Collective laughter and shouts amalgamated with DJ King's another wave of music, shaking the entire building, and sending frenzy to everyone on the dance floor. The powerful drops of the bass and the heavenly melodic tunes beautifully meshed together, it was all the crowd of Club Andromeda could ever ask for.

Observing the beauty of a chaos from above were the masters themselves; Rave and Canyon, seated on a large round table.

“Where did you get all these people?” Canyon asked with an astounded expression, induced by the excessive alcohol, of course.

“I have my connections.” Rave said proudly, sipping into his champagne. “Nimbus wanted his favorite sector to make more money. And it's my job to make that work."

“He did the right choice of choosing you.” Canyon smirked. “You've packed this place with the craziest people ever.”

“Most are from out of town too.” Rave added.

“That's how we like it.” Canyon raised a congratulatory glass to the younger man before sipping into his favorite whiskey.

“How about you?” Rave inquired, picking up a joint from the beautiful display of on the round table. “How is the operation in Barbatos’ Paradise?”

“Well, six months have gone. But the damage wasn't too severe. Eventually recovered from it all and now we're here.” Canyon said, shrugging cooly.

“I heard Nimbus also assigned Cobalt to join your operation after his recovery.”

“I'm happy to know he's back on track. Needed his skills to compensate for the losses. Also to get rid of the trauma. Other than that, everything is perfectly fine.”

“I’m glad to hear.” Rave said, taking in a few sip of air from his joint.

“With things back in their natural order and the inconvenience permanently out of our way. No wars, just the family and this city.” Canyon added blissfully.

The two continued to laugh and chat with their heads high up in the air and bodies heated with the alcohol and exuberance of the night. Nothing stood their way for they were the kings of their own kingdoms again. Unchallenged and feared as all of them should be.

Coming from the dark blue shadows was one of the club's lady servants. The flickering strobe lights excitedly brought shine upon her glittery fitting dress, highlighting her curves for the two masters smile at.

She carried in her hand a matted briefcase, and placed it on top of the round table facing Rave. The white haired dapper man gave her a thankful nod and then she left. Canyon watched her go from behind, whistling.

“I’ll have one of those later.” Canyon slurred, pointing a thumb at the departing lady servant.

Rave just shook his head and laughed, putting his attention towards the briefcase. He popped the lid open and found a black letter, handwritten with an ultraviolet ink, perfect for the dimly lit setting.

Canyon looked over. “Another one?”

“An old client, Chrome Dusk, asks for one of our services.” Rave announced. “Specifically, one from your department.”

“What's the deal?” Canyon asked, shifting in his seat.

“He asks for protection.” Rave said, looking Canyon in the eye. He turned the briefcase around, showing a dozen bundles of money, fully catching the older man's attention. “An old rival has been threatening him. You give him protection, he'll pay you the other half. Eliminate the threat, he'll give you a bonus.”

Canyon let his hands run over the neatly stacked bundles, a confident and delighted smile forming on his lips. “Well, what do you know? Finally some excitement for me.” He said.

Rave handed over the black letter. “Good luck."

The two exchanged smiles, and continued with their enjoyment, letting their minds get lost into the night's temptations. Its hypnotic beats, the clouds filling the space, happy lights dancing around and exciting the mass of bodies present. It was what Club Andromeda was all about.

Amidst the fun, Canyon noticed the contemplative trance on Rave's face. Not the troubled kind, no. Rave had a lot of things going on in his mind, most filled with ambitions and plans Canyon needed to check every now and then.

Six months was a long time for a driven young man, and the universe seemed to be on their side as it granted them the chance to do things a little more exciting than they usually were. A chance to focus on the good things.

“I was surprised when Nimbus supported your little activities. The ones happening in the basement. Involving dead bodies.” Canyon said, his enunciations laced with curiosity.

“You never know when a dead body might come in useful.” Rave shrugged casually. “And sure. Handling this club is quite the entrepreneurial experience and I've come to love the things I do for people who seek the club's services. But you and I both know that this is not the only thing that keeps me ticking.”

“You're still not giving up on that formula, huh?” Canyon smirked, a knowing look in his eyes.

“I just can't sleep on it.” Rave said, shaking his head. “Mistakes were made, yes. But that's the beauty of trial and error. You believed that what we did years ago had potential.”

