...and..it's not fun." The boy took a gulp and looked a bit nervous. "I'm Astro." He smiled slowly.

I frowned. Astro. Hadn't I heard that name before? He also looked familiar. "I'm...David." I blinked for a moment. "Have we met before?" My attention momentarily moved away from Herbert.

Astro stayed quiet. Herbert's loud voice in the background to my ears. I was only focused on him. He slowly nodded. "We have. I remember you." His gaze shifted to the floor. "It seems like you don't remember me though. I don't get how you could forget me though."

I rubbed my head. "I don't remember much of anything recently. There are gaps in my memory...".

"Why? Is something wrong?" He frowned.

I heard footsteps behind me. And then a shadow loomed over me. I turned and saw Herbert standing there. "Yes. Is something wrong, cadet?" His eyes black and empty. It was like looking into a well. A bottomless well.

I looked up into his eyes. "No, sir." I shook my head.

Astro shook his head slower than I did.

Herbert took in a deep breath. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"David Lambert sir!" I saluted.

"A-Astro Naumer sir!" I heard a small squeak in his voice.

Herbert stood silent for a moment. Peering down at us. "Care to explain why you were talking while I was, Lambert? What could possibly have entered that raisin brain of yours to make you think I wouldn't notice? Huh?"

I sighed a little. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't. In fact, once I'm done with explaining everything to all of you and assigning your teams and the part of the building you'll be staying in, EVERYONE WILL RUN AROUND THE BUILDING. 500 LAPS!" He clapped me on the shoulder. "And you have this waste of space to thank for it." He gave Astro a dark look. Before walking back to his previous spot in the room.

"Honestly.....I expected better. You should listen when others are speaking." A bored sounding voice muttered.

I turned to the sound of the voice and my eyes widened. "Gunther." I knew that dead expression. Those blank eyes. And the slick black hair. "Why...are you here?"

"I'm Herbert's assistant. I'll be watching over you new trainees and keeping you all safe. Hopefully. I would hope no unfortunate accidents happen." He wore an all black outfit and his expression didn't change.

"Where's everyone else? And Tom? And...why did you of all people pick a job to watch over people? Why would you ever want to be close to people? You seem antisocial. Or like you hate everyone...this doesn't make sense." I sighed.

"This world doesn't make sense. Now stay out of trouble and shut up." He sighed.

"But you didn't answer my-". I watched as he walked away before I'd even finished my sentence. Sighing in defeat and ignoring Astro's confused looks. Why the hell is he here? And why am I being left in the dark? Is something bigger going on? Something I can't see or understand? I turned my eye to Herbert and simply decided I'd save all of my questions for later. Someone would have to answer me eventually.

"I will train you in the way of identifying, combating, capturing or evading monsters. Some of these creatures are huge and destructive. While others look like you and me." He shrugged. "We kill them regardless. They threaten our safety and can't be reasoned with. So we must do everything in our power to protect the civilians of this city and be rid of the menace that hide within it." Herbert glanced around the room. "However, teaching you about weapons and monsters on day one would be useless. For some of you, it will go in one ear and out the other. So I'll just show you the equipment you'll be handling. What it does. How not to kill yourself with it. And that will be all today. Along with those 500 laps of course."

A silence filled the room as Herbert took a moment to breathe. Glancing around the room at all of us. He seems like he's looking for someone. Who could he be looking for?

"If anything gets out of hand, my assistant Gunther has permission to kick all of your sorry asses back to whatever pit of hell and filth you dragged yourself out of." He pointed at Gunther. "And trust me..he'll be more than happy to do so. I can see it in his eyes."

15 Minutes Later
"And lastly..for the final teams....". Herbert pointed at me. "Lambert. Naumer." He pointed at four nearby people. "STATE YOUR NAMES, MAGGOTS. YOU'LL BE WITH THE FAILURES WHO ARE MAKING YOU RUN 500 LAPS!"

