In the busy streets of Twilight City, a man in a grey business suit could be seen walking home from work.
He held a briefcase In his right hand and was currently on his phone.
"It's late already, I can't come back to the office I just le-" the man complained but he was interrupted.
"Bam!"
Someone had suddenly bumped into him, it was a youth wearing a hoodie and a face mask.
The hood on the hoddie was up and combined with the facemask it was hard to tell what this youth looked like, but there was an exception, when looking at him one could immediately notice a nice-looking pair of blue eyes.
"Watch it, kid," the man yelled, he felt irritated.
"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," the youth replied immediately, even bowing a bit to show sincerity, seeing this there was no way the man could pursue the issue.
Scoffing a bit he continued his walk ignoring the hooded youth, he put his phone inside his pocket but something was wrong, his wallet, he didn't feel his wallet in his pocket.
"What?" The man muttered in brief confusion but it suddenly clicked.
"Thief," he yelled while turning back pointing at the hooded youth in the distance, the youth on the other hand suddenly took off running inside the building next to him.
The man's yell had managed to attract the attention of the police on standby as two police officers swiftly chased after him with the man in a business suit running after them as well.
The building was an office building but the cops didn't hesitate to follow him in, the chase had begun.
"Jenkins follow him, I'm gonna see if I can cut him off," one of the officers yelled.
Jenkins didn't reply with words but by his actions, you could tell he understood.
He increased his speed trying to catch up to the youth but it proved difficult, the hooded youth swift as a gazelle, sprinted down the office hallway, and he jumped, his agile figure making use of the office cubicles like springboards.
It was a ballet of athleticism amid the mundane cubicles, each leap and twist akin to a Skywalker display.
The distance was widening fast, and Officer Jenkins couldn't copy the youth so he did what he could and ran through the walkable areas of the office.
But as he noticed the distance he narrowed his eyes in determination.
Attempting his own daredevil moves he jumped over a few chairs his breath heavy as he landed.
Vaulting over a photocopier Jenkins felt like a ninja but something was wrong, he had misjudged the distance.
"Bam!"
He crashed into a water cooler which promptly erupted like a geyser drenching him from head to toe.
"Ha," the youth chuckled slightly, as he increased his speed, but Jenkins didn't relent, he continued chasing after the youth believing his partner would show up any minute now.
As he chased this strange youth Officer Jenkins discovered that he was running out of stamina, he was almost out of breath and he felt pain in his lower stomach.
The chase took them through a labyrinth of workstations and meeting rooms, for officer Jenkins each turn was more exhausting than the last.
Suddenly they came across what seemed to be a party room with a circular shape.
This ballroom had a spectator stand at the edges which had two stairs leading up to it, the youth suddenly stopped, he was currently on that spectator stand.
But it wasn't the height that made him stop, "stop right there," a voice sounded out from the bottom, it was the building's security.
Two men in uniform were currently moving towards him from the stairs and that old man was following him from behind.
He was cornered, or was he?
The youth did something mad, he suddenly ran towards the edge of the spectator stand and leaped over the bar, soaring through the air, his madness made the security men widen their eyes.
But that wasn't all, just when gravity was about to judge him he grabbed onto one of the chandeliers swinging his body to the next one, and grabbing onto it like some kind of modern jungle man.
This was the scene that Officer Jenkins witnessed as he entered the ballroom.
His eyes widened, and a deep feeling of annoyance bloomed in him, "kid did your mother sleep with a fucking monkey," he cursed out of frustration but the youth didn't reply.
Soon enough the youth was at the other side of the room, officer Jenkins on the other hand couldn't hope to keep up as he was out of stamina.
Noticing this the youth let out a victories smirk which was congealed by his face mask, but as he ran through the hallway the youth's eyes narrowed as he saw another officer in front of him.
"Haha kid I knew you would take this path," the officer yelled.
"Slice!"
The youth's speed suddenly increased rapidly causing his appearance to blur as he moved, swiftly he swung his right arm which somehow held a dagger towards the officer's neck killing him before he could even speak.
