Prologue

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P. S: The prologue will make sense once you get  through the chapters.✌️

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Flashback...

Mr. Crooper was looking at his long ago used gun in the small secret locker behind his bookshelf.

"You better die," he triggered the gun.

The man was already screaming in pain. The only bullet that was left, went right into his head, freeing him from his agony. This incident was a traumatic one to Mr T, as he was the one who did it.

Memories hit him hard. He took his eyes off the gun, trying to erase his memories buried in it.

"Dinner's ready," his wife called him.

"Em-coming," he said, closed the locker and went to the dining room and sat on the chair next to his son's.

It was night, almost eight. Ms. Hynds went into the Head's office. She seemed to be rushing to meet him.

She dashed the door open. "Mr.Gill-Mr.Gill is dead," she stuttered as thunderstruck, lightning shadowed Mr. Braon who stood, facing the big monitor that automatically added the name of Mr. Gill to the death list of the month which already had 8 more names on it, making Mr.Gill the 9th.

"Informed his family?" he asked her in a slow but feisty tone.

"Not yet. But soon, sir," she told him and spoke to someone else on her earpiece, "Let his family know. Immediately," she commanded.

"You may leave," Mr. Braon said.

Ms. Hynds left his cabin, ran, speaking to the person at the other side of her earpiece. It was already drizzling. She took a rectangular thing out of her pocket, "I'm on my way," she spoke, in a flash, she vanished.

The place was crowded as it was a public avenue. Ms. Hynds moved through the crowd and went near the corpse of Mr. Gill.

"Everyone move away," she shouted at the crowd spreading her arms.

"Any witnesses here?" Ms. L asked looking at the crowd. No one stepped forward.

"The place was very much crowded. He was standing near a shoe mart. I noticed him as he dropped his umbrella. Suddenly, he fell to the ground. Bats started flying around as he jerked down. I  thought he must've fainted, so I tried to wake him up," an old man said.

"Was he alone?"

"He was," the old man uttered.

Then, a group of dieners arrived to take away the corpse. An autopsy was done.

"Is it a heart attack?" Ms. Hynds asked the examiner.

"Definitely not," she said, removing the gloves from her hands.

"No blood, no scar, neither suffocated nor strangled. Nothing," the examiner said.

"Then, how?"

"Nerves. His nerves are damaged," the examiner informed her.

Sobbing, his family came to the morgue. His wife pushed away Ms. Hynds who was standing near the corpse. His son and daughter crying over his body. A tear slipped from Ms. Hynds' eyes. She consoled the woman and her children.

"I never wanted this for him. I should've taken him away," the woman grieved on Ms. Hynds' arms. She could do nothing but hold the woman in her arms.  

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                           

It was almost mid-February. The occasional rains and snowfall of the winter were on.

One snowy day, a little kindergarten girl was playing under a tree in a playground. A huge tree branch seemed to be hanging on its edge. Unaware of the branch breaking down, the girl picked her orange beach ball from the ground. When she got up, the branch was completely off from the tree.

"Whooo!" A dusky girl with a ponytail of her dark brown hair glided off and made the falling branch stop in mid-air. She flew near to lay hold of the branch.

"Aah!" the little girl screamed.

"Gotcha," the dusky girl threw off the branch into the air and held the little girl.

"Thanks," the cute, tiny lipped little girl kissed her on the cheek.

"Waah! That was awesome," Ms. Hynds appreciated her gesture. Walking towards her she kicked off the branch thrown by the dusky girl.

"I know I'm awesome," the girl said checking her ponytail.

Then, there was a formal introduction between them.

"I do stunts too," Ms. Hynds said as they had a handshake. She learnt defence techniques during her schooling.

"We've decided to teach defence to the children of our city," Ms. Hynds told Mr. Braon which he warmly accepted.

They both initiated a defence duo and discussed it with Mr. Braon. After getting his permission. They started an academy to teach defensive strategies to young children as they can depend on themselves in threatening situations. They had almost a hundred students in their academy.

One not so warm day, "He will be the captain of the ship," Mr. Braon introduced a guy to the girls.

"He has a big brain. Hah-intelligent and skilled," Mr. Braon rugged the guy's hair. "He'll help you technically," he added.

"Hello, girls," the guy said smiling at the dusky girl as she smiled back at him.

                                                                   

When March was about to end, there were a lot of thefts in the city. And no evidence of burglaries found.

