Michael was face to face with a far too familiar ceiling. It was the hospital, of course. Especially back in training, it was a common place for him. It's not easy to harness fire, one of the most harmful magic types. Michael had to have heat-resistant gloves created, though, he doesn't use gloves all the time now. He turned over and saw some stats on a display. It was one of those newer electric devices, called a computer. It was connected to what they called a server elsewhere in the hospital, and was honestly pretty innovative. As he moved his hands down to his chest, he felt a burning sensation. Looking at his palms, the mark on them looked larger, and more dark than the usual blood-red hue. On his bedside, was a calendar, which showed how it had been about three days since the last mission, and, there were some flowers next to it, so clearly someone was thinking about him, despite no one in the room. That fact disappointed him, surprisingly.
Michael says, to himself, "I'm such a idiot. I could have easily beaten that thing if I didn't get too excited with my new toys."
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, with Joseph, and Roy walking in. Roy was an older man, in his late 30's, compared to Michael and Joseph being 21. Roy had brown hair, not organized in any discernible way, and had bronze skin. He had his military uniform on, it being a light gray color, apart from his right arm, which was mechanical, created from a dark gray metal. He got it when he was defusing a bomb under enemy fire, and a bullet had hit it. The arm was imbued to Roy's mana, making it feel the same as a real arm.
Joseph says, "You're finally awake!"
Michael replies, "Yeah, no thanks to my carelessness."
Roy says, "Shut it, it was a tense situation, just accept that it happened because of someone else and not your idea that anything that goes wrong is your fault."
Michael sighs, "Alright. So, what's been going on for these couple days?"
Joseph says, "Well, we found the leader of the gang who was at that factory. However, our people weren't there first. The leader, Samuel, was found, dead in a hundred different ways. Whoever killed him must've been screwed up."
Michael replies, "Well, if they expect us to do anything about that guy, we'll need another member, I'm tired getting ganged up on."
Roy says, "Then you can predict the future, as that has happened. As a apart of their foreign recruitment scheme for the military, they got a girl from out east to help, says she's a prodigy."
Michael says, "Sounds like she'll do well on the team. Are we moved in yet? If we're gonna be Strike Team Omega now, I'd like to move into my room."
Roy says, while tossing one set of keys to Michael and two sets to Joseph, "I moved most everything in, you're good."
Michael says, "Tell me more about this recruit"
Joseph says, "Her name is Lena, she's an electric magic specialist from Eldra."
Michael replies, "Interesting. She'll be useful, we might be able to handle a bit more know. I know I would have killed for electric magic during that fight. Speaking of that, what was that thing?"
Joseph says, "Most of the documents were destroyed, either by cutting or... by fire."
Michael groaned, before Roy added, "Bar what you both know, they really gauged nothing, other than it was clearly not human, or rather, not currently human. We speculate it may have been a modified human by Mana, but no spell that we know matches up with it."
Michael says, "I really shouldn't have done that..."
He was cut off by Joseph saying, "Don't be mad at yourself for defending yourself! There's no telling what it would have done, you did the right thing by stopping it as fast as you could!"
Michael says, "I suppose so..."
Joseph says, "Good! Now, you can go with Roy. I'll pick up the new gal, and take her to the barracks."
Michael says, "Fine. Roy, I guess I'm going with you."
Joseph speaks, in a tone of worry, "Make sure not to pull something, Michael."
Roy says, "I'm fine with that. I don't want to go playing parent for the new kid right away, so sounds good." Roy then started to walk out of the room, leaving only Joseph and Michael.
Joseph turned, to Michael, and says, "So, about what happened back there, at the factory."
Michael says, "Don't worry about it, I get it."
Joseph grimaces, before saying quietly, "You're nothing like him, I understand you had to do what you needed to do, but don't beat yourself over it."
Michael replies, with a hint of venom in his voice, "I know."
Joseph left the room, after that.
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At the local train station, it was a normal day, filled with bustling commuters and trains flying across the railway. In between the busy laborers, was a woman with long, curly, black hair, and blue eyes of similar color and deepness as the ocean. She had a black military uniform, with a dark blue overcoat, and was holding a large suitcase. As she was scanning the station for someone, she was surprised to see a strange, blond man running at her. That man, obviously being Joseph. However, as Joseph neared her, he slowed down, seeing a man in a bright purple trench coat, with a similarly colored cabbie hat on. The man whispered something to her, before walking into the train. Whatever he said, placed a troubled expression on her face. As Joseph walked forward, she quickly calmed herself.
He said, "Are you Lena?"
She responded, with no sign of her prior discomfort, "That would be me. I assume that'd mean that you're Joseph?
He pointed at himself, saying, "That'd be me!"
Lena looked unimpressed, saying, "Uh-huh. So, where do I have to go?"
Joseph would reply, feigning offense, "That's so rude! No exposition or anything?" He'd sigh, before saying, "I suppose we should get out of this area, wouldn't want to get in the way of anyone." He'd motion to follow him, and Lena would grab her bags.
"So, how far away is this place, anyways?" Lena would say.
Joseph says, "Not that far away, anyways. So, do you have any questions? You're new to the area, from my understanding."
Lena replies, "I do have one. Who are the others in the group?"
Joseph says, "Well, there's me, not much to say that you couldn't realize already, Michael, he's my best friend, and our leader, he's really cool and does a lot of the work, and Roy, who brings us back down to earth, and does the same thing to our targets."
Lena says, "Sounds like quite the rogue's gallery."
Joseph says, "Yeah, well, I think you'll fit in just fine."
Lena smiles, before saying, "You might be right."