Snowfall

You're In

Tap. Tap. Tap. His footsteps were light, barely audible. He could be silent if he so wished, but he did not need to be. The young man stalked down the dimly lit corridor, his light red eyes scanning every inch of the way ahead, his ears alert for any sound around him. He knew there were only four left. The rest of the guards were decorating the room behind him. His tattered, dark trench coat trailed behind him like the cloak of death as he continued forward. His hands stayed steady as they held matching pistols, prepared to fire at a moment's notice. His casual but heavily used sneakers contrasted with the rest of his ominous, rather dark garb but barely made a sound.

​"I think we lost him," a man panted, his voice resounding off the narrow hallway's dull grey walls.

​"Shut it! I hear this guy's some kind of super human. He can hear you from miles away," another man shushed. The first man laughed.

​"Then he can hear us anyways. Let's just hurry up," the first man replied. "There he is!" The rather ramshackle garage was in full view of him, the last four men, all dressed in all grey suits, were surrounding a worn down, old car that one man was trying to break into. The other three immediately began firing their rifles at their would-be killer.

Before the first bullet even reached the hall, he dashed to the side of the door and avoided the ensuing bullets. He waited. They stopped firing shortly after. One...Two...Three. He rounded the corner and immediately shot at one's head and a second's chest, the third taking two bullets to the neck. The last man suddenly rose from behind the car with a minigun, making the mistake of thinking he had the time to rev it up. Even with the advanced technology to where a minigun revs up in mere seconds, it is far too long a time for his opposition. The last man is dead before his gun ever fires. His gun and his body loudly clatter to the ground, smoke still trailing from the dual pistols.

Returning his pistols to a spot behind his back, the young man ran a hand through his ruffled snow-white hair. Would anyone ever learn? He lightly sighed as he searched the four men. He disliked touching dead bodies. They were better off undisturbed. He found the drive on the third one and pocketed it. Mission accomplished. Again. He turned around and had both pistols out, pointing at the woman in the doorway.

"Relax, I'm the new operator you answer to, the one from the phone, Sparrow," she calmly stated, unfazed by him. He lowered his weapons, eyeing her up and down. He saw no weapons. No armor. Most likely she had something up her sleeve. She was no fool. Her short dark hair brushed her shoulders as she turned around and began striding down the hall. "Walk with me." He hid his pistols and followed her, keeping a few steps behind her. His long limbs could easily outpace her smaller frame, but he preferred keeping a respectful distance. "So, you're the newest guy, and yet you've done more than most agents around here?" Her voice had a tint of respect.

"We don't exist, Sparrow, sir. I am off the books," he replied, his voice light like his footsteps. Sparrow chuckled.

"Well, for someone who doesn't exist, you have quite the score. A dozen successful missions in less than two weeks with an incomplete body count of over thirty. I'll be frank with you. Your talent is wasted in this quadrant," Sparrow told him. He shrugged.

"I don't care. I'm simply getting the job done. I'm working to stop Mettalion, same as you," he stated, his voice cool and apathetic. Sparrow raised an eyebrow.

"My point, is that I want you transferred to somewhere where you can do more. Put your skills to the test. You ever seen the Hunters?" Sparrow replied. He nodded.

"I've seen them up close and personal," he answered simply.

"In with me," Sparrow said as they exited the building and Sparrow led the way to a nondescript black car. They both entered in the back-passenger seats, someone already sitting in the driver seat. "Take us to base, Angel." The woman sitting in the driver seat nodded. "So, you go by Ace, nothing else?" He wasn't paying attention, staring at Angel. Her long golden hair had captivated his gaze. "Ace? You there?" He pulled his eyes away to look at Sparrow. Sparrow's expression changed from mild confusion to slight concern as she saw a great weight in Ace's eyes.

"I'm here. Where are you wanting to send me?" He replied, his voice just slightly shaking. Sparrow hid her interest for now.

"You have to agree before I tell you. All I can say beforehand is that it's rather far away. You'll be in a completely different place. You can stay here and keep doing your small missions, or you can-" Sparrow began to explain before Ace interrupted.

"I'm in. Where are we going?" His voice regained its strength.

"You're in? Are you-"

"I'm in."

"...Okay. You're in. Angel, take us to the point. No detours today," Sparrow ordered.

"You sure?" Angel replied, her voice a melody of pleasing sounds. Sparrow smiled.

"I want to see what our friend here can do. Tell me, Ace, how's your aim?"