A/N: I'm honestly running on like no sleep right now and I don't know why I'm still up. I love this song so much, so if y'all don't listen to it I'll be sad. Enjoy!

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June 9, 2020

4:00 A.M.

Foster Residence

Angie Foster

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They had spent hours fortifying the house. This meant Angie doing most of the work while giving Adam small tasks so he could feel busy and keep his mind off things. The main entrance to the house had two large cabinets blocking them, and the door handles themselves had been jammed by Angie so they would be near impossible to access from the outside. Breaking apart some furniture, they had nailed boards all across windows in the house. The main problem with security would be the backyard. The wall-sized windows in the dining room would prove a challenge, and Angie resorted to simply staking out in the kitchen for the night to keep tabs on any threats if they appeared. Adam had finally manged fall asleep about thirty minutes ago. He promised to stay up and trade guarding shifts with Angie, but she had thanked him for his concern and assured him that she could handle it.

Sitting at the kitchen island, she monitored the backyard with a keen eye. Both of her parent's bodies were out in the farthest area of the yard, and Angie had provided them a makeshift burial. With the chaos outside, she hoped that no one would target their house immediately for looting. The shotgun laying quietly on the counter next to her was ready for action, if the need arose. Giving herself a break, she stepped down from her high chair and walked to the bathroom. Closing the door, she stared at her face in the mirror.

She had missed some spots of blood from when she cleaned up before and scrubbed to get rid of them. After rinsing her face one last time, she simply looked at herself. She was tired. Very, tired. Her brunette hair was in a ponytail, hanging over her left shoulder, looking tasseled and rough. Angie's bright green eyes sat atop dark circles that made her look a decade older than she was. She had changed into black combat pants and a dark sweatshirt, in case she needed to go outside at all in the night.

She stares at her reflection in the mirror and sighs heavily. She hated lying to Adam. About her job. About the world she had come to know. About everything.

Her phone rang in her back pocket.

Angie reaches for it immediately, bringing it up to her face. It wasn't her standard iPhone, but one she kept for emergencies. And updates from command. The small device continues to ring, and she lets out a partially relieved smile as she reads the caller ID.

Agent Wilson.

"So she survived," Angie mutters to herself. She had a million things to address. Angie answers the call and holds the phone up to her ear. Before the caller could say a word, Angie blurts out the main question on her mind. Desperate for an answer that would make her feel better.

"Please tell me this isn't our fault."

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Li Residence

They were safe, for now. Three hours had passed since Mr. Li and James had given up attempting to break down the door to the bedroom, seeming to wander away and be roaming the house. Carter, Danny, and their mother sat together on the bed in the room.

All were silent.

Mrs. Li held Danny in her arms, hugging the boy. He had fallen asleep a little earlier. Mrs. Li didn't acknowledge the burning pain in her neck. Carter had done his best to treat the wound and bandage it, and the spot had begun to stop bleeding a little while after.

"We can't stay here, Carter," Mrs. Li whispers to him.

"Where else can we go?" Carter motions to a window with a nod of his head. "It sounds like a warzone out there."

"The police. The hospital. Anywhere but this house."

"Mom, I don't think those are the safest options. Nowhere is safe right now."

"I'm feeling sick Carter," she mutters weakly. "Really sick. I didn't want to worry you earlier, but I'm not doing well at all."

Carter puts a hand to his mom's forehead but pulls away quickly. His hand felt burnt from the heat. Hotter than any fever he had ever experienced.

"It's ok Mom. I'll get you to a doctor as soon as it's safe to leave. Hang in there."

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Foster Residence

Angie Foster

There's silence on the other end for a few seconds. Those seconds feel like an eternity to Angie, who was holding her breath. Finally, the familiar voice of her friend and coworker, Agent Sara Wilson answers.

"Angie, we failed."

"Give me a better explanation Sara," Angie demands. "What the fuck happened? We were supposed to have more time to stop this?!"

"There was an attack," she begins to explain, sounding out of breath. "The Sovereign Hand sent a strike force to raid one of our citadels. We knew they had been growing in strength, but our people were caught by surprise."

"Which location?"

"Germany."

"No..." Angie feels herself become almost lightheaded. "Samuel. He made it out, right?"

There's a pause on the other end, which causes a tear to finally roll down Angie's cheek. The first one of the night.

"Angie...there were no survivors in Germany. The Sovereign Hand operatives that infiltrated the citadel are confirmed to have eliminated all of our agents within the base. I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you this."

"Don't be," Angie responds. Another tear glides down her cheek, and she raises her sleeve to wipe it away. They hadn't been together long, but Samuel meant a lot to her. Samuel Mendoza had gone through training with her and Sara. He was one of the few people within the organization who she had connected with, and even though they didn't form a relationship back then, one had blossomed while on an assignment a year later.

"How is your family?" Sara asks, sounding more interrogative than empathetic. "Did any of them shift?"

"Yes," Angie responds, trying to push the painful thought of Samuel dying out of her head. "Both parents. I took care of them like we were trained to. I was a bit caught off guard at first, but it's done. Adam and I are safe in our house for the time being."

"How is he holding up?"

