"Lieutenant Strout, what brings you to my office so early in the morning?" A lean man dressed in a sleek black uniform placed crossed his hands behind him. Small lines of Gray hair kissed the sides of his head, while the rest of it was black. He was an older man in his early 50s. His shoulders were stiff and straight and the side of his face was stained with a long red scar that ran from the outer tip of his right eyebrow down to the tip of his jaw. A scar he earned in battle. There were 5 pins lined in a row clipped to the right chest of his uniform. They told stories of his achievements. It was obvious that he may have been a general or held a high battle rank.

"Are you displeased to see me, Chen?" Lt. Strout, a balding man with blue eyes strolled into the glass-walled office with an angry pout on his lips. He had around 7 pins clipped on his right chest to symbolize that he had slightly higher significance.

"I'm just surprised that you found time to get away from the council to visit my office. Running the sectors is no easy task I'm sure, and it's not easy to rest or travel. Would you like some tea? A cup of coffee?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look like you haven't eaten in days."

"I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries, Theodore. I came to discuss business."

"Business, you say? Give me a moment." Theodore Chen, the man in the black uniform with 5 pins took a seat at his desk and pressed the green call +1 button on his office phone. It rang a few times before a woman answered. "Cheryl, please bring me a cup of green tea and a jar of sugar cubes."

"Yes, sir."

"You were saying, Strout?" Theodore gestures for Strout to continue.

"Right." Strout cleared his throat and sat in the black leather chair in front of Theodore. He folded his fingers together and frowned before taking a deep breath. He wanted to get his thoughts together. "The council has been bombarded with all of the recent mishaps going on in Sector Astell. I suppose you know about the bombings?"

"So I've heard on the News reports. They've been happening all over Sector A."

"The bombings of Sector A started as small robberies. We'd get files about safes being blown up in small shops. But over time they've gotten worse. The council members and I thought it was just idiotic criminals trying to steal some money. But the placements of the explosives have become more strategized. They're placed in more populated areas of the city. And the bombs only go off during the busiest of times. And they've sent everyone residing in Sector A into a panic. My team has been working like dogs trying to catch up with all the latest information on the know-how. And it seems like there is someone influential behind all the chaos, and they're trying to tell the council something. They are sending a message."

"That's a lot to take in. After doing the research, has your team started identifying the criminals who started the minor explosions?"

"Well, you see, that's the reason for my visit. You know I've just been promoted to the Astell Council, so everything is very new. I've been limited in resources. I have to earn my way up. But you're the head of the Agency, and the council members have taken up my suggestion in requesting that you take a deeper look while I focus on the paperwork."

"So you want me to dig up the deets and do all the dirty work so your team doesn't have to work like dogs?"

"When you say it like that it sounds awful. Think of it as me asking an old friend a favor."

"An old friend?" Theodore scoffed. "Since when were we ever friends, Strout?"

"An old colleague." Strout corrected. "Do me this favor, please."

A woman dressed in a black suit jacket and skirt sauntered in with a tray, sending Strout on edge. There was a warm tea cup placed in the center and a small jar of sugar cubes next to it. She placed the tray on Theodore's desk and nodded at him with a smile. "Your tea, sir."

"Why, Thankyou, Cheryl. You may leave." He waved her off. "Strout, if I do this for you, you realize that you and the Council can't keep anything from me on this case. What exactly do you need me to do? Track the goons down?"

"I've already read through some of the paperwork and broke it down into different parts over the week." Strout placed a flash drive on the desk. Theodore slid it toward himself and eyed it cautiously.

"What the heck is this?"

"All the paperwork my team and I have deciphered in the past 3 weeks. We haven't been able to find out who's doing the bombing, but we know they follow a pattern."

Theodore inserted the flash drive into a USB hole in his desk, and a holographic screen which was his desktop appeared above his desk. He placed his fingers on the file and dragged it across the screen. Theodore skimmed through the information. "You're right, they do follow a pattern."