“Back when we were young and arrogant.” Canyon countered.

“Driven individuals with a clear vision of the future.” Rave corrected, raising a justificatory finger.

“Well, you are the scientist and I'm just the drug dealer. Shit do I know, right?” Canyon shrugged, signifying his humble defeat. Moments later, that familiar look of concern made a return on his face. “How do we even know you’ll do it right this time?” He asked, his voice doubtful and quiet.

“I don't. It's a game of Russian Roulette.”

Canyon had to laugh at that. “Your confidence is very dangerous, young man.”

Rave flashed a look of reassurance. “The results are promising and Nimbus himself is even excited for it. It will be revolutionary.”

“We'll be creating our very own monsters again.” Canyon said with weariness masked under the enthusiasm.

“We already have one. Thorn Rosekill is a remarkable example.” Rave said. “But she isn't perfect.”

“That's because she's not a frankenstein cooked up in a laboratory.” Canyon explained. “She's a child, born and raised."

“We made her into a killing machine. What I'm doing is no different. Just some major enhancements here and there.”

“Already sounds like a nightmare.”

Rave chuckled at the retort. “Though I assure you this one will not turn into an unpredictable, homicidal bitch like last time.” He jested.

“I really hope so. For your sake.”

“Trust me. The monsters will be on our side. I make sure of it.”

Rave watched the little cloud of smoke dancing through the pink and purple shadows, his neon green eyes smiling mischievously with that boyish charm of his, that Canyon always recognized as his unstoppable youth seeping through that mature and stable facade.

Canyon saw a little boy in front of him. Dangerously curious and had a passion of playing with deadly games. And all would be damned if there were no one to hold him back.

"I guess monsters still have their place even in peaceful times like this.

Everyone in the warehouse grew anxious at the sight of the two figures standing right at the door. Though the expression on their faces were nearly obscured by the dim evening light, their presence alone was enough affirmation of the true purpose of such unlikely visit.

The brave ones fearfully ran to approach the older man, Crimson Blitz, who donned himself a stylish vermillion coat to protect himself from the cold and disappointing night. Slowly, he took off his fedora, before facing the nervous worker who already was stuttering his himself while explaining the situation.

But Crimson raised a gloved hand, the scowl on his face and the annoyed glance from little Thorn was enough to stop the worker's babbling.

“I don’t have time to evaluate your failure.” Crimson’s voice was heavy with dismay and judgement.

The worker lowered his head to avoid those yellow eyes boring into him like relentless drills.

“You let a group of thieves infiltrate the warehouse and steal the goods with Nimbus White's name written all over it. This is fucking embarrassing, ladies and gentlemen.”

At the end of Crimson's outrage, Thorn drew her sword in such overwhelming speed, the worker barely had the chance to brace for that glimmering blade aimed to slice across his throat. Under three seconds, blood was spilled and he fell to the ground.

The other workers were paralyzed with fear upon witnessing the punishment.

Crimson faced them, the castigation in his eyes intensified like flame. “You must understand that failure is equivalent to death.” He said in a slow and dreadful tone.

With a snap of his fingers, the Sentinel charged forward like an unstoppable lightning, running her blade through the heads and chests of every unfortunate soul present. Thorn relished in the sounds of the anguished cries, every single one of them, and watched the blood splatter in such satisfying splotches like the art of Jackson Pollock.

The older man watched intently and patiently at the Sentinel's work, secretly relieved that he was spared of dealing with incompetence.

The last head tumbled like a lousy ball on the floor, stopping at Crimson's feet. Thorn stood there, barely breaking a sweat.

“Is this a great time to contact Titania about the applicants?” Thorn asked in a soft voice, her head tilted in youthful innocence.

Crimson gave her a small smile for her work. “I will gladly do it.”

Thorn then proceeded to wipe her blade clean before returning it back to its sheath, one that prominently hung on her back. She took a glance at the carnage she had caused, while Crimson was busy talking with Titania through the telecom device.

“Not the mercenaries that raided Quasar months ago.” Thorn pondered out loud.

“No.” Crimson agreed. “This one actually got the job done. If they wanted to steal all of the stuff that’s in here, they would have probably done it. I doubt they’ll come back.”

