Agent Spern

The siblings walked in silence for a few moments, taking in their surroundings. The abandoned structure loomed ahead, a hulking shadow in the dimming light. The air around them was heavy with the scent of decay, the broken windows and crumbling walls a testament to years of neglect.

Despite the gloom, Silvia felt a sense of hope stir within her. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find a place to rest here, to catch their breath and plan their next move. Together, she and Amich approached the dilapidated building, their steps light and hopeful.

As they approached the abandoned structure, Silvia couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over her. Despite the grim exterior, there was an energy emanating from the building, an almost palpable sense of danger that set her nerves on edge.

Amich seemed to sense it too, thus, he huddled closer to his sister with his eyes wide and fearful. "Silvia, I don't like this place," he whispered.

Silvia nodded, "I know, Amich. But we don't have any other options. We have to rest somewhere and this is the only place we've seen that doesn't have a lot of people around."

“Ok.” Amich agreed to go in with his sister.

The moment they stepped inside, the air grew colder, moreover, the shadows seemed to stretch out, reaching towards them. Silvia could feel her magic stirring within her, ready to defend them if necessary.

But as they made their way through the crumbling halls, they found nothing but empty rooms and cobweb-covered corners. It seemed that the abandoned structure was just that - abandoned - and they were safe, at least for the moment.

“Great, there’s no one else around.” With a sigh of relief, Silvia led her brother to a room in the back, where they embraced each other for warmth on the concrete floor. Exhausted and thirsty, they drifted off to sleep, hoping that the next day would bring new opportunities and a way out of this strange, dangerous world.

***

The sun was still quite bright in the sky when the Cronus Research Centre agents arrived at the train tracks behind Chad’s ranch. It was a scene of chaos and confusion as the agents swarmed around a grisly discovery - a severed leg, still twitching with the faintest remnants of life.

Agent Spern was a man with a cold and calculating demeanour. He was also the head of intelligence for the CRC. He came on the scene a little later after his team arrived at the ranch. He examined the leg with a mixture of disgust and fascination. He could feel the Outer Burst energy emanating from it, like a faint hum of electricity.

"This belongs to one of our targets," he said. "The Outer Burst carriers."

A nearby agent gasped, her hand instinctively going to her mouth. "How can you be sure?" she inquired.

Spern gestured to the faint blue glow emanating from the leg. "The Outer Burst energy is a dead giveaway. It's unmistakable."

“Let me take a look, sir.” Sherlock came to inspect the leg. He shared his findings with his colleagues. “Indeed, this leg belongs to one of our targets. Based on the bone density and regional structure of the proximal phalanx, I’d say it belongs to a young lady. This means that one of our targets is out there hopping on one leg. The train that we all heard passing by earlier must have been the cause. It shouldn’t be hard to track them down. But something is weird about this.”

“What do you mean, Mr Urchard?” Agent Spern demanded he explained himself.

“Right.” While scanning the ground, Sherlock conveyed, “The strange thing is that the blood trail ends right here, yet there is no sign of any body. The Quantum Resonance Transponders are still picking up on high traces of Outer Burst energy leaking from this leg. This suggested signs of life within. My theory is it is somehow connected with the main body.”

“That is bizarre indeed.” Agent Spern expressed confusion. “We should take it back to the lab for further testing.”

“I agree.” Sherlock excused himself to go secure the severed leg in a preserved container.

“Unbelievable.” The group fell into a tense silence as they considered the implications of this discovery. It was clear that the siblings they were hunting were more uncanny and dangerous than they had originally thought.

As they were debating their next move, a commotion broke out on the other side of the tracks close to the overpass. A group of agents were gathered around a bloody scene, their faces etched with shock and horror.

Agent Spern and the others rushed over to see what had happened. They were met with a gruesome sight - the bodies of 2 LARPers, ripped to shreds and scattered haphazardly across the ground. The only survivor was a trembling man, his eyes wide with fear and shock. He was naked and covered in blood, a robe hastily thrown over his shoulders by one of the agents.

"What happened here?" Spern demanded, his voice laced with inquiring intent.

Franklin, the sole survivor of the monstrous calamity, was barely able to form a coherent sentence. "M-monsters," he stuttered. "They are both monsters."

Spern sighed with frustration. It was clear that they were not going to get any useful information from this man. "Contact the local authorities and let them clean this mess up," he ordered.

As the agents sprang into action, Spern turned his attention back to the task at hand. The siblings they were hunting had clearly been responsible for this massacre. They needed to be found before they could cause any more damage.

"Sir, over here!" called out an agent. "We've found traces of Outer Burst energy leading down this path."

Spern followed the agent's pointing finger to a narrow path leading down a bushy slope. “Hm, they went this way?”

Sherlock approached Spern with a grave expression on his face. "They must have gone into town," he said. "It will be difficult keeping track of the Outer Burst leakage in such a dense area. Whatever or whoever they touch will contain faint traces."

A female agent came along and asked Spern, "What is our next move, sir?" Her voice was filled with tension. "Should we go into town?"

Agent Spern nodded and replied, "Yes, but be careful not to draw any attention to yourselves. Keep visibility to a minimum. We don't want to alert the targets of our presence nor cause an uproar in the town.”

“Understood, sir.”

The agents assented, their faces set with resolve. They knew that the stakes were high for they had a difficult task ahead of them. While they prepared to set off into town, Franklin was left behind, still shaking with terror and unable to speak. Amich’s bestiality had done a number on his psyche.