Relikta, Formation Seven:

The girl drew in short, ragged breaths as she ran. Several columns of rock blurred past, suspended beneath the overhanging cliff. The girl shot a quick glance back and threw herself to the side.

An explosion crashed nearby, sending splinters of rock flying everywhere. The girl pushed herself up and kept running.

"More artillery fire headed in your direction," a voice crackled through her earpiece.

"I got it," the girl said, quickly ducking behind a stone pillar. Another explosion sounded, breaking a massive crater into the path between the two cliffs. The girl let out a breath and jumped back out into the open, careful to edge around the crater.

"They're closing in on your location," the voice said.

"I know already," the girl scowled. "How far to the target?"

"Still about a kilometer," the voice replied.

"Any good news left?"

"Umm... backup is on its way. They should be here in about a hundred fifty seconds."

"Who's coming?"

"It's agent Eighty-Three, I believe."

"I thought I told you I wanted good news."

"Well, at least there is backup. Anyways, try not to push yourself Lady Mer- err, agent Fifty-Two. This is only your second field mission."

"And I'll get it done the right way," the girl huffed. "Over and out."

A low humming sound suddenly drifted through the air. The girl gritted her teeth, taking a quick glance back. Three dark shapes hovered in the sky, slowly growing in size.

"Missiles, really?" the girl muttered to herself. "They're that desperate?"

A quick leap forward sent the girl sprawling onto the ground, kicking up dust clouds in her wake. A few seconds later and the missile exploded right where she had been running.

"And they're seeking too... just great..." the girl said, standing back up. The two other shadows loomed ominously above, slowly growing in size.

The girl tensed, gaze shifting between the dark figures of the missiles above, and the long, winding path before her. Then suddenly, she broke into a run, dodging the second missile, which struck the ground a split second later.

Finally, with a kick to the side, the girl dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way of the third missile, blowing a small crater into other side of the cliff. The girl stood, brushed off her clothing, and glanced up. No more shadows.

"They’ll detect me again soon," the girl said. "I have to hurry."

The path twisted to the right, passing by more stone columns under the overhanging cliffs. The girl panted heavily, shooting an occasional glance up at the sky. She tapped her visor, opening up a map. A little over three hundred meters to go. She could still make it.

The path made a sharp U-turn, forcing the girl to slow down to a jog. Another low humming sound rippled through the air. The girl grimaced.

"More missiles, huh?" she said. "But, it's too late. I've nearly made-"

Suddenly, a glint of silver entered her vision. The girl threw herself to the left, narrowly avoiding a cut to the throat. She looked up.

Three silver, mechanical guards stood in her way, each resembling a silvery humanoid skeleton, brandishing electric spears. The path opened up into a plateau a few meters away. An enormous stone castle stood in the distance, surrounded by a gleaming silver wall.

The girl gritted her teeth. So close... if she could just close the last few meters, she could make it... but what if she died before then? Maybe she should just recall... this was only her second assignment after all...

The girl shook her head. No. No way was she going to fail. She would show him... show everyone that one could do a mission the right way and still succeed.

Then suddenly, the guards collapsed. The girl just stared for a few seconds, and finally let out a breath.

"Nice timing, Eighty-Three," the girl said.

Another girl walked out of the shadow of a stone pillar nearby, holding what looked like a remote controller in her hand. She tossed the device to the other girl, quickly scanning the area.

"Looks like you don't have much time left, Fifty-Two," the girl said. "They've already launched atomic diffusion missiles."

"They're really that desperate?" the other girl said, slowly rising to her feet. "Well, either way, I'm practically in range already. It's their loss."

Eighty-Three nodded. "I'll recall then. Make sure you come back in one piece."

The girl muttered something, and collapsed. The other girl looked up at the stone castle. The low humming of the missiles had already reached her ears. This would have to be quick.

The girl sprinted forward, crossing an invisible boundary where the path opened up. She smirked, pressing the yellow button on the neural transmitter. "Ten minutes should be plenty of time."

The world suddenly turned black.

Colors swirled randomly in the inky darkness, as if trying to remember what patterns they were supposed to make. A voice, no, several voices called out, spewing phrases of high-pitched gibberish into the void. After a few seconds, everything stopped. Then the world came back into focus.

The girl blinked twice, flexing her hands. She looked down.

Her host body seemed to be wearing a dress of some kind, white laced with intricate red decoration carefully sewn on. She noticed the muddy brown color of her skin, a common trait for the humans living on this planet. She looked up, taking in the various wooden drawers and shelves that lined the sides of the room. A large wooden table, painted white, sat squarely in the center of the room. She appeared to be sitting on one of the chairs surrounding the table.

"To think that she fell asleep here," the girl muttered in her new voice. She sighed, and closed her eyes. Time to get down to business.

Scanning through the host's memories, the girl picked out any information that seemed to be related to her assignment. There were a few images of snow, some of a barren, icy landscape. People where in the memories too, one in particular of a handsome-looking young man, always standing in front of a crowd. Then, a word. Just one word.

"Dekashar," the girl muttered. She opened her eyes. "NULL agent Fifty-Two, requesting recall."
***
Earth, City of Kain, NULL headquarters:

"Dekashar..." I said. "That's a strange place for a stronghold."