“How can you be so sure about that?”

Crimson eyed his surroundings, cupping his chin with his gloved hand all while analyzing the obvious details. "Sedated guards, unharmed workers, disabled alarms with no traces, tracks, whatsoever. No one even heard them coming. ”

“Why would they be stupid enough to steal from Nimbus?” Thorn sputtered.

Crimson shook his head, still in his trance. “This one is the work of a professional, if not one of the top-notch masters of larceny.”

Thorn stood agape, bemused. “Masters of larceny? Are you referring to a separate organization I should know?”

“Anyone can steal, but I know no other professional who'd even dare to pull this off other than the raptors; Tyto Owls.” Crimson announced with an enlightened look.

“Tyto Owls?” Thorn scrunched her face, wondering how such scoundrels would even be named in such way.

“Worldclass, untouchable and very expensive. They're the ones you hire to take the President's fingerprints. Or break into the Pentagon unnoticed to get a copy of the most classified information.”

“Oh.” Thorn said, her tensed soldiers dropping at the boast.

“Hired by someone with too much fortune in their disposal.” Crimson added.

“Assuming that you might be correct, who even has motive?" Thorn asked.

“A jealous and undeniably foolish rival. I'll kill to know who they are."

Crimson turned on his heel and began to head outside, with little Thorn trailing behind, leaving the bloody carnage for a cleanup crew to take care of.

“Why don't we just track down these Tyto Owls and kill them?” Thorn suggested with her usual casualness.

“Oh, little one. You don't want a quarrel with the Tyto Owls.”

“Why not?”

Crimson looked down at the little girl and gave her dead serious look that she would remember. “An international organization with enough power and skill to steal anything and everything. That's something you shouldn't underestimate.”

“I didn't know thieves could be this… complicated.” Thorn frowned, overwhelmed and disheartened..

“Business, little one. Business is always complicated.”

Crimson pressed the keys, emanating an echo of the car alarm just a few meters away. A red 1966 Ford Mustang convertible greeted them with its flickering headlights like a beast welcoming its masters.

The two both hopped into their seats. Crimson plunged the keys into the ignition for the engine to roar back into life like an apex predator.

Normally the evening breeze was almost unbearable. But Crimson and Thorn basked in it like it was nothing, welcoming the persistent winds as if they were old friends. Thorn's pink hair flew beautifully like strips of ribbons in the air.

The two didn't say a word for awhile, as they both try to think things through. But it was Crimson who beat himself the hardest. The whole time his curled brows began to grow numb from the intensive frowning.

“Are the Tyto Owls dangerous?” Thorn asked out loud.

“Their neutral but they are definitely not to be trifled with. It's the people who hired them that we should look out for.”

“Why don't we ask them who their client was?”

“We can't. They're extremely secretive when it comes to their transactions.” Crimson responded, a hint of frustration present in his tone.

“Are the transactions online? If so we can find a way to trace it.”

Crimson pondered at the suggestion, nodding as he did. “I'll see what I can do.”

“I would like a bowl of ice cream when we return.” Thorn requested, shifting in her seat.

“Peppermint or Strawberry?”

“Both.”

They had magicians this time. Thorn didn't mind. Though, she wasn't truly a fan of the spectacle, she sat through the magic show with all the tolerance she had. Admittedly, she had to give credit to the magicians for being unique for once, and not look like one of those cheap clowns who usually appeared in children's parties. If so, Thorn would be tempted to end the show quickly in her own methods.

Meanwhile, Crimson came to greet his beautiful mistress. He sat down next to her, and he could tell that she was delighted to see him again after hours of patrolling.

“I hope you had an eventful evening. If not, the house always has things to offer." Titania began.

Crimson appreciated the subtle gesture, yet he was still not in the mood. He took a deep breath before answering. “I believe that someone hired the Tyto Owls.”

“That is a crazy theory.” Titania retorted, unamused.

"Thorn suggested we should find some traces of online transaction and see if we can possibly track down their client from there.” Crimson said, completely ignoring the previous comment.

“That if you can pass through the encryptions!” Thorn yelled from the other table.

"But darling, we don't even know if it's truly the Tyto Owls' doing." Titania said doubtfully.

