Here's my new story, hope you all enjoy I'll plug my Discord and let you all get to enjoying for now
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"What does it mean to survive? Is it merely an extension of living or something altogether different? Those who fight to survive cling to life, yet those who truly live rarely think of survival. Does living require the absence of struggle, while survival is defined by it? It is easy to live when the world is kind, but survival belongs to those who have been abandoned. No one chooses to fight for survival—yet some are born with no other choice. And so, the world carves a fragile line between existence and oblivion, a line only the abandoned have come to know. I once stood upon that line." ~Orion
"Jackal, how are things feeling on your side? Do you sense anything that's off?" Aegis asked. He was our bulky, muscle-bound driver on this job. Power? Reinforcement of objects upon contact, he could turn a piece of paper damn near bulletproof.
The car's engine still hummed; it was befitting of the silence that stretched over the empty coast.
[It's quiet.]
I turned my gaze out the window.
You're right. It is quiet. But that's normal—late-night smuggling operations don't come with a welcoming committee. If anything, the lack of activity was a good sign. It would be stranger if someone were out here in the middle of nowhere at this hour.
I glanced at the dashboard clock. 10:37 PM.
"Nothing ringing bells right now. My senses are normal." I responded quickly and smoothly.
Aegis nodded, then turned to Karina. "You're a half-scout, right? What about you? See anything odd?"
In the rearview mirror, I watched Karina's pupils sharply contract, a sign she was hyper-focusing. Her ability wasn't just about looking—it was about processing. She could see things you and I couldn't see up close from a mile away. After a moment, she spoke.
"Yes. The boat is arriving. There are other cars on the highways—one is closer to arrival, while the other lags behind. They don't seem to be together… probably separate transporters like us?"
Aegis flicked a glance at me through the mirror, his expression carrying just enough skepticism to irritate me. My age, no doubt, played a role in his doubt. People always expected experience to come wrapped in grizzled skin and tired eyes.
"My ability is danger-sensing, not twenty-twenty vision," I said, half-joking. "Sorry to disappoint, but other transporters showing up to a job like this is normal. A boat like that isn't making the trip just to drop off a single package for the three of us."
[You don't know that.]
I don't, but common sense says otherwise. Though it is strange, the pay for this job was above average. If the cargo was truly high-value, the client wouldn't have handed it off to nobodies like us—low-tier underground contractors. They'd have invested in real professionals.
"Let's calm down," Karina said, voice even. "We'll get this over with and get paid, alright? Easy gig. No need to start a fight."
Aegis grunted, his way of acknowledging reason without conceding the point. I stayed silent. No need to argue about something that would resolve itself soon enough.
A pair of headlights sliced through the darkness, and in the next few seconds, two cars pulled up beside us on the beach, one slightly later than the other.
[Matte-black sedans. One slightly newer, sleeker with reinforced panels—minimal but efficient armor. The other, older, a little bulkier, also with aftermarket modifications—probably tougher but less agile. Both have tinted windows, standard issue for discretion, likely bulletproof.]
Professionals, or at least the type that liked to look the part. Compared to our ragtag operation, these guys were precision-cut. But professionalism has its drawbacks. A certain mindset comes with that level of competence—an awareness, a curiosity, a sense of control over situations that don't always need controlling. Sometimes, the best asset in this line of work is not being important enough to care about.
[The boat is finally within human-visible range.]
I caught the faint silhouette bobbing against the distant horizon. A few minutes more, and we'd have our cargo.
I shifted my focus back to Aegis, who let out a slow sigh. The kind of sigh that spoke of relief. Relief that the two new arrivals weren't here to start trouble.
"Karina, how many are on board?" Aegis asked Karina.
Within a moment, her pupils contracted again as she focused on the ship, clearly concentrating deeply. "It's not a big boat, but four are visible… wait, no—five. One just came out from inside."
"Armed?" Aegis pressed.
"Three are visibly armed," Karina responded after another moment. "Although it's hard to tell. The deck is very dark, probably to avoid attention, but I'm at least confident that three of them have firearms."
"At least you're packing iron too," Aegis said, glancing at the gun on Karina's hip before looking at his own. His was standard, unmodified, unlike Karina's custom firearm—an obvious advantage given her enhanced vision ability.
Aegis then turned to me. "Why aren't you packing anything, kid?"
"Decent firearms are expensive, and I'm newer to all this. Plus, this job isn't supposed to be dangerous to begin with," I replied.
