“Where are the others?” Trigger asked as he saw Hoarder and Mirage walking towards them with the civilians trailing behind them.

  “They decided to stay behind and look at those wall paintings. Bumi stayed with them to prevent a cave-in and scout ahead.” Mirage responded.

  “Glad to see some of us found ways to pass the time, yeah?” Shango sighed as he called in the aircraft.

  “Anyone seen Mawu or Hachiman?” Siren asked.

  “Nope; I guess they had no intention of showing themselves unless things went south,” Trigger answered.

  Everyone looked up, and the aircraft revealed itself and landed in the middle of the town. Its cargo hold opened up to reveal a team of Renegade Chasers. The Renegade Cloak had scanning systems, making it difficult for others to fake being one of their Chasers. After confirming they were allies, Shango motioned for the civilians to board the ship.

  “Nice work, kids. Didn’t expect this many. We’ll take the civilians, and another transport should be here in an hour for you guys. Take this time to do a sweep of the town. Particularly intact Skinwalker corpses, we can use them for testing.” One of the Renegade Chasers instructed.

  “What are you going to do with the civilians?” Amaterasu inquired.

  “Debriefing, and complete memory reconstruction. They should forget all of this, if only for their sanity.”

  They nodded in understanding. Secrecy aside, they'd be committed if these people told anyone what happened. Siren shook her head, as she didn’t know what kind of story they could possibly make up to explain all these people going missing. It was part of the job she didn’t have to worry about, and she hoped she never would.

  “Who handles things like that?” Trigger asked.

  “Mostly Dr. Varma and her assistants. She’s a normie, but she’s seen more shit than anyone. I don’t know how she does it. Alright, let’s pack it up. See you, kids, later; nice work today.” The Renegade Chaser complimented as the cargo door closed and the aircraft took off.

  “Alright, let’s do a sweep then, ya? Move in groups of two, Siren you with me. Mirage find a cozy little spot to keep a lookout.” Shango gave his command.

  Immediately after, Trigger and Amaterasu went off on their own. Shango and Siren walked in the opposite direction as Mirage vanished.

  “You guys leaving me alone with this lunatic?!” Hoarder cried as he pointed at Manic.

  “I’m not Lunatic; I'm Manic. Let’s go find some bodies I didn't blow up, HAHAHA!” Manic laughed as he wrapped his arm around Hoarder’s broad shoulders, pointing to nowhere. Hoarder sighed. He knew there was no getting rid of Manic at this point. It was best if he tried to mitigate whatever shenanigans Manic tried to get himself into.

  Mawu and Hachiman looked at the rookies' progress with smiles. They handled the situation exceptionally well, not just from an efficiency standpoint but also a diplomatic one. Many Chasers didn’t understand that there was more than one way to deal with the creatures that threatened humanity. They may never be able to rid the world of those creatures completely, and honestly, perhaps they shouldn’t even try. A peaceful resolution against the more civilized creatures was the best approach whenever possible.

  “They did better than I’d hoped. Us fighting a Skinwalker Alpha wouldn’t have been ideal.” Mawu sighed.

  She and Hachiman would have needed to step in if it came to it. However, going up against such an old Skinwalker was dicey even with the two of them. There was no telling what forms that old thing could have.

  “Hmm, I would have liked to test my blade against something that old. A pity. Perhaps next time.” Hachiman said.

  “You are a battle manic, aren’t y-” Mawu's statement was cut off as she looked over her shoulder.

  Hachiman did the same as their cloaks picked up three individuals coming up from behind them. Mawu let out a groan.

  “It seems Zac was right.” She chuckled.

  “I’d be more surprised if he wasn’t. I’ll go check on the surrounding area.” Hachiman said as he disappeared with a burst of speed, leaving nothing behind but a small gust of wind.

  “Yeah, I’ll handle this and call for backup.” Mawu relayed over comms.

  Moments after Hachiman left, three cloaked individuals appeared before Mawu. She scoped out the crest on their cloaks and chuckled,

  “So Oleander’s and Adders are working together? Are you that afraid of Kenji?” She asked.

  The three of them were taken aback. Mawu was already aware of why they were here.

  “You seemed prepared, but you only assigned one supervisor?” The lone Oleander Chaser asked.

  “I wonder,” Mawu said coolly.

  “We’ve made contact! It’s Hachiman!!! We need immediate back u- argh!” The three looked up at Mawu with trepidation.

