RAISON D'ETRE

Her Kingdom was falling, shattering, and there was nothing she could do about it. The Kingdom she'd spent years building, was falling to pieces in front of her very eyes, and all she could do was watch, run, and hope that death wasn't going to embrace her today. Fen had been known by many names, in this business, a snake, a black widow, a seductress, a dominatrix, but she knew, the most common, was the Queen of Shadows. And now, that title was useless, because what was a Queen, without her Castle, without her Kingdom, without her name? She didn't know what she was running from anymore, her enemy had become a faceless monster who had been overcome with the craving for revenge, someone who needed revenge, needed to unleash his wrath, like she needed air. He needed to see her blood spilled. Maybe not just hers, but her entire Kingdom needed to fall at his hands. Usurper, that's what he was, someone who'd turned against her and her Kingdom, and made it fall because he wanted it so. Fen had never really felt emotions before, she had to harden herself when she killed her first man. There was no room for emotion in her line of work, but on the day that the sky metaphorically fell, for the first time in her life, Fen felt fear. She felt it coursing through her veins, pure, and utter fear, and not just for herself. Fen didn't fear death, it was a hazard in her line of work, she knew every time she stepped out of her Kingdom's walls, she was at risk of dying. She didn't fear her own death, no, she was far too trained for that, she feared someone else's death. Fen had never known love, as there was no place for it in her line of work, the Agency made sure of that. She'd never known her parents, they were killed long ago. All they were, were faceless demons that haunted her nightmares, she accepted them, as a part of her past, that she dared not show to anyone. Fenfang Song was not afraid of dying, but she was afraid of watching the only person she'd ever loved die. Friends were not a part of the deal, she'd signed up knowing this was a solo mission, but she'd signed up knowing that by doing this, by killing for their purpose, she'd save him. Her him was Linnie, Linnie with his dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and his everlasting intelligence. Linnie, her brother, the only person who she'd ever loved, and the only person who would ever love her back. It was Linnie who helped her build her Kingdom. He was the one, who'd provided her with her silver scythe. The silver pistol with her initials carved into the side, with a silencer to compliment it, and of course the dagger that he'd forged just for her. Linnie was the one who helped her build her Kingdom, from the blood, bones, viscera, and bits of brain matter that she left scattered when she was done with her enemies. Linnie had helped her build this castle, this keep, but now, it was all coming to an end, and there was nothing she could do.

Raison d'etre. Claude Laurent's mother used to talk about his raison d'etre, his reason for existing. He'd never thought about it much, if he were being honest, because Claude Laurent, as a child, had never needed to think of his raison d'etre. As he grew older, he thought about his reason for existence, perhaps it was to protect his younger sister, Collette, or perhaps it was to study, so that he could get out of the small French province he'd been confined to for most of his life. However, Claude Laurent would not discover his raison d'etre until he became a hacker. The first time he made contact with the dark underbelly of cyber terrorists, and activists, he knew he'd found his raison d'etre. It was strange, at first, thinking that he'd been chosen to do the work of the unseen, chosen to serve the Shadows for the rest of his life, despite his mother raising him to be a good, honest boy. Claude didn't think too much about his mother while he was hacking, while his prodigious fingers typed away on his illuminated keyboard, he was invincible, untouchable by his mother's disappointment, by his sister's tears, and by their defences. He was a god while he was hacking, no one could compare with Claude Laurent, he was their judge, and when he was done with them, there would be nothing left but ashes, and the scurrying agents who had been doomed to a life in the Light. He couldn't imagine a more fitting punishment. All those agents, who had spent a lifetime confined to the Shadows, doing their biddings, shedding their blood, were now forced to step into the Light for the first time. Claude always considered the Shadows his safe haven, and he figured, for most of the agents he'd exposed, it was theirs as well. In the Light, they could be judged, they could be seen, and more importantly they could be killed. When spending a life in the Shadows, the Light becomes your enemy, Claude of all people knew that all too well. The Agency was a myth. Something that was only mentioned in secure circles, whispered about on street corners by discarded members of the Shadow society, but Claude had heard enough about it by the time he'd come into the hacking business. He knew it, they knew it, the Shadows needed someone like him, someone who could break down the walls of ones and zeros that separated them from their enemies. Someone who could pass through walls, break through passwords, their own cyber warrior. That was Claude Laurent, a cyber warrior, the Agency's prized possession. Until he wasn't. Until they saw no use for him. Until he was discarded, like a puppy that no one wanted anymore. Until he decided to strike back. Claude, like Fen, had never really known love, had never really given too much thought to his emotions, but when the Shadows spat him out like a piece of rotten food, he struck back with as much hurt as he could. He wanted them to feel what he did, wanted them to experience the hole that resided where his heart used to be, wanted them to know, that Claude Laurent wasn't just some hacker. Claude Laurent was a cyber God, and if one messed with the Gods, one must've prepared for their inescapable wrath. He collapsed the mythical Agency without a second thought, without considering his Consequence, because his raison d'etre had taken him in, and then spat him right out.