"I swear, that's what the girl was thinking about," a girl sitting to the side said. She narrowed her eyes. "And I know I heard it right."

I sat inside a small conference-style room. A white, rectangular table took up most of the space, with six chairs lined up on either side. Holographic computer screens hovered near the center of the table, currently not in use. Three other people sat with me, a pearly-white haired girl completely dressed in white sitting next to me, a dark haired boy dressed in a black suit sitting opposite to her, and a light-brown haired girl wearing a white uniform with black trim sitting opposite to me. I would be the black haired boy wearing a dark green uniform with light blue trim.

"I believe you," I said. "However, the information does seem peculiar. Why that planet of all places?"

"Maybe our lead was off?" another girl sitting opposite to me suggested.

"We've double checked all of our sources," a boy about my age sitting next to the other girl said. "There's no way it could be incorrect."

"What I really want to know is why you're here, Seventeen," the first girl huffed. "I thought we were going to meet with an analyst."

That was my codename. Agent Seventeen of the Multi-Racial People's Republic, the MRPR: currently the dominating governmental institution for over half the galaxy. The agency I worked for, NULL, specialized in information-gathering, with the occasional skirmish against terrorism.

I sighed. "The analyst is busy for the moment, so you're stuck with me until she's available."

The girl scowled. "This agency never helps with anything, right Emault?"

The boy winced. "Well, I wouldn't put it that way, Lady Merith. They do provide us with equipment."

The boy and the girl sitting next to each other were named Emault and Merith, respectively. They had been survivors from my last mission, where I had planned the destruction of their planet to save Earth. However, apparently Merith's father, a wealthy businessman, had left the planet beforehand and was still alive. After a brief family reunion, he had agreed to give Merith and Emault, essentially Merith's servant, the financial support necessary to join NULL and become agents, on the condition to the agency that they would only be given non-life-threatening missions, except in states of emergency. Apparently having wealthy connections does make a difference sometimes.

Merith entered the agency as agent Fifty-Two, and Emault as agent Fifty-Five. Numbers were given out on a vacancy basis except for the first twelve, which served more as a memorial than anything else.

In the two months that had passed, Merith and Emault both successfully became neural agents. Although their amplification factors were both low, they had both survived, which still amazed me to no end.

"But then they just sort of leave us on our own during actual field assignments," the other girl said.

"See, Rota knows what she's talking about," Merith said, gesturing at her.

Then the last girl, NULL agent Eighty-Three, otherwise known as Rota. She had been a colonist I rescued on my last mission before the planet was destroyed. She had lived with me for a while, and just recently joined the agency a few weeks ago, complaining that she wasn't doing anything useful in the house. I had protested at first, since I was technically her legal guardian after getting her off the planet, but since she insisted, I had little other choice. Luckily, she survived becoming a neural agent, with a surprisingly high amplification factor too. Although I still worried about her from time to time.

“It’s pointless to argue about what the agency does,” I said. “Anyways, we should get back on track.”

"Yeah, and let's start by meeting the analyst that's supposed to be here," Merith said. "Just what is taking him so long?"

"It's a her," I said. "And if you knew her personally, you wouldn't mind waiting awhile longer."

"What, is she idiotic and rude or something?" Merith asked.

"You're about half right," I said.

Suddenly the door slid open. A girl stepped in.

Her short brown hair made it down to her eyes, then abruptly stopped. Her dull gray uniform added no additional compliments to her appearance. She wore a pair of glasses constantly displaying new information on the lenses, and had several holographic computer screens hovering around her, as if she was too busy analyzing information to even notice anyone else's presence.

"You're late," I said.

"I was doing something constructive," the girl said with a tone that obviously implied "unlike you".

I let out a breath. "Everyone, this is agent Twenty-Two, an exceptional analyst, as well as NULL's top ranked agent."

"Honorifics are unnecessary," the girl said, taking a seat at the head of the table. She made a few gestures, and the holographic screens disappeared. She glanced around the room, and sighed. "I'm meeting with C ranked agents now? Honestly, just what sort of crisis has this agency fallen into?"

Merith tensed, but I gave her a look and she backed down.

"Well, since I'm here, you might as well give me the details," Twenty-Two said.

"Alright, well-" Merith started, but Twenty-Two put up a hand.

"That will not be necessary," Twenty-Two said. She reached into her pockets, pulling out a neural transmitter. Merith flinched.

"What are you doing?" Merith said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Twenty-Two said, extending an auxiliary attachment. "I'm getting the details."

Twenty-Two pointed the neural transmitter at Merith, who cowered slightly. She pressed a button on the auxiliary attachment and the device beeped. Then she pointed the device at herself and pressed the red button. Merith quickly recovered.

"What was that?" Merith said. "I didn't feel anything."

"I doubt you would understand," Twenty-Two said, adjusting her glasses. A second later she nodded.

"Dekashar," she said. "As I had suspected."

Merith gave me a look that said "what did she just do?" I sighed.

"The neural transmitter has some auxiliary functions that include-" I started.

"Memory transfer, utilizing static current generated in the air-" Twenty-Two interrupted.

"To access certain levels of neural synapses in the memory-" I continued.