"After everything that happened, who else would have the audacity to steal from Nimbus?" Crimson reasoned.

“By audacity, you mean fearlessness and a pair of gigantic balls. One person does come to mind, and that is him. ” Titania said slowly. Apprehensively

“That wouldn’t make any sense. Why would he?"

“I have no clue. But, you're right. It wouldn't make sense. If it weren't for the anonymous transactor, he'd still be after us.”

Crimson frowned at the mentioned character. “You mean the anonymous transactor that transferred the exact amount of money that was stolen right into Nimbus’ account?”

"Yes, of course."

"People lacking integrity these days.” Crimson grumbled. "Though, it did stop the raids."

“That transactor saved this city. But that is not the point here.” Titania said. "You're claiming things that aren't even plausible. The Tyto Owls might not even be involved in this."

Crimson sighed. "I know. That's why I need to see it for myself." He said before grabbing the laptop from under the table.

Crimson leaned forward, gluing his eyes on the black screen riddled with codes and numbers, a sort of language that they all came to understand. Cracking his knuckles, he proceeded to place his fingers on top of the keyboard, determination filling in his features.

“Let’s crack this up.”

Crimson began his journey towards the notorious depts of the web where people like him were recognized as guests who were frequent in their visits. He didn't have to worry about treading carefully in the minefield of a realm. None of them would ever have to.

Titania leaned in to inspect Crimson's voyage into the place of illicit occurrences, with his efforts to unveil layers of encryptions and attachments that lead to dead ends. Crimson realized that he had to identify the specifics, so rather going through individual pages, he found a way to cut through a shortcut to his destination.

It took time, but he finally stumbled upon a black page with the logo of a silver barn owl placed right at the middle, and the name ‘Tyto Owls’ written at the bottom. Titania smiled, admittingly impressed by Crimson's efforts. Though, she was still reluctant about all of it. But the man's work has not yet begun.

Cracking into a series of codes, popped a new smaller page into the screen, showing all the data of the previous transactions that happened. He searched for the recent ones.

Crimson made the move to locate its origins and he needed to do it quick before someone lurking in the interface could see what he was up to. Not even halfway through his work, the screen crashed, replacing the pages he had with the screen turning to black and riddled with ever changing numbers and letters too fast for him to catch up.

“Shit.” Crimson cursed below his breath, trying to gain back his control over the system.

“Someone's interfering.” Titania said. By then, Crimson knew there was no point and he retracted his hands from the keys.

Thorn walked over to the older two, a bowl of ice cream in hand.

“What is that?” She asked, gesturing at the screen.

A few seconds later, the black screen split. Chaotic lines ravaged the screen like an entangled spider web, eventually forming into the shape of a barn owl's face.

“Great.” Crimson sighed depressingly.

“What did they do?” Thorn asked.

“Inflicted a virus.” Titania answered. “And now we know what happens if we try to steal from the Tyto Owls.” She added in a castigating manner.

“Technically, we didn't steal anything.” Crimson defended.

“You tried to steal information. Be glad they left you off with a warning.” Titania said.

Crimson sat there for a moment, a little defeated yet still very determined. The flames in his eyes had not died yet. And the two observed with knowing looks as his anxious trance gradually transformed into a thoughtful, more focused frown.

"If it's not the Tyto Owls, then we'll just have to ask everyone else."

Titania sat there a bit bemused at Crimson's suggestion. But stopped herself from going against it, as she contemplated on the idea. Someone was out there, possibly a jealous rival, possibly a loon who just wanted the thrill of the chase. Either way, they should not get away with it. Titania sat there, finally had the understanding she'd come to share with Crimson's frustration.

"Shall I send in a group to come with you?" Titania asked, a sweet generous smile on her face.

"No." Crimson declined, shaking his head. He looked at the little girl, who was standing right there with an expectant gaze, waiting for some kind of affirmation from him.

Crimson flashed an acknowledging look at the little girl and nodded. Thorn nodded back. And Titania asked no more questions.

"Suit up, little one. It's going to be a long night."

Thorn finished her bowl of ice cream with a satisfactory sigh, before leaving the Lady's box and headed for her own personal armory.