"ADELAINE OXTON!" A tall-ish girl screamed out. Her voice echoed throughout the room. Her hair was ginger on one side. And bright pink on the other. She saluted partially. She wore an orange sweater. One of her eyes was sky blue. And the other one...was a forest green. "PLEASED TO MEET YOU TWO!" Her voice assaulted my ears and I saw Astro cover his ears from the corner of my eye.

"I'm...Hunter. Hunter Chase." A girl with short black hair and blue eyes gently elbowed Adelaine. She was a tad bit taller than her and sighed. Having a large bow on her back. And a quiver holding a bunch of arrows. "I...look forward to getting to know you all. Please don't mind my loud friend." She smiled apologetically. Wearing a red coat that wasn't zipped up.

"I'm Monica. Monica Edwards." A girl with brown hair gave us a peace sign. She wasn't looking at us though. She was staring at the ceiling. Wearing a pink jacket and blue jeans.

"Scarleff. I mean lett. I mean...blegh." The final person seemed to shrug. "Call me anything you wish. I don't really care." They didn't even bother saluting. They simply stared at another boy who wasn't going to be apart of our team. He wore dark brown clothing and seemed afraid of everything.

Herbert gave a small grunt. "Naumer. You're the squad leader. Until a better one comes about or you die." He pointed at Astro.

"Me? Why? H-how? I'm not good at making decisions. This is a horrible idea and-". The small blond boy stuttered.

"Are you questioning my authority and decision, trainee Naumer?" Herbert tilted his head. "Shall I add 1000 push ups to the 500 laps?"

"N-no sir." Astro looked down in defeat.

"Good. Good." He turned his eyes to another group of people who also hadn't been assigned teams yet. "If you have anymore complaints, I'd be happy to give you more things to complain about." Walking over to the other group. "INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, FUTURE DECEASED MEATSACKS."

A very small boy with slick black hair saluted Herbert. "Rashall Bonifacio."

"I've seen midgets taller than you, kid. I must look like a goddamn skyscraper." Herbert stared down at Rashall with a stern look. "You look like a kid who sucks dick for money and then swears to God that they aren't gay for years. So now I ask you, you filthy midget. DO YOU SUCK DICK FOR MONEY?" He screamed.

"No SIR! I'm not a kid! I'm a teen!" He shook his head quickly. "And as straight as a ruler!"

"Rulers can bend. JUST LIKE YOU BEND OVER AND TAKE IT UP THE ASS! YOU MAKE ME SICK. YOUR HEIGHT IS PERFECT FOR SUCKING DICK AND YET YOU LIE TO ME SAYING THAT YOU'RE STRAIGHT? YOUR FACE SCREAMS GAY. IF RADARS COULD BE USED TO FIND GAY PEOPLE, THERE'D BE A MILLION POINTING TO YOU!" His voice slowly getting louder as he spoke. And then he turned to the boy standing next to him. He looked fairly skinny. Mostly. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ricky. Ricky Rhodes." A blond boy with amber eyes saluted Herbert.

"And why the hell are you here, Rhodes?" Herbert glanced at the boy's lack of muscles.

"I'm here to save humanity." He said with a determined look in his eyes.

Herbert's eyes widened for a moment. But he simply turned his eyes to the other four standing around them. Waiting for them to introduce themselves.

"Elizabeth." A taller girl with red hair and blue eyes said. Not offering anything else besides that.

"Vincent." A blond boy with red eyes glared at Herbert. Not saying anything else as well.

"X-Xavier." The boy in brown shivered.

"I'm Clarence. Clarence Reese." A boy with average height said with a smile. His hair was dark black and his eyes were green. "I joined so I could fix this cruel, messed up world."

Herbert didn't say anything else for a few moments. And then he glanced at Gunther. "He'll be your squad leader. He can whoop this group into shape." He frowned. "Now that we've gone over the dangers of monsters and formed squads, it's time to get into the equipment. You'll find suits in the room connected to this one." He pointed to a lone door in the corner of the room. "There a huge bulky ones and then there are small ones. The small ones are meant for speed and versatility. Put those on. They might not be as protective as the bulky suits, but so long as you follow my instructions and don't goof around, you shouldn't need any extra protection. Once you've put them on, wait outside."