  If Hachiman was there, she must be Helena, the only female in Devin’s five-person squad. They were curious why she hadn’t attacked yet. Helena was known for her quick temper and fiery attitude, but the cloaked figure before them was far too cold.

  “Initiating Progam-” The three of them went to activate their programs at once. Each of them felt dread creeping up their spines. Unfortunately, the three became ice statues before they could finish their commands. Mawu walked toward the three of them,

  “Such a bad habit. Your mentors failed you.” She crooned.

  She tapped one of the ice sculptures, and all three shattered into fine diamond dust. Mawu let out a sigh and then reported,

  “We have interlopers; I don’t know how many. The Oleanders and Adders are working together. Their target is Suzuki Kenji, aka Trigger. Requesting immediate assistance.” She then looked over at the highest cliff in sight. It would be from there if she had to choose a spot to run an operation like this. She would have to approach slowly. The three she encountered hadn’t had the chance to relay she was here. She could use this to her advantage. An icy mist enveloped her, and she faded away like an illusion.

  Mawu, the namesake of the creator goddess of the Fon people in West Africa, represents the moon that brings the night and cooler temperatures. Mawu could decrease heat values and manipulate those cold bodies to her will. Possessing one of the most feared Programs, Program: Cold Snap.

  Back inside the mineshaft, Sage stared at another wall filled with paintings. Bumi was walking around with a bored expression as he stared at the ceiling. He then looked over at Sage,

  “Are you not done yet?”

  “I am not. You can go back to town if you’re certain there are no other rooms to explore here.” Sage chuckled.

  “Aye, but I’d feel like a right bawbag if I left and a cave-in happened.” Bumi groaned.

  Sage was about to respond when she looked toward the mine shaft entrance. She sighed and said,

  “We have enemies. You should return to the others, Bumi.”

  “Are the Skinwalkers back?”

  “No, Chasers, I’m sensing 30 in total; three are near Mawu, and three others are near Hachiman. Three are heading this way, and six are heading towards town.” Sage relayed her information.

  “How do you know?” Bumi asked.

  “We’re in a massive forest; I’ve been spreading my influence over it since we arrived. What the trees can see, so can I. However, three more Chasers may be outside of my range.” Sage explained.

  “33 in total? That's an odd number.” Trigger’s voice came over comms.

  “Not really; I’ve studied the practices of the other Chaser Orgs. The Oleanders like to move in groups of five like us, and the Weaving Adders prefer groups of six. So in total, three groups of five from the Oleanders and three groups of 6 from the Adders.”

  “That’s assuming they are working together.” Siren added.

  “Sensei Zac told me this before I left for the mission. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, the Oleanders and Adders have decided to work together to kill Trigger.” Sage responded.

  After hearing her words, the comms were flooded with a resounding,

  “Shit!”

  “Well, I have good news and bad news.” The Conductor chuckled.

  “Bad news I’ve just finished scanning for Nano-machine signatures, and there are 33 extra. The good news is, three of them near Mawu spontaneously vanished.” The Conductor chuckled.

  “Yes, Mawu just reduced 3 of them to diamond dust. It seems these Chasers have… bad habits.” Sage started to giggle.

  At that statement, smiles stretched across everyone's faces. The Conductor called out for Bumi, who looked over at Sage,

  “You’ll be ok in here by yourself, bonnie lass?”

  “Your concern is appreciated but not needed. I still have to study here and can provide detailed support from my position. Please go.” Sage assured Bumi.

  Bumi dived into the ground, and The Conductor floated into the air, surrounded by his tiny electro beads.

  “Everyone act natural; they’ll be on you soon,” Sage reported.

  “Yeah, I have visuals. Six are coming in from the west. They’ve broken up, two pairs each.” Mirage confirmed the situation.

  “Bumi and I are en route.” The Conductor responded.

  “No need to worry, mate. We can handle these, yeah?” Shango reassured.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Moments later, two enemy Chasers landed in front of Hoarder and Manic, who were in the middle of an argument. They wouldn’t have needed Sage to tell them to act natural because Hoarder was using everything in his power not to throttle the scatterbrain lunatic that he was paired with. Manic seemed to have forgotten about the enemy Chasers the instant communications had ended.

  “Could you focus for two seconds?” Hoarder shouted.

  “One… Two. Two seconds! But what was I supposed to be focusing on? Oh, look, another Skinwalker, oh no, that one only has half a face. Hmmm, maybe we should go check areas where I wasn’t the one fighting them.” Manic rattled off.