"Storage area of the brain to transfer a set of memories in a specific time frame to another entity present," Twenty-Two finished. I shot a glare at her.

"That's the theory anyway," I said.

"Umm... are you two arguing or something?" Rota said uncertainly.

"An argument would imply a two-sided engagement," Twenty-Two said with an all too obvious implication.

"Let's get back on topic, shall we," Emault cut in. "So Twenty-Two, what's your opinion?"

"Dekashar was one of the three planets I was considering as a location for the rebel stronghold," Twenty-Two said. "Its remote location as well as the heavy resistance to searches conducted by the MRPR makes it a prime suspect, however..."

"The rebel influence seems to be spreading on the opposite side of the galaxy," I said.

"Exactly," Twenty-Two nodded. "It would seem odd that the epicenter of the rebel threat is located halfway across the galaxy from the planets that most support them."

"Err, can someone explain to me what this 'rebel threat' is already?" Merith asked.

“You’ll hear it at the debriefing,” Twenty-Two said dismissively. She turned my way, a dead serious expression engraved on her face. “Seventeen, you and I have both been requested.”

I paused for a moment. "Are you serious?"

Twenty-Two nodded. “Failure will be unacceptable.”

The agent stood and left the room. I rose to my feet as well.

“Mission debriefing on the rebel threat begins in two hours,” I said, trying as best as I could to keep my voice level. “It will be in your best interest to come.”

“Another mission already?” Rota asked somewhat wearily.

"The details for any mission S class or above are available for all operatives," I said. "You aren't necessarily coming with us."

"Wait... then this mission is...?"

"No," I said. "This mission is untiered. Otherwise the higher ups wouldn't have requested two S ranked operatives to come."

"What does 'untiered' mean?" Merith asked.

"Normal missions are classified by the rank of an operative required to complete it alone, or with a single backup squadron," I explained. "For example, Akenschuave was an S class mission, thus I, an S class agent was dispatched alone. Untiered missions are completely different. Last time, even mobilizing every agent in the agency wasn't enough."

"Last time?"

"The last untiered mission, the terrorist assault six years ago, almost annihilated both the agency and the MRPR. Since then, there hasn't been an incident on even a remotely comparable scale to that one. That is, until today."
***

The mission briefing room was an enormous, dome-shaped chamber, almost like an amphitheater. A few sets of stairs led up to the far end of the room, across rows of seats, each elevated higher than the last. The room was dimly lit, with only the soft glow of blue holographic screens and keyboards at every seat providing just enough light to see. A few agents were already present, Twenty-Two and Seventeen among them. A massive white holographic screen hovered on the wall at the near end of the room, with six men in white uniforms with NULL printed on them standing underneath. Several giant blue jellyfish, Limmatans, floated at the sides of the room.

Rota entered the room, and quickly jumped to the third row, where Seventeen sat. The dark haired boy glanced briefly in her direction before turning back to the holographic screen at his hands. Merith and Emault took seats next to her.

Slowly, over the course of about twenty minutes, other agents filed into the briefing room, mostly older men and women, but Rota saw a few people her age, or even younger. One little girl in particular glanced her way, a curious look on her face. Then she just shrugged to herself and moved on.

After the seats had filled about halfway, one of the uniformed men standing in front cleared his throat, holding up a microphone.

"Agents of NULL," the man said, and silence instantly filled the room. "My name is Drexel Karis, and I will be your primary mission proctor.

"As most of you already know, this is the first crisis in six years of NULL's history that has received an untiered classification. However, do not panic. We believe that this crisis is significantly less urgent than that of the terrorist assault six years ago."

Several people across the room let out breaths of relief. Rota joined them. So, the crisis wasn't so bad that it could destroy the world. That was good.

"Still, this mission remains a serious matter," the man continued, and silence fell again. He pointed to the holographic screen behind him, and three pictures of planets appeared. One looked mostly white, with a few patches of blue, another dark and ominous, and the third brown and dusty. "This mission has been given the alias 'rebel threat'. You may review the specifics by accessing the NULL database on your screens. The general information is as follows.

"There is a man, claiming the name Han Su Lee, who has been gathering supporters over the past few years, mostly centered on the planets you see here. This was regarded as simply a religious cult in the beginning, but the number of supporters has drastically risen in the past months, along with an increase in the violence of their actions.

"We have received notice from the MRPR to regard this cult as a rebel uprising, and we are to deal with it accordingly. Agent Twenty-Two, our highest ranked operative, has determined the most probable locations of their base of operations, with the aid of agents Fifty-Two and Fifty-Five."

"You're welcome," Merith muttered.

"The planets you see above are the most heavily suspected of harboring rebel activity. One has an almost certain probability of housing their headquarters," the man said. "The black planet is known as Elkrelia. The local government has been accepted by the MRPR, but the majority of their citizens are discontent. It is a planet perpetually surrounded by thunderstorms, and the native species, the Elkrei, resemble human-fish hybrids. Additional information will be available in the database.

"The brown planet is Relikta, a planet which recently cut communications with the MRPR, and has heavily resisted searches conducted by us. The planet is mostly desert, and is the most probable location of their headquarters.

