Marko is woken up by a loud commotion downstairs. It was still early in the morning, the sun is up but just barely. Its rays peeking in the windows.
He hears the muffled sounds of laughter and joy from downstairs — his kids, playing. Not unusual behavior. What was unusual is at the time that it was happening. Normally, at this time, everyone would be gathered in the dining room having breakfast, the sounds made are only of morning conversation. Either that or the sound of cartoon shows blasting on the living room TV where the kids are having their breakfast at. This current scenario is highly unusual. Add that fact that he was hearing another voice apart from his wife and kids. A visitor. He couldn't make it out at first, but the voice started getting clearer. The clearer it got, the more familiar it became. It was drowned by the sound of laughter from his kids but he immediately recognized it. This voice, this accent, he would recognize anywhere.
He hurriedly heads downstairs, loud thudding noises caused by strong, panicked steps. The visitor's voice started getting louder and clearer. They were talking about something. Laughter ensues again.
He hasn't even gone down the stairs completely and he was already able to make out the man in black.
"Daddy!" his daughter calls out to him, excited, happy.
The following sight made him freeze. In the living room are his wife and kids. Eyes and inside of the mouth glowing blue. Blue liquid dripping from their nose and ears. His kids were on the ground, playing. His wife was sitting on one of the chairs, watching over and having a conversation with the visitor, sitting on the couch across from her, holding one of his daughter's stuffed animals, entertaining and playing with his beloved children — Crowe.
Marko stood still for about five seconds, completely frozen, cold sweat dripping on the hardwood floor.
"What's wrong, honey?" his wife asks, lit-up face showing concern.
"You have a lovely family, Agent Pius," the visitor speaks to him.
"What are you doing here," he asks, voice shaking.
"WHAT DID YOU DO??!!!" he exclaims, still not taking a single step, afraid of what the visitor might do if he makes a wrong move.
His wife and kid's faces all turned sour.
"Honey!"
"Why are you shouting at Mr. Crowe?" his son asks.
"Daddy, you're being mean," his daughter tells him.
"Oh, I'm sure daddy has his reasons," Crowe butts in, condescendingly.
"Everyone, get away from that guy," he tells his family, desperately trying to stay calm and maintain composure. "He is NOT your friend."
"Honey, seriously, what's wrong?" his wife asks, completely oblivious to what is happening.
"Agnes, I need you to listen to me," Marko starts slowly approaching the living room. Slow, calculated steps. "Take the kids, get out in the backyard and stay there until I say so."
Marko has tears forming in his eyes as he approaches his dosed family. He has never been more scared in his entire life.
"Daddy," his daughter speaks to him again. "You're being really weird."
His daughter runs up to him, her favorite stuffed toy in hand — a pink teddy bear. He kneels down on one knee to embrace his daughter, now presumably overflowing with ancient essence. He hugs her tightly to which she just laughs.
"You're being silly," she says, still smiling.
He lets go of her daughter and slowly takes the stuffed animal from her hands. She looks at him in the eyes as it starts glowing brighter and brighter until her entire body implodes, splashing Marko with liters of blue blood. His wife and son starts screaming and panicking. Marko's world stopped. The screams were drowned by a high-pitched ringing in his ear. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. His hands and eventually, his entire body started trembling uncontrollably. He looks at the stuffed animal in his hand, his daughter's favorite pink teddy bear is now painted blue with her own blood. He looks on the ground in front of him where her daughter stood just a second ago, now just a pool of blue liquid.
His wife and son starts running towards him. Crowe gets up and opens his portal
"Auf Wiedersehen," Crowe disappears into the void.
SHHOOM
Sebastian teleports in right as Crowe teleported out. He looks behind to where the warping noise came from to see Sebastian, grabbing both blades.
"Se.. Seb," Marko couldn't even form a single word. All he could do was follow Sebastian with his eyes as he started to take a few steps closer.
"Get out or help," says Sebastian.
SHHOOM
Sebastian warps right in front of his son who looks at the swordsman with his glowing eyes.
SCHWING
A swift slash sends the kid's head flying into the air and rolling down to his father who was still on his knees. The swordsman then finishes the job by stabbing him in the heart, pinning him on the staircase wall.
"No… Y… You… Wha…"
The swordsman turns his gaze to the housewife who falls on her knees at the sight of her children being butchered one after the other
SHHOOM
He warps right in front of the kneeling woman, places both his blades on her neck vertically like a scissor and cuts down, slicing the innocent's wife into three pieces, her heart in two.
The killer sheathes his bloody blades on his back and starts walking towards him, heading for the exit. Marko starts getting up, slowly, weakly.
"What did you do?" he asks, his voice was weak, faint.
"What did you do??" he asks again, this time louder. Anger starting to sound apparent.
The swordsman doesn't respond nor look at him. He just kept walking towards the door.
Marko grabs the killer by his tie and collar and starts punching him on the face. His fists now covered with two different colors of blood.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??!!" he screams at the swordsman, barrage of punches unceasing.
"He simply did what you cannot do," he hears the familiar voice again, coming from behind them.
"Crowe?" he whispers under his breath, halting the onslaught he was unleashing with his fist.