30 Minutes Later
I stood with the rest of the squad. Staring at the suit I had on. It was green and had wires running through it. It was like wearing a robot. The suit even had a face mask that came down over your face and displayed a screen. And on the screen was a map of the entire city. There were multiple other icons on the screen but I didn't dare touch them. I could easily press the wrong button and the suit could fold up and crush me inside. Especially because of the strange feeling and texture of the gloves that wrapped around my hands when I put the suit on. It obviously wasn't a normal suit by any means. But with the world in disarray like this, where had these people found the money to make all this? Or did they already have it? It seemed way more advanced than anything I'd ever seen before.

"It's amazing, right?" Astro glanced over at me. Forcing me to stop staring at the suit and slowly nod at him as I registered in my mind what he'd asked.

"It is." Herbert walked outside to us. "The suit had many uses. There's a speaker connected to it. And a microphone. You can make a loud speech or whisper something important to a comrade. There's also a map of the city which all of you have. The suits are connected in some way. They have a chip installed into them. If you try and steal these suits, we will be able to track ypu down. Destroying the chips will also send out a signal of your last known location to Headquarters." He took a small breath. "These suits run on an energy source which is also located in Headquarters. They won't power off as you're using them. And they serve as something to push you. You can go far beyond your normal limitations with these suits. And there's also a flying mechanism integrated into it. I wouldn't recommended doing that without proper training, which we haven't gotten to yet."

I nodded. Listening to Herbert as I clenched my fists. There was a jetpack icon on the screen. Guess that was the way to fly. There was also a microphone. A speaker. A suit similar to this one. And a....gun? Those were the ones I knew automatically. Any others seemed foreign to me. I also saw a bunch of red dots gathered in one place. Guess that was us. Hmm...I turned my eye to Herbert. He wasn't wearing a suit. Were we supposed to train out here as noobies? I mean...Gunther seemed to have experience but....it still seemed a bit unsafe. I frowned but kept quiet.

Herbert turned his eyes down the block. Staring down the street. Did he hear something?

I turned to look at where he was looking. Something was coming towards us. A horse...pulling...a carriage behind it. I could see.....a large male...with a bag over his head. "Hey...guys...". I reached out to Astro. "Hey!"

"Huh?" He blinked at me in confusion.

"These shady looking guys are-".

The sounds of hooves had gotten much closer. And before I knew it, they'd snatched up someone standing near us.

"MONICA!" I heard a female voice scream out from nearby.

I reached a hand out slowly as the carriage kept on going as if nothing had happened. "Where....the hell are you going, asshole? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING HER?" I screamed after them.

A hand was placed on my shoulder. Gunther lifted his face mask off. "Calm down. We have trackers in all the suits. Remember? Wherever they're trying to take her, we'll know."

I gritted my teeth and nodded reluctantly. "Right. They don't know they've lead themselves into a trap. But why take her?"

"The suits. They sell for a lot of money. People steal them. Illegal things happen. Criminals get profit and a dangerous weapon." Herbert said. "You can all see Monica being led away as a red dot. These suits should be faster than horses. Go after them and surround them. Try and accomplish the act of getting Edwards back without any casualties." He began walking back inside. "If she gets killed or anyone else does, my report will become much longer. Gunther. Watch over these brats."

Gunther gave Herbert a small nod. "We'll split up around them. Squads going with each other. When they finally stop, we'll all converge on that point and get Monica back safely." He clicked a button on his screen. "Click the suit icon for the suit to power up." His suit made a small beeping sound. He motioned to his squad. "I'll go ahead and see if there's any dangers ahead. You probably would all get eaten if anything found you. Follow the others for the time being. Now go." He said to everyone. He took a small step forward and the ground cracked. Sending up dirt into the air. When the dirt cleared a few seconds later, Gunther was far in the distance ahead. He turned a corner and then we were alone.

