It Only Takes One Elevator Ride (Completed)

Starting Over

Five years later...

Kalina was covered in black leather from head to toe, perched on top of the roof while watching the group of thugs closely. This gang had been causing trouble in the area for a while, beating up people who refused to pay them or stealing from various shops. It had to end, and it would end today.

A couple years ago, when Kalina had finished her training at the Training Academy for People with Abilities, or T.A.P.A., she was given the opportunity, along with everyone else, to become an agent that worked undercover to take out gangs of thieves, assassins, and/or thugs. Even though agents of T.A.P.A. often wore assassin-like clothing, the main goal of the agency isn't to kill these gangs. What they aim to do is scare them off enough that they would disband and disperse. Scaring them usually only involves injuring a couple of them, but sometimes a death or two is necessary, especially when it comes to organized groups of assassins. Some people refused, like Emily and a couple others from the elevator group, but others accepted, such as herself and Ian. The ones that declined were allowed to return to their normal lives on the condition that they would keep silent about T.A.P.A.

Kalina had accepted the offer because she wanted a different life- and she needed a fresh start, too. The death of both of her parents had hit her hard, specifically because she's an only child and doesn't have a sibling to share the grief with. She understood that leaving everything that she had worked hard for behind was going to be difficult, but she was allowed to continue keeping in contact with her grandparents while having to be vague about her new life.

Now, Kalina is one of the most skilled people in the agency, and is on the younger side as well. At only 28 years old, she has already completed over fifty missions in the last two years. Not only did T.A.P.A. teach her how to harness her abilities, but they also trained her in various forms of combat. Kalina works best with daggers, but is fairly proficient in archery too.

Kalina remained focused on the gang, waiting until they all gathered around their bonfire. Thankfully, her partner, Ian, came through, and a storm had formed overhead. Kalina didn't hesitate, and in the blink of an eye, electricity shot from the sky, headed straight for the fire. The lightning and flame collided, causing a minor explosion of sparks and embers.

The gang looked at each other, clearly spooked. A few of them whipped out their phones, anxiously typing away in an effort to communicate what had just happened to absent gang members. Once they finished sending their messages, Kalina grinned, and with a flick of her wrist, all of their phones exploded. One of them gave a yelp of surprise and pain, backing away from the area.

Kalina thought that it might be fun to mess with them a little more, so she caused electricity to flow rapidly back and forth in a telephone wire, making sounds of zipping and zapping. She giggled to herself as she watched their jaws drop in horror. A big, burly man in the group yelled, "We've been cursed by God! He is punishing us for our SINS! Run for your lives!"

Ian let the storm he had created continue on in its natural course of thundering and raining so as to lessen the suspicion that actual people were behind it all. Satisfied with their work, Kalina made her way back to T.A.P.A.'s base.

Ian wasn't far behind, and as he approached the base, Kalina entered a six-digit code into the keypad. The large steel doors made a click as they unlocked, allowing Kalina and Ian inside. Both of their clothes were soaked all the way through because of the storm Ian had summoned, but Kalina didn't mind that much. She made her way to her room to shower and change, as did Ian, and then went to attend dinner. It was about half-past seven by that point, but dinner ended at nine, so they had plenty of time.

"How did your assignment go today, Kalina?" Ian asked sarcastically, wiggling his eyebrows as she sat down next to him on the bench.

Kalina took a bite of her bread and swallowed before saying, "It went well."

Ian sighed, shaking his head, "You know that without me, you would have never completed that mission."

She chuckled and ruffled his brown hair playfully. "I'm sure."

Kalina and Ian often shared assignments since their abilities worked well together, and about a year ago, they started dating. It hasn't become serious yet or anything, but Kalina preferred relationships that were slower anyway.

"What do you think will be our next assignment? Assassins? Thieves? Maybe evil secret agents?" Ian asked, his tone increasingly more hopeful towards the end.

Kalina smiled. "I dunno. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."