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Follow–up romance route for the series "Wonderful Wonderful Science". So it's recommended to read that.
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CHAPTER 1: A NEW MISSION
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Gray Ringmarc woke up to an abrasive smell of smoke that burned his nostrils and made his eyes itch. He was lying on the floor among ashes and debris, unable to identify where he was. His mind was a blur. But at least he knew who he was and what he needed to do. He was an assassin, and he was here on a mission, and for the moment, that was all he needed to know.
His mind was in disarray and the terrible smell of burned trash and stuff didn't help his headache. He groaned. He was inside some sort of concrete store with a big window pane at the front. Outside of it he could barely see anything due to the dust and smoke, yet, it was somehow strange, as if he'd never seen this place. Whatever chaotic hell he was at the moment, he wasn't familiar with this place.
He was barely advancing towards the entrance when a nearby explosion made him jump for cover behind another wall, barely in time to evade the window's shards caused by the body that had been thrown towards said window by the shock wave.
The person didn't get up immediately and instead rolled to get behind a pillar and take cover from whatever debris came from the next explosions that hit the area.
From his cover, Gray saw the appearance of the person. It was most likely a male but it was impossible to tell under the heavy duty cloaked jacket that covered a gas-masked face. Underneath, the chest of the person was covered by a tactic vest that looked as full of gear as the cargo pants looked really packed too. It was plain to see that this person was some kind of combatant, maybe a mercenary.
The person raised his arm and moved the jacket to show a black paned thing that lit with its own light and flashy symbols, then he pressed some things as if there were buttons and covered again the arm. Half a minute later the explosions stopped and the person went out, apparently with a clear destination in mind and total confidence about the environmental hazards.
Gray didn't know where he was or where to go, so he decided to follow this person. All he knew was that he had been hired to aid, protect and retrieve some girl that was supposed to have multilayered blond hair and a long braid at the base of her nape; he also knew that he would immediately know who she was as soon as he detected her, and that she would not tell him her name. Even for his standards, this mission seemed very fucked up.
Once in the streets he saw just how unfamiliar everything was to what he was used to. It seemed like another world altogether. Dust and smoke felt harsh on his nostrils, mouth and eyes; they filled the air and were so dense that he couldn't see the sky, but it was plain that buildings were high and there was lots of glass, vehicles looked sleek and strange, and there were no signs of anything he recognized. Things were just off. He wanted to get out of there fast and his best bet was to follow the person that apparently was heading away from the danger.
Gray stayed out of seeing range all the time, but this person has picked his interest a bit by using weird tactics and devises of the likes Gray had never seen, which didn't explain why he felt he knew this person. There was something just disturbingly familiar about him; so far, the person had been very capable at evading or getting away from trouble or danger as if he just knew where danger was; especially, the person had excelled at avoiding the strange and futuristic machines that were all around the place. However, the person wasn't that good in direct combat when caught between the few soldiers that he had not managed to avoid.
After a little while, the person reached the outskirts of the small city and headed to a lonely half constructed building. After the person went inside, Gray made his way by climbing to the upper floor and going down to see that there was a mature man wearing a fine suit and a hat waiting for the mercenary. The old man didn't let Gray see any details from his mid torso upwards due to the angle of Gray's vision; apparently, the man had been waiting for this person to arrive.
"Here it is" – The person said in a digitally distorted voice that surprised Gray, and took a small box from the pocket of his cargo pants showing it to the man.
"Amazing Vector! Or is it already a different code name?" – The man took out a briefcase and put it on the table, opening it and letting the contents drop on the surface. It was money. Lots of money. –"Just like last time, plus a little bonus. This time was harder. The other teams or solos are dead and you're good."
"At this mission I went by "Fractal", but the code name doesn't matter. – The person went to check the money- It's always a pleasure to make business with you Mr. Client." - He leaved the little box on the table to complete the exchange.
"So Miss mercenary... the next mission will be very hard and I will require that you team up with someone…" – The client said and Gray didn't miss that he had referred to the persona as a "She". –"I'll see you in the point B at Callesso in 2 days. I'll have hired someone capable by then. If you don't like the partner you can refuse or go alone, but then you'd be competing against my hireling." – The man explained, obviously used to this kind of stuff.
"And what makes you think I'll accept?" – She seemed dubious. It was obvious that she preferred to work alone.
"The money of course, and trust me, It's well worth it." The man said and tipped his hat before leaving.
Once the man was out the female removed the cloak and a long sinuous braid extended from her nape and fell to her back all the way past her butt. She moved bellow the light to gather the money and Gray could see that her hair had different shades of blond here and there.
When she took off the gas mask and Gray saw her, his clock skipped a few ticks before seeming to go out of pace. She had eyes, olive green eyes and Gray knew, without a doubt that this girl was his target.
He didn't know where he was, but something told him that he somehow knew her. He just couldn't remember. And he knew, that she was the clue to getting back to... to wherever he had come from.
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Sadly I have limited time to write, so updates will be determined by which story is reviewed.