"So fast....". Astro blinked in surprise. "F-follow Gunther's orders. We'll get Monica back." He turned to us. We were his squad. Not that I had too much faith in us. But he seemed to. Kinda. He pressed the suit icon on his screen as well. "Stick together. And everything will be okay."

I felt inspired by those words. They ignited a certain emotion inside of me. I didn't focus on it though. I simply pressed the suit icon on my screen like the others and listened to my screen making the sound Gunther's had made. And then, I ran forward with Astro and the others. Monica. We'll get you back. And then those bastards will pay.

About An Hour Later
Astro stared ahead of us at a building that was partially caved in. Old looking cars littered the street and the sidewalk was cracked and broken in certain areas. "After going all the way across the city, seems they've stopped." He pushed open the door to a seemingly abandoned building across from the caved in building. The two buildings were also connected by a small red walkway along the roof. "We'll survey the situation." He groaned as the door fell off it's hinges and clattered to the ground. Gesturing us inside.

I cringed as we walked inside. The air smelled like rotting meat and the windows to the building were all boarded up. Small squeaks indicated that we weren't alone. There was a large bookshelf that had been pushed over onto a table. The books scattered around the glass and small bugs crawling out from them.

"Keep....moving." Astro shivered and started walking towards the stairs. "Make sure to not get separated either." The boarded up windows didn't allow for much sunlight to get in here. It was mostly dark except for the small beams of light that streamed in through the cracks.

"Is that a spider?" Adelaine's loud voice penetrated the silence of the building. More sounds of crawling and even a small groan was heard after she spoke.

Hunter placed her hands on Ade's back and pushed her towards the stairs. "Stop talking. Please. Or at least whisper", she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Sorry...". Her voice was still pretty high when she said that.

"Why did there have to be bugs? But not just bugs. Spiders in particular. And a bunch of other unknowns." Scarlett hurried up after Ade and Hunter.

I felt the tiles crack beneath my feet as I followed the others. My eyes drawn to the faded green walls which had bloody handprints all over them. Something bad had definitely happened in here. I didn't worry about any possibilities though. Monica was more important than the story of this place.

After a few more floors of walking up stairs and avoiding anything in the dark, we'd reached a bright red emergency door. "Please let the alarm be long dead. Please. Please." He gently pushed it open and he let out a small sigh of relief when nothing happened. "That does make me wonder if all the buildings in the city have electricity or not. Who would even maintain them...?"

Hunter shrugged and held the door open for the rest of us. She let go once we all came out and walked to the edge of the roof. Staring at the partially caved in building. "I see them. Monica is tied up. Her helmet looks like it was taken off. And one of the guys seems like he's trying to figure out how to get the rest of her suit off. Presumably because it wouldn't have much worth with her in it. And not for any other reasons."

I frowned and turned my attention to Hunter. "You can see pretty far." I walked over to her and squinted across the street. "Why isn't Monica fighting back?"

Hunter pointed to a broken window near the spot she stared at. "One of the guys has a sniper rifle. And the other guy has a sawn off shotgun. Three in total. Monica resists, she can say goodbye to her head. These suits are good, but I don't think they'll allow her to dodge two bullets at almost point blank range. Especially that shotgun."

"Then....how do we get their attention away from Monica quietly?" Astro wondered out loud.

"We'll have to make a tiny distraction. Not too loud. Or else we risk attracting the attention of other things out there. Or getting our heads blown off." I sighed. Glancing down at the suits. They almost seemed robotic. So could they protect us from a shotgun blast?

Astro pressed a small button on the neck of the suit that caused his helmet to come off. He stared at the sky and the sun for answers. His bright blond hair blowing softly in the wind. "Yeah. Not too loud and not too quiet." That was all he said. More like muttered actually. It was obvious that he was nervous. He was sweating a lot and his breathing pattern was frequent and low.