"Bang!"
Without slowing down the youth burst through the fire exit behind the officer and found himself outside.
Meanwhile, Officer Jenkins and the security personnel had witnessed this scene from far behind.
Officer Jenkins watched as blood gushed out of his partner's neck, and he felt a heavy lump in his throat, he could see his partner's eyes looking towards him with a helpless cry for help.
Jenkins felt out of breath, how was he going to explain to this man's family, he had a wife, a sixteen-year-old son, and a twelve-year-old daughter.
"Vroom," Jenkins suddenly heard the sound of an engine starting.
They rushed outside and saw the youth get into a black sports car without a license plate.
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
Jenkins pulled out his gun immediately shooting at the car without hesitation, but the car was clearly bulletproof, as the bullets barely left a scratch.
Meanwhile, Inside the black car, the youth sat in the back seat as he chuckled slightly.
With an amused expression on his face, he opened the wallet to find a good amount of cash and some other credentials but after looking through it the youth seemingly lost interest as he opened the window and threw the wallet out, the strange thing was that he didn't touch the cash inside.
"I see ze had your fun," the driver said, as a French accent sounded out from the front seat, but the youth didn't reply.
The French driver didn't seem to mind though as he continued, "Mon ami, you cannot continue to create ze problems. In case you 'ave forgotten your mission, allow moi to remind you."
The driver said with a stern expression pausing a bit before darting in.
"Join ze selections tomorrow and enter ze Silence. After zat, you shall receive more instructions. Zu you comprehend, mon ami?"
"Yes," the youth finally replied after a while and there was a drowning silence after that.
The car drove into the distance mixing in with all the other cars in Twilight City.
*******
(The next morning)
As Aiden's eyes fluttered open he found himself in a luxurious room, where every detail from the plush linens to the soft ambient lighting whispered of indulgence.
His heightened senses picked up the muffled hum of the air conditioning, the distance murmur of city life, and the repeated ticking of a clock, all In horrific details.
"Tick, Tick, Tick," each tick of the clock seemed to stimulate his tired muscles rousing him from his sleep.
Stretching beneath the sumptuous covers Aiden slowly sat up, for some reason this moment gave him a feeling of déjà vu, shrugging it off Aiden got up.
He did some light stretches and proceeded to perform his workout, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.
He did this repeatedly not stopping until six, unlike before when he finished his body wasn't emitting steam, and his points remained the same; Aiden didn't worry though, as consistency was key.
Taking a shower Aiden packed his bags, the trip to Twilight City would take a while, as it would be a long eight-hour drive.
As soon as Aiden finished packing he walked out of the room with his key card, a certain someone was leaning by the wall of the hallway waiting for him.
"Are you sure you're even a woman?" Aiden asked calmly, but Whisper just smiled, she walked up to him with a seductive glint in her eyes.
Or at least that's what Aiden thought, "miscreant," Landon's disgusted voice sounded out in his head.
Aiden ignored Landon though as he stayed still waiting in anticipation to see what was going to happen.
"Did she finally fall in love with me?" Aiden asked himself, but suddenly he felt her cold hands around his neck and his anticipation vanished, she was just fixing his collar.
"My lord you should take care of yourself more," she whispered in his ear as her distinct scent wafted through his nostrils, he found it pleasant.
"Hehe," Whisper giggled as she stepped back with a victorious look in her eyes, " did you just rizz me?" Aiden muttered.
Hearing this Whisper stuck out her tongue in jest, but as a cleaner passed by she rapidly regained her cold demeanor.
This was the first time Aiden had seen Whisper act like this, and it was quite refreshing, at least this way she would briefly forget her dreadful past.
In some ways her path was similar to his, as he wanted the Horatio family to pay she too wanted her family to pay.
And as for the man responsible for her death Aiden had long since vowed to make him experience the worst kind of pain.
The duo both stopped a taxi after lodging out of the hotel.
The taxi ride was supposed to take eight hours but due to the traffic it ended up taking eleven hours, and Aiden knew the reason for the problem.
