“I can’t believe we’re going on our first mission already,” Travis shouted excitedly.

  Team Michael and Team Watabe were strapped into an aircraft flying 24,000 meters above the Earth's surface. While Travis was beside himself with excitement. Ume was more fascinated by the craft itself,

  “Is this the aircraft you took to get to Finland, Akiko?”

  “No, this one is bigger than that one,” Akiko responded.

  “This one is also faster. The ones you used are on standby for private use for our Chasers. We use this one for Missions; it’s twice as fast. We have another one we use for emergencies that’s even faster.” Mawu, in a navy blue and gray hooded camo cloak, responded from the front of the craft.

  “How fast is this exactly?” Kenji asked.

  “We should arrive at the mission location in less than an hour,” Mawu responded.

  “Bloody hell!” Micheal exclaimed.

  They left Japan about 30 minutes ago, and their destination was somewhere near the uninhabited regions of Canada. Watabe didn’t care too much about such details; he was only concerned with the mission. So before Ume could ask any more questions, he asked his own.

  “What exactly is the mission?”

  “You are here to put down a huge pack of Skinwalkers.” Sitting next to Mawu, also in a navy blue and gray hooded camo cloak, Hachiman responded.

  “Skinwalkers? Like, Like Werewolves?” Miko asked with a bit of trepidation.

  “Oof, if a werewolf hears that… they’d be pissed.” Mawu chuckled.

  “Skinwalkers are grotesque creatures who have the fortunate ability to transform and mimic all forms of life. From plant life to humans to prehistoric. What exactly they can do depends on their skill.” Haciman explained to the children.

  “Yeah, you know those sightings of Chupacabra and Big-Foots? Those are young Skinwalkers failing to turn into something that looks like a thing.” Mawu added.

  “How many can we expect?” Micheal asked.

  “Our scout said 100-200, so it would be wise to expect at least twice that.” Mawu smiled.

  “200? Is that a little much for our first mission? And they're out in the middle of nowhere Canada. Do we need to go after them?” Izumi asked.

  “Normally, Skinwalkers aren’t much of a threat. They usually keep to themselves and only go around humans to fulfill their curiosity. However, the same thing always happens when they gather in groups like this. They take over a small human town, killing everyone there and killing whoever stumbles across them.”

  “What? Why?” Kenji said.

  “We don’t know; they’re not much for conversation, especially with Chasers. They’ve also become more aggressive over the past few decades. Doesn’t leave much room for conversation.” Mawu sighed.

  Mawu saw the look on their faces and smiled. It was a large number, but these kids were severely underestimating themselves. It seems Zac beat the humility into them; in Mawu's eyes, that was a good thing. It was better that they were overly conscious than cocky.

  “There’s a reason why you 10 are here, and the other 20 are still training. You’re ready. Don’t focus too much on the number. While Skinwalkers are potentially the most deadly to human society, they are one of the weakest creatures we deal with. Besides, me and Hachiman are here in case things go sideways.” Mawu comforted the teams.

  The two teams visibly began to calm down as Hachiman cleared his throat to get the children’s attention.

  “The mission is a simple one. We will drop about 1000 meters from the pack's last known location. They are about 10 miles out from a small town and have been moving closer to the town over the past several days. Over eight people have been reported missing over the past week. Your job is to locate and eliminate the threat. Discovering their motive is secondary. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” The two teams responded in unison.

  “Before we arrive, I want to give you kiddies a word of advice. Many Chasers don’t do this, and it’s a terrible habit. Always, always always initiate your Programs before the mission starts. Could mean the difference between life or death.” Mawu warned. Hachiman nodded his head in agreement.

  “Me and Hachiman here had ours initiated before we boarded this aircraft.” Mawu laughed.

  The recruits looked at each other with embarrassment plastered across their faces. Obviously, they all liked calling out their Program activation as a show of intimidation. Regardless of their impressive appearance, they were still a bunch of kids.

  “We’re here,” Mawu spoke.

  Everyone had been in silent contemplation over the past twenty minutes, and now the time had come. Mawu and Hachiman un-fastened their harnesses and walked towards the back of the craft; the others followed suit. The cargo door lowered to reveal them hoovering about 50 meters over a forest of trees. Hachiman stood next to a bundle of cloaks, and gear. Mawu smiled at the group of recruits, and began to speak,

  "Cloaks were worn since the first Chasers in ancient Egypt to hide their appearance from the world. Chasers are the silent protectors of humanity. We do not chase appreciation; we do not chase recognition; we chase away the darkness so humanity can chase its future."