  “That’s what I’ve been saying for 3 minutes!!”

  “Well, maybe you should’ve used your big boy voice. I can’t be listening to you and focusing on nothing for two seconds; you’re such a slave driver.”

  “This little shit!”

  “HEY!” The two enemy Chasers couldn't take it anymore, interrupting them.

  “What do you want?!” Hoarder shouted in frustration at the newcomers.

  “Which of you is Suzuki Kenji?” The Chaser wearing the dark green cloak asked.

  “What’s a Suzuki? Is that a car?”

  “Ask your mother.” Manic and Hoarder responded to the Chasers simultaneously.

  “Screw these kids; we can figure it out after we beat the hell out of them.” The Chaser wearing the Maroon cloak spoke.

  “Initiating Program~.”

  Before either of them could finish speaking, their mouths were clamped shut by psionic constructs in the shape of duct tape. Before the two could process what was happening, Hoarder clotheslined them with such force that their heads popped cleanly from their necks. He looked at the two dead bodies and then turned towards Manic,

  “Is Suzuki a car? Really?”

  “It worked, didn’t it?”

  At the same time Manic and Hoarder encountered their Chasers, Shango and Siren ran into their own. Both wore dark green cloaks and stared at the two young Chasers. They saw Siren’s petite body and the dark skin of Shango’s exposed arms.

  “Neither of you is Suzuki Kenji.”

  “Well that’s obvious, innit?” Shango responded.

  “And neither of you will live to see him.” Siren added.

  “Is that right? Initiating Prog… !!!” The Dark green-cloaked Chasers realized that no sounds were coming from their mouths.

  They looked at each other and then at Siren, who had her index finger on her face mask. At that moment, a slight pulse under Shango’s feet propelled him forward, and he snatched the two Chasers off their feet by their faces. Shango stared at the two Chasers who were at his mercy,

  “Sorry, mates, nothing personal. Business and all that.”

  The two were assaulted by a barrage of waves that pulsated through their heads, turning their brains to liquid almost instantly. Shango dropped the dead Chasers on the ground and shook his head.

  “Thought it would be harder.”

  “Well, don’t get too cocky.” Siren chided Shango

  A similar scene took place at the same time in front of Trigger and Amaterasu. A dark green and a maroon-cloaked Chaser landed in front of the two of them. They wasted no time,

  "Which of you is Suzuki Kenji?”

  “Trigger,” Kenji responded.

  “What was that?” The maroon-cloaked Chaser asked.

  “His name is Trigger,” Amaterasu responded.

  The invading Chasers didn’t need to hear anything else.

  “Initiating Program~.”

  Before they could finish speaking, the Green Cloaked Chaser fell over in cauterized pieces as Amaterasu resheathed her sword before they could process her drawing it. The Maroon Cloaked Chaser fell to their knees, revealing a sizable hole in their head before falling over. Trigger’s gun merged back with his nano-armor as he sighed at the dead Chasers.

  “Am I worth all of this?” He mumbled.

  “Yes,” Amaterasu spoke.

  “You are something they don’t understand and won’t be able to control. From what we’ve been told, The Renegades keep the other two Chaser Organizations in check. If you live up to the expectations that everyone has for you….”

  “I get it.” Trigger said as he cut off Amaterasu’s train of thought.

  “Still, it’s such a waste.”

  “I agree, but you just can’t let yourself be killed.”

  “And I can’t hold back either.” Trigger let out a sigh as he looked at Amaterasu.

  “Hate to break up you two flirting, but we have six more coming from the north end of town.” Mirage's voice came over comms.

  “Just reduce their numbers; Bumi and I will handle the rest.” The Conductor commanded.

  “Yes, Sir.” Mirage chuckled as he aimed with his rifle.

  Mirage gathered light into the sniper rifle and pulled the trigger. A beam of focused light zipped out like a laser, and one of the approaching Chasers fell to the ground like a sack of rocks. Immediately the other five stopped in the tracks and took cover behind trees.

  “Like it matters.” Mirage chuckled.

  He gathered more light into his gun and peered through his scope. He refracted light around one of the trees until he had a clear view of one of the Chasers taking cover through his scope. With a chuckle, he pulled the trigger. The beam of light followed the path of his vision, bouncing off each portion of refracted light, like bouncing off a mirror. The light beam pierced the second target's brain as they slumped over.

  “Two down.”

