We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. - Roman 6:4
* * * *
It is mid-afternoon and there is a large crowd gathered at the town square of Grand Central – the capital city of Mayalia where the main headquarters of the Council as well as the council chambers were located. The main headquarters of the New Army was also located here.
But right now, the main ‘attraction’ of the day are two teens tied up to stakes with their hands behind their backs. Both of them bloodied, with obvious signs of having undergone through quite a bout of torture. The girl was almost unconscious, and was slumped against the stake – whilst the boy still found enough energy in himself to glare at his captors and the audience.
A blonde young woman who had her pale blonde hair reaching just past her shoulders paused when she saw the crowd at the town square. She wore a beige coat with a black turtleneck top beneath it and gray pants with black boots and gloves, with shades on her face. She then walked towards the crowd, peering over the sea of heads curiously in an attempt to see what was going on, but failed.
Finally, she tapped on the shoulder of the man in front of her. “Excuse me, what is going on?” she queried.
The man looked at her in bewilderment before the question that she’d asked sunk into his brain. “Oh. Are you a traveller here or something?” he asked. He prattled on. “Those two over there—” He pointed at the platform of the execution site of the two teens. “—are former members of the organisation Sin that Mayalia had been on the lookout for the past five years. Sure, they’d helped end the tyranny of the former government, but between you and me, the power that they wield and the methods that they’d used to do it…” He trailed off and shuddered. “It gives me the creeps. And not to mention the fact that they don’t really care who they kill. Monsters, the whole lot of them. If you ask me, all of them deserved to die.”
Without even gauging the young woman’s reaction, he turned his attention back to the front just as a set of floating screens floated down from above, showing a visual image of the scene currently happening on the platform.
The young woman lowered her shades slightly from her eyes, a miniscule frown on her face.
* * * *
On the execution platform, Sen Kirington glared at the Council officials currently present – the commanders of the army as well as the executioner who is a soldier from the army. Next to him, Eris Lovell was nearly unconscious. And considering the fact that the torture that she’d gone through is a lot more intensive than Sen’s, it is not surprising.
“Let’s start.” One of the commanders stated, and there were loud cheers from the audience even as the soldier loaded the bullets into his revolver.
Sen glared at the soldiers, then to the audience surrounding them – the common folk of Mayalia. These are the people that he and his comrades have risked life and limb to protect five years ago? These ingrates are the people whom his friends and comrades have sacrificed their lives for? You have got to be kidding! For what did they die and sacrificed for if this is how they’re going to treat them? And no way in Hell is he going to show fear in front of these people!
He’s a proud member of Sin, the organisation that had done the impossible five years ago by taking out the ‘head’ of the old government after all. He will bow to no one! He answers to no one! Even if he dies, he is still a proud member of Sin, one of their elites!
“Eris, wake up.” Sen urged, turning his head to face his old friend. There were low inaudible mumbles from his friend, but she didn’t move. Sen then turned and glared at the audience. “You are nothing but just a bunch of bloody hypocrites!” He shouted at the audience, hatred and scorn in his eyes. The audience’s mumbling and cheers were immediately silenced. “You might think that the Council are pure and good, but they’re no better than the old government!” A bright fire was burning in Sen’s eyes. “You might kill us here, but we Sin aren’t so easily defeated! The others will hear of this. And mark my words, they’ll be back!” He hollered, and an uneasy silence fell amongst the people. No one in Mayalia had forgotten the terror that is Sin, and the means that they would go to in order to wipe out their enemies. It’s just lucky for everyone five years ago that Sin isn’t some ambitious organisation. “And if you remember what we’ve done during the war, then you should know what we can and will do!”
One of the commanders shifted uncomfortably in his seat. No one in Mayalia had forgotten what Sin can and will do. The last war five years ago was proof of their power.
“Do it,” he ordered the soldier who nodded and released the safety catch on his gun, walking towards Eris first of all and shooting her square in the head. The girl’s head slumped backwards from the gunshot, a gunshot wound visible in her temple.
“Eris!” Sen uttered, and he then turned angry eyes towards the soldier as he walked towards him next. “Damn it…” ‘I’m sorry, guys. Looks like I can go no further. My time is up. It’s been great knowing you guys, and even being part of Sin.’ Sen closed his eyes, recalling those fun days with his friends and comrades. Just goofing around whenever they don’t have a mission… Being yelled at by Helen whenever they made a mess of the headquarters… Practicing his target training with Ethan, Jasper and Yuri… Being teased by Carlo and Alexia… Those are some good times. But it’s all over now… ‘I just wish…I can spend more time with everyone else… Be careful, guys. And stay safe… They’ll be after you now.’
