8:00:03 p.m; Florence, Italy"Target going east, AC," Aiden heard his partner, Armand, say from his earpiece. Siya ang umasikaso ng surveillance ngayon.Aidan shifted his body along with the sniper he's holding, carefully locating the target. There he was, peacefully sipping wine and talking to other businessmen.Aidan has his set up on the rooftop of a hotel across their target's location. He's been crouched on his position with his sniper gun for almost an hour now, naghihintay ng tamang tyempo. Ito na yata ang pinakamatrabahong misyon na natanggap niya. Kinailangan nilang bantayan ang target nang halos isang buwan para lamang makagawa ng ng pulidong plano, at ngayong gabi na nila balak tapusin ito. Hindi biro ang kinailangan nilang gawin lalo pa't h

The first thing he registered when he finally came to his senses was the sterile scent in the room. And he immediately wanted to groan. Fuck. The second thing was when he opened his eyes and saw the familiar white walls. Too white for his liking. He has never felt the biggest urge to run away since.He is not in a hospital, he knows. Well, it is a hospital, but not a typical one. It's more of a clinic. Ang agency mismo ang nagmamay-ari nito. It's for emergency situations like this. Kapag masyadong kahina-hinala ang pinsala na tinao nila na maaaring magdulot ng suspetya sa normal na hospital.He forced his eyes to open, getting blinded by the too bright light above him. Narinig niya ang tunog ng sapatos ng kung sinumang kasama niya sa kwarto. His eyes slowly gained focus and his eyes met the face of his best friend. He had never groaned

Aiden was quick to school the expression of shock on his face into a blank one. “Hey, you still there?” tanong ni Klyden mula sa kabilang linya. Aiden averted his gaze from Artemis. Kumuha siya ng ilan pang sitsirya at inilagay ito sa cart niya bago ito muling itinulak. He fixed his hold on his phone. He can feel his hands shaking for some reason. Is he nervous? Embarrassed? Flustered? Guilty? As he pushed his cart past her, their eyes met once again. Nanikip ang kanyang dibdib sa ekspresyon ni Artemis. She looks so confused. He willed himself to keep it cool. Aiden gave her a small smile, her eyes widened for a fraction before giving a small smile too, immediately averting her gaze after. He reached the next aisle still feeling dazed. Ang maliit na interaksyon ay paulit-ulit na naglalaro sa kanyang utak. Sa maikling sandali ay tumatak agad sa kanya ang lahat. Her dark brown hair, she used to have it long, no

The third time they met, believe it or not, was purely on accident. Apat na araw na ang nakakaraan mula nang magkita sila sa hospital, pinadalhan siyang muli ng kanyang agency ng lokasyon, as expected, but after hours of waiting, she didn’t show up. He went home feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief that day. Disappointed that it delayed the progress of his mission, at the same time relieved for the same reason. He was jogging around the small village, a habit he formed every time he’s injured so he would heal faster, when he accidentally saw her walking out of her house. They were both shocked at the sight of each other. “Oh,” ani nito.“Ikaw ulit.” Huminto siya sa labas ng bahay nito, eyes focused on her. “I didn’t know you live here,” he said. That’s partly a lie, he kind of deduced she lived somewhere near the area if his a

Sa tagal ng taon na iginugol ni Aiden sa pag-eensayo at pagtatrabaho bilang isang agent, ito na yata ang pinakamaraming beses na nadala siya sa ospital o kahit clinic man lang, sa loob ng isang buwan. He works quietly, was trained for even the most extreme of extreme situations. Kaya naman talagang nakakagulat na sa loob lamang ng isang buwan ay dalawang beses na agad siyang nadadala sa ospital. Kahit sa pinakamahirap na mga misyon niya ay hindi inaabot ng ganito. Makakatamo siya ng mga sugat, ngunit hindi sapat para umabot pa rito.   The next time he opened his eyes, he saw the white ceiling and his first thought was the agency, and he immediately closed them again. He internally groaned. His senses slowly came back, with a massive throbbing at the back of his head at that. He’s hearing hushed whispers from somewhere in the room, at kahit na alam niyang mahina ang kanilang boses, nakadagdag pa rin ito sa sakit ng kaniyang ulo. He groaned loudly this time.