"As good as can be expected. I deactivated his phone before everything went to shit. I didn't want him seeing anything on the news that could traumatize him before our parents turned. I tried to spare him from witnessing it, but I guess my efforts were in vain."

"Hey, at least you tried. You still haven't told him about the organization, right?"

"Of course not," Angie retorts, feeling a bit antagonized by the question. "He still thinks that I'm a Marine. I'm considering it though. What harm will honesty do now?"

"Your choice. It's not like you can get fired now anyways," Sara sighs. "The CDC has fallen."

The only thing that was truthful about Angie telling her brother that Sara worked at the Center for Disease Control was the acronym. Both her and Angie were members of another organization also known as the "CDC".

Containment for Doomsday Cataclysms. An elusive organization in place to prevent events that could possibly alter the world in terrifying and irreversible ways. They had enemies everywhere, lurking in the shadows. However, none were as strong as the cult known as the "Sovereign Hand". They sought after an ancient artifact that they believed could allow them to gain control. Over everything.

"I thought it was just the Germany citadel that was lost?"

"No Angie. I was getting to that," Sara takes a deep breath. "The attack in Germany was a ruse. Meant to draw our people away from guarding the Siren. The cult planned it and somehow pulled it off, sending an even larger force to attack the Siren. They activated it."

"Director Wilson informed us that we had at least two more years before they could pose a real threat. How did they even figure out how to use the device?"

"I know. My father was wrong, and that cost us greatly," Sara pauses. "It's unfortunate that he's no longer able to fix his mistakes. He shifted too."

"Oh, Sara..." Angie puts a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," She responds quickly. "You know how highly my father thought of you. Said you could possibly become one of our best agents give a few years. Always so proud that he convinced you to join us. He thought of you as a daughter."

It was a topic of jealousy for Sara. Angie had outperformed her in most of their training evaluations, which caused the director to praise and uplift Angie's successes while frowning upon his own daughter's less than perfect performances. She decides to change the subject.

"Where are you now? I thought you were part of the detachment that was assigned to the Siren?"

"I was, yes. We had to evacuate. Our people held off the attackers at the Siren just long enough for us to create a backup of all the data we've collected. Then we had to extract."

"Headquarters?"

"We lost contact after the shifting began. They had their hands full there. I've been reassigned to protect the team of scientists that are working to stop this."

"Has anything been learned about those who shifted? Like weaknesses, or anything really. I'm not going to lie Sara, I'm terrified."

"Yes," She responds. "Well as you've probably figured out, anyone who shifts becomes immediately hostile to those who haven't. Weaknesses are skull and heart at this point. There are multiple variants apparently. Some are slower and seem like they're just in a daze. Another variant is fast and extremely aggressive. Fast ones have eyes that are slightly illuminated. Those ones are bad, but pale in comparison to the third one we've observed."

"What's the deal with the last one?"

"They're far rarer. I saw it myself during the evacuation at the Siren. There was only one. It seemed so...human. But twisted. It was incredibly vicious. Had the body of a tank. The thing tore Agent Ravira in two. It also looked as though it was able to influence the actions of the others that shifted. Control them, in a way."

"How many agents escaped the Siren?"

"Well, in addition to myself, about ten others out of the hundred or so stationed there. A lot of them turned, but more fell to the shifted."

"What now?" Angie asks, feeling dread in her heart. "Am I just on my own?"

"Extracting agents at this point doesn't seem to be the main goal of what remains of CDC leadership. Priority one is finding a way to salvage this disaster. I'm sorry, there's no way we can get you out at this time."

"It's not your fault," Angie responds. "Anything else I need to know about this?"

"Since the Siren was activated, multiple hotspots have appeared around the world. They're structures. Look like giant spires made of dark crimson metal. They tower into the air and are larger than most skyscrapers. Impossible to miss. We're still trying to figure out what exactly they are. I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, Sara," Angie closes her eyes, knowing that the call was nearing an end and she would soon be left alone to her thoughts and fears. "Stay safe, alright?"

"Of course," she promises. "Just think, we're somehow in the know about this whole thing while not even able to legally drink yet."

"Well you just so happened to have the right dad, and I had the right friend. Lucky us," Angie laughs quietly. "Take care."

Angie ends the call and puts the small phone into her pocket. She exits the bathroom and walks back to the kitchen. The lights were on their lowest settings, still providing some visibility while not being intense on the eyes or attracting attention from the outside. She sits back down at the kitchen counter and returns her gaze to the backyard. There was a fire in the distance. One of those houses in the neighborhood. Far enough away to not pose a problem. Hopefully, it would draw monsters to it and away from their area.

She had grown used to being fearless during her short time on missions with the CDC, but she had always had support during them. A team that she could count on. People who had her back no matter how rough the situation got. Now she didn't know if her comrades were all still alive. They could be dead. Or shifted into a monster.

For the first time in a very long time, Angie felt alone. With not a clue in the world as to what to do next.

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Well, that took a turn lol. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! I think it might be the longest one so far. I had a lot of fun writing this early in the morning and have completely lost the concept of a healthy sleep schedule, plus I have a final exam in like 5 hours, but who cares about time anymore! If anyone needs me, they can find me binging How to Get Away With Murder and eating microwaved taquitos until the sun rises :)

-Maximus