Sen stared straight at the barrel of the gun with no fear visible in his eyes. There was a loud gunshot, and he then knew no more.
* * * *
The blonde young woman walked away from the crowd at the town square of Grand Central, removing her shades from her face.
Helen Laviskei slipped her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a silver cellphone. The cellphone that she had is specially made by Sin’s resident mechanic. It functions like any other cellphone, only with more functions like an ultraviolet light, a scanning device used to ‘scan’ the structure of any building that they’re in, a transmitter system, and it could even be used as a time bomb for a last resort. And the most important thing here for Sin now is that any calls made on the cellphone couldn’t be traced.
Helen pressed a few buttons before pressing the phone to her ear. Three rings later, her call was picked up. “It’s me. I got here too late,” she spoke crisply into the phone even as she walked down the streets of Grand Central. “I’m leaving Grand Central right now. Find the others. Now.” Her voice was sharp and cold at the end. “We don’t have any time. And they’ll be in greater danger if left alone.”
“What about Yuri?” The person on the other end of the line asked, sounding worried and concerned. “If Eris and Sen were captured, then she’ll be the next one that the army will be after. The three of them along with Ethan are some of the front line specialists after all. The army knows this. They know what she can do.”
“Ethan went to get her.” Helen answered. “Besides, Yuri can take care of herself. I’m not too worried about her. You and Ida both worry about the others. Find them immediately. We have…” She glanced up at the sky. “Until the sun sets.” She let out a sigh. “If Alexia’s information is right – and she always is, then the army has located us, and know the names we’re using right now.”
“All right. We’re on our way.”
“And also…” Helen interrupted before the call could end. The blonde sighed sadly as she turned over her shoulder towards the direction where she’d just came from. She then turned her attention back to her phone call as she started walking once more. “Get someone to retrieve Eris and Sen’s bodies.” Her voice was heavy and wreary. “The least that we could do is to at least give them a decent burial.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for several moments. “…Okay. I’ll send someone over.”
“And Jasper?” Helen spoke into the phone, her eyes flickering around quickly to scan her surroundings. “Be careful.”
“I always am.” Click.
Helen slipped the phone back into her pocket, and she glanced upwards at the sky. “It’s starting…” she whispered.
* * * *
It is another normal school day for the students of Keynes Institute, with lectures to attend and assignments to submit. It is another beautiful day, with the people of District 70 going about their own business, not caring about anything but themselves.
And Yuri Lorewell is currently on her way to school.
The teenager of seventeen paused in her tracks as she passed by the store window of a bakery, and she caught sight of herself in the glass window. A girl with sleek raven black hair that just reached a little past her shoulders stared back at her, with hair so black that it is almost dark blue. A pair of emotionless dark blue eyes stared back at her, with the person in mention currently dressed in Keynes Institute’s uniform of white and black.
Yuri sighed before she went on her way.
Like all her comrades and friends at Sin, after the war had ended and they were forced on the run, they could never stay long in one place, and has to use fake passports and IDs, and even change their looks somewhat just so that the army wouldn’t find them.
This time, her name is June Evans, a tranfer student from District 36 after her parents have perished during the war.
And as a result of the war ending five years ago, many things have changed in Mayalia, especially the laws, when White Cross had came into power as the new ruling body of the country. Instead of states, the different states of the country are now known as ‘districts’, with it being numbered. There are also borders at the entrance to every district, and to get into each different district, you need identification papers and a passport.
During the war, White Cross had been a strong believer in strong military might and security. But as a result of those changes, they have changed the very soul of this country. And if truth be told, Yuri has no idea if those changes were any good.
She ignored all the babbling around her as she entered her classroom and took her seat by the window, settling into the seat and staring out of the window. Yuri had already moved several times for the past five years, never staying longer than a month at each place that she had moved to, and she never made any friends either. After all, to make connections can prove to be dangerous for both herself and the people around her.
It’s just that this time at District 70…
“Morning June!” Yuri barely stifled a groan as she turned in her seat to see a smiling brunette with untidy hair and bright blue eyes smiling at her as he took his seat next to her. “You’re early today.”
“Kyril.”
When Yuri had came in as the new student earlier in the month, no one spoke to her, and Yuri preferred that too. It is only Kyril Barnes who actually took the initiative to talk to her and became her self proclaimed ‘best friend’.