"The last planet, Dekashar, has been recently deemed suspicious due to the analysis agent Twenty-Two conducted. It is mainly tundra, and the inhabitants are relatively few due to this. However, the main governing body of Dekashar has been obstinately resisting trade and communication with the MRPR. This makes the planet highly suspect to rebel activity as well."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" one of the agents asked, raising a hand.

"Agents Seventeen and Twenty-Two are to be deployed to Elkreila, and Relikta, respectively," the man said. "They will choose among agents to accompany them on a team. The final team will be selected by our analysts and proctors. Also, please keep in mind that your mission is not only to find the rebel headquarters, but also to quash the main resistance movement on all three planets. The team that does find the rebel headquarters is to send a message immediately. NULL will provide all available support to that team. Is everyone clear?"

A collective nod ran through the room. Rota nodded as well.

"Then, will agents Twenty-Two and Seventeen please step forward," the proctor said. Seventeen stood, and walked down to the front of the room. Twenty-Two followed quickly behind.

"Please select your team's agents one at a time," the man said. "Your team is limited to ten agents, but if you believe you can accomplish the mission with less, feel free to say so. Twenty-Two, as the higher-ranked operative, you may begin."

"I require no support," Twenty-Two said.

"Neither do I," Seventeen said.

The agents assembled immediately broke out into hushed whispers. The proctor cleared his throat, glancing exasperatedly at the two agents in front.

"NULL requires that you have at least two other agents accompany you on this mission," the man said.

Twenty-Two scowled. "Agents Sixteen and Twenty-One."

"Agents Fifteen and Forty-Three," Seventeen said crisply.

Rota looked at Seventeen with a confused expression. Seventeen glanced her way and mouthed the words, too dangerous. Rota sighed, slumping back in her chair.

"He didn't pick any of us," Merith said from the seat next to her.

"He thought it would be too dangerous," Rota said.

"Well, all of us are still relatively inexperienced," Emault said.

"Whatever," Merith grumbled angrily, folding her arms.

"Are there any additional team member selections?" the proctor asked.

"Yes," Seventeen said. He looked up in Merith's direction. "Agent Fifty-Two, stop sulking and get down here."

Merith blinked, eyes widening. She looked at Rota, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

"Good luck," Rota whispered.

The white-haired girl rose slowly, every pair of eyes in the room fixated on her. Then she dashed down the stairs to where Seventeen was standing. The room exploded with conversation.

"Alright, settle down," the proctor said, and the talking quickly died. "Are there any more selections?"

"Agent Fifty-Five," Twenty-Two said. She glanced in Seventeen's direction. "Since you're at a disadvantage anyway, I'll at least make the numbers fair."

The talking flared up for a brief moment, but quieted back down with a stern look from the proctors. Emault stood and made his way down to the teams.

"Is that all the selections?" the proctor asked.

"Yes," Seventeen said.

"We're finally done," Twenty-Two said with a hint of disdain, and promptly left the room. Her team stood dazed for a moment, but quickly followed behind.

"This is why I hate working with her," Seventeen muttered to himself.

"Now, the selection for the team to investigate Dekashar will commence," the proctor announced. He turned to Seventeen. "Agent Seventeen, is there anyone you would like to recommend for this mission?"

"Two S ranked agents, five A ranked agents, two C ranked agents, and agent Eighty-Three," Seventeen said. "That is all."

With that said, Seventeen walked out of the room, motioning for his team to follow.

"So, what now?" Merith asked.

"Patience," Seventeen said. He gestured to a door at random in the corridor. "In here."

Merith gave the boy a skeptical look, but followed the team inside regardless. The room looked exactly the same as a standard meeting room, white walls, white table, blue holographic screens hovering everywhere.

Seventeen pressed on the table, and a planetary map popped up. He motioned for the rest of the team to sit, then he sat down as well. Merith glanced over at the other members. One little girl about seven years old dressed completely in pink, and a young man in a black suit met her gaze. She squinted at the little girl, who gave her a cheerful wave.

"Um, Seventeen, no offense, but are you sure it's okay to take her along with us?" Merith asked, gesturing at the girl.

"Merith, this is agent Fifteen," Seventeen said, still fiddling around with the map display. "I believe you met her informally on Akenschuave."

"Wait," Merith said, slowly turned to face the girl. "You mean... she's Fifteen?"

"I kind of get the feeling you're making fun of me," the girl said, making a mock pouting expression. "But yeah, I'm Fifteen."

Merith blinked. "How... old are you?"

Fifteen shrugged. "Like, three or four years, maybe."

"They let four year-olds join the agency?"

Fifteen rolled her eyes. "I don't get what's so surprising. Seventeen is only about six years old."

Merith stared at Seventeen now. The boy looked up.

"Growth acceleration technology has been around for centuries now," Seventeen said. "It's relatively simple to accelerate human growth to the age you want, then use advanced nanotechnology to retain the appearance of that age."

"Wait, so then why does Fifteen look like she's still, like, seven?"

"So people don't suspect I'm in NULL, obviously," Fifteen said. She frowned. "Hey, Seventeen, just how long does it take to set up the coordinates?"