It was always like this at this time of the year, the second part of the selections.
People were probably going to get tickets in advance, after all this was the only time when normal people could get a clear glimpse of Contractors and experience what they were capable of.
Mentally exhausted from the long and boring trip the both of them lodged into a random hotel to pass the night.
*******
(The next morning)
The sound of the TV could be heard.
[GOOD MORNING SEVENTH SHELTER! Today's the day we've all been waiting for.]
[We finally get to see the one hundred candidates who were fortunate enough to pass the first part of the selections.]
[As we all know the first part is kept private for several reasons but the second part is for all of us citizens to enjoy.]
[For this year's selections I'm the Commentator Mr. Jim, and by my side is an expert Contractor who will be revealed at the start of the match.]
[All our candidates will be arriving today so stay tuned, the fun will begin at twelve.]
Twilight City seemed empty today and except for the choked traffic most stores were closed, but if one looked from high above you would find a large amount of activity in a certain area of the city.
There was a really large stadium at the edge of Twilight City, easily accessible via major roads and public transportation.
The exterior of the stadium featured a modern architectural design, with a combination of glass and steel that gave it a futuristic appearance.
Giant LED screens outside the stadium displayed upcoming events, live scores, and promotional content, but currently, they displayed a hundred boxes with a question mark in them and also a countdown that would end by noon.
The parking lot was full and a huge crowd of people could be seen walking into the stadium, these were people who had already bought a ticket in advance.
Normally the large sitting capacity of 60,000 would be reserved the moment they came out and they weren't cheap either.
These seats would sell for extravagant prices of up to 1500 Cread's per ticket and for foreigners it could sell for 3000 Creda's per ticket.
This was odd considering that the entirety of the match would be broadcasted on live television.
In this huge crowd, you could see both Whisper and Aiden walking towards this large stadium, they had woken up quite early to attend this event, after all, they were participants.
Seeing the large amount of people constantly walking in and out of the stadium surprised Aiden a bit, "so many people," Aiden thought.
"Don't you experience this every year?" Landon couldn't help but ask.
"Well, I've never really attended," Aiden replied before darting in.
"When I was with the Horatio family they would go together leaving me at home with a pile of housework and even when I was an adult I couldn't afford the ticket without messing up my monthly expenses." Aiden mused.
"Then it's a cause for celebration, this time you're not attending as a spectator but a participant," London said before adding, "So what are your plans?"
Before Aiden could reply a couple in front of them suddenly turned back for some reason bumping into Aiden and Whisper as they passed.
Their behavior earned them yells of discomfort from the crowd, prompting them to apologize as they moved.
Suddenly Whisper frowned as she prepared to attack them.
"Calm," Aiden said nonchalantly making her stop in her tracks.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the stadium where people walked in to find their seats.
After showing their tickets or cards they were allowed to enter the stadium where they would be screened for weapons or anything that went against the rules.
As they arrived Aiden said to Whisper, "You can get the card from your pocket now," with that he brought out a metal card from his pocket.
You might not remember Aiden or Whisper purchasing a card or ticket, this was because they didn't, it was placed in their pocket by the couple who bumped into them earlier.
This card wasn't any different from the rest so they were allowed to go inside but the moment they passed the metal detector.
"Wi, wi, wi, wi," it went off and two security men in modern armor ran up to them cuffing them by their arms and leading them out of the crowd.
Amazingly the due complied with Aiden and Whisper showing little to no resistance.
The crowd was surprised by this situation as they rarely saw something like this, they all turned to get a good look at the youths who were cuffed and escorted out like criminals.
Whisper was tempted to act, but upon seeing how calm Aiden was, she calmed down as well.
The two of them were escorted to a back entrance where they were swiftly released.
"Thanks for the cooperation, Mr. Aiden and Mrs. Whisper," the security men both said apologetically as they walked away.
Looking towards Whisper Aiden said, "You should understand the situation completely before acting, you're strong and you could harm innocent people," he advised.