“You’re as eloquent in the mornings as always.” Kyril joked, taking out his History textbooks to get ready for the first lesson of the day. “By the way, have you heard the news this morning? The army caught two members of the Sin organisation.” Yuri stiffened in her seat, but Kyril didn’t notice it. “Apparently, they’re to be executed this afternoon at Grand Central. It’s to be on national television.”
“Ah. I see.”
Yuri then turned her attention towards the window, almost as if seeing something fascinating there. Kyril frowned at this, but decided not to bother her any longer. The girl had always been aloof, never talking to anyone but him. And despite her tendecy to ‘daydream’ at times, she always handed in excellent schoolwork.
“Ah! The teacher’s here!” One of their classmates who was standing near the door announced just then, and there was a mad scramble for their seats. Everyone was in their seats with books on the table when the History teacher walked in.
“Turn to page 180 please.” The teacher stated. “We’ll be covering the chapter on the Civil War today…”
Yuri tuned out the rest of the lecture as she stared out of the window at the blue skies and the flower trees growing in the school courtyard, the petals fluttering to the ground as a result of the gentle breeze.
Kyril’s information about the capture and then execution this afternoon for two Sin members do not surprise her any longer, though it did shock her in the beginning. For a moment, Yuri wonders who it is this time. Is it Seth? Jasper? Ida? Eris? Or even Sen?
How many does this makes now?
When Sin had first split and scattered all over the country at the end of the war, there had been twenty of them. Then three years ago, they were down to fifteen. Then twelve. Now five years after the war, there were less than ten.
Was it worth it all in the end? Just why did they fight, bled and even died for five years ago if the entire country is going to turn on them in the end? Though to be fair, right from the start, Sin had never once fought for the sake of justice and all that. They just went their own way, following their own code. They are contract killers after all, mercenaries for hire.
Yuri had been running and hiding for five years from the Council, just like the rest of her comrades. A few times, the army have came close to cornering her, but Yuri had spent most of her life hiding and running from her enemies. Outwitting and outrunning the army is easy for her. But just how long can she continue running though? How long until she could run no more?
Yuri closed her eyes briefly. ‘The war is over, guys,’ she thought. ‘But at what cost? We ended up getting pursued by the entire country just because of what we did during the Uprising. Cyrus once told us that people will always fear those with power. I guess he’s right. It’s been only five years, and this country had changed so much.’ Yuri reached with her right hand to touch her left wrist unconsciously. ‘When is it, I wonder? Just when was it when the people of this country scorned those different from them, and refused to help those less fortunate than them? In the era of the old government, times might be hard then, but everyone always helped each other out. This country has changed since then. And not for the better. The Council can’t be for the good of this country. And I don’t believe that they’re for the good of this country. After all, when did people start to care about nothing but themselves? And besides…’ Yuri turned her attention back to the lesson on hand, though she wasn’t really paying attention to it at all. ‘It should be about time for me to leave. If I stay too long at any place… The Pursuers will be after me again.’
* * * *
Yuri didn’t stop for anything after lessons had ended that day. She went straight back to her rented apartment, on the lookout for anyone spying on her. There is nothing suspicious, but still, Yuri felt uneasy.
A silhouette could be seen standing in front of her apartment when Yuri had stepped out from the lift, and the girl frowned, slipping her hand into her pocket, her fingers closing around the hard metal of a pocket knife that she always carried around with her. She then approached the door of her apartment slowly but carefully, careful not to make any sounds.
The person standing at her door turned around just then, revealing the visage of a handsome teenage boy around eighteen or nineteen with raven black hair falling to the length of his chin with gray eyes. He is wearing a black collared shirt and dark pants, with a long black coat that reaches to his knees, and he had a silver hoop-like earring in his left ear. A silver clasp on bracelet was visible around his left wrist, and a silver choker was vaguely visible around his neck.
Yuri’s eyes widened. She recognised him immediately. “Ethan?”
Ethan Blake nodded to Yuri solemnly. “Hey. It’s been awhile.” His eyes flickered around cautiously, studying every single shadow and every possible hiding place before turning his attention back to Yuri. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and his posture looked relaxed, lazy even. But Yuri wasn’t fooled, as she could tell just how tense he was. “Can we talk inside?”
Yuri nodded. “Of course,” she said as she took her keys out and inserted her house key into the lock of the door, turning and pushing the door opened. Ethan followed her in as she turned on the lights and closed the door behind her. “What is it? What are you doing here?”
