When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that I was not lying on the hard asphalt surface. Instead, I was on top of something smooth, soft, and a layer of comfortable bliss on top of me. I sat up immediately, eyes wide open and taking in my surroundings. I was in a bed, in a room that was clearly not mine. The room was quite large, bookshelves covered three of the four walls. A study desk, that was cluttered with papers which covered a laptop and monitor, sat tucked in one corner. I slid my legs off the bed and my feet came into contact with the carpeted floor. My eyes wandered across the floor until it identified whose room I was in.

Christopher was asleep on a large beanbag near one of the bookshelves. I furrowed my eyebrows into a frown, trying to remember what had happened. I remember fighting with Syndicate 42 and then escaping before passing out. I looked back at Christopher. He must have found me passed out and took me back here. Now that I think about it, he doesn't know where the new Syndicate house was.

I pushed myself up so I was standing and stretched. My injuries were rebandaged. I smoothed my fingers over my bandages on my arm softly. I pulled his blanket off the bed and dragged it over to him, draping it over him. I crouched down beside him for a moment.

"Thank you," I whispered. I stood back up and looked around his room again. I found my shoes by the door and brought them to the window sill and put them on quickly. I pushed the window open, the sun still rising so it wasn't too bright. A small, calming breeze blew into the room. I turned to look at Christopher again before jumping out the window and landed in his backyard. Without pausing, I jumped over the fence and climbed onto the top of a nearby building and continued back to the Syndicate house.

I slowed down as I reached the house. A feeling of dread lay in the pit of my stomach as I scaled up the tree by my window. I hesitated before placing my thumb on the security release and hesitated again before I entered through the window.

Vanessa was sitting on my bed, waiting for me as I landed in my room. "Where have you been?" She demanded, standing up and walked towards me as I stabilized myself. I couldn't bring myself to answer as guilt filled me.

She took both of my hands into hers, "where were you last night? I was so worried when you didn't come back."

I dipped my head, "I'm sorry."

"Where were you?" She repeated in a much softer voice. "When you didn't come back I thought something happened to you."

The guilt in my increased, but I just couldn't bring myself to say what I have been doing. Call it stubbornness, call it selfishness, I still did not want to tell them.

I slowly removed my hands from hers and walked towards my closet.

"We got news that a member of Syndicate 42 was killed. I was worried something might have happened to you too."

I froze at that information. I remembered fighting with Syndicate 42 but...

"How did he die?" I found myself asking.

"An extremely deep stab wound. It also took them a while to get him treated so he died from blood loss."

Images came flashing back into my mind. A bloody knife. A body in pain on the ground. I began shaking in horror as the realization sank into my mind. I killed him.

"Amelia?" Vanessa questioned. "Amelia!" She repeated, much louder.

Thumping footsteps could be heard from outside the room as Hugh and Kyle burst into my room as well.

"Is Amelia back?" Hugh asked as he entered the room. The moment he saw me, he ran forwards and engulfed me in a hug. "Oh, thank god, we were so worried!"

Multiple feelings and thoughts began to swirl in my mind, clouding my thoughts, agitating me. Guilt and horror dominated my body, along with the unwillingness to reveal what I had been up to.

"Amelia! Why are you shaking?" Kyle asked. I pushed Hugh away and looked at my trembling fingers. I enclosed them into fists.

Too many questions.

I placed my arms back by my sides.

"I'm quitting the syndicate."

It was silent for a moment as my announcement sank into their heads. It's better for me this way. Please forgive me for being selfish this once. As I turned back to my closet, the three of them exploded.

"What do you mean you're quitting the syndicate?"

"Amelia, what are you talking about?"

"Are you serious?"

I pulled a bag out of my closet and turned to them again. "Remember when I first joined? I asked Vincent if I was allowed to leave whenever I wanted to. He said yes."

Silence fell upon us again as they searched their memories. "Even so, why are you leaving?" Hugh exclaimed first. He did always have an exceptional memory.

"I have my reasons." I stated simply. I slid a jacket with loose sleeves on, holding onto the edge of the left sleeve with my fingers. The sleeves were long for my anyways.

"But, Amelia –" Vanessa started to protest. I cut her off by sticking out my left arm, hand in a fist. The three of them quietened down again before placing their firsts to mine, replicating the group fist bump we had done twice before.

