DAWN Regional HQ,
San Diego,
California, USA
Tuesday February, 15.
4:23 PM
Dr. Lu
I cringed nervously as I mixed some chemicals, which immediately emitted a pungent smell. I cursed silentily, grabbing the formulce beside me. I skimmed through it again in confusion, because I knew I had followed the instrusions. Suddenly, my stomach growled and I bit my lips to hold pain I was feeling below, wondering how my life led up to this. Meanwhile, Commander Nathair has been bellowing at his agents over the failed mission for the past to 2 days.
After we left Nigeria, I was drugged only to wake up to see myself treated and to find myself in the cell of what seems like an underground lair, armed to the teeth with the most sophisticated weapons and advanced technology - a hundred times better than it's advetized in sci-fi movies. Though I couldn't see much from my small cell in the corner of the very large common room since my movement had been restricted by the statue-like guards stationed just outside my cell, I could still make out that the eering agents had all been chained up on barrel-like structures with wheels; arranged in two rolls in a zig-zag formation Nathair would cearly see thier faces.
"You are all disgraces!" berated Nathair. "Never in my 3000 years have I witnessed such incompetence. "
"But, sir..."
"Silence!" he roared. "You mean to tell me that you all have forgotten capture a rogue dragon!"
"Sir..." started Agent X again
"Shut it, Rookie!"
"But-"
"I said, 'Shut it!'" he roared, slapping Agent X (Ten) so hard he spurted blood out of his mouth.
"If anyone has no right to complain or make excuses it's you, because how you failed was worse! Not only did you make us lose our hostages, you got yourself beaten up by girl with zero years of military experience!"
"But, I-"
"Silence!" Nathair snarled, slapping him a little bit harder then before.
"Nathair, enough! You'll kill him!" ordered a young in a sleek suit, just entering the room.
He looked about my age, his face almost covered with a golden wolf mask and he had come in with a lady wearing a short golden gown with black tiger snipes patterned on it which matches her mask; her black hair was neatly bound in a ponytaily and a menancing goth with his long black hooded robe, almost concealing the golden fox mask he was wearing.
"Masters!" gasped Methair, straightening himself before joining the rest to bow to them in reverence causing me to scoff from the safety of my cell.
"What happened in Nigeria, Nemair!" purred the lady with the cat mask, blowing invisible dust off for long sharp black nails.
"I wish to appologize on thier behalf, Mistress Bai!" he pleaded, his head still down. "I had earlier requested that they shouldn't be on the field too soon on because of how inexperienced the were in that terrain..."
"Inexperience? After 500 years?" scoffed the man with the wolf mask.
"It's not too late, Master Qing." Implored Nathair, going on his knees. "We can still get them back if you'd just allow me.."
"I'm sorry Nathair but it's actually too late!" interupted the hooded Goth with the golden fox mask, bringing out his his tablet. "I have just confirmed from my spy that the long's jet has just landed and is at the airport as we speak. You know what that means, Qing!"
"Yeah, we'll just skip to Phase 3!" Maser Qing sighed, tiredly "Bai, you know what to do...Oh Huli, any progress with the test subjects."
"They are still unsuccessful." muttered Huli, topping his tablet as he readjusted his fox mask.
"Bummer!"
"If you say so! The maintainance should be currently deposing them as we speak."
"Don't worry, brother. I know you'll crack it one day, Huli." Qing said, patting his shoulder but Huli was too focused on his tablet to care.
"What should be done to these imbeciles that dared to disgrace us?" asked Bai maliciously eyeing the chained up agents
"Kill them!" ordered Qing, as he turned to the other agents in the room. "Hang thier heads in the training room to serve as a warning to any agent that attempts to slack off! That's an order!"
"But, sir, wait a minute..."
That's an order, Nathair!" Qing repeated, menancingly cutting Nathair off.
"Yes, master!" he gulped, bowing his head again in submission.
"Wait, Qing!" Huli said, stopping the other agents from executing the chained up agents.
"Yes?"
"I'm with Nathair on this. We can't just kill them after wasting our time and resources on them."
"Your point being?!"
"I'll be needing them!"
"How and why?"
"We're currently low on guinea pigs and instead of wasting them I can use them instead. Plus, if I succeed with them I don't have to waste more time in implanting our vision into them because they will still be our loyal disciples after all. It's a total win-win."
"Huh, I never thought of that." said Qing. "Fine, you can have them. But, if you want to use them won't you need..."
"Don't worry! I've already taken care of it!"
The bound agents could finally breathe in relief. Being a test monkey still beats being dead, even with the 50/50 chance of surviving the experimentation.
"You really scared me. Huli." Qing chuckled, dryly. "For a second, I thought you were about to challenge my authority..."
"You should know me by now, Qing!" muttered Huli, rolling his eyes
"What should be done, Master Qing?" asked Nathair, finally finding his voice.
"I'll think of some thing and brief you later, commander. In the meantime, prep the other agents - and the kitchen! All this talk has made me hungry. Bai, Huli, you coming?"
"I think I'll just pass!" replied Huli, not taking his eyes off the screen of his tablet.
"Why can't I just have them instead?!" whined Bai, pointing at the agents as she threw a tantrum like a three year old.