He turns around to see culprit, standing calmly behind them. "CROWE!!!!" he rushes the soulless scientist. But as soon as he took on step, Crowe and everything else started glowing bright blue. Marko didn't stop, but the more he got closer, the brighter everything became until he was blinded and couldn't see.
Marko wakes up, heart racing, shirt and sheets drenched in sweat. He takes a moment before getting out of bed. He looks at the digital clock by the nightstand, it's seven in the morning. Much later than he usually gets up. Around this time, he would either be on the way or already at Circle HQ. Today is different as he decided not to clock in.
He left a message for Benedict the night before, informing him of his sudden day-off decision. He looks at his phone but no response. Even so, he knew that Benedict was fine with it. Unless an agent suddenly stopped clocking in for an entire week or decides to quit indefinitely like Sebastian did for an entire year unannounced, everyone had the right to a personal day-off so long as Benedict or anyone from operations was informed so that assignments and potential unit formations would be compromised accordingly.
He hears voices downstairs, his kids. He gets out of bed and hurriedly goes downstairs. Loud footsteps reverberated throughout the house. Not even down the flight of stairs and he already peeks in on the living room. It's empty. He exits the stairs and looks around, panic still visible.
"Good morning," he hears his wife's voice in the dining room where the kids are having their breakfast.
He immediately rushes over, stopping just outside the room, looking at his beloved family with relief.
"Well?" his wife says, looking at his husband who acting unusual. "Is something wrong?"
"Daddy's acting weird," his daughter says to her mother.
SHHOOM
At the same time, Sebastian warps in the pantry at HQ where Eva, Izzy, and Chen were also having breakfast.
"Wow," exclaims Eva.
"You're up unnaturally early," she says to Sebastian who normally wouldn't be at HQ for another two hours.
"Anyone seen Cade?" he asks, going straight to look for a coffee mug.
"Figures," says Eva.
"Why, what's going on?" asks Izzy.
"This idiot is gonna be up in Cade's case to harass him for failing a Crowe mission, too," she answers.
"Oh, right, the Sentinel Island," says Izzy.
"Today is a special day, gentlemen," Sebastian announces while pouring himself coffee.
"And Eva," he says with a disgusted and uninterested tone.
Eva frowns and throws a piece of crumpled tissue at him which he promptly avoids.
"I not only get to shit on Cade for the rest of the day, but now I have leverage to get my week-long restriction lifted," Sebastian explains.
"Now, half the first-classes failed to catch Crowe so I can now justify my own failed attempt."
"What do you mean 'failed attempt', Ben said you didn't even try to do anything," Eva contradicts his last statement.
"Okay, one, shut up. And two, Ben also needs to shut up and I'm telling him that once I drop by to ask for my well-deserved, restriction-lifting."
"Yeah, we heard you let him escape so yours is still worse because you just left," Chen who was having a large bowl of cereal chimes in.
Eva laughs while Izzy was holding back a smile.
"You just got destroyed by Mr. Newbie over here, what do you feel about that," Eva instigates.
"I feel like shoving his head up his own ass is what I feel about that."
"That sounds painful," says Chen.
"It is, and you're gonna be in a world of hurt if you don't watch your mouth like the queen of the witches over here."
Benedict who had just arrived at HQ as well walks in on the agents and is surprised at the sight of Sebastian.
"What are you doing here this early?" he asks but interrupts himself not a second later.
"Let me guess, you need something, don't you," he picks up a coffee mug as well.
"What else?" Eva chimes in.
"You're goddamn right I need something. I need you to lift my restriction because it's unfair and unjust."
"Is it?" Benedict asks, nonchalantly, while pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Hey, those four idiots you sent to Sentinel Island all failed. FOUR. Where's those dumbasses' punishment. If they don't get any, I don't get any."
"Ain't that right," Sebastian looks at Izzy, fishing for approval.
"I have no horse in this race, honestly," Izzy doesn't give him the satisfaction.
Sebastian groans and rolls his eyes.
"Those four 'idiots', all tried and failed. You failed without even trying."
"Oh, come on!"
"And why are you telling me this, I'm not the one in control of this. If you're going to complain, complain to the Board, not me."
"'Board' my ass, those people are useless. You practically run this place."
"Even if this was in my hand, what exactly makes you think I'll do what you're asking," Benedict leaves the empty mug at the sink and walks outside, heading to his office.
"Um, because we've been buddies since we were kids and I make a really good point?" answers Sebastian, right behind and following Benedict.
"Both of those things are wrong."
Sebastian kept pestering Benedict about it even after they reached his office.
"Are you going to do this all day?" Benedict asks, getting behind his desk to start a productive day like usual.
"I seriously don't have time for this, I'm more swamped than usual."
"Okay, at least give Cade a punishment," Sebastian continues bartering.
"Cade is the last person in this entire building who would be punished for anything. He does everything he's asked and he does it efficiently. The Board isn't touching their favorite child."
"Stupid fucking Boy Scout," Sebastian mutters.
"Ah, fuck this," Sebastian gives up, the negotiation ends with his complete and utter defeat.
"You're fucking useless," he gets up.
"Are you sure you're not talking about you from other night?"
Sebastian doesn't say anything back and flaunts his middle finger on Benedict.
SHHOOM