  Mawu's soft expression became stern as she continued,

  "We have been given a gift to chase and keep the monsters of the world at bay. But never forget we are not better than our fellow humans. Remain humble, and do not let your power go to your head. We chase away one kind of monster, but there are many kinds in this world. For the poor, their monster is poverty; for the sick, their monster is disease; for the hungry, their monster is starvation. We cannot solve these issues on our own. However, what we can do is protect humanity from things that wish to do it harm so that one day someone will find these solutions." Mawu smiled at the young Chasers before her; she walked up to Travis and rubbed the top of his head. He was oddly focused at the moment, and she won't miss this chance to instill these ideals.

  "The other Chaser Organizations have forgotten this and seek to impose their will on humanity. This is why our Leader, Devin "The Renegade," left his former Organization to form his own. It is now our charge to keep the monsters at bay and the other Chasers in line. Hachiman, if you will?" Mawu motioned towards Hachiman, who turned around to show his back.

  Mawu pointed to the design on Hachiman's back,

  "This is the insignia of The Renegades. In its center is an Ankh, a symbol of life. To the Ankh's right is the Eye of Ra, representing the destructive power we wield. To the Ankh's left, the eye of Horus, there to remind us that these destructive powers are to protect humanity, not rule over them. Encircling these three symbols is an Angelic Winged Dragon eating its tail. This is Devin's envisioning of Ouroboros, a symbol to remind us that we are one with this world, a cog to help bring life through destruction." Mawu walked away, and Hachiman stepped forward.

  "Our aliases are not only to help hide our identities but to symbolize our rebirth into this new world and calling. Just like your birth, the person who brought you into this world will be the one to name you. The Anomaly couldn't be here today but gave us names for each of you."

  The recruits, filled with wonder and pride, all reeled in trepidation. Zac was scary, skilled, and a little crazy as far as they were concerned; there was no telling what kind of names they would be getting. Mawu saw the looks on their faces and giggled,

  "The Anomaly is exactly that, an anomaly. However, no one takes their job more seriously. Your mentors helped you build your foundation over the past week and will continue moving forward. But no one has or will invest more time into your growth than him. He is like your father in this new world." Mawu gave that time to sink in.

  She could understand that they all found that hard to believe with Zac’s demeanor, but they would understand that they could have no better guardian in this world.

  “Cloaks worn today are all modernized to have function as well as form. They will protect against most modern firearms and extreme environments. However, The Anomaly poured over every bit of data and notes we left him and worked with the Twins to design Cloaks and gear specifically tailored to your needs. He had them coded to your ID so that only you could use them and instructions on how they function would be relayed into your subconscious as soon as you put them on.” Mawu informed them with a smile.

  Mawu herself started to understand what Dr. Varma mentioned a while ago. Zac was very invested in this group of recruits. Maybe he saw something in them, or maybe it was simply because this was the first group of recruits he looked over. Either way, they were luckier than they currently understood.

  “When your name is called, step forward to receive your Cloak, gear, and a new name,” Hachiman commanded.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Chiba Ume.”

  As she stepped forward, Mawu handed Hachiman a cloak and two bangles. Hachiman held them out in front of Ume. She put on the black bangles and rubbed her fingers across the insignia on the cloak.

  “You are given the name Sage and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.” Hachiman continued,

  “Thank you.” Sage gave a simple response as she bowed.

  Outwardly it was all business as she grabbed her cloak; internally, she was as excited as any teenager. Not only did she love her alias, but these bangles were also made to the exact specifications she had talked about with Zac and had added functions she had never thought of. She placed the Cloak over her shoulders, zipping the front and extending her arms through the slits provided on the sides.

  As she pulled the hood over her eyes, an artificial shadow formed to cover the rest of her face. On the inside of the hood, a display of the world around her filled Sage’s vision.

  “I had concerns about wearing a hooded cloak, but I see practicality was not ignored,” Sage commented with approval as she walked towards the open cargo door.

  “Initiating Program: Bloom” She never stopped her stride as she stepped out into the empty air 50 meters above the forest tree tops. A branch stretched out under her foot, followed by dozens more that acted as stairs for her descent.

  “Hamura Miko.” Hachiman called out.

  “Oh, wow!” Miko exclaimed in surprise when she saw what was on top of her cloak.

  There was something resembling a black spray painting mask resting next to a pair of matching gloves.

  “I can’t believe it.” She was extremely giddy as she wore the gloves.

