The muffled tongue of Big Ben toiled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendour never to be seen again. - Barbara W. Tuchman (The Guns of August)
* * * *
All that she could hear are the sounds of panicked screaming and shouting even as she ran through the forest, with darkness surrounding her. She ignored the twigs and tree branches that were slapping at her skin as she did so, even as she turned over her shoulder.
But all that she could see is the dark orange glow of the flames licking at the village that she is leaving behind.
Someone grasped hold of her wrist just then, and tugged her forward, urging her to continue running.
“Don’t look back.” The voice was strained and sounded as if the owner of the voice is about to cry. “No matter what, don’t look back. Just keep running.
“…Yuri…"
* * * *
Yuri reached the motorbike where Ethan had told her that he’d parked in record time. She didn’t waste any time; getting onto the bike immediately and starting the engine. She knew that Ethan wouldn’t be able to buy her much time and she only has moments left before the army will be after her.
The Pursuers are a specially trained unit trained to go after the remaining survivors of Sin after all. They are probably the best soldiers in the entire army.
Kicking the bike into gear, Yuri immediately raced away on the bike, trying to put as much distance between District 70 and herself as possible. The moment that she’s on the empty and silent highway that is devoid of all sounds and vehicles save for herself, Yuri tapped onto the panel on the bike. The screen immediately lit up, showing a set of coordinates that told Yuri exactly where to meet her friends.
“X 0086. Y 7734.” Yuri murmured to herself, putting on an extra burst of speed to get to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible.
She held no illusions in assuming that the army wouldn’t find the place where they have arranged to meet. If the army succeeds in tracking all of them down and cornering them before they could manage to get the hell out of there, then they’ll succeed in capturing all the remaining Sin survivors in one clean swoop. She isn’t worried about Ethan, trusting her old partner to be able to get out of there alive. Back during the time of the civil war, they have been in worse situations than this, and somehow always managed to escape alive.
Yuri was broken from her thoughts as there was a light beep from the panel of the bike, and the dark haired girl looked down only to see that the screen of the panel had switched to that of a radar-like diagram, and there were about five red blimps closing in onto her current position, where her current position is being represented on the radar by a white blimp.
Yuri turned to look over her shoulder, ignoring the wind whipping at her face and hair, not letting up the speed on the bike in the least. For the first time in what seems like five years, Yuri felt her composure cracking as she caught sight of at least five motorcyclists and two army trucks close on her heel, all of them dressed in the black uniforms of the army.
“Oh God…” Yuri muttered before she turned her attention back to the front and soon started weaving in and out of the pathway of bullets. This is like five years ago all over again, when they were first sent on the run from the Council and the army.
Not for the first time, Yuri thanked every higher being that had ever existed that nearly every vehicle and piece of equipment that they used are all modified by Sin’s resident mechanic. It had been that way ever since the time of the civil war. And Yuri had already lost count of the number of times when those modified vehicles and equipment have actually saved their lives.
Yuri quickly grabbed the communicator headset hanging just by the side of the panel in the bike and slipped it into her left ear. Yuri then quickly tapped twice onto the screen of the panel itself.
There was silence for a moment before a low cackling echoed in her ear, and Yuri sighed in relief.
“…Ethan? Is that you?”
* * * *
In the mothership of Exilia, Sin’s new headquarters, the current members of Sin that are currently present was startled when contact was made to Control by one of the communicators.
Helen Laviskei immediately pressed down on the button. “Ethan? Is that you?” she demanded.
After all, it is only Ethan Blake who is still unaccounted for, as he had gone to retrieve their last member. All the other known Sin survivors have been accounted for, and are all currently present except for Alexia Lewis, their spy who is currently out somewhere, gathering some information on the army.
Helen had been a little concerned when Ethan had failed to call in at their designated time, and had wondered if he had ran into a little trouble. After all, she knew that retrieving Yuri Lorewell might be the most difficult, as the army is currently after her.
“No. It’s me.” A voice came through the devices of Control, and Helen, along with the other members of Sin that are currently present – Jasper Summers, Ida Silverlake and Seth Russell, have their eyes widening in surprise.
“Yuri? Is that you?” Helen demanded. “What happened?”
“I don’t have time to talk right now. Think that you can send some help? I could seriously do with some right now—”
The communications were instantly cut off, being replaced by static as the sound of rapid gunfire echoed through, and Helen frowned. “Can you trace her last location?” she asked Jasper Summers, their computer expert.