Now that the walls were down, the Light could seep in, and for creatures of the Shadow world, that was detrimental. Fenfang Song had spent her entire life committing unspeakable acts under the cover of darkness, but once those acts came to life, she would be as good as all her enemies. Dead. Brains spread out onto the floor. Useless. Her fate was clear as day, but she didn't accept it. She had to find Linnie, she had to rescue Linnie, if she couldn't save Linnie, she would fail, and if there was one thing Fen wanted less than the Light to swallow her whole, it was to fail Linnie. Linnie, who had believed in her since they started their journey, Linnie who had supported her when she felt like the Shadows were no good to her. The truth was, the Shadows had always protected their kin, always made sure that the Light never got to their precious warriors, but if the Shadows had collapsed, the only thing its kin could do was run, find darkness, and hope their crimes never came to light. It wasn't as if Fen hadn't prepared herself for this day, she knew the day would come when the Shadows could no longer protect their Queen, when her Kingdom would shatter into a million dark shards. She and Linnie had known this day was coming since the moment the gigantic walls of the Agency's building enveloped them like the soft touch of their faux-mother. Deep within Fen's elaborate wardrobe lay the safe, the safe with her gun, her ammo, her dagger, and of course, identities she and Linnie had picked long before the Shadows fell. All Fen needed to do was get to her apartment, if she could just get that box, then perhaps, she and Linnie could brave the Light.

She didn't even consider the fact that she'd stolen someone's car, until Linnie spoke next to her, "Fen, what are we going to do?" His eyes held tears, a rare sight for Linnie with his everlasting grin.

"We're going to run, Linnie." Was all she could say. She didn't know what else to say. She knew what was coming, now that the throne was open, she knew the agents of light would come to claim it, and she knew that they were coming for her. All the gang bosses, drug lords, crime syndicates she'd put an end to, they were coming for her, because Fen wasn't protected by the Shadows anymore. A tear in her reality had caused her and Linnie's identity to be revealed to their worst enemies, and if they didn't act fast, then they were going to be swallowed whole by the light. It was ironic, that she was referring to them as the Light, because they were far from the Light, but she didn't have words to describe her enemies, because so many of them would be after her head. Simply, collectively, she knew, they were the unified enemy known as the Light, something that would take her dark, and hidden soul, and disintegrate it with its brilliance. Fen doesn't remember enough of her childhood, or lack of it, to be sad about it, but she figures, if she could, she wouldn't have time to cry about it, either. She had been taken straight from her Oriental nightmare, and thrust into a world which she wouldn't understand until she was old enough to hold a gun. The man who found her and Linnie, when they were just small children, rotting away in some forgotten orphanage, was called Fang. Or at least that's what he called himself, she didn't think to question it when she was younger. He had the typical Eastern facial structure, and spoke with a tone of voice that indicated that he knew what he was doing. It was Fang, who took them out of the orphanage, and Fang who thrust them into the ever-welcoming Shadows. He'd brought them to a giant room, a room filled with children just like them. Small, dirty orphans, some crying, some bleeding, some with eyes that had seen more dread than Fen could ever imagine. From all around the world, Fang and his fellow Retrievers had brought a gaggle of little children, failed by their society, and ripe for the taking. There, they trained her, showed her how to defend herself, showed her how to run from the Light. That was the only rule she'd ever lived by, always run from the Light, because it will destroy you. Her little mantra had brought her far enough, but she knew, that one day, the Shadows would collapse in on itself. All it took, was a hacker, some lines of code, and a cyber spear to thrust through her safe haven, to destroy her life, and of course Linnie's as well. She figured she was being pretty selfish, but Fen had never really cared for anyone but Linnie anyway, and if the rest of the Agents of the Shadows were as capable as she was, they wouldn't have a problem. They all had a common goal. Run. Run from the Light, before it swallows you whole, because the Light is merciless.

[2002 WORDS]