  “You are given the name Siren and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  “Oh!” Siren was once again surprised by her new name. She bowed towards Mawu and then Hachiman.

  “Ah yeah, The Anomaly said if you got too excited, to tell you, he wasn’t thinking of the majestic sea temptress Siren. He was thinking of the loud blaring security horn.” Mawu chuckled.

  “Oh…” Siren’s mood dropped for just a moment.

  She quickly put on her mask, whose filters light up with a dark magenta color. She perked up again; this was her favorite color,

  “Did he pay that much attention to us?” She thought to herself as she put on her cloak.

  “Whatever, I’m going to pretend it’s the first one.” Siren walked backwards towards the open cargo doors, shrugging as she brought her hood over her face.

  “Initiating Program: Reverb.” She twirled on her toes as she fell from the aircraft.

  Soft sound waves released from her fingertips to slow her descent.

  “Izumi Hayate.” Hachiman motioned for the next to come up.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Izumi asked as he looked at the folded sniper rifle on his cloak. Hachiman nodded in confirmation and then continued,

  “You are given the name Mirage and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  “Sugoi!” Mirage nearly squealed as he bowed, quickly strapped the rifle to his back, and put on his Cloak.

  “Initiating Program: Refract.” Mirage ran out of the cargo doors, vanishing as he jumped from the ramp.

  “Hanabi Akiko,” Hachiman called out with a smile.

  Akiko looked at the three scabbards that belonged to Katana, Wakizashi, and Tanto blades resting on her cloak. Hachiman shrugged, knowing what she wanted to ask but not having answers himself. Akiko took the blade she had been using over the past week and placed it aside as she held the katan's scabbard. She rubbed her fingers across the Renegade insignia on Katana’s handle, and scabbard's centers.

  “You are given the name Amaterasu, namesake of the Goddess of the Sun, and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  Amaterasu quickly armed herself with her blades after giving a deep bow to Hachiman and Mawu. She put on her cloak and noticed that there were extra slits to allow her blade handles to poke through. She chuckled a bit to herself; Zac even paid attention to where she liked to hold her weapons. Even the tanto blade on her lower back had a slit perfectly in place for it.

  “Initiating Program: Flare.” Amaterasu smiled as she walked off the cargo ramp and gracefully descended into the forest unassisted.

  “Takashi Genkei.”

  “Thank god!?” Genkei shouted as he saw a training vest resting on his cloak.

  He immediately took off his shirt and ripped off the crazy contraption that Helena had made for him. Helena had no intention of redesigning it because, according to her, it worked as intended. As soon as Genkei saw that vest, he knew Zac must have made something far more rational. He quickly put the vest on his bare chest and saw the wristbands underneath. After equipping the wristbands that covered his large forearm, information rushed through his mind.

  “These are incredible. I would never have thought of something like this.”

  “You are given the name Hoarder and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.” Hachiman smiled.

  Hoarder bowed deeply to Hachiman and Mawu before putting on his cloak.

  “Initiating Program: Stockpile.” His vest began to glow before he zipped up his cloak and ran towards the cargo ramp. He jumped off without a care.

  “Patrick Finlay.”

  “Didn’t have any brilliant equipment ideas for me, aye?” Patrick said, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Your cloak is made a little different from everyone else. It is composed of a compressed weaved metal alloy that the Twins and Zac created. I would’ve let you find out on your own, but I couldn’t stand the sad look on your face.” Mawu said to Patrick, who perked up almost instantly.

  “Pure dead brilliant!” Patrick quickly put the cloak on; before he could get too excited, Hachiman began.

  “You are given the name Bumi and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  “Thank ye… wait. Bumi?! What the hell is a Bumi?” Bumi asked, confused.

  “The Anomaly said something about it being from an old cartoon. He wanted to call you Ginger Toph, but we talked him out of that.” Mawu explained with a chuckle.

  “I suppose I should be thankful for that, aye? He’s off his dafty head! Bumi?!!! Bumi?! Bumi? Aye, you know what—got a bit of base to it? Bumi! Aye, alright! It's not bad. I’ll give it a go. Initiating Program: Mound.” Bumi put his hood over his head as he stepped out of the cargo hold, only to be greeted by a mound of dirt that worked as an elevator.

  “Travis Kane.” Hachiman beckoned.

  Travis hopped out with an energetic smile on his face. Soon his shoulders slumped. He looked at his cloak and saw nothing on it.

  “I asked him not to make anything for you because it would just be a distraction. He agreed with my assessment.” Mawu explained with a laugh.