“Give me a moment.” Jasper muttered, his intelligent brown eyes scanning over the numerous screens before him as his fingers literally flew over his keyboard. A set of coordinations and numbers soon appeared on the screen, and Helen turned towards Ida.
“Get me through to Alexia.”
Ida nodded, and it is only a matter of moments before Alexia’s voice could be heard in the Control Room. “Helen? What is it?”
“It’s trouble. I need you to go and back Yuri up.”
“Yuri’s in trouble again?” Helen could almost see Alexia rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Why is she always in trouble? She is really a magnet for trouble, isn’t she?”
“This time, it’s not her fault.” Helen defended Yuri. “From the sounds and looks of things, the army is currently after her. And it seems like it is the Pusuers that are after her.”
There was silence for a moment before Alexia lets out a string of curses that sounded almost inaudible. The Pursuers are the bane of Sin themselves. After they were betrayed five years ago, it was that elite squad – the elite hunters, the best of the best in the New Army hereby christened as the Pursuers that were sent after Sin.
Any soldier who served in the Pursuers were trained to be ruthless and cunning, and the things that they’ve done are almost inhumane. The members of Sin might be no coward and they aren’t ordinary fighters, but not even they would wish to go head to head against a group of Pursuers, especially if they’re by themselves.
“Damn. I was afraid of that. After all, if Eris and Sen are dead, then she’ll be the next one that the army will be after. And even if it’s Yuri, even she’ll have trouble with the Pursuers after her. Especially more so if she’s on the run. Where is she?”
“We’re sending the coordinates of her location over to you right now.” Helen nodded at Jasper who nodded back and started typing away on the keyboard in front of him, his tongue sticking out of his mouth with the habit that he always had whenever he’s particularly stressed.
“Got it.” Alexia said a moment later. “And she’s near my location. I’ll be there in ten. I’ll bring her back in one piece.”
“Please do.”
* * * *
Yuri barely dodged a bullet that just went whizzing past her ear.
She scowled and pulled out her gun, somehow managing to control the bike with just one hand. There was a loud screech on the road as the bike turned a 180 degree turn, and she fired three shots from her gun before turning her bike back around, increasing the speed to try to put as much space as possible between herself and her pursuers.
Out of the three bullets, one missed the target, but the remaining two caught two of the Pursuers in the head, hereby knocking them out of the chase. Yuri didn’t even bother to look, as she is a little too busy trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the Pursuers whilst trying to avoid the bullets sent her way.
‘That’s two down and eight more to go.’ Yuri thought to herself, racking her brains frantically to think of a plan, any plan to get the hell out of the situation that she found herself in.
She had no qualms in thinking that she will leave alive should the army ever got their hands on her. She is one of the few that is rather well known to the army because of what she’d done in the past during the war, hence why she’s also top on their list of most wanted. Should she ever find herself in their gallows, she’ll never leave alive. And Yuri for one has no plans on dying anytime soon.
A low roar of a motorcycle’s engine reaches her ears just then, and acting by instinct alone, Yuri looked upwards only to see a sleek black and silver motorcycle flying off the cliff, landing neatly on the road. The rider pushed up the visor of the helmet that he or she is wearing, and Yuri’s eyes widened as she recognised those cool gray eyes.
“Alexia?”
Alexia smirked at Yuri and nodded, reaching with her right hand into the jacket that she is wearing and withdrawing a gleaming silver handgun. “Where’s Ethan?” she questioned even as she kept speed with Yuri, looking over her shoulder every now and then even as she fired round after round of bullets.
Each time a bullet was released, it found its way into the head of a Pursuer. Not for nothing however is Alexia Lewis right up there in terms of marksmanship with Yuri Lorewell and Ethan Blake. Whenever the three of them have to handle guns and even weapons that uses projectiles, they never miss. During the time of the war when Sin is making a splash, missing a target with their weapons might mean instant death. Particularly so for Sin as they are the ones taking on all the most dangerous and reckless missions back then – those that might otherwise be termed as ‘death missions’. Yet no matter how difficult a mission might be, they always returned alive.
“He remained behind to delay the army.” Yuri responded, skidding with her bike on the road as she turned a 180 degree turn once more, firing with her handgun, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance as her gun gave out a light click. “Shoot. I’m out of bullets.”
“Head to the rendezous point.” Alexia told Yuri. “I’ll handle this. Not even you can handle an entire unit of Pursuers with no weapons. And if I know Ethan, he’ll be on his way there as well. Go. I’ll meet you there. We have another hour before we have to take off.”
