The plane descended slowly, cutting through the night air as it approached their destination. The hum of the engines filled the cabin.
"Felix?" Maria called out.
He slowly opened his mismatched eyes. His arms folded. His face barely rested.
"We're here. Are you ready?" She asked.
Clutching his shirt, he glanced out the window and saw the darkness. "Yeah… I'm ready."
The plane landed in a clearing just outside the city.
Maria stepped down and stretched out her arms, dressed in a black cat suit, adorned with an array of belts and straps that carried her limited equipment.
Felix set his iron-soled boots on the ground. Nearly his entire body had been covered in a thick black trench coat that was left open in the middle, on his collar was a strip of metal with both points shaped like arrows.
Ahead was a dense woodland, behind was a short runway for the private jet.
The faint blue light from his left eye stood out in the evening darkness.
With a weak voice, he muttered, "China…" His fist tightened.
He breathed in, the evening air filled his lungs. Explosions could barely be heard in the distance.
"Enjoying the view, Cappuccino?"
"Cappuccino?" He raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have a codename yet, right?"
"Doesn't mean you get to call me whatever you like."
"Fine. Felix is better anyway." She shrugged.
They marched through the thicket, the sounds of the city grew louder with every step forward.
As an alleyway came into view, Felix crouched behind the bushes, scanning the shadows. But he was caught off-guard by how Maria pulled out a grappling hook, swiftly swinging through the buildings.
Felix blinked, then followed. He quickly climbed up through the old windows and ledges. When he made it up the building, a Chinese dragon kite flew overhead, pulled by a drone through the haze.
The dusk sky was filled with excitement and color, as the loud sound of bangs, clangs and crackles could clearly be caught in every direction.
"A festival?" he asked as the flurry of lights reflected in his eyes, "Enjoying the fireworks?"
He looked at her, the wind brushing her hair.
"Well… " She responded vaguely, pointing forward.
The whereabouts of their targets were supposedly unknown, but standing atop the buildings, it did not take long for them to discover what they were looking for.
In the center of the excitement stood a wide, twenty-story office building. At its front was a tall metal gate with only one entrance. Though the town had buildings, none came close to as tall or as gaudy as the one in the center.
"Now why would a skyscraper need a guarded gate?" She asked.
He glanced over to her and replied, "Unless they're hiding something worth protecting."
They exchanged smirks before jumping off and moving on ahead.
Red lanterns swayed left and right, painting the street in a warm glow, while banners fluttered in the breeze.
Both of them walked through the streets, their dark outfits sticking out like a sore thumb, while everyone in the crowd dressed in vibrant red and gold, with minor tinges of jade-green. Some of them even wearing decorative masks lined with yellow markings.
Maria walked with a lackadaisical smile, humming. Felix walked slowly behind her, his eyes scanned the surrounding stalls. Several of the stands had logos of Golden Lion Pharmaceuticals, as well as the other organizations from the alliance — all of them vandalized and covered with trash.
Smoke from used fireworks drifted across the rooftops.
Rows of food stalls lined the streets as the two walked through the crowds.
Only for Felix's gaze to notice a particularly small stall — One with a red bird standing on two intersecting arrows shaped like an 'x'.
He grinned, nudging Maria on the shoulder as he pointed towards it, her curious expression tilting towards it.
As they headed towards it, Felix knocked on the wooden counter, "Excuse me."
"Excuse?" The man inside the stall glanced at the two agents, wearing a red durag. Behind him, a small, carnival like shooting gallery.
"You're a robin, right?" Felix picked up the toy gun, and aimed it at the water balloon behind the
"We need the word, word bird." Maria added, her gaze shifting towards the prizes hanging on the walls — trinkets, knick-knacks, and colored masks.
"Ah… judging by your outfits, you must be a field agent." The booth keeper grinned, clearly chewing on something, "Explains why you speak English."
"We're from the agency." Felix pulled the trigger, only for the pellet to bounce off the balloon.
The man turned around and with a grumpy tone replied, "There're a lot of agencies."
Felix pulled out a small golden pin from his pocket, engraved with a lion and other symbols.
"Golden Lion, huh? I take it you two wanna get in that big building over there?" The booth keeper responded as he pointed towards the structure with his chin.
"How'd you know?" Maria asked.
"Another operative came by earlier, lookin' for a way in, same as you. Requested me to scout the area. Left as soon as I told 'em there was no other way in."
"Who? From which organization?" He fired again at the same balloon, and the plastic bullet bounced off again.
"You know we ain't allowed to disclose that. Twelve agencies, but not Golden Lion is all I'm gonna say. Tough luck, place is crawling with guards. Can't even see it from above. They shoot down my surveillance drones whenever they get too close."
"Is that so?" Felix pulled the trigger one last time, and it bounced back one last time.
"Mafia with a skyscraper. Subtle." Maria said in exasperation, staring at the tallest building in the town.
"Tsk. Rigged game." He clicked his tongue, looking at the structure with her.
The robin scratched his chin, "It got renovated just a month ago. According to sources, it was funded by some corrupt politician who wanted to line his pockets. Made it bigger and faster, with cheaper materials. As if this country wasn't already full of ghost towns."
"Thanks for the info." Felix began to walk.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" The old booth keeper said smugly.
Felix turned around and saw him reach out to give him a pair of sunglasses.
"What's this?"
"Your prize." The old man answered, pointing his chin towards the balloon, leaking out from a small hole. "Might wanna hide those eyes of yours, Black Cat."
"You know who I am?"
"Only person I've heard of with a glowing blue eye. Wasn't too sure at first, but after showing me your badge… Well, word goes around in the Robin Network." His grin widened as chewed, "I doubt anyone's gonna recognize you, but since you're already dressed in all black, might as well complete the set."
"Thanks." Felix answered as he took it, "I'll be sure to credit you."
"Anything for me?" Maria perked up with a cheeky smile, raising her palms.
"All out of freebies, I'm afraid." The booth keeper shrugged.
Maria waved goodbye to the old robin and followed Felix.
He put on the sunglasses, fireworks bursting in the reflection of his lenses. When the light faded, a red dot flickered in the distance — the private jet had left.
From this point onward, they were on their own.
~