"Don't worry, Astro. I'm sure you'll be a great squad leader. Monica's gonna be fine." Adelaine smiled. She removed her helmet so she could look into Astro's eyes. Her smile radiated confidence. Her green eye was the thing that I liked. It reminded me of my own eyes. However, our similarities ended there. With her ginger and pink hair and that naturally loud voice. Even when she tried to whisper, it was still like she was shouting.

Everything about Adelaine seemed extravagant. Her hair. Her different coloured eyes. She was so different than I was. Everything about me seemed normal. Especially my boring black hair. The only thing that stood out about me was my green eyes. And even they weren't that great. If I couldn't save Monica, I wouldn't be that great, would I? I wouldn't be a hero. Heroes could save anyone. Civilians. The people they cared about. I wasn't even special. The reason I was chained up, besides that....I was just a former misguided bully. If Alex hadn't...shown me the truth....I'd still be that same worthless person who wasn't going anywhere.

The same boy who relished in seeing another far weaker boy in pain. I didn't even remember why I was angry at him back then, but I just knew that when I hurt him, I would feel relieved. So now that the reason for me being angry was gone, I didn't know...anything. And this feeling of feeling worthless...and indecisive...Astro must have been feeling it too. About ten times worse since he was our squad leader.

I hadn't noticed that Astro had been silent as I had thought to myself. Scarlett sighed and began to walk over to him. Her boots making soft clunks along the rooftop. With a press of a button, her helmet came off as well. "You got this. Don't stress it." Despite saying this, she looked quite stressed herself.

Hunter turned back to Astro and gave him a small thumbs up. "If anything goes wrong, I'll help. I'll give them a nice arrow through the leg."

Astro gulped and slowly nodded. "Thanks, everyone. I needed that. Now please, listen up. We'll provide the distraction and get Monica back safely. If worst comes to worst, use your attributes to fend those guys off. Especially you, Hunter. I'm hoping you have some real skill with that bow." He paused. "Now....for the distraction.....-".

"NEVER FEAR! THE GLORIOUS PAIGE IS HERE!" A female voice shouted as a suit similar to ours flew above us and straight towards the other building.

"A trainee? Like us?" Astro gasped in shock. His eyes going wide as he stared.

"A dumbass. Herbert told us not to use the suit for flying." I groaned in annoyance.

The girl named Paige slammed into one of the walls and then fell on top of one of the gunmen.

"Come on." Astro said and ran across the bridge.

Adelaine ran after him but her eyes widened. She moved around Astro and leapt through the window leading into the broken room.

Paige let out a small whine and stood up. Staring at the male who was watching her. He aimed his rifle at her chest. She gasped. Stumbling backwards.

Adelaine tapped her helmet and a small ringing sound emitted from the suit. "HEY!" She screamed, her voice amplified by the microphone connected to the suit.

The sound of her voice seemed to startle the gunman. He fired but his aim was off and the bullet hit far away from Paige.

"You damn...brats...". He held his ear in annoyance. Reaching down to reload the rifle.

"No you don't." Scarlett leapt down after Adelaine and kicked the gunman in the shin.

"Fucking!" He began to hop on one foot. "I'll kill you-". He lifted his right fist and prepared to punch her in the face. Then, an arrow flew into his arm. Blood flew out and he stumbled away from Scarlett. Letting out a yell of pain and anger.

"Hmm...idiot." Hunter shook her head and adjusted the bow.

Astro leapt down and ran over to the male. Pulling his arm back and punching him in the stomach. "Sorry". He smiled apologetically and then jumped away.

The male clutched his stomach and groaned. Stumbling backwards.

"Lights out, friend." I leapt down after the others and lifted my leg up. I smirked and then slammed it down onto the guy's head. I watched him crumble to the ground and watched to make sure he wouldn't get up. "Now...wasn't there a third guy....?" I looked around. My eyes widened. "Monica....".