Yuri nodded, understanding what Alexia is getting at immediately. All Sin members are trained to respond in any combat situation back during the war. And when they were betrayed, they have developed a type of system to best protect themselves from the vultures that were hunting them.
There is always a time limit for them to remain in one place. They could never remain in one place for long, hence why the Sin survivors were always moving from place to place using different identities after the end of the war.
“I’m counting on you.” Yuri told Alexia before increasing the speed on her bike, and she sped off. She was soon nothing more than just a speck in the distance, and Alexia smirked as she turned her bike in a 180 degree turn so that she is facing the Pursuers, and she applied the brakes. Her bike skidded to a stop.
“Well then…” Alexia cracked her neck even as she rested the handgun in her hand against her shoulder, a devious smirk on her lips. “Let’s end this.”
* * * *
Yuri found the mothership Exilia at the exact point where it was shown on the bike panel.
The silver mothership looks to be a cross between a rather large airplane and a submarine the moment that it came into sight. It was well camfoulaged within some trees that unless you knew the exact location of where it is hidden, one would never be able to find Exilia at all. The Sin organisation had used a mothership – a ship that can fly in the air and even travel underwater as their headquarters during the last war. It is so that no one would be able to find them. Though back then, Sin mainly used their mothership more as a mode of transport than as their headquarters.
Yuri got off the bike and walked towards Exilia, glancing over her shoulder every now and then in case there is anyone following her. After everything that she has been through, one can’t really blame her for being paranoid.
She stopped dead in her tracks as she caught the sound of light hissing, and she frowned, one hand against the handgun tucked against her thigh, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance as she remembered that she is out of bullets. Yuri let out a breath that she didn’t realise that she was holding when the head of Ida Laviskei poked out of the side of Exilia where Yuri had just realised that the light hissing sound that she had heard earlier was that of the door opening.
The red haired medic looked very relieved to see Yuri. “Yuri! Glad that you made it!” Ida pulled Yuri into Exilia even as she closed the door behind them. “Helen is going spare. She’s literally tearing her hair out.”
“How long do we have until we have to leave?” Yuri asked even as she followed Ida through the hallway.
“Thirty minutes.” Ida responded. “Ethan just sent word. He’s on his way. And so is Alexia. If nothing else happens, they both should be here in ten minutes.”
The two arrived at the Control room of Exilia only to see the other remaining survivors of Sin. Helen turned around, and the worried look on her face changed to that of a relieved one when she saw Yuri.
“Yuri!” Helen walked towards Yuri. “You made it.”
Yuri nodded tiredly. “Just barely though. I’m kind of a little behind the times, so you might want to explain everything to me once we’re in a safe place.”
“Yeah. We can do that afterwards.”
“Helen?” Jasper Summers spoke up from his seat in front of the computers. “Incoming. Two o’clock. Two of them.”
“Bring up the monitor.” Helen ordered as the mood in the room turned sombre immediately. Could it be the army? But how could they have found them this fast? A video image of the forest surrounding Exilia was brought up on the screen just then, and the images of Alexia and Ethan appeared on screen – both looking rather ruffled and tired, but alive. “They made it.” Helen gave a sigh of relief, wondering just how in the world Cyrus could manage to do the ‘leader job’ back then without suffering from a stroke from everything that has happened. She is ready to retire after just a week. “Ida, open the door for them.”
Ida nodded and headed back out of the room to open the door for Alexia and Ethan. All three were back in a few moments, and Alexia and Ethan looked panicked. “Helen, we have to go! Now!” Alexia told the blonde.
“What in the world did you both do?” Jasper demanded even as his fingers flew over the controls meant for manning the airship. “Ida, take the other one!” Ida was already in the other pilot’s seat, fingers flying over the controls even before Jasper had finished speaking.
“Well… I created quite the—ahem—diversion in District 70, and Alexia here didn’t make things any easier for the Pursuers hot on our tail.” Ethan looked embarrased as he answered, scratcing at his cheek idly with one finger.
Helen almost groaned. “I don’t even want to know. But we’re getting out of here. Now!”
“Yeah. That seems like a great idea.” Yuri muttered. “Maybe we should hide underwater for awhile.”
Helen nodded. “That’s the plan,” she responded.
Seth slumped in his seat, rubbing his aching eyes even as Jasper and Ida manned the pilot controls for takeoff. “This is starting to be complicated…” he groaned.
Jasper snorted even as he manned the controls. “This is the army that we’re talking about here,” he retorted even as the airship lifted into the air. “Isn’t it supposed to be complicated right from the beginning?”