"Yeah. And that's why we need your help."

"I see the video footage of the robberies, but I can't enhance their photos right now. I can only tell a bit about their backgrounds. These two men dressed in hoodies are from Sector B. The Brackets. But they've got a false identity chip installed, and it tells my other window that they're from Sector A."

"Your computer can tell you all of that?" Strout gasped.

"I know someone who's been helping me with gadgets to help me locate wrongdoers easier. I'll send this image to our Decode team. By later this evening, we should have a lead."

"A lead is nice, but we've already gotten intel about a particular bomb threat at our Sectors most highly accredited school, Grandell University."

"Grandell received a bomb threat?" Theodore's jaw dropped. Grandell was both of their alma maters.

"Yep. And we suspect that whoever is in charge of the bombings is planning to target that school as it has the most influential students go. We need someone like you to find out more about Sector A's school."

"No can do." Theodore laughed.

"Why the heck not?" Strout frowned.

"I'm old. And you forget that I'm a retired general. I no longer go out in the field. However, I think I may know someone who might be up for the challenge."

"Really? Who! Who?!"

Before Theodore could respond, the doors to his office burst open. A tall and lean man, looking very similar to Theodore Chen stepped in. He had a slim-fitting black short-sleeved top that displayed his figure well. He wore a black cap with 15 pins clipped on the front, however the moment he stepped inside, he took it off, and his shorter medium-length black hair that was tucked under fell right below the lobe of his ears.

The man didn't seem to care about the two older men conversing. However, once Lt. Strout's eyes met with the man, he jumped out of his seat and gripped the edge of Theodore's desk. "That's—!"

"The devil himself," Theodore smirked. "I'm sure you've met Decha-96 before?"

"I haven't. But I've heard stories." Strout eyed the man and the 15 pins on his cap carefully. 15-20 pins meant that you were the greatest of the greatest. It meant that the person's battle strategy would be unmatched compared to other lowly generals.

"You're the mighty general that the council brags about. I've heard about your quests on the Outside. Your abilities are astounding. It's an honor to meet with you." Strout extended his hand forward but Decha rolled his eyes and stepped past him. The lack of manners surprised Strout. He wondered if he said something wrong.

"You're back early, Decha."

"I've finished rounding up a few Outsiders. Decided to come home and handle business here before going back out there. I don't have much time. I only came to pick up a document on a case I'm assigned."

"Before you leave, I have a proposition for you, son." Theodore placed his hands on Decha's shoulder. "I understand it's been some time since you've done some work for the Agency. About a year, right?"

"Get to the point. I don't like rhetorical questions." Decha crossed his arms.

"There's a bit of trouble going on inside Sector A."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Ah, I forgot you've been on The Outside. You haven't heard the News reports. You haven't listened to your radio either, I assume?"

"Obviously not, hurry it up." Decha snapped.

"Bombings." Theodore tapped on the holographic screen and pulled up various reports and photos of the aftermath. "Lieutenant Strout can elaborate."

"They started small and then began to take on a larger scale of the city of Astell. And they've been occurring much more often. One plaza after another has been affected, and the number of casualties and deaths increase alarmingly."

Decha walked over to where Theodore was standing and leaned forward into the screen. His scarred fingers brushed across the pictures hesitantly. "Robberies? It doesn't seem like they started as robberies. Sure, they may have targeted small shops, but there are other ways to rob a safe without explosives."

"Well, it seems like that may be the way they chose."

"Look here." Decha pointed to one of the video's footage. "The time is 10 PM, and the shop is just now closing. However, this customer, the suspect just left. The bomb goes off at 10:10 PM, right before the owner leaves the store. The timing and placement are very intentional. The owner hasn't even locked its doors yet. That leads me to believe that these are intentional attacks, that aren't after the money. The suspect isn't even carrying anything with him when he leaves."

"... He makes a good point." Theodore nodded in surprise.

