Phantom Assassin (2015 version)

Chapter 06

"Trace! Wake up!" Hailey pinched the boy's elbow playfully and he flinched awake, growling when he saw the girl's freckled face. And then he knew something was wrong.

"Why aren't you in your own dorm room?" Trace asked carefully. Identities were kept discreet, so why was Hailey so blatantly revealed to him?

"Silly boy," the girl giggled, hopping down from the bunk bed's ladder.

Trace rubbed the sleep from his eyes and leaned over the side of his bed, gasping at the sight of his group members. Why were they all gathered here?

"This is the WP7 dorm room," Hailey laughed. "You passed your examination!"

"Examination?" Trace asked. His head hurt, like it was hit with a boulder and then a package of ice.

"Yeah. Your first mission is called your examination, Trace," Hailey helped him to remember. Was he told this already and just didn't realize it?

Dereck, the brown-eyed, black-haired rebel, squinted at Trace. "Do you remember any of your report?"

Trace sat in a daze for a moment, his mouth slightly open. Hailey snapped her fingers and he blinked into focus. "Uh, what?" He hopped down the ladder and thudded on the ground, steadying himself carefully.

"Do you remember reporting our mission?" Hailey reworded, glancing at her boyfriend and then back at Trace.

"...No?" Trace felt his head pound just thinking about the previous night. Just what had happened? He remembered three people working on his Modifier... Was that useful information?

"Nothing at all?" Dereck grumbled.

"Well, just that there were three people, and they were talking... I forgot what the topic of their conversation was, but they were touching my neck and fixing my Modifier," Trace recalled, wincing at the pain thudding in his head. "That's all."

His Modifier ticked in his head with a message in his robotic voice. Congratulations, Trace! You've officially made it into Phantom's association! Please meet in the breakfast hall with your group members from squad WP7 for orientation.

His Modifier pushed itself in, most likely a new establishment by Phantom, and he floated up along with his group members.

"From now on, Trace, you'll have to fight harder against Phantom. Remember: Phantom is the bad guy. Not you." Trace didn't know who said this. The voice was blurred.

His Modifier bit back. Phantom is your provider. Don't betray Phantom.

The breakfast hall melted in around them. Assassins dressed in different cloak colors mingled with each other.

Trace reached behind his neck and tried to pull his Modifier out, slightly, but the button-shaped knob was now flat, and immovable. His heart almost stopped.

"Trace," Hailey whispered sharply. "Did you not just hear me tell you that you had to fight harder against Phantom? It's no longer a battle for your body. Now it's a battle for your mind."

"So I can't just turn off my allegiance when I want to anymore?" Trace gasped, massaging his neck. He could barely feel the small disc on his neck, because it was his skin's temperature and smoothness.

Hailey shook her head. "Nope, not anymore."

"So, orientation?" Trace spoke up from his whisper and smiled slightly.

"Oh, right," Hailey laughed nervously. "That's a private group thing, not a big ceremonial crash. So, we'll all congratulate you here and on our next mission, which begins in-" she checked her watch"-about a half an hour, we'll give you the materials you need to work with us."