The news about two Valkyries visiting the old city spread quite fast. It caused some fear to spread among the poption, but what most didn''t know was that their presence was dying a tragedy in the making.


    In the corner of an abandoned building near the orphan''s yground, a man listened to the conversation some of the kids were having with the aliens. Normally anyone with a sane mind would never dare to spy on those creatures; their senses are supposedly far superior to those of humans, allowing them to see in the dark and through walls.


    Nevertheless, the man hade prepared, and thanks to the suit he was wearing, his presence wasn''t detected at all.


    After a while, the first alien disappeared, taking with her one of the kids. The second one followed soon after. The man waited until those who stayed behind went inside. He then waited some more, and as the silence of the night lingered, he finally tapped the device on his wrist and made a call.


    "This is Gamma One reporting in." He said. "Operation Command, do you copy?"


    [This is Operation Command. We hear you loud and clear, Gamma One.] A voice sounded in his ears. [Do you have an update on the Variables.]


    "The Variables have left the area." The man replied. "They appear to have used teleportation to transport the Priority Target."


    There was a short silence before a response came.


    [Understood. The operation has been pushed back twenty minutes from now. If the Variables don''t return to the scene by then you are to proceed as previously instructed.]


    The man didn''t respond right away. His eyes kept observing the empty yground, the night vision function of his suit painting it in a ghastly neon green.


    [Gamma One?]


    "Understood."


    Twenty minutester, the operation started.


    ~[ ]~


    Simon ran toward themotion without hesitation, the gunfire sounds doing little to slow him down. One of his underlings arrived carrying arge bag. He reached into it and drew a slightly dented metal bat and continued forward.


    His first target soon came into sight; a man dressed in ck standing at the center of the road to one of the open squares as if blocking it. Simon sneaked up on him while making as little noise as possible then swung his bat with everything he got.


    The suspicious man had a strange helmet on so the strike didn''t take him down right away, but before he could retaliate Simon swung his bat again and this time he felt the unmistakable sensation of bones breaking. Even then he didn''t stop.


    The stranger had his left arm broken so he tried aiming his rifle with only the right hand, but the gang leader smashed it with another swing of his bat. Just then the underlings who were right behind him arrived and without question jumped the guy.


    "What in the world…"


    Simon was sure his underlings finished the job but even after all the beatings the stranger seemed to still be alive, but that''s not where the strange things ended. The man was well-built and the equipment he wore was something one would only expect to see in the army. He wasn''t just some random street thug; the guy was a trained, well-equipped soldier.


    "Tell the others to be more careful." Simon broke the silence. "This might not be as simple as we thought."


    The underlings watched as their leader dragged the unconscious man to a nearby wall then took his rifle and checked its ammo. His hands moved with practiced confidence, showing that he knew exactly what he was doing.


    They saw him reach for the gun strapped to the man''s thigh next, but when he turned its muzzle toward the unconscious man and pressed it against his now exposed head, they all felt the blood drain from their faces.


    Before any of them could utter a sound, a single shot was fired, and brains scattered along the wall.


    The gang members stood in silence and watched as their boss searched the dead man''s body for ammo or other weapons. In less than a minute he seemed to be done as he stood up and strapped the rifle around his shoulder.


    "I will draw their attention," Simon said, ignoring the terrified looks they gave him. "Keep a low profile and only attack when they have their backs to you."


    Simon kept close to the wall until he reached the corner. He peeked his head and looked around then moved out leaving the others behind. They stood there in silence for a few seconds, but then the sound of gunshots pulled them back to reality and they quickly went to do as they were told.


    Simon sneaked around using what little cover he could find. He heard amotion in one of the buildings, followed by screams and several gunshots, then nothing but silence. A couple of secondster another man dressed in military gear walked out. This one, however, was dragging an unconscious kid along.


    Feeling his blood boil, Simon waited for the right moment before stepping out of his cover. The soldier, or whatever he was, barely reacted before his brain exploded by a bullet shot right from under his jaw. As histest victim toppled to the ground, the door came into view and Simon saw another armed man carrying two unconscious children.


    Their eyes seemed to meet at that moment, but before he could reach for his weapon he felt the slightly hot muzzle of a freshly fired gun press against his neck and he suffered the same fate as the other guy the next moment.


    "LET GO!" came a cry. "DAAAAAD! HELP ME!!!"


    The horrified cries of another kid resounded a momentter. Before he could turn around to check, Simon heard a bang, and the metallic fence beside him snapped. He left the kids where they were and quickly took cover. He struck two birds with one stone, drawing the shooter''s attention away from the kids while taking a few seconds to catch his breath.


    From a gap Simon saw a group of two soldiers, one pointing a gun in his direction while the other carried a kid in each arm, seemingly unfazed by their desperate attempts to free themselves.


    Bullets flew and Simon was forced to hide again. His opponent was gradually closing in, his finger on the trigger. It looked like he would have no choice but to gamble, but then he saw one of his gangsters about to fling a brick at the shooter.


    Timing his actions, Simon jumped out of his cover the moment the brick struck the shooter on the shoulder. Three bullets shot out and the first one fell immediately. His friend had no choice but to let go of the kids to draw his weapon, but as soon as he did two young men appeared behind him and pummeled him with the crowbars and metal pipes they held.


    With things settling down in that area, more gangsters stepped out of the shadows and quickly gathered the guns, fearing that their adversaries would wake up at any moment.


    "You and you, take the kids somewhere safe." Simon pointed at two of the gangsters before turning to the others. "Most of you never held a gun in your lives. Shoot only if the enemy doesn''t have any hostages."


    Even as he gave his orders, Simon didn''t stop analyzing their situation. He didn''t know who the strangers in military gear were, but he already figured out they were after the children, and he could guess why.


    ''So it wasn''t just a rumor…''