"Easy, darling!" Qing cooed stroaking her hair a bit before turning in to Huli "I'm I'm really curious to know what's so important for you to do that you have to skip lunch wish us, brother?"
"I already have enough on my plate, Qing!" he replied, briskily. "I have to get started with the test subjects. They can't just experiment themselves you know?"
"Oh well, I tried!" shrugged Qing, leading the way out, escorted by his bodyguards.
"Your loss Huli!" softed Bri, flipping her hair long auburn pony tail cutely before cartwalking after Qing with ther men closely following her.
Nathair waited until the door had been shut before nervously turning to Huli.
"Master..."
"Save the excuses, Nathair! "You know why I'm still here, right?"
I couldn't really see his face, only his lips, but from his voice even a blind man could tell he was livid.
"I'm deeply sorry, Master." Nathair appologized, with a humble bow causing me to scoff in disbelief.
"Since when did Nathair start bowing down to Huli? Looks like I've slept for way too long than I think!" I thought eyeing, the now cowering valiant commander.
"Was I wrong in enstrusting you to receive my box on my behalf?"
"No Master. I know how important it was to you. I take full responsibility for my carelessness and I will try to replace it..."
"Replace it?!" Huli cried, indignantly cutting him off. "That box contains a thousand years worth of research! And you just want to replace it?!"
"But , sir?"
"Do you have any idea what just one drop of the serum darts in it could do to a mundane?"
"S-serum, sir?"
"Sure, I can always replace the darts and the serum Nathair, but I can't JUST replace that box. You know It was the last thing she gave to me before she died!"
"I'm eternally sorry for your loss sir but, with all due respect, yelling at me won't bring her back."
"I know!" Huli admited, with a sad sigh. "It be better if I converted my time and energy in making new serums then."
"Now, that's the spirit, Master! Let's get to work, shall we?! Take them away!" Nathair ordered, instructing the remaining unbounded agents in the room.
"Master please! No, have mercy!"cried the bound agents as they about to be wheeled out of the common room.
"Shut it, you failures!" Nathair snapped, coldly.
"Stop the pretense, hypocrite!" Agent X snapped back. "You know the truth, Commander but you chose to lie to your Master!"
"Shut it!" he hissed.
"Nathair, what's he talking about?"
"You know we wouldn't have lost the kids if the purple dragon hadn't..."
"I said, 'shut it!'" roared Nathair stomping towards Agent X, his hand raised and ready to slap him again.
"Nathair!" boomed a deadly voice.
Everyone stopped in thier tracks as Huli took slow measured steps towards them. The large room was now more deathly silent than a grave yard, so every step he took echoed evilly, forbrooding the dread to come.
"What Dragon? Is there something you didn't tell us Nathair?" Huli said, squinting fom Agent X to Commander Nathair.
"Master, during our mision in Nigeria, we got attacked a purple dragon." panted Agent X, despirate to live.
"Sex?"
"Drakania, No goatee!"
"But, that's impossible! Are you sure? Purple dragons are exceedingly rare and the last one ever spotted was in Scotland during the 1800's..."
"Master, there's no need for you to waste your time with this lying..."
"I'm not a lier, you fibber!" Agent X, in despiration. Check the video, the one compiled from body cams!"
"What video, Nathair?" quizzed Huti, in confusion as he turned to the now sweating Commander, despite the air conditioning. "And why am I just hearing about all these now?"
"Forgive me, Master!" he appoligized with yet another bow. " I meant to tell you earlier but I didn't want to jump into conclusions."
"What do you mean?"
With that, Nashair brought a remote and turned on the TV. Everyone became silent again, our eyes glued to the screen as we watched how the mission went from the begining to the retreat. When the video ended, Nathair turned to the Huli who seemed lost in thoughts.
"Master...?"
"Change of Plans!" Huli declared, snapping out of his trance as he turned to face the erring agents.
"Now all of you should listen to me carefully because I'm only going give you rookies more chance to redeem yourselves. I'm giving you 24 hrs to rest before you'll be briefed your new assignments.
"Thank you, Master!" chorused the pardoned agents, bowing Thier heads though they were still bound in chains.
"Release them!" He ordered, signalling the other agents standing by, his eyes not leaving the tv screen which had paused on the purple dragon, ignoring Nathair who had slowly left his previous position to now stand beside him.
"I know how you feel, sir." whispered Nathair, I heard well as the room was almost cleared of agents
"I doubt it is..." snapped Hule, still not talling his eyes off the screen.
"There's quite a resemblance, though. Could it be a descendant... but we can't risk jumping into conclusions, can we?" he added, on reciving a glare from Huli.
"I need all intel on this drakania. Get me everythig: Medical records, Criminal records, Bank statements..."
"Yes, Master!"
"Also, I need you to alert all our agents in Nigeria to be be on the look out for her!"
"Yes, Master!" saluted Nathair. "But Master - If I may be so bold to ask - all these sacrifices are at what cost?"
"I won't rest untill I fulfill my mate's dream! Creating a new world where all shifters and immortals roam free... with me as thier Supreme Alpha!" he replied, his fiery orange eyes as brimming with angry tears still not leaving the purple dragon on the TV screen.
Can you guess who's who in the last scene?