* * * *
It wasn’t until two hours later when Exilia was nearly twenty miles deep underwater when Yuri finally could breathe easy.
She had spent the two hours having Ida fuss over her wounds and exploring the ship. The layout is pretty similar to the last one that Sin had used during the time of the civil war, though with additional weapons and functions to it. The last time, Sin had basically used their mothership as more of a mode of transport than as their headquarters. This time around, it seems like the mothership is built with the idea in mind that Sin will be using this as a long term live-in headquarters.
They never know when they might have to remain underwater or even in the air for who knows how long after all.
Thus, two hours after they’ve taken off from the forest and was nearly twenty miles underwater could find the remaining members of Sin gathered in the briefing room – a room that Sin usually used to brief their members on mission updates.
Only seven of them were present in the briefing room – all of them Sin’s best agents during the time of the war, and Yuri sighed to herself. Was this all of them that have survived? Just what are they going against? Looking at the briefing room now, it suddenly seems so empty, and so…cold.
“Well, we’re all that is left of the original Sin, I’m afraid.” Helen sighed, looking from face to face. Each of them looked tired and worn out, and looked as if they have just aged ten years. And judging by what each of them had gone through and had seen throughout the past five years, Helen doesn’t blame them in the least. “It’s just that Carlo…” She frowned at the mention of their demolition expert.
“Was he caught by the army too?” Ethan asked with a frown. Somehow, he can’t imagine anyone getting the best of Carlo Rogers. That guy is too sharp for his own good, and just as quick witted. Like Yuri, he can think on his own feet, and always have a plan.
“No. At least I don’t think so.” Alexia was the one who answered this time, shaking her head. “When Helen got in contact with me a little over a month ago, I soon set to trying to pinpoint all your exact locations. It wasn’t easy, as all of us—myself included—were constantly on the move. But even so, I’m not a spy for nothing. It’s just that Carlo…” She trailed off slowly. “I can’t find any information on him at all. And if he really is caught by the army, they would have broadcasted it the same way when they’ve broadcasted the arrests and then executions of Eris, Sen and all the others.” Alexia had a foul look on her face at that point that seems as if she’d smelled something foul. “After all, the Council would want the public to know that the big bad Sin were arrested and soon to be dead.” She waved a hand around as she spoke.
There was silence for a long moment until Ida broke it. “Well, you know what they always say,” she said, trying to break the tension in the room. “No news means good news. Besides, I can’t see anything managing to get the best of Carlo. That guy’s hard to kill.”
“Ida, that’s what you said about Yuri too. And you know how it almost turned out.” Seth pointed out, and Ida flinched.
Helen sighed. “Anyway, Alexia, keep looking for Carlo.” Alexia nodded at that. “And I need you to head to the surface. I need information on the Council and the army’s current strength and numbers. If that guy is involved with the Council, then suffice to say that the army’s system and tactics won’t be one that we are used to during the time of the civil war.”
“I’m on it.” Alexia nodded, heading out of the room, with the door letting out a light hissing sound as it opened for her.
“This battle won’t be like the last one.” Yuri stated heavily, speaking what was currently on everyone’s minds. “We’re labelled fugitives. Traitors to Mayalia. Highly dangerous criminals. Suffice to say, we are probably going to spend a lot of time running and hiding in this ship.” She glanced around at the steel mothership that they’re currently in.
“It’s just as Cyrus said five years ago, Yuri.” Seth spoke up suddenly. The mechanic of Sin had always been one of few words, yet whatever that he said is always meaningful. “The battle isn’t over yet. It won’t be over as long as we’re still alive. I knew that this day is going to come. That’s why for the past five years, I’ve been building this mothership bit by bit with whatever materials that I could get my hands on—mostly from the black market. Some of it is from whatever that I’ve managed to salvage from our old headquarters when White Cross deem it fit to blow it up.” Everyone present flinched as they recalled what had happened during the final battle. “And this time, it won’t end like the last.”
“Yes, but face the facts.” Ethan sighed. “They’ve literally destroyed our organisation. Cyrus is dead. So are Eris and Sen. And so many of our comrades. And this time, who and what are we fighting against? White Cross. Or the Council as they’re known as now. The ruling body of Mayalia. We’re going to be rebelling against our own country. We’re going to be fighting against our own countrymen. It’s one thing to be labelled a traitor. But to be acting like one too?”
“Then would you prefer that we sit here quietly and let ourselves get picked off by the Council one by one?” Jasper asked dangerously. “Face it, Ethan. We have no choice. Besides, this…isn’t the Mayalia that I remember. This isn’t the Mayalia that we’ve been fighting for five years ago. Like what we’ve promised Cyrus so long ago, we’ll get our country back, even if we have to be labelled traitors as we do so!”