"The targeted shops are placed in specific spots of Sector A. They're less populated but it seems that all bombing cases follow a pattern. The rate of these shops' income is higher than others. Have you gathered a report on how much they make monthly?"

"I've tried drafting up a plan to reconstruct the buildings, but haven't looked further into the attacks. My team is backed up with paperwork. The council does want me to have someone investigate, but I need some outside help."

"You're a Council member and you haven't had the chance to thoroughly investigate the attacks because of paperwork?" Decha scoffed. "A baby can do this in their sleep."

"I'm impressed by your skill, N96. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to request you to help us look deeper into this case."

"No."

"No?" Theodore and Strout asked in sync. The two older men were perplexed by his response.

"I already told you, I only came here to pick something up. If you want me to do work for the agency, it's gonna cost you." Decha shrugged and leaned against the glass wall.

"Please excuse his abrupt responses. He's picked up ill habits from the Outside."

"Young Man, do you understand who you are speaking with?" Strout stepped in front of Decha, and the two glared at each other.

"I'm aware. Council member or not, I don't care and don't plan on changing my mind. Handle your own crap. There are already a million things stacked on my plate."

"You filthy swine—!" Strout pulled out a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at Decha's head. Decha slapped it out of Strout's hand and grabbed it, before aiming it back at the Lieutenant. His dark eyes held an icy stare, it sent chills down Strout's spine.

"Decha, don't implement violence in my office, drop the weapon. That's an order from your commander." Theodore hissed. Decha tossed the weapon onto the desk, and the holographic screen disappeared.

"You want me to do work for the Agency?" Decha crossed his arms. "Then it's gonna cost you, a lot."

"How much?" Strout pouted.

"500,000 tekels."

"500,000!?" Strout coughed. "Are you mad? How dare you request a hefty amount? Do you think we are made of money?"

"Aren't you? That's a small amount compared to what I usually made working for the Agency. You guys run the Sectors, so it should be no problem for you to pay me. Also, I'm not too happy about the stunt you pulled earlier. So I raised the price."

"I have to make an official request to see if the rest of the council is willing to give such a hefty amount!"

"Then I guess you'll have to find another general." Decha shrugged.

"You'd really stand there and allow for all these bombings to happen simply because you won't get paid?"

"Maybe. But I don't do things for free. I know my worth. You know my worth, so you should've expected me to want to have a bit of money in my pocket."

"Alright, settle down." Theodore sighed. "The Agency will pay you 300,000 tekels, and Council will only pay 200,000. Is that fair?"

"Deposit the money first, and then we'll talk," Decha smirked.

"I'll prepare the funding arrangements." Strout nodded in satisfaction. "It'll be a pleasure working with the greatest general of Astell." Strout offered his hand to Decha but quickly removed it when Decha gave him a blank stare. "We'll talk soon, Chen." Strout tapped Theodore's shoulder on his way out of the office.

Decha sighed and walked over to the leather seat before easing back into it.

"I'm gonna give you a heads up. More than likely, you'll be assigned to Grandell University for this case."

Decha's shoulders tensed, but he kept a blank face. Theodore was unable to identify the emotion in Decha's eyes. "I can only assume that you're not happy about returning to your Alma mater. But only you can express how you feel."

"I don't have a problem with it. A job is a job." Decha mumbled.

"Your mother longs to see you. It's been what, a year since you've last seen her? She misses you a lot. You're all she talks about."

"I planned on stopping by to see her before heading back to the Outside anyways."

Theodore sighed and pulled out a clipped stack of papers from a nearby file cabinet. "Here is the document you needed to finish your current assignment. Just be careful on your way out there."

"You don't have to worry about me. I can handle myself." Decha snatched the papers out of Theodore's hands and skimmed over the content. "I'll drop by the house first, and then be on my way."

"Must you be so quick to visit?"