A few moments later, Thorn returned, wearing her usual formal outfit minus the enormous sword she always carried on her back. Instead, she had two utility belts equipped with smaller blades. She had a knife holsted on her left boot, and a harness carrying two pistols.

"A bit too much if you ask me." Crimson teased.

"Just prepared." Thorn said.

With Crimson already armed with three of his own pistols, he and Thorn bid their polite farewell to the Lady, before heading out to the streets of Canterlot once more. While handling the wheel, Crimson checked for his phone and entered the contacts. Too many names to go through, too many faces to meet, and a task too demanding to squeeze in one night.

An hour had already passed and the two finally arrived at their nearest source of inquiry, but they weren't expecting a company of police standing right outside the gates of the mansion, the infamous blue and red lights waving around the scene.

Crimson and Thorn didn't hesitate to hop out of the convertible, coming face to face with one of the police.

"Crimson." The policeman greeted in his meek voice, taking off his cap as he did. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Crimson let his eyes wander at the scene for a while, unbridled curiosity boiling within him before meeting the policeman in the eye once again.

"We're here to talk to an old partner. But it seems like we ran into an unpleasant situation." Crimson said.

The policeman fidgeted in his place, trying to avoid eye contact with the little girl who just stood there observing him like a piece of meat.

"Y-yeah. It's been a bad time."

"Can we take a look?" Thorn interjected in a raised tone.

There was hesitance present within the policeman's eyes as his gaze shifted between the two dominating presence standing in front of him and his fellow police behind him. But Crimson's gaze combined with Thorn's sharp and almost feral look had convinced him to cooperate and grant them passage with a shaky nod of his head.

Crimson and Thorn proceeded to enter the scene, with the rest of the policemen standing in the gates stepping out of their way and lowering their heads.

The door was already open for them to enter freely, and there they found a few inspectors taking samples wherever they could find. The mansion was poorly lit, and the only source of light they could hope for were the flashlights provided by the inspectors wandering about the area.

"Well, this is interesting." Thorn commented in a dry tone.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you two out and about."

A familiar voice echoed, catching Crimson and Thorn's attention. They looked around, finding the Chief of Police smiling as if they were obliged to confide with him. But Crimson and Thorn never bothered, they just looked at him in mild irritation hoping it was enough for him to mind his boundaries.

"Star Glider." Crimson greeted in a dull manner. "Let's cut to the chase. What the hell happened here?"

Star Glider cleared his throat, transforming from and authoritative figure into a docile man. "Well, someone broke into your old partner's mansion, after disabling their alarms and poisoned all of the dogs in the yard. We were only informed about the situation when their butler got back from leave, and found out that the family has been murdered in their sleep."

"The entire family?" Crimson asked, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Yes."

"What else?"

"Just this afternoon, we found a judge. One of yours. Poisoned. Oh, three of Nimbus' oldest business partners who went missing were found under a bridge. Hanged and skinned."

Crimson was then caught off guard at the sudden news. "How long has this been happening?" He asked, furious.

"According to our forensics, the bodies found has been dead for at least three days." Star said.

"And nobody, literally nobody noticed until now?" Crimson asked with a raised voice that almost sounded like a bark echoing throughout the mansion, catching everyone's attention. But he didn't mind them. Not with everything he just found out.

Some crimes were no stranger to the face of the police or even to the people like Crimson. It has always been the same kind of case, mostly inconsequential and easily forgotten. But what Crimson discovered tonight was inconceivably baffling, and infuriating to think about.

The whole trouble involving Sunset Shimmer, and the dreadful apocalypse that they thought would follow but never happened, had been a clear lesson to the foolish ones. Since then, the fear of consequences became prominent, and stupid quarrels between rivals have been ceased.

Six months. It was nothing but a time of cooperation and peace. That until now. And all was shaken.

"Someone stole from Nimbus." There was a significant weight in the sound of the name coming from Crimson's lips.

"Do you think this might have a connection?" Thorn asked, catching Star's attention.

"It seems that way. Because as I've gathered here and from you, the targets are currently men of power. And I have to say, this… this one's definitely not fucking around." Star answered.

Crimson stepped closer to the Chief of Police, a dark shadow casting over his intense yellow eyes, whispered in a serious tone, "These men were feared and respected. Whoever's doing this is still out there. I want every sector in this city to do something about it. Even you. Because if you don't, then there will be outrage. There will be war."