I stared at the scene in front of me. Going over ways all of this could have been avoided. Surely this wasn't the only way this could have gone. My eyes wide with fear. Seeing the glint of the sun reflect off the knife. The blade held in front of Monica's throat. How easily the air and ground could be painted red with her blood. And then I locked eyes with her. My head began slowly pounding. I lifted my hand upwards and held my head as I felt like I got struck by lightning. Gasping out loud. Seeing a flash of images. Including myself lying chained up in the bed from this morning.

That's....I get it now. So Monica was the reason I saw that earlier. I shook my head as an image of bloody teeth filled my mind. Along with my mother crying and hugging me. "Huh?" I blinked and the images faded.

"Please...let her go." Astro raised his hands in surrender.

"Stay back. Or I'll slit her throat. D-don't test me." The male glared. "I've got friends. And if I don't get this job done, you're all gonna regret it. Lord Fritz will take you all to hell. He WILL GARGLE ON YOUR BLOOD AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE SUBJUGATED TO GOD'S WRATH!"

"Right. Right. We're not doing anything. Right, David?" Astro smiled nervously at me.

"Nothing at all." I clenched my fist and tried not to glare. I couldn't get this guy without Monica dying. Sitting still and doing nothing wasn't an option either. How....? I felt the ground tremble and saw black lightning strike out of the corner of my eye right outside the building. "Huh?"

I heard something that sounded like bones cracking and saw a large skeletal face form along with some muscles. At last, grey skin wrapped around the large thing which rose out from the grey smoke. It looked like a large human. Until the grey skin seemed to harden or something. Almost like....armor. The large humanoid had blond hair and the sockets where the eyes should be glowed yellow. It lifted its head back and roared at the male.

"The fuck?" The male dropped the knife and screamed in terror.

Adelaine and Hunter turned to look at the thing.

Monica slowly moved away from the guy and stared in shock. "I...".

"Get the hell away from her!" Elizabeth emerged from the shadows and pushed the male into a wall. Huh? Was she not shocked at all? Or affected by that thing? I glanced up. Seeing a figure in a suit leap down from behind the humanoid. The figure ran forward immediately after hitting the ground and kicked the other male in the face. Sending him flying back into the wall behind him. He groaned and slumped over.

I swear I heard the person mutter, "That idiot". They turned around. Revealing the face of Gunther. Was he not shocked either?

I heard a loud clanking sound behind me and the giant humanoid seemed to step closer to the building before running off in the opposite direction. "Where....?" I stared after it in shock. Why would it even do that roar?

"Why did it help us?" Scarlett questioned.

"Doesn't matter." Gunther said simply. He walked over to Monica and untied the rope. Glancing over into the carriage. "There's more rope in here. Tie them up and bring them back to base for questioning."

Astro seemed to be thinking about something, zoning out and staring into space.

"Focus." Gunther grabbed Astro's shoulder.

"E-everyone okay?" Rashall's voice rang out from above us.

"Yeah. Everything's already taken care of." Gunther stared blankly up at Rashall. "Now let's get back."

A Short Time Later
"Those guys will be taken care of. Herbert told me that the laps for today were cancelled because of the special..altercation that occurred today." Gunther frowned. We were sat in a cafeteria like area back at the training base.

"Special altercation...you mean...that girl...Monica getting kidnapped?" Ricky raised an eyebrow. His eyes were tired and he was breathing heavy. Today must have been really scary to him. Although, being all that worried for a girl he seemingly hadn't talked to was a bit odd.

"That's precisely the thing I mean. We're quite lucky there were no casualties. Or other things. Like monsters that you trainees have no idea how to handle." Gunther gave Ricky a dark look.

"Good thing we handled it then." He glared.

"We? You didn't do anything. I'd really keep that attitude in check if you wish to keep your teeth though." His expression didn't change and his voice stayed at the same tone. It was as if he was stating a fact and not a threat.

Ricky didn't say anything at that. He simply turned away.

"You'll all be issued your rooms later in the day. Don't cause a ruckus." Gunther stood up and walked towards one of the room's exits.