Seventeen shot a glare up, and the map zoomed in, displaying about a quarter of the overall planet. A red dot appeared on one of the land masses. "Coordinates have been set. Proxy bodies have been prepared on the other end. We'll leave in a few seconds."

"Wait, a few seconds?" Merith said.

Suddenly, four diamond-shaped crystals rose up from the table. Then everything disappeared in a flash.
***

"I'm not expecting much from all of you," Twenty-Two said as she walked. "But at the very least, don't interrupt my work on Relikta."

"We're not that incompetent, Twenty-Two," Sixteen said. "Although we'll leave the majority of the mission to you, of course."

"As it should be," Twenty-Two said.

Emault breathed out a silent sigh, glancing at his team. Sixteen was back, although he looked somewhat different than Emault had imagined. He had alabaster-white hair, combed back against his head, sharply contrasting with a very professional-looking dark blue suit. Both of which looked somewhat awkward, considering that Sixteen himself looked a few years younger than Emault.

"Sixteen," Emault motioned at the agent. Sixteen glanced back.

"Oh, it's you," Sixteen said with a quick nod. "Good to see you made it back alive."

"Thanks," Emault said. He glanced at the other agent slightly in front, a black-haired girl in a dark grey dress, only a little older than he was. "Is that Twenty-One?"

"Yes she is," Sixteen said. "Although she has somewhat of an inferiority complex, always being compared to agent Twenty-Two while she's only a B ranked operative."

"That must be difficult," Emault said. If Twenty-Two was even more incredible than Seventeen, he could understand how someone could be feeling inferior. "But, doesn't that mean people compare you to Seventeen, Sixteen?"

Sixteen raised an eyebrow. "No. People don't compare other agents to Seventeen. It's like how people don't compare other people named Han Su Lee to the original. Seventeen has become so widely known to the point where people who don't even know NULL exists know his name."

"And he's still only second in the agency?" Emault said.

"Well, that's because Twenty-Two is a special case," Sixteen said. "She likes to keep her missions secret, and often only performs supportive analysis from NULL headquarters. However, there is no human alive who could possibly overcome Twenty-Two's ability."

"Why is-" Emault started, but was interrupted as Twenty-Two shoved him roughly through a door. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"You three will be heading to Relikta momentarily," Twenty-Two said. "I will join you in a few hours."

"Wait, why-" Emault said, but the door had already slid shut.

"Like I said before," Sixteen said, combing his hand through his hair. "Twenty-Two is a special case."

"Is everyone prepared?" Twenty-One asked. Emault glanced in her direction. Three diamond shaped crystals floated in the center of the room, glowing with power.

"Yes," Sixteen replied. "The mission on Relikta will now begin."
***

Rota swiveled her eyes around the circle of unfamiliar faces. She bit back some of the tension building in her chest, coughing lightly. The group stood in relative silence, each person giving the others suspicious glances.

After Seventeen and Twenty-Two had left with their teams, the missions proctors began the formation of the third team, with agents, mostly S rank, nominating themselves, and the proctors building groups based on team synergy. Rota had looked blankly ahead throughout the entire process, unsure of what she should do. In the end, a final team had been established, following Seventeen's recommendation to the letter. Then the proctors had called Rota down, although it took a few seconds for her to register.

Right now, Rota stood in a completely white room, around a circular table projecting holographic screens. Two of the people were clicking away at the holographic keyboards, while the others stood in stony silence.

"Well, this silence won't be getting us anywhere," one of the agents, a young blond woman, said. She looked up from her keyboard. "Since we're on the same team, let's introduce ourselves. I'm agent Thirty-One, not my age by the way, S rank number five."

"Agent Twenty-Eight, S rank number four," a boy who looked slightly younger than Rota said. He slid his eyes over to the woman. "Technically your superior."

"Point taken; no need to get aggressive," Thirty-One said, putting up her hands. "Anyone else?"

"What I want to know is," one of the older men spoke up. He pointed in Rota's direction, and at two of the others. "Why are they with us? This is an untiered mission, the first in six years. We should be mobilizing every S and A ranked agent we have available. Why do three C ranked operatives take priority on this team?"

A chorus of muttering ran through the room. Rota hugged her chest tightly, glancing nervously at the man.

"Hey, what's your number?" Thirty-One asked, pointing at the man.

"Agent Fifty-One, A ranked number twelve," the man replied, with a hint of pride.

Thirty-One and Twenty-Eight exchanged glances. Then Thirty-One looked back at the man. "Do you know who Seventeen is?"

"He's S rank number two," the man replied.

"And?"

"... what else is there to say?"

"Yep, he's a complete greenhorn," Thirty-One said. "Doesn't even know how to address his superiors."

The man's expression tightened. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Agent Fifty-One," Twenty-Eight cut in. "Since you're new, you might not know this, but the top three agents in S rank all have titles in addition to their rank. Formally, Seventeen's title is 'Immortal Agent Seventeen', although most people refer to him as 'god Seventeen'."

"What?" Fifty-One said. "That's ridiculous. Why should I call another agent 'immortal', or 'god'?"

"He's completely clueless," Twenty-Eight said, shaking his head.