"Doesn't it bother you that maybe the reason why this is happening is because you hadn't really prevented the war, but only postponed it?" Star whispered back, having the same intensity in his eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Crimson sneered, lowering his voice.

"Think about it. Maybe, just maybe, he's behind all this."

A voice from Star's police radio interjected. Crimson couldn't clearly hear the muffled speech as Star turned his body around in private, but something told him it was definitely serious when Star turned to meet him again.

"We have another situation at the Dusk manor."

Canyon and his team of assassins arrived at the gates of the mansion in their SUVs, and as if on cue, the gates opened automatically, welcoming their arrival.

Eyeing the estate, Canyon noticed the absence of the gardeners who were usually out. It was quite odd, but he never paid the detail too much of attention.

They parked the SUVs in front of the mansion, got out, and marched towards the large double doors. As they entered, the first thing that welcomed them was the eerie silence that filled the large spaces of the mansion.

There was nothing else bizarre, though. Canyon recognized the place like any other mansion he's been. It was the same place decorated with the same expensive furnitures and ornaments.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Canyon whispered in complaint, mostly kept it to himself. The unceremonious, and almost lifeless atmosphere, he found it quite rude.

Already growing impatient, Canyon decided to take the situation into his own hands and headed for Chrome Dusk's office upstairs without invitation, leaving his team guarding the living room.

After a few steps within the white and heavily decorated corridor, Canyon came face to face with the door he recognized to be Chrome Dusk's office.

He knocked three times, waited for a form of invitation, but his impatience pushed him to just enter without it.

Canyon found himself dumbfounded at the discovery he just made; Chrome Dusk literally nailed into his chair, bruised and his naked body glazed with sweat, a gag over his mouth muffling his desperate cries. Looking down, Canyon noticed something bulky taped under the chair.

It was a bomb.

"What the hell…?" Canyon gasped, as he noticed the strange figure standing next to Chrome Dusk's chair, donning a familiar black trench coat and a face obscured by a bloody roll of bandages. A smile, an insanely stretched smile, peeked through the bandages' hole.

Crimson quickly grabbed for his gun.

"Is this the one that's been threatening you, Mr. Chrome?" Canyon asked, but the other man was merely crying in panic at this point and was furiously shaking his head out of some kind of protest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Canyon's decision to pull the trigger was nulled when the stranger raised a small detonator in hand.

"Think about your reputation. You wouldn't want Mr. Chrome here tainting the walls."

That voice. That raspy yet playful and all too recognizable voice echoed hauntingly into Canyon's ears, taking him back to the very moment he first heard it.

The stranger reached to remove the bandages, revealing her beautiful yet terribly scarred face that Canyon did not expect in a million years to see.

"You…" Canyon breathed in pure shock, voice shaking and nearly a helpless whisper. "You were ashes…"

Sunset grin grew wider, shaking her head at the statement. "Not me."

It had come true. That irrational thought that Canyon had for quite a long time, one that he imagined to be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to end him, now manifested in a living and breathing nightmare.

A corpse.

"Still not fond of zombies, are you, Canyon? Hm?" Sunset continued to taunt, her head swaying slowly side to side like a prowling cobra while she walked closer towards Canyon's position, sporting an arrogant smile as she watched the fear evident and literally glistening in the man's eyes

"We ended you!" Canyon shouted, enraged and flabbergasted all at once, his hands shaking tremendously with the gun.

"Well, did you?!" Sunset shouted back in way that sounded more like a growl.

Startled, Canyon aimed the barrel to her head, but Sunset immediately grabbed the tip with her free hand. Canyon pulled the trigger and the bullet shot through the ceiling, then Sunset thrusted the gun, sending it straight back to Canyon's face.

But Canyon didn't let go of his grip, instead he yanked his gun back to himself and smashed his boot into Sunset's knee, only to be blocked with her open palm, smashing his femur hard with her other arm, which earned a loud crack that made Crimson internally cringe, as well as grunt in pain.

"I told you. Karma will always be a bitch." Sunset giggled. "And now, your children are mine."