"I can't afford to leave my position for too long. There's one more thing I have to finish. Once that's done, and you've deposited the money into my account, then I'll start working on the case of the bombing in Sector A." Decha tossed the stack back onto the table and brushed his hair back. He put the cap back on his head and went for the door, but Theodore stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Be gentle when you meet Jessica."

"I'll be gentle with Mom. It's you that I have the most issues with." Decha shrugged Theodore's hand off. "How's life treating you, Mr. Head of Agency? Learn any tips on how to treat your family better?"

"You can leave now." Theodore frowned. "There's no need for you to remain in my office any longer."

"We agree on something for once." Decha saluted sarcastically before walking out of the office. While watching his son depart, a small feeling of regret made its way into Theodore's heart. He quickly suppressed it by busying himself with preparations for the Grandell case.

Decha left the tall silver building by scanning his wrist at the entrance. All physically able make students are appointed as generals after graduating from Grandell University. All generals have a chip placed surgically inside their wrists, which identifies their Names, Height, and Years of Service to the council.

Decha was and still is a prodigy. The 15 pins on his cap were all achievements he earned in service. He was a superficial genius both academically and physically. He was 26 years old but graduated from Grandell's 90th year at 18 years old as a Valedictorian. That is why his code number was N96. Rank 6th student in the 90th year.

With his capabilities and diligent mindset. He was able to be promoted to a high rank, where he'd be able to travel to the Outside, a plethora of land where other open nations resided. Decha was a fighter, but he was also a logical straightforward man, which helped him go out to represent Astell and speak for their Sector.

Along with his talents, he was not a people person. More often than never, people feared him. Decha was born with black eyes. His pupils held no color, so often the elderly Astellians would warn their young to stay away from him or else they'd be sucked into the black void of his stare.

Everyone knew who Decha was. They didn't know what he looked like, but his stories were legendary. There were only 70 out of 170,000 Generals in Total over 90 years who were allowed by the council to visit the Outside. And Decha so happened to be one whom the council assigned the craziest of cases. Whether it's preventing a battle, or solving a major dispute, Decha was there.

As many of the council members would put it, Decha was a general who was born to kill. It was somewhat true. Decha knew how dangerous and strong he was when engaged in battle. He was very serious and lacked a good sense of humor. But he was considered a Noble for his efforts and working to keep that was all that mattered to him.

Decha hopped on a bus that would take him to his home, and when he got there, he noticed how heavily guarded the entrance was. It was no problem for him because the guards all recognized him by his eyes. When he sauntered toward the gate, they all stepped aside immediately.

The gate opened and Decha began trudging up the long concrete path toward the modern mansion. Before he could take a peek at the front, a woman's voice called him and small warm hands pulled him into an embrace. "Decha! My son!"

"Mom." Decha nodded and leaned into her hug. It's been almost a full year since he'd seen her. Jessica Chen was a short woman with short black hair and dark brown eyes. She had sent Decha letters and snacks while he was away. The moment she spotted him at the gate through their security cameras, she rushed out of the house to greet him.

"My boy! You've lost weight! Have you been eating the snacks I sent you? Are they feeding you well at the camp? Do I have to put in a complaint with the council?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine!"

"Because you are my mother. The council requires all generals stationed on The Outside to have a strict diet. But there's more than enough food there to sustain me."

"You used to be so thick when you were a boy! Now, look at you! You're too thin!"

"I'm in good shape for battle," Decha observed his arms and torso curiously. "You used to feed me plates and bowls full of food, so of course, I've lost weight when I don't take in as much."

"I don't like it! You must eat! Let's go! I made some rice and meat."

"I can't stay." Decha refused with a faint smile.

"Why not?"

"Because I have a case to finish. I only came here to see you and Avon before I leave the Sector Gates. How is he?"

"He'll be happy to hear that you've come! Let me take you to him!" His mother grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the home. The front door scanned both of them, and shifted open. They both walked inside, and the first thing Decha saw was one of the Butler's standings over a small boy with dark brown skin and a thick black curled Afro. He looked no older than 5 years old.