The defence duo was practising their skills in their academy. Mr. Braon arranged a meeting in his office, with the defence duo to talk about those thefts.

"Excuse me, sir," Ms. Hynds sought permission from Mr. Braon.

"Come in," he said as the girls walked in. "I've summoned you here at this time and I have a reason," he started his talk in his sharp voice.

"We know, sir. The past couple of months were peculiar for us. And we have no clue of what had happened. But—," Ms. Hynds was saying.

"But-What? I know what you are thinking," he stood up from his seat leaning his hands on the table. "And, your thought is absolutely correct," he uttered.

"But-But-it can't happen. How can it?" Ms. Hynds stuttered.

"It did-and we could do nothing about it yet," he said. "Find the key," he asserted.

"But, there isn't one. That's what we know," the dusky girl said.

"If you can't find it. Ask her," he said.

"Ask who?" Ms. Hynds asked him.

"Gatterkane," he said in a high voice.

The search was on for the key. Ms. Hynds got the contact of Ms. Gatterkane.

"She didn't remember anything about it, sir," Ms. Hynds told him. "But, she said that it has something to do with the Connector's child," she went on.

"It's known now. Do what must be done," Mr. Braon commanded. "The child must've grown by now," he gave them the job.

"We'll try to work that out, sir," the girls said and left his office.

That week, there was a mass theft followed by the disappearance of 21 people in the city.

The defence duo tried and tried and tried. One evening, 20 of the disappeared people returned to the city. The people reported that they saw some oddly dressed people take them. But, the curious thing was that the people didn't remember what had happened after that.

The people were found to fainted inside the cave. Unfortunately, the 21st was found dead near the city lake. It was also due to a severe nerve attack.

"He must've tried to escape," the dusky girl guessed.

"Yeah. And it must be Nocturn's power that killed him," Ms. Hynds got it right.

After those incidents, the city was in peace for almost five months. Ms. Hynds was busy with her mother in her native. The defence academy was as usual going on led by the dusky girl.

"We need a third member," the dusky girl said. "We'll be trio. That'll be cool."

"I know someone. A cutie," the guy said.

"Oh! Cutie? Who is she?" the dusky girl asked in a playful tone.

"A friend of mine."

"Here, I am terribly crushing on you. But, you're getting new girlfriends?" she said with a tint of jealousy.

"Dumb! Stop it. Play hard," he smiled.

"Eeww- a dumb flirt ," she hushed, winking at him.

"Stop this bullshit," Ms. Hynds intervened.

There were appearances of matte magenta cloaked people in public places, attacking people there and demolishing properties. It was reported to be a terrorist attack that was very rare in that place.  The appropriate protections were made by Mr. Braon as the head of the city.

"Sir, why can't we disclose it to the people? Atleast they'll be careful," the dusky girl insisted.

"No. People will panic."

The attack was followed by a quiet week which moved on as normal as it could without cloaked flying people and horrible attacks in public places. People were starting to feel safe as they used to do.

"Did you talk to the child? Um- who's probably now a grown up," Mr. Braon asked Ms. Hynds.

"Not yet, Mr. Braon," she said with hesitation. "She's still a little girl. I think a year would do."

"A year?- I'm okay with it though I find it a lot more than enough," he agreed.

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It was October, the autumn eve was on swing.

"Ms. Hynds, I summoned you here because I-um-," Mr. Braon hesitated.

"Tell me, Mr. Braon."

"Um- the locker with the weapon has been stolen," he said.

"Oh my god! How- how could this happen?"

"I don't know. But, it did," he said as guilt and the frustration of losing it was clearly noticeable in his stammering voice.

"What do we do?"

"You called-?". The dusky girl walked into his cabin.

"Yeah. I did and as expected you're late," Mr. Braon looked at her.

"You texted me to be here at eleven," she said and looked at the digital wall clock as it showed 11:00 am. "Just because Ms. Hynds is early doesn't mean that I'm late."

"Ugh- How's the plan going on?" Mr. Braon asked. "Is everything ready?"

"Yeah-But-Isn't it so soon? I asked for a year. It needs a bit more time for-," before Ms. Hynds could finish it,

"Now-is the need," Mr. Braon's voice was sharp as a warrior's sword. As he got up from his chair facing the girls, the lightening brightened his face as he slicked back his medium, wavy hair falling near his eye.