I offered a sad, small smile. "I'm sorry." In fast motions, I let go of my sleeve and slid out my baton stun gun and stunned all of them. I blinked back tears as the three of them collapsed and blacked out. I placed the baton stun gun in my bag and stuffed some clothes in as well.

At the bottom of the bag, the tip of my fingers brushed over the survive of the hard drive that I had brought with me originally when I had run away from home. I let my fingers hover there for a moment longer, memories flooding into my mind.

"Sorry for everything, and thank you for everything." I said before jumping out of a window for the second time today. I made sure to get as far away from the syndicate house as fast as I could, slowing down when I knew I was far enough. The sun was already fully up now, people were walking around the streets and traffic had begun to pick up.

My feet lead me towards the Syndicate management building. I stood outside its front doors, staring at the glass building. Now that I quit, I wonder if they'll let me continue training. If not, then I may have just quit for nothing.

I made my way into the building and walked straight towards Mrs. Miller's office. I rapped my knuckles against the door twice before it swung open, allowing me to enter. Mrs. Miller looked up from her lit up table to look at me.

"Amelia? Your training session isn't until later. Is something the matter?" She asked me, a finger swiped across the table top, closing the screens she was looking at.

I stood in the middle of her room, one foot tapping the floor lightly with my toes. "I quit the syndicate." I told her.

Her mouth dropped open slightly and her eyes widened. An awkward silence surrounded us before I broke it again. "So, um, do I stop my training sessions now as well?"

"Well, would you like to continue your sessions?" Mrs. Miller asked, a strange expression on her face that I couldn't quite decipher.

I nodded. "Can I?"

Mrs. Miller paused to think for a moment. "I suppose there might be a way..." She trailed off. I continued to stand in silence.

"Amelia," Mrs. Miller made a moment with her hand, gesturing me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, "Would you like to form another Syndicate?"

I was taken back as I sat down, "what?" I didn't leave Syndicate 45 just to form another, it made me feel a sense of guilt and betrayal.

"Hear me out," she started, "It won't be like the usual kind of Syndicate. You'll be a one-person syndicate. We'll give you missions like we do for other Syndicates. You can stay in the building if you want and continue your training as well."

I nodded along. "Sound good?" Mrs. Miller asked, bringing up a few screens from her desk. I nodded again in confirmation. Without a moment of hesitation, Mrs. Miller began typing away. I sat there and watched in awe. I had never actually seen her work before and the technology in this building continued to amaze me.

Once she was done, the screens all disappeared at a swipe of her hand. "Alright, everything has been set up for you." She gave me a large smile.

"You are now Syndicate 0. You'll be given an area you'll be living in by the labs downstairs. Your training sessions will continue on as normal."

I nodded to show her I understood. "You can make your way down there now, Isabelle should be waiting for you."

"Thank you." I stood up and left the room and made my way down the familiar path down to the labs.

Isabelle was waiting for me right at the entrance into the labs. Instead of her usual lab coat, she wore some comfortable hoodie and sweatpants. She offered me a bright smile as I joined her.

"So, you'll be living down here as well?" She asked as we began heading in the direction of where I'll be staying. I nodded.

"Do you stay here as well?" I asked, still eyeing her outfit.

"Yes, I'll be like your dorm mum. I suppose that's what they're called." Isabelle said, planting a hand on a rectangular panel by a door. "I'll add your hand prints to the security system so you'll be able to go in and out."

I nodded in thanks. "Why do you live down here?"

"Well, I was going through a rough time and Kimberly kindly offered me a job and a place to say. At that point in time, I couldn't turn any sort of opportunity down so I took it." Her answer was vague, but judging by her faraway look, I didn't ask for more details. The rest of our way to my new 'home' was silent.

"This would be your room." Isabelle said, opening the door for me. It was slightly smaller than the room back in the syndicate house I had with the others but I didn't mind it. "My room is right next door, and we have a kitchen and living room area at the end of the hallway."

I nodded and stepped into my room. "Get settled in, I'll be either in my room or in the labs if you need me." She gave me another kind smile before closing the door.

I dropped my bag onto the twin sized bed in the corner and lied down as well. I placed the back of my hand on my forehead and thought back to the events that had happened just this morning. I sighed.

Syndicate 0, huh...