  At that moment, the four remaining activated their Programs and started to move towards the town again, dodging in and out of trees and weaving their positions. They couldn’t pinpoint Mirage's location, the beam of light moved too fast, and they were unaware of his ability to ricochet his light off the air. With their Programs active and them on the move, Mirage found it challenging to get a lock on to even one of them, but not impossible.

  “Mawu was right. Always, always always activate your Programs before a mission. This probably would’ve been much better for you guys if you had.” Mirage thought to himself.

  A third beam of light fired off while following a path of refracted light, bouncing around trees until it found its target. Other Chasers fell to the ground, their brains pierced by light.

  “Three down. The others have Activated their Programs.”

  “That’s fine.” The Conductor said emotionlessly.

  At that moment, Mirage saw the ground beneath the running Chasers rumble. Pillars of earth launched the three remaining Chasers dozens of meters into the air. The Conductor floated there well above the tree line, waiting for them. With a thought, thousands of tiny electro beads engulfed the three Chasers, all but their eyes were visible. Hands behind his back, The Conductor floated there, not bothering to look at the three Chasers he had bound. Instead, his head turned towards where Whiskey and Pike were standing. He grunted, and terrifyingly powerful electricity manifested from the electro beads encasing those Chasers.

  The three Chasers that The Conductor had bound were dead. The severe shock they received shutdown their bodies functions as well as the nano-Machines within them. By the time the Nano-machines reactivated, the bodies would have been dead too long for them to save these Chasers. They had been captured and killed quickly and cleanly. Whiskey and Pike looked at The Conductor with well-hidden fear,

  “That boy’s going to be trouble in the future.” Whiskey said.

  “He’s trouble now, and he’s not the only one,” Pike mumbled, turning his attention towards a certain mineshaft.

  They had lost all contact with that group long before the events happening in the town occurred. Even more shocking was that the group was far more cautious than the others, having their Programs initiated before they entered. They could only assume they had died before they could relay any information.

  Deep within a dimly lit room in the mineshaft, Sage stood in deep concentration in front of a cave painting wall. She ran her fingers along the walls and began to talk into her right bangle,

  “Log - Year: 2047; Month: March 4; Time: 3:37 PM; Entry 3. These walls appear to speak of more than just the distant past of the Skinwalkers. There seem to be images of three powerful figures. If this is to be taken literally, they are viewed as a triumvirate of creatures viewed as Gods by all supernatural entities. This Great Mother must be one of them.”

  “What are you doing?” A groggy voice called out from behind Sage.

  She looked over her shoulder to see the three Chasers that had entered the mine. All three of them were bound by thorned roots, each of those thrones releasing poisonous sap powerful enough to kill a Blue Whale. However, their nano-machines were in overdrive, expelling the poison. However, the sap was poisoning them almost faster than the nano-machines could cure. This left their bodies in a state where even the average human could kill them.

  “What am I doing? Learning, obviously. Weren’t you all sent here to do the same?” Sage chuckled as she continued to scan the walls.

  “What do you mean?” Another asked.

  “There’s no way they sent you here as the main force. You’re far too incompetent. You’re either relatively new recruits or disposable. You knew Kenji’s existence, but I doubt you had solid intel on what he or any of us could do. We certainly didn’t expose much during our mission today. So essentially, you are the scouting party. I’m sure the main force will show up soon.” Sage’s eyes remained glued to the wall in front of her.

  “Knowing what you know, you don’t seem nervous.” One of the bound Chasers commented.

  “Why should I be? I figured something like this might happen when we came on this mission. If I had these thoughts, sensei no doubt had the same thoughts long before. I’m sure they’ll handle it. Leaving me free to study these walls, and you.” Sage chuckled.

  “You seem pretty confident in your….”

  “Shut up.” Sage cut off the Chaser. Her voice took a noticeably darker tone.

  “I know what you’re doing, and it doesn’t matter. I have no plans to kill you quickly, so don’t worry; your stalling for time won’t do you any good. Your communications won’t be leaving this cave.”

  The Three Chasers’ pale faces sparked with shock.

  “Unlike the others who spent most of their time honing their powers. I did not need to. As soon as I received my Program, plant life felt like an extension of myself. When I breathed, they breathed. They move with my thoughts and desires like part of me. So instead, I spent most of my training sessions with sensei, reviewing countless situations I could encounter on missions. With that information, I cultivated 100s of new plant species to deal with said situations.” As Sage spoke, the roots on the roof began to wiggle.

  "He truly is a brilliant man." A root curled down, and Sage rubbed her hand against it.