"Tsk, rookie. One day, you'll learn not all jobs go as planned."
"At least I'll survive long enough to learn," I bit back.
"Danger sense isn't some invincible power. One day, the lights might go out for you before you even know it," Aegis muttered as he unlocked the vehicle doors.
[If only you really could sense danger. Wouldn't that make your life so much easier? You wouldn't have to be such a liar, for one.]
"Karina, stay here and keep watch, inform us through comms if anything strange occurs," Aegis instructed, his eyes sweeping our surroundings as one person stepped out of each adjacent vehicle.
[The windows are tinted… but there's likely at least one more individual in each vehicle.]
"Jackal, you come with me. Tell me if you sense anything at all." Aegis stepped out, and I followed suit, opening the backseat door. As we walked towards the shore, I glanced ahead—the two individuals from the other vehicles were moving at a steady pace toward the docking point.
[The extra contractor to the right of your vehicle is now out. The one to the left of your vehicle is also out now. They are both likely heavily armed, given their high-value transport and loose-fitting clothing. They do not seem hostile.]
"Did you bring the detector?" I asked.
"To check for bugs? Yeah, of course. You can't trust anyone these days. People will do anything to avoid paying contractors like us. I've had friends tracked right before reaching the market—murdered brutally just to dodge a payout. Why do you ask? Are those senses of yours going off now?" Aegis questioned.
"Slightly… but it's nothing serious right now," I responded. Aegis nodded, pressing forward.
It didn't take much longer before we arrived at the shore, and as we did so, the boat docked itself with practiced ease.
"It looks like we are in business. How are your nights, my friends?" An older man, white-haired and likely in his early sixties, asked with a sharp Russian accent. Unlike his companions on the boat, he wore white, standing out starkly against the dark. More notably, unlike everyone else here—including his own men—he made no attempt to hide his face. Even simple thugs like me, Aegis, and Karina had opted for ski masks, yet this man was different.
[He also doesn't seem to be carrying a weapon—unless he's hiding it extraordinarily well. But his clothes are tight-fitting, making that unlikely. It could be a power move. A lack of visible defense might imply his power is extraordinarily dangerous. Best not to piss him off.]
"It's good. A little tired, but it's late, so I'm sure everyone here is. What about you, sir?" I asked, catching brief glances from the two nearby contractors and Aegis.
"It's good, it's good. When there is business to do, what can be bad? And call me Volkov, my friend." He responded happily.
"Of course, Mister Volkov." I replied, still giving him his due respect.
Volkov smiled in response. "Good, good. It's ones like you I enjoy doing business with," he said with a hearty laugh. "Anyways, I'd love to chat, but I'm sure you all want to get home. So, what are your codes?"
Aegis seemed ready to respond, but before he could get a word out, I nudged him slightly. He caught the cue and remained silent.
Five seconds passed in tense silence until one of the two professional contractors finally spoke.
"Blackbay." Just one word, but Volkov reacted instantly.
"You heard the man. Shipment in the bottom marked 2701, bring it." Volkov quickly said, shifting his gaze toward me, Aegis, and the final contractor.
Aegis remained silent, and after a short moment, the other contractor spoke. "White Silhouette."
As soon as the words left his lips, a package was brought to Volkov. He handed it to the contractor, who swiftly scanned it with a detector. The package was a black carry-on bag—armored, small, and seemingly very light from how it affected the sand.
[It seems the bag is free from any bugs.]
Yes, it does.
The contractor lifted the bag from the sand, completing the check, and carried it away.
"Bring shipment marked 8744 from the bottom," Volkov then called out, his attention now on me and Aegis.
Aegis finally spoke. "Nightdweller."
"And also bring shipment marked 5108," Volkov added as he leaned casually against the boat's edge. Soon, the requested packages arrived and were placed before him.
"This one is for White Silhouette, and this one is for Nightdweller," Volkov explained as we stepped forward to claim our package. It was large, and seemed high tech—but still just a briefcase.
[It seems highly advanced, and extremely durable. Probably impossible for someone like you or even Aegis to break into.]
As Aegis checked it for bugs, I glanced at the other contractor's package. It was also on the smaller side but larger than ours—a high-quality duffle bag. The contractor meticulously checked it for bugs as well.
As Aegis neared the completion of his scan, I took the briefcase handle into my left hand and lifted it. It was surprisingly heavy for its size, easily over 50 pounds. "Clean?" I asked.