"Look, mister," Thirty-One said. "Do you even know what Seventeen has done? He's one of the originals. Yeah, that's right, he's one of the four who survived the experiment six years ago, and he's the only one who didn't go insane afterwards. On top of that, he's successfully completed every mission assigned to him, alone. Heck, he even completed an S ranked mission after having his memory wiped. He'd be the best agent here if it wasn't for Twenty-Two and her future-seeing powers. So when Seventeen or another one of the top three make a suggestion, you listen, got it?"

Silence fell through the room. The man scowled and averted his eyes.

"Okay, let's keep going," Thirty-One said. She looked at Rota expectantly.

"Oh," Rota gave a start. "I'm agent Eighty-Three, C ranked... I think."

The other agents gave their names and ranks one by one, and as Seventeen had recommended, the team was comprised of two S ranks, five A ranks, two C ranks, and herself. It was almost eerie how seriously Seventeen's suggestion had been taken.

"Okay," Thirty-One nodded after everyone had finished. "Twenty-Eight and I will obviously be the leaders of this team. If there's a disagreement, Twenty-Eight will have the final say as our superior. We'll be arriving in Dekashar as soon as we set up the transmitter coordinates."

"Coordinates are locked," Twenty-Eight said, tapping a button on his keyboard.

"Sweet," Thirty-One said with a thumbs up in the boy's direction. She turned back to the rest of the group. "Any questions?"

"Yes," another girl about Rota's age spoke up. "How are we getting to Dekashar?"

Thirty-One grinned. She pressed her hand on the table and ten diamond-shaped crystals floated up from underneath. "You newbies are in for a treat."
***
Elkrelia, Northern Laiseit:

I blinked a few times, adjusting to my new eyes. It usually took awhile for a long-range transfer to take full effect. My senses were still fairly dull, and the body felt numb.

Slowly, the neural-transmission settled, and my senses returned one by one. Touch was first, restoring the feeling in my limbs. I registered a cold, hard surface underneath a thin layer of clothing. Well, it would be difficult to stay standing without any senses.

Smell came next, accompanied by taste. Nothing unusual stood out in that area, except maybe an above-average level of moisture in the air.

Hearing and sight both returned last, at relatively the same time. I blinked away the darkness, and immediately jumped to my feet.

That was a mistake.

Almost the instant I managed to gain balance, my feet slid on the wet, slippery surface of the ground, and I fell flat on my back.

I stood again, more slowly this time, careful to keep from slipping again. I glanced down at my hands, then to the rest of my body, and sighed.

"Seriously?" I said in an annoying high-pitched voice. "Another female? Can't they at least read the gender section of the mission specifications?"

Despite my irritation, I scanned the area. The room looked small, like a storage closet, with various cube-shaped containers stacked in the corners of the room. A light shone dimly overhead. Then there were the clouds.

Storm clouds formed a thick layer of murky blackness above, only allowing a few stray rays of light through the dark canopy. A light drizzle fell from the clouds, coating the floor in a membrane of water.

I appeared to be wearing a hooded jacket and pants made from greenish-black material, most likely clothing made waterproof from nanotechnology. A pair of fabric-like shoes wrapped around my feet, also completely impervious to the water covering the floor. A similar pair of gloves had been placed over my hands. Three other bodies wearing similar clothing lay face-up around the room. I frowned.

"Four females?" I said. "They didn't even bring a single male body?"

"Ugh..." one of the bodies groaned. She got up in a sitting position and rubbed her eyes.

"Which one of you is it?" I asked.

"Hmm...?" the girl said sleepily. "Oh, I'm Fifteen. Is that you, Seventeen?"

The girl looked at me, blinked twice, then began to giggle. I scowled.

"Wow, Seventeen, I think maybe you like being a girl," Lerissa said.

"We're all females," I said, gesturing to the others. Lerissa glanced behind her, expression falling.

"That seems a little suspicious," Lerissa said, rising to her feet.

"More than a little suspicious," I said. "There isn't anyone else here either."

Lerissa nodded slowly. "Yeah... on all of the other missions we'd either be flown in on an aircraft or someone would be there to meet with us. Something's not right."

"Ah!" one of the other bodies suddenly jerked up, panting heavily. She glanced around quickly, eyes settling on us. "You!"

The girl stormed over to us. "Whichever one of you is Seventeen, give me a warning the next time you're going to do that! I thought I was going to die!"

"Hello Fifty-Two," I said. "Nice to see you again."

Merith's eyes narrowed in my direction. Then she let out a suppressed chuckle. "Why are you a girl, Seventeen?"

I sighed. "We're all girls if you haven't noticed."

Merith looked back at the remaining body on the ground, then to us again. "What? Why all girls?"

"Yeah, it does seem suspicious," Lerissa said. "We should keep alert until we can find someone working for the MRPR."

"Umm... who are you?" Merith asked.

"I'm Fifteen," Lerissa said. "It looks like Forty-Three is having some trouble getting up."

"Quiet," the body lying on the ground said suddenly. "I'm savoring the moment here."

Lerissa frowned, stomping her foot. "Forty-Three, get your behind up here this instant."

"I concur," I said. "But keep the volume down."

"Sorry, sorry," Lerissa said, covering her mouth with her fingers.