Sunset fished a revolver from her coat and aimed it between Canyon's eyes. In his final moments, he lamented on the terrifying thought; he lead his group to a dangerous trap, and there was no way he could warn them.

The loud gunshot completely shattered the dull atmosphere of the mansion. The group in the living room stood alert, each holding onto their own guns and preparing for something to pop out of the corners they weren't familiar with.

They let the silence that follow settle for a bit, listening for the slightest sounds that could pose a potential threat, when suddenly, faint sound of footsteps from the balcony above them approached. They looked up, guns aimed and eyes peeled, yet nothing came out.

To their surprise, an odd looking ball tumbled down to the living room from the balcony, landing on the marble floor in a weird splat. All of them took several steps forward to inspect, but only to be struck with intense horror that brought them out of their focus.

At their feet lied the head of Canyon, face frozen in a pathetic blank expression, his mouth stretched wide open to fit a large cylindrical object. Before they knew it, the cylinder exploded, releasing a pressured gas that completely caught them off guard.

The group panicked as the yellow cloud entered their lungs.

"What is this?!"

A muffled voice answered them, echoing through the fog.

"Why, it's one of your boss' new toys, of course. They just got shipped last week. I will say, he really likes collecting contraband items. The government never allowed a mass production for them, which is kinda understandable."

A figure emerged through the thick yellow cloud, wearing the same trench coat they had. She gestured to her face, which was covered in a strange, tactical gas mask, leaving her bright cyan eyes for them to view.

They were empty yet occupied at the same time. Like the eyes of a lunatic, wide and bright, clawing through their layers until they were naked. At least, that's how they felt.

"Sick, right? The army wouldn't have it, though. Costs way too much than it should. Sad for them."

The group stood there in a confused daze.

"It's a special gas. As it enters your body, it gradually burns your organs. Melting them into goo." She continued with a casual sigh. "Within forty eight hours, your bodies will be nothing more than useless blood bags."

The terrifying announcement urged them all to gag and cough their lungs out, tortured by the knowledge of their inevitable doom and reduced into helpless and directionless children left to die.

And the sight of their panic had the Devil himself smiling in satisfaction.

"Oh, don't cry, fellas. The deterioration process is pretty slow." Sunset cooed in mocking reassurance. "But I have a gift. Wanna hear it?"

The group said nothing and just gaped at her like lost dogs.

"You're all technically dead. But if you choose to work for me then I'll give you a second chance at life. There's an antidote waiting for you. Hidden somewhere." Sunset said, purposely mumbling her last words.

The desperate group didn't hesitate to nod as an affirmation to their agreement.

Sunset grinned under her mask, looking at them, speaking to them with only her dull yet almost glowing eyes.

And just like that, you've become pawns of the Devil. How pathetic.

Police sirens burst into the air, accompanied by the red and blue lights shooting through the large windows of the mansion. They all turned towards the door, still had not recovered from the flurry of emotions they went through, but still remained alert as they should.

Flamepuff popped out of Sunset's trench coat and hovered around to meet her eyes. "Bacon strip, who called the police?" He asked in his childish voice.

Sunset flashed the demon one of her innocent expression. "Oh, no! I did!" She gasped dramatically, putting a hand over her mask.

"Wieeee! The perfect audience!" Flamepuff shrieked, clapping his tiny little hands.

They both shared wheezing giggles. Then Sunset clapped to catch the group's attention.

"Let's bounce!"

The group rushed to the back of the mansion with Sunset following behind, ignoring the Chief of Police's demands bellowing through the megaphone. Sunset and the group of assassins burst through the back door and zoomed straight into the forest behind the mansion with no plans of stopping.

"Give them a show, bacon strip!" Flamepuff urged, laughing excitedly. "It's time to go boom!"

The SWAT team already knocked down the front door, unknowingly inhaling the dissipating excess of the gas. Chrome Dusk lashed out in his chair, trying to scream through the gag. But all was too late for salvation when Sunset, in her sadistic delight, pressed the detonator, blowing up the mansion in a hellish explosion, shaking the earth and the wind. The wave of air blew many off their feet; a force to be remembered by those who came to see.

"The fire starts with me."

Author's Notes:

The bad bitch is back!

As always, drop ypur feedbacks and thoughts! Also lemme know of any errors! Deeply appreciate it!