Yuri sighed. “Looks like it’s the start of another battle, another war,” she stated tiredly.
“Isn’t it always?” Ethan muttered sarcastically from next to her, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. “It’s just going to be a lot harder than last time. This time around, we’re completely on our own.”
“Like how it always had been.” Yuri pointed out, and Ethan said nothing.
He knew that his old partner is right. Even during the last war, Sin had always been on their own. They’ve always been left to their own devices. If a mission that a Sin member had taken had gone wrong, they wouldn’t expect any backup. That’s just life for them. And a life that all of them have been accustomed to long ago.
“Yuri.” Yuri looked up at the mere mention of her name, and Jasper handed her a black data disk about half the size of his palm. “It’s information.” He answered the unasked question. “Information on the Council and the army and Mayalia—everything that Alexia had managed to unmask and find out for the past five years. I know that you’re still keeping an eye and ear out on the Council and the army ever since we’re forced on the run—like all of us did, but in the end, Alexia still outstrips all of us at information gathering. You should give it a good read. Never know when it might come in handy after all.”
Yuri took the black disk from Jasper, looking at it with an unreadable expression in her eyes. “Yeah. I will.”
Ida sighed. “Looks like there’s no going back for us—for any of us,” she said, looking from face to face. “We thought that as long as we lay low, the Council won’t give us trouble. But they didn’t. They started hunting us down at a time when we’re at our most vulnerable. And during the past five years, they’ve started turning Mayalia into something that is even worse than what the old government had tried to do!” The usual gentle medic’s eyes were burning with fire. “And I for one am not going to stand for it. How about you guys?” She looked at the others.
There was silence for several moments before Yuri sighed. “Well, if this country is in the state that it now is in as a result of our past actions, then I say that we clean up after ourselves,” she said. “Besides, I have no intention of dying anytime soon."
Ethan grunted. “Looks like we’re all in,” he said.
Helen smiled. “Well guys, sorry about this. But it looks like all of us have just volunteered to get a one way ticket to Hell,” she said cheerfully.
“Doesn’t seem like something that our leader should be saying, Helen.” Jasper snorted, and Helen looked startled, almost as if it’s the first time someone is calling her their leader. “Isn’t this place no different from Hell though?”
Helen managed a weak smile. “I guess so.” She took a deep breath. “I have no idea whether I can fit into Cyrus’ shoes or not, but I’ll try my best. And I remember something that Cyrus said a long time ago: that Hell isn’t something that you carry around with you, and it isn’t somewhere you go either. Doubt and suspicion. Extreme anger and hatred. They bring seeds of catastrophe to this world. That…is war. And soon, we will probably be adding more to it.” She sighed.
“We are evil in the first place after all.” Seth stated, picking beneath his fingernails with a knife. “Doesn’t make much difference to me either way. We are mercenaries and contract killers for hire five years ago, and we still are now. The only difference now is that we work for ourselves.”
“In a way, I guess so.” Helen smiled. “And Yuri?” She turned towards the dark haired girl who is currently sitting on one of the safety railings, reading the data file that Jasper had handed to her on her silver Communication System, known as CS for short.
It is something that most people today have, especially students in schools. The CS have email and web browsers, and even applications that allows the users to read data in data disks. Though like with all of Sin’s equipments, Seth had modified the CS of every Sin member so that they possesses more functions and applications than normal CS, and even had it modified in a way so that they aren’t traceable.
“Yeah?” Yuri didn’t look up from her reading.
“I got a job for you to do.”
“What job?”
Helen had an almost evil smirk on her face – one that no one like. “One I’m sure that you will enjoy,” she said, and Yuri looked up from her reading with a curious look on her face. “Infiltration. Espionage.” Yuri got what Helen is trying to tell her immediately. “I need you to infiltrate the army’s headquarters and get some information that I need. Also, feel free to make a ruckus. I think that it’s time that the world learns just how terrifying Sin can be when forced into a corner. And I think it’s also time for them to learn just why everyone fears us so five years ago.”
The rest of Sin grinned at each other at that. If there is anyone who could make a ruckus, it is Yuri. She had her own ways of doing things, and sometimes, when she is sent on elimination missions, she tends to do it rather…large scale. Sure, she is a master assassin – one will never know that she’s there and will never even see her coming until it’s too late. But when she has to make a ruckus, she really makes it eye catching.
Yuri smirked. “Consider it done.”