  “Like this lovely child, for instance. The same roots that blocked the entrance once you came inside. Its roots are harder than steel and have a unique composition that allows them to block electromagnetic waves. So unless the people you’re trying to contact are right outside the mine, they won’t hear you. So be silent little captives, and let the sap do its work. I also need to gather data on how strong a poison needs to be to kill a Chaser.” Sage then resumed her study of wall paintings.

  “W-who is this senseii?” The leader of the three asked.

  Sage was a monster to the three of them. They didn’t even get to see her before they were subdued and carried to her by these roots that seemed to have a mind of their own. She was so powerful, intelligent, and arrogant that they didn’t understand how anyone could mentor such a Chaser. However, she spoke of her “sensei” with deep respect. They had to know. Sage sighed,

  “You all call him, The Anomaly.” Sage giggled.

  “Shit…” The three of them shivered.

  On the highest cliffside in the area, Whiskey, and Pike turned to look behind them. The wind blew an icy mist revealing Hachiman and Mawu standing before them.

  “Hachiman, and you must be Mawu. Great.” Whiskey groaned.

  Hachiman was a terrible match-up for Pike, and Mawu was a terrible match-up for Whiskey. It was like the two of them were chosen to counter them specifically.

  “Did The Anomaly suggest you two for this mission?” Pike asked.

  “He did. He said you two were the most likely candidates for something like this.” Mawu giggled.

  “Even if you weren’t, given the terrain, he felt we’d be able to give the best support. He is very thorough.” Hachiman added.

  “He’s not even here and pissing me off.” Whiskey fumed.

  Pike, Program: Hunter. Allowed the Chaser to perfectly and accurately track down any designated target. At the same time, making the user untrackable by normal or modern means. Not even the most advanced tracking systems could spot him. Once a target is marked, it can never escape his senses. It also allows its user to pinpoint all weaknesses and tells of their target, to help predict target actions. This allows for precise, swift, and accurate assassinations. Coupled with his mastery in a wide array of weaponry and killing arts; as well as his superior speed and strength even when compared to other Chasers, Pike was a nightmare for any target, be they monster or Chaser.

  Hachiman, Program: Breeze. Gives the user full awareness and control of air currents and wind. No matter how much Pike wanted, he could not become intangible. He may be able to fool technology and eyes, but not the wind. Hachiman has spent more time than anyone honing his skills to their absolute limit. If there were flaws, Hachiman would welcome Pike to find them. He was the antithesis of Pike, and Hachiman saw Pike as nothing more than something to polish his fighting style against.

  Whiskey, Program: Torrent. Allows the user to generate and control all forms of water freely. While a powerful Program, it was rendered almost useless in the face of Mawu’s Cold Snap. Mawu’s relaxed, calm attitude also clashed against Whiskey's fiery temperament, making it harder for Whiskey to contend with Mawu on a fundamental level.

  “Tsk… no choice. We’ll have to hold these two off as best we can.” Pike grumbled.

  “Agreed… Pocket, it’s your turn.” Whiskey called out to the individual next to her.

  “Yes, mam.” Pocket’s young feminine voice called out as they opened a flap on their cloak pocket. At that moment, dozens of Chasers poured out of that pocket. From how they moved, they all had their Programs activated and headed straight toward Trigger and the others.

  Pocket, Program: Storage. A Program specializing specifically in transport. Allows users to create spaces in pockets that can hold anything living or inanimate. The Chaser's skill directly affects the size and volume of the spaces created.

  Hachiman wasted no time seeing the dozens of Chasers spilling out of Pocket’s… pocket. He quickly unsheathed his blade, sending a slash of intense cutting wind pressure that targeted the escaping Chasers. A giant wave of water intercepted the slash and exploded. That water immediately turned into ice shards by Mawu and chased after the leaving Chasers. A dozen could not escape and were snipped out of the sky before Whiskey could take control of the falling ice spikes.

  The sharp shards of Ice remained suspended in the air as they remained in a deadlock behind Mawu’s and Whiskey’s control. Even with the dozen Chasers that Mawu had just dispatched, there were still two dozen heading towards Trigger's location. Mawu looked at the one they called Pocket and made a hand motion. Ice bound Pocket’s feet as Hachiman appeared before them like the wind. Pike met Hachiman there—a dagger holding off Hachiman’s blade.

  “Hehehe.”

  Hachiman and Mawu heard Pocket’s child-like laughter as their left had reached towards another pocket.