"Aww, come on," Forty-Three jumped up. "I've never gotten a girl body before. I mean, you know what I'm talking about, right Seventeen?"

"No," I said flatly. "The voice is too squeaky for my liking."

"You're complaining about the voice?" Forty-Three said, putting on a confused expression. "The voice is the best part!"

The agent spun around a few times, grinning like a toddler that had eaten too much candy. "I'm talking! Talking! Actually talking! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Yes! I've always wanted to say that!"

"Seventeen, why did you pick this idiot as our teammate?" Merith asked.

"There's a neurological sliver in his mind that prevents him from speaking when he's operating a male body," I explained. "I thought it might be quieter if only two members of the team were bantering all the time, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Hey! That's mean!" Forty-Three cried. "Aww, who am I kidding. Come on, talk! Give me a good conversation!"

"Forty-Three, I'm going to knock you unconscious if you keep spouting random nonsense," Lerissa said.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Forty-Three said, raising both hands in the air. "Look, I'll stop saying random stuff, but at least let me talk. Not being able to speak for over two years isn't exactly a walk in the park, you know."

Lerissa sighed. "Fine then. But keep quiet when it's necessary."

Forty-Three did a silent cheer. Then he put on a serious expression and pointed at the door.

A small shadow blocked out about half the light seeping through the crack in the bottom of the door, indicating that someone was standing outside. I gave Forty-Three a questioning look. He put up two fingers.

So the intruder had only arrived two seconds ago, meaning that they probably hadn't heard us. If the person was on our side, then he would most likely knock before entering. If not, then he would just barge in.

I motioned for the others to back up against the walls. Forty-Three took Lerissa, and hid behind on of the stacks of containers. I took Merith and hid behind another stack. Three seconds later, the door opened.

"Merith, don't move from here," I whispered into the girl's ear. Merith nodded once. I crouched down, careful not to make any noise, and took a quick peek up at the intruder.

It was a human man, about age forty, tan skin, dark hair, wearing a hooded jacket similar to the one I was wearing. He carried a plasma rifle in his hands, and had at least one plasma pistol strapped to his leg. He was looking up at the rain clouds, not noticing my observation. Nobody else was present.

I ducked behind the stack of containers, pondering my next move. The man was obviously an enemy, but taking him on alone would be dangerous with a female adolescent body. If only I could use nano-matter to physically augment my body, or signal the others without him noticing...

"Ugh..." I said under my breath. "I really hate to do this right from the start, but I guess it can't be helped."

Amplify neural field.

I touched the wall of the room. As I had expected, it was made from nano-matter. With a quick thought, I reprogrammed the nano-matter, taking a small chunk out of the wall. The silvery-black material melted through my skin. I took a deep breath in.

Physical augmentation, 80%.

Pushing my foot against the wall, I silently dashed out into the open. The man's eyes were still fixed to the ceiling, but as I approached, they flickered downward. If he saw me I was done for. I needed more speed.

Physical bypass, 200%.

In a split second, I ran up to the man, wrenched the rifle out of his hands, and delivered a clean kick to the temple. As the man crumpled, I released my breath.

Cancel physical bypass. Cancel neural field.

As the plasma rifle clattered against the floor, the nano-matter scattered from my hands. I fell to my knees, panting heavily while my teammates rushed over.

"Seventeen, are you alright?" Lerissa asked.

"It's... too early... for this..." I said between breaths. I gestured weakly at the plasma rifle, and Forty-Three picked it up. Then I waved at the body, and Merith dragged it into a corner.

"Okay," I said, standing back up. "I'm fine now."

"Just what did you do?" Merith asked. "I mean, that attack was, like, wow."

"I was lucky he didn't notice me," I said. "A coordination attack would have been much more effective."

"Yeah, we were considering that option," Forty-Three said. "Although we weren't sure if Fifteen and I could take him without making too much noise."

"Someone do a reconnaissance," I said, gesturing at the door. "We need to know where we are and what we should do next."

"I'm on it," Forty-Three said, and slipped out silently into the dark.

Relikta, Formation One:

"Get up, all of you," a voice said. "We're wasting time."

Emault stirred, a silent throbbing pounding on his head. He rubbed his eyes open, a girl about his age standing before him. She glanced briefly in his direction before turning away.

"Are all of you so incompetent that a C rank would awake before you?" the girl said, looking off to the side.

"Ugh..." Emault groaned. "Twenty-Two... if you could let us recover from the transition, it would help immensely."

"If all of you could do your jobs better, I wouldn't have to babysit so much," Twenty-Two said.

"What...?" Emault blinked, vision still blurry. "What do you mean?"

"While the lot of you were sleeping, I had to take care of the enemy," Twenty-Two said. "Honestly, what kind of idiotic government doesn't post guards in the chamber receiving their agents?"

Emault suddenly jolted up, wide awake. "What? The enemy was here?"

Twenty-Two made a wide gesture. As Emault surveyed the room, he tried as best he could to keep his jaw from dropping.

They seemed to be in some kind of storage room, a single window revealing a blazing sun. The walls were some kind of tanish-brown brick, or maybe concrete, as was the single door to the room. Then there was the surprising part.