After a few moments in silence, Clarence spoke up. "Our first day. It's been....crazy. I mean...someone almost died. And got kidnapped. Things would have gone really bad if you guys hadn't stepped up." He nodded at our squad.

"Yeah. You guys really saved me. Thanks." Monica smiled. Just looking at her made that weird feeling come back. That...thing....my....mother....how were they tied together? Where was.....big brother?

Elizabeth sat on the table. Hugging Monica from behind and not saying anything. Were they a couple or something?

"Hey....where's Astro?" Adelaine looked around the room. He wasn't with our small group or anywhere visible.

"Gunther told him to give Herbert the report." Hunter replied simply. "Didn't you hear?"

"The fact that you listen to anything that guy has to say is mind blowing. He made it seem like Monica getting kidnapped wasn't anything special." Ricky rolled his eyes.

"He did save her though." Elizabeth finally spoke up. "He wouldn't have done that if he didn't care."

"The only reason he even was able to do anything was the thing suddenly showing up and saving the day", Ricky protested.

"Saved is hardly the right word. More like...provided opportunity. That's all that thing did." Adelaine pointed out.

"Well, if it hadn't shown up, who knows where we'd be. Monica dead and us all sad and depressed?" Ricky questioned.

"Guess we'll never know. Now stop defending that monster already." Vincent sighed in annoyance. Watching me closely.

"Y-yes. It could have...secretly wanted to kill us itself. Maybe it only saved us today to kill us later." Xavier muttered.

"Exactly." I cut in. "No matter the purpose it had in mind, it still is a threat to humanity. If we don't kill it, it can kill us. It's our duty to protect the people who can't protect themselves against the monsters after all. In order to do that, we must suppress them. If that doesn't work, detain them. If that doesn't work, kill them." I placed my fist over the spot where my heart was. Every beat seemed to fill me with more courage and determination. "We can do it. In fact, we're the only people who can."

Clarence smiled at me. "Well said. I quite like you all. Even though this first day seemed like...hell itself, I think we can prevail. We can survive. Now....I wonder.....how will we change...in this cruel world we live in?"

Astro's Pov
"Yes sir. I devised a plan to get Monica back safely. However, something I didn't account for happened. Two things actually." I spoke to Herbert. "Firstly, the trainee Paige. I didn't think she'd fly in as a surprise attack like that. Not to say it was the smartest move, but it definitely provided a distraction."

Herbert looked up from the papers on his desk. "I suppose.....the way you speak...it's exactly like him."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Pardon? Like who, sir?"

"A story for another time. It's a long one and your day has been made long enough."

I took a gulp and looked to the side. "Well....you see...". I began sweating a bit as I recalled the thing I'd seen earlier. "I mentioned two things I didn't account for. The first was Paige. The second was a very large grey skinned humanoid. It showed up and provided a distraction that allowed Monica to be saved by Gunther."

Herbert frowned slowly. "A large.....grey....was there perhaps a flash of black lightning before this thing showed up?"

"Yes. There was....but....how'd you know?" My eyes widened in confusion.

"This is a monster organization. Obviously I'd know about all kinds of these things. However, for it to just suddenly show up as you say...quite unusual."

"Well...you see.....right before it appeared, I heard a shout. There was also the fact of when I looked onto the map of the city on my helmet. It showed that a suit was right behind me. One of ours. However, Gunther didn't arrive until a few seconds later and his squad was the first squad to reach us."

"Are you implying something, Naumer?" Herbert tapped his fingers along his desk impatiently.

"Yes. This thing knew exactly where to show up. My helmet read that a suit was exactly where it stood. The shout right before it appeared.....I believe this giant humanoid is one of our own. I believe they turned into this thing to help us and then left before they could be found out. That is my theory." I frowned.

Herbert didn't say anything for a few moments. The silence, seemed to go on for ages. Finally, he nodded. Looking directly into my eyes and sitting up straighter. "I'll look into this matter. There are plenty more days to come where strange and possibly unusual things happen. You're dismissed. Hope you enjoyed your first day in hell."