Ethan sighed. “Helen found me a week ago. Looks like she’s gathering all of us together once more. She told me to find you immediately.” He looked straight into Yuri’s eyes. “The Council is hunting all of us down, one by one. And my visit is bad news, I’m afraid. Eris and Sen are dead. They were cornered by the army at District 30 three days ago. They’re coming for you now.” His eyes are serious. “You are next.” Yuri’s eyes closed briefly. She had a feeling that Ethan’s visit is about this. “You have to get out of here.”
There was silence for several moments before Yuri turned her attention towards Ethan. “What about the others?” she asked at last. If the the Council is hunting her down, then without a doubt, they’ll be after the remaining Sin survivors too.
“Ida and Jasper went to get them.” Ethan answered at once. “There’s nowhere for us to run or hide now. The Council is coming down hard on us. They’re picking us off one by one. Even as good as we are, we don’t stand a chance against the army. Gather your stuff.” His eyes flickered around the apartment. “We have to go. Now!” His voice was harsh and urgent.
Yuri sighed. “How much time do we have?” she asked, walking straight to her wardrobe and pulling out a black backpack, throwing in things like keys, the identification papers and fake IDs that she’d used over the years, and even her weapons. Weapons like guns, daggers, butterfly knives, and even handmade explosives were all thrown in.
“Two hours,” said Ethan briskly, turning around so that his back is facing Yuri as she started undressing, and pulling on a black tee with gray cargo pants and black ankle length boots. A black jacket was also pulled on, and Yuri grabbed a silver clasp on bracelet with a dark blue gem in the middle, putting it around her left wrist. A silver hoop choker with a small dark blue gem hanging from it was also placed around her neck. “That is if we’re lucky.”
Ethan finally turned around when he decided that it’s safe to look only to see Yuri attaching a gun holster around her left thigh, and she met his eyes, nodding to him.
“Let’s go,” said Yuri, pulling on one strap of her backpack over her left shoulder.
Ethan nodded and followed Yuri as she led the way out of her apartment, opening the door. Both Sin agents stiffened as they saw Kyril standing at the door, his hand raised almost as if about to knock, and he looked bewildered.
“June?” he spluttered before his eyes turned to Ethan. “Who’s this guy? Are you going somewhere?” He took note of the bag that Yuri is holding. “What’s going on here?” He looked confused.
Ethan glanced at Yuri who looked annoyed. “Friend of yours?” he questioned, and Yuri grunted.
“Something like that,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease her headache.
Ethan glanced between the two and sighed. “I’ll scout out ahead,” he told Yuri. “You two should have a talk. We don’t have time though. Make it quick.”
Yuri nodded even as Ethan disappeared down the apartment building hallway, and she then turned her attention to Kyril. “What is it? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve heard that you’ve withdrawn yourself out of school, and I came to ask you why.” Kyril answered, surprised and bewildered that Yuri seems a little nervous, with the way that her eyes kept flickering around. “What is going on here? Who is that guy? And are you going somewhere?”
Yuri turned her attention back towards Kyril. “Take it as a piece of advice, Kyril. Don’t poke your noses into something that doesn’t concern you,” she said harshly, much to Kyril’s shock. After all, he had never heard her speak like that to anyone before. “I’m leaving. That is all that you need to know.”
“Why?”
Yuri resisted the urge to groan. “I have my own reasons. That’s all that—”
There was the sound of a loud explosion just then that rocked the entire apartment complex, along with the sound of rapid gunfire.
“What was that?” Kyril demanded, startled.
Yuri gritted her teeth together. ‘Damn it, are they here already? Where the hell is Ethan?’
“Yuri!” Ethan appeared around the corner just then, looking rather dishevelled, with a handgun in his right hand. “We have to go! Now!” He told her, and Yuri nodded, dashing after Ethan, both using the fire emergency stairs instead of the lift. They barely noticed Kyril following them, a confused look on his face.
The two Sin members were about to step out from the emergency stairway on the first floor when a gunshot struck the wall just next to Ethan, and he immediately dodged rolled towards a nearby trashcan, using it as a kind of shield. Yuri followed Ethan’s example, though she had noticed Kyril’s presence, and protected him from the bullets as best as she could.
“Damn! They’re here faster than I’d even thought possible!” Ethan scowled. “The Pursuers!”
The Pursuers is an elite team within the army that is tasked with tracking down terrorists and the members of Sin.
“Lucky that you decide to come by tonight then.” Yuri added wryly, and Ethan smiled a grim smile.
“Here!” Ethan threw a gun towards Yuri who caught it simply, and she released the safety catch on it quickly.