"Seems like it." Aegis replied, his gaze still fixed on the briefcase in my hands. "It bothers me that we don't know what's inside. Usual smuggling gigs don't leave out this many details. Usually, clients want us to check their packages."
"Well, it's part of the job, my friend, is it not?" Volkov questioned, flashing a knowing smile. "Some jobs okay, some jobs not so okay. Some jobs easy, some jobs hard. Not all jobs same. It's life, no?" he said as he turned back to his boat.
"Have a good night, my friends." He offered a final nod before disappearing aboard.
"Let's get back to the SUV," Aegis muttered as we walked away.
I looked back as Volkov's ship departed, its sleek hull cutting through the dark water, disappearing into the night. I moved forward, the weight of the briefcase still pressing into my fingers.
[He doesn't operate overseas. The ship is small—advanced, sure, but not built for long-distance travel. It's a vessel designed for evasion. Border patrols in open waters would be a problem, but here, near the coast, he has control. It's likely Volkov primarily operates within the East Coast of the United States.]
It doesn't matter. That knowledge serves no purpose to me right now. He's probably dangerous—more dangerous than I can handle at the moment.
[At the moment? It hasn't been that long since you ran from the orphanage, and you're already talking about murder like it's nothing.]
That's not what I meant. I do not kill.
[Is that really what you think?]
I pushed the thought aside. "Pop the trunk so I can secure the briefcase," I said to Aegis.
"You're going to put it in the trunk, huh?" He asked, eyeing me, as I adjusted my grip, the weight visibly pulling at my arm. He let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly. "Fine, just hurry up."
"Yeah, whatever." I muttered, stepping forward as the trunk released with a quiet mechanical click.
The trunk popped open with a soft mechanical click. Aegis was already sliding into the driver's seat, Karina shifting beside him, settling in. The faint rustle of fabric, a sigh—neither of them were paying much attention.
I adjusted my grip on the briefcase, rolling my shoulders slightly as I tried to redistribute the weight. It was heavier than it looked, and my fingers ached from carrying it. Stepping toward the trunk, I let the case dip in my grasp, shifting my stance to compensate. Nothing unusual. Just a natural movement, like getting a better hold before placing it down.
The trunk slammed shut.
I kicked at the sand beneath me in a similar way to how someone might when shaking off their shoes or brushing dust from their pant leg.
Then it was done.
I wiped my hands against my pants, more out of habit than anything. Aegis glanced at me in the side mirror, barely interested. "Secured?"
"Yeah," I said, already moving toward the backseat passenger door.
I slid in, shutting the door behind me. The SUV's engine rumbled softly, a low, steady sound that filled the quiet.
"It smells like cigarettes in here," I commented, glancing at Karina as Aegis drove off.
"One of the other contractors out here offered me a cigarette while they were waiting for their partners. We talked for a bit—apparently, their group is low on scouts," she explained.
"Sounds like a good opportunity. Did they mention the name of their group?" I asked.
"Of course not. I guess you wouldn't know—you're a greenhorn, after all—but professional contractor groups like that are secretive. If they're interested in you, they'll find you. It's that simple," Karina replied. She leaned back in her seat, exhaling. "Anyway, what did I tell you? Simple gig, right? Just pick up and go—it doesn't get much cozier than this."
Aegis spoke up, his voice steady as we cruised down the highway. "This is the perfect time to talk about cuts."
That got both my and Karina's attention.
"I'll be taking 40%," he continued. "Karina here will also get 40%. You can keep the remaining 20%."
Karina glanced at me through the rearview mirror, clearly gauging my reaction.
I scoffed, shaking my head. "She's not gonna suck your dick just because you're giving her more than she deserves."
Aegis snapped his head toward me. "What did you just say, you little shit?"
I clicked my tongue and leaned back against the seat. "Tsk. Nothing. It's not worth fighting over."
[So, you've decided?]
Yes, I decided a while back.
I pulled off my ski mask, letting the cool air touch my skin for the first time in hours.
Both Aegis and Karina stared at me through the rearview mirror.
"What?" I asked. "The job's over. Nothing to hide anymore."
Karina tilted her head slightly. "It's not that. I have heard that you have a reputation for being especially… protective of your identity. Unlike most, you never take off your mask."
With that, she removed her own mask and tossed it into the backseat. Now that I could see her face, she looked unremarkable—late twenties, maybe early