All around him, men in dark green uniforms lay collapsed in painful-looking positions on the floor. There must have been at least thirty in total, counting a suspicious looking stack of bodies in the corner. An array of plasma rifles and pistols was neatly laid out in the center of the room, close to where Twenty-Two stood.

"You... took out all of these people... by yourself?" Emault said slowly.

"Since all of you were asleep, I couldn't use one of you as bait to draw out more of the enemy from outside," Twenty-Two said. She gave Emault a predatory glance. "Such a pity."

Emault shuddered slightly. "So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"I'm waiting for Sixteen to wake up," Twenty-Two said, looking at an angle downward. Emault followed her gaze, to where two more bodies lay. Undoubtedly, these were Sixteen and Twenty-One. They all looked about the same age as Emault, but that was a little disturbing in itself. Why were they using the bodies of adolescents?

"Umm... why, may I ask?" Emault said.

"Sixteen would make the best bait, since he's the highest ranked out of all of you and stands the least chance of being caught," Twenty-Two replied. "You would make terrible bait, since you would be caught and interrogated almost immediately."

"Uh, thanks?"

"That was an insult."

"... no comment."

About three minutes passed in silence. Then one of the bodies elicited a groan.

Another boy stood up, looking around briefly. "Twenty-Two, please tell me you at least tried interrogating one of them."

"Don't put me on the same level of competence as all of you," Twenty-Two scoffed. She pointed behind her, to the corner where a stack of bodies lay. "They were all of the ones I attempted interrogating; however, the enemy did not comply, so I knocked them unconscious."

"I see," Sixteen said, just as the other girl rose up slowly.

"Ah!" Twenty-One gave a start as she opened her eyes. Then she took a deep breath, quickly composing herself. "I see Twenty-Two has already taken care of matters while we were asleep."

"No need to state the obvious," Twenty-Two said. "Sixteen, do a reconnaissance of the area. Draw as many enemy soldiers as you can back here. And if you're caught, at least make sure you're close enough that I can hear your screams for help."

Sixteen sighed. "I can also see why Seventeen dislikes working with you."

"In the time it had taken you to utter that statement, you could have left the room three times already," Twenty-Two said.

"Roger," Sixteen said, and promptly dashed out the door. A burst of gunfire almost immediately sounded, followed by a rough shout in a foreign language.

"Twenty-One, guard the door," Twenty-Two said. "Make sure no enemies enter."

"Okay," Twenty-One nodded, grabbing a plasma rifle from the floor.

"What do I do?" Emault asked.

"Fifty-Five, pick one of those up and hold it still," Twenty-Two said. She pointed at a plasma pistol lying on the ground. Emault quickly grabbed it and presented it to the agent. Twenty-Two took another plasma pistol from the ground, and aimed it at the one Emault held.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Emault asked just as Twenty-Two shot the plasma pistol in half.

"Ah!" Emault exclaimed, jumping back.

"I said to hold it still," Twenty-Two said, picking up the discarded halves of the plasma pistol.

"And I asked what you were doing!" Emault said.

"We currently lack proper equipment, thus I will be constructing suitable replacements until Sixteen returns," Twenty-Two said, yanking a variety of microchips and wires from the pistol. She glanced up. "Do you have an issue with the current situation?"

"Err... no, but-" Emault started.

"Good, then pick up another one and hold it still this time," Twenty-Two said.

As another chorus of gunfire echoed from outside, Emault sighed. This was going to be a long mission.

After about fifteen minutes of trying not to flinch as Twenty-Two dismantled most of the plasma weaponry presented to her, Sixteen returned, panting heavily.

"Is the enemy coming?" Twenty-Two asked, glancing up briefly.

"No," Sixteen said.

"You'd better have a good excuse then," Twenty-Two said.

"Greetings, agents," a voice said.

A man clad in a blue uniform entered the room. Emault recognized the design almost instantly. It was the standard military uniform for MRPR's foreign affairs division.

Twenty-One immediately pointed her gun at the man, but Twenty-Two waved her down. She stepped forward.

"Finally, an MRPR representative," Twenty-Two said. "You lot must be getting sloppy if you can't even guard the agents' receiving chamber properly."

"You are Agent Twenty-Two, I pressume?" the man said, glancing at the fallen bodies strewn across the room. "You abilities are just as the rumors say. I sincerely apologize for the lack of security; however, it would seem that the rebels planned their attack at the exact same time as you arrived. An unfortunate coincidence."

"It must have been a very well-planned attack for you to lose so much ground in your own base," Twenty-Two said.

The man's expression tensed. He turned around. "Come with me. Our governor would like to see you."

As soon as the man had left, Sixteen spoke up. "Twenty-Two, I know your tendency to made rude remarks, but could you please-"

"Do you really believe that nonsense?" Twenty-Two asked.

"What?"

"That the rebels would 'coincidentally' attack at the exact same time as our transmission? It would be equally probable that an asteroid kills us within an hour of our arrival."

Sixteen's eyes narrowed. "There's an information leak."

"No," Twenty-Two said. "This isn't an information leak. Access to information regarding neural agent transmission is strictly prohibited to extremely high ranking members of the MRPR. It would be easier to gain access to the MRPR's entire planetary defense network. This is an information flood."