“What’s going on here, June?” Kyril asked, afraid of all the bullets flying around. “They’re the army, aren’t they? Are they after you?”
“Damn it all!” Yuri scowled as she shot into the darkness, and ducked back into the safety behind the trashcan that is acting as some sort of shield for them. “You want to know so badly?” She pulled back the left sleeve of her jacket, and Kyril’s eyes widened as he saw and recognised the bracelet that Yuri is wearing. “You recognise this, I assume?”
The bracelets that both Ethan and Yuri were wearing, the silver hoop chokers around their necks marked them as members of Sin. Five years ago, those bracelets and chokers actually acted as ‘keys’ for majority of the files and places that only Sin related people have access to. And when Sin had scattered, their members had taken those ‘keys’ with them. Anyone that belongs in Sin would not let those ‘keys’ be away from them.
“That’s…Sin!” Kyril spluttered, his eyes wide. After all, how many times had he seen visual images of those bracelets and chokers on the news, with it being one of the few things that can identify a Sin member?
“Then you should understand by now. That’s who I am!” Yuri hissed. “June Evans isn’t my real name. My real name is Yuri. Yuri Lorewell.” Her eyes are like cold pieces of ice in her head by this point of time. “Sin Number Zero-Four (04)!”
“Damn it!” Ethan ducked back behind the trashcans. He pulled the sleeve of his right arm back, reading the time on his watch. “Two hours…” He muttered. “Yuri!” Yuri barely caught the bunch of keys that he threw to her. “Those are the keys to my bike! Head to point 0326. My bike is there. Then head to the rendezvous point. The details are in my bike’s panel. The others will be there.”
“What about you?” Yuri asked.
“I’ll be fine. Helen told me to get you to the rendezvous point. You’re the one that the army wants right now.” Ethan told Yuri. “Go. I’ll meet up with you.”
“I know a path out of here.” Kyril spoke up, and both Ethan and Yuri turned towards him. The teen looked very pale and shocked. “It leads to the forest near the border.”
Ethan looked very suspicious at this point of time. “You’re not going to lead Yuri towards the army, are you?” he asked suspiciously, fingering his gun. “If you are, I’m going to blow your head off right here.”
“Ethan, it’s fine.” Yuri interrupted. “I trust him. Besides, I can handle myself.”
Ethan nodded, but still looked suspicious. “Very well. I’ll meet up with you. Yuri, go!”
Yuri nodded before she followed Kyril towards the back of the apartment complex building, both careful to avoid the gunfire. The sounds of explosions and gunfire, and even screams grew faint as Kyril led her further away from the scene.
“Ethan will be fine.” Yuri said, almost as if reading Kyril’s mind. “He always is. He’ll make it out of there alive.”
“Why are you so confident?” Kyril asked quietly, not turning around to face her. “He’s human after all. He can get injured. Killed even.”
“You think of us as human? That’s a surprise. Your government doesn’t seem to think of us as such.” Yuri snorted, as Kyril flinched.
“That isn’t—”
“I trust Ethan.” Yuri interrupted. “I’ve been on several missions with him in the past. And no matter how dangerous that it had been, he always came back. He promised to come back. So he will. Ethan always keep his promises.”
Kyril was silent for several moments. “…Why?”
“Why what? Why I’m a Sin member? Why I never told you?” Yuri snorted. “I never planned to befriend anyone here in the first place. I knew that I have to leave after a month or so. That’s why I keep to myself. It isn’t just me myself that will be in danger if I make any connections here. The people who’d known me here, no matter how briefly, will be in danger too.” She studied Kyril. “You don’t know the Council and the army like we do. They’re capable of anything. They’re worse than the old government. Back then… Maybe it would have been better if we had just wiped them out along with the old government.” Yuri snorted.
Kyril flinched almost as if he’d been slapped. “That’s not—”
“Kyril, go back.” Yuri interrupted. “And for your sake, I hope that we don’t meet again. Forget about me. Live your own life. The June Evans that you knew…had never existed in the first place.”
Without waiting for a reply, Yuri then disappeared into the darkness, heading towards the direction where Ethan had told her that he’d parked his bike.
War had just started after all. And Yuri Lorewell is one of the pieces.
===============
This chapter is really to introduce some of the other characters of Sin, and how Yuri's life had been after she had been forced on the run, becoming a fugitive. As for Kyril, yes, he is mostly a side character, but he will be appearing again soon, just not that soon. Anyway, please drop off a comment or two for this chapter, and tell me what you think!
© 2012 midnightzgale