Whisper nodded before saying, "I understand, but I think a change is unnecessary, besides when did being nice and rational ever help me?"
Feeling confused Aiden said to himself, "When did I say anything about being nice?"
Whisper didn't reply though, instead, she walked forward ignoring Aiden.
Shaking his head Aiden didn't answer, he didn't know what to say, he knew her story, she had been nice to everyone, the ideal daughter but she still turned out like that.
With a sigh, Landon suddenly said, "She's developed a guarded personality Aiden, just leave her be, it's something she'll get over in time."
Nodding a bit Aiden ran after Whisper, "wait up will you," he muttered as he caught up to her.
They seemed to be in what looked like an underground passageway, it was dark but they didn't have a problem seeing inside.
Soon enough they reached the end of the passageway and a metallic door came into view.
Aiden and Whisper exchanged looks, there was activity at the other end of the door but that didn't bother them.
Without hesitation, they opened the door and an extremely large room came into view.
Bathed in soft ambient lighting, the room itself looked quite normal, but what filled the room was what mattered.
It was the people inside the room, a hundred or so people all in cutting-edge body armor black in color.
The room was filled with an air of anticipation as some people could be seen conversing with each other, while some sat in their corners.
"The participants," Aiden muttered to himself as he observed the people here.
The entry of two new people caused a ripple of surprise, heads turned and conversations ceased.
All eyes were locked on the newcomers, but the silence didn't last for long as in a second hushed whispers suddenly filled the room.
"Who are they?"
"I don't know, maybe they work here?"
"Well, we'll find out in a minute?"
"He's kinda handsome though?"
"What about the girl?"
Suddenly someone walked into the room from another entrance, it was a woman in a black business suit.
Her presence itself was an enigma as a blank white mask concealed her face, it was Three Face.
At the arrival of this woman, the room suddenly turned completely silent, nobody dared to talk as they watched this woman intently.
"Both of you this way," Three Face said calmly, addressing, Aiden and Whisper.
With that, they walked up to Three Face, and the crowd of participants cleared a path for them.
Aiden observed and watched and he noticed something interesting.
The participants seemed to tremble in fear at the sight of this woman, this amused him a bit, "although Three Face is strong if we really go at it she can't come near me," Aiden thought.
Meanwhile, Three Face ushered both of them through the door she had just walked out from, and as soon as they both entered she turned to the crowd of participants.
"You guys seem to have two more participants," saying this she left walking into the room as well, immediately she left, the room erupted in discussion.
"Shit they are participants?"
"How are they participating? I don't remember them."
"That's because these guys didn't participate in the first round."
"Is that possible, I thought everyone had to go through the first selection?"
"They're probably some rich kids who used their influence to get in."
"Still do you think they are injected like us?"
"I don't know, it doesn't seem like it."
Meanwhile at the edge of the room sat a certain youth with blond hair and deep blue eyes.
He was part of the few people who sat on their own and didn't talk to anyone.
Unknowingly a brown-haired man with brown eyes had approached him from the side, "Hey Felix, did you see that?" The man asked, sounding more curious than anything.
Turning his head Felix looked towards the brown-haired man, "Do I know you?" He asked in disdain.
The man didn't seem to mind though as he smiled, "Ohh you wouldn't know me, but I know you, I was watching you from the first selection, and you had really impressive results, I'm Ethan by the way," he said before darting in.
"Anyway, I didn't come to ask you about that, who do you think those people are?" Ethan asked.
Felix stared at the brown-haired man with visible confusion in his eyes "What kind of weirdo is this?" He thought.
Meanwhile, back at the stadium, everyone had finished taking their seats.
"One hour till the beginning folks, I'm sure you're as excited as I am."
A voice sounded out through the speakers, inciting cheers from the crowd, it was the Commentator Jim.
"we ha-" Jim wanted to say something but he suddenly paused, his abnormality was noticed by the hundreds of thousands of people both here at the stadium and the people watching from home.
"We have a change that has never been done before," Jim suddenly said attracting the attention of everyone.
With a strange pause, Jim said, "We have two more participants."