  “You’re right, mama Mawu.” Travis sighed in defeat as he grabbed his cloak.

  “You are given the name Manic and henceforth are a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.” Hachiman smirked at Manic, who seemed to be enthralled in his cloak.

  “Thanks… Initiating Program: Mind Matter!! WHOOOO!” Manic shouted as he jumped from the aircraft. A blue psionic umbrella appeared in his hands as he floated down towards the others.

  “That’s not how an Umbrella works,” Mawu mumbled to herself in disbelief.

  “Watabe Ken.”

  Watabe stepped forwards without a word as he looked at his cloak folded in front of him. He was different from the others in the fact that Devin had given Watabe his old cloak. Watabe had no intentions of getting a brand new cloak.

  “I assume it was redesigned to my specifications?” Watabe asked Hachiman. Who nodded in return.

  “You are given the name The Conductor and are now a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  “Lead them well,” Mawu added.

  “Thank you, and I will,” The Conductor said as he zipped up his cloak and then bowed to the two of them.

  “Initiating Program: Ion.” The Conductor’s cloak began to flutter as tiny orbs flooded out from countless hidden compartments in his cloak. They made a protective shield around him as he lifted himself into the air and began to fly toward the ground.

  “Micheal Stepton.”

  Micheal stepped forward and saw the two pieces of equipment lying on his cloak. One was a pair of gloves similar to Siren’s. The other was,

  “Is that a pair of high top Black Forces? The man’s moving mad.” Micheal began to laugh as he took off his shoes and put on the gloves and shoes provided for him.

  “You are given the name Shango and are now a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.”

  “Cheers!” Shango responded as he put on his Cloak.

  “Shango is the most powerful and feared God of the Orisha Pantheon in West Africa. It seems The Anomaly has very high expectations of you.” Mawu smiled.

  “No pressure, yeah?” Shango smirked as he zipped his cloak.

  “Initiating Program: Pulse.” The bottom of his shoes began to glow, and a small pulse was released.

  Shango's foot rested on the air, and a small ripple in space acted as a foothold. After three steps, Shango had smoothly descended into the forest.

  “Suzuki Kenji.”

  Kenji stepped forward and saw a familiar black mask resting on top of his cloak.

  “No way!” He exclaimed.

  “His exact words were, ‘he already ate most of it, so he should finish his meal.’ Plus, he and the twins are working on a better version, so don’t feel too bad.” Mawu said.

  “Don’t worry; I don’t.” Kenji chuckled.

  “You are given the name Trigger and are now a Chaser. Welcome to The Renegades.” Hachiman nodded.

  “Trigger? I thought he would’ve gone with Isuel.”

  “The Anomaly says he named you Trigger because you easily are.” Mawu teased.

  “Tsk, right.”

  “However. I think he’s been paying attention to what you've been doing over the past week, and he’s impressed,” Mawu comforted.

  At her words, Kenji looked back at the black mask resting on top of his cloak. Zac was stubborn; he wouldn’t let Kenji have the rest of the Nano-Armor unless he felt he had earned it. Kenji understood that even if Mawu didn’t say anything. Zac irritated the hell out of him when he first met him. Over the past 2 weeks, he felt Zac feeling a hole he didn’t even realize he had. Something he still didn’t fully understand. What he did understand is the pride at gaining Zac’s recognition.

  “Dammit,” Kenji whispered to himself.

  “Thank You.” Kenji bowed to both Hachiman and Mawu.

  “Initiating Program: Zero. Boot Up: Replica. Cycle: Full Arsenal and Ion.” Kenji extended his hand and touched the mask.

  It dissolved into dust and entered Kenji’s body. He put on his cloak as he headed towards the cargo ramp. As he zipped up his cloak, the Nano-Armor spread over his body as he dropped from the aircraft.

  Kenji floated down into the mist of everyone gathered there. He looked up and expected to see the aircraft, but there was nothing visible there. While he was in shock at the aircraft’s stealth, the others were in shock as they stared at that familiar black mask that covered his face. The Conductor walked over to Kenji and asked,

  “What’s your name?”

  From the Conductor's point of view, this question was far more vital than it appeared on the surface. He understood Kenji and had discussed some of his feelings with Devin. He understood that a bit of Kenji resented his biological father, and even more of him resented the situation he was forced into. He seemed to have been coming to terms recently, but he needed to make sure. The simple act of saying his name would speak volumes.

  Kenji turned to face The Conductor; pulling his hood over his masked face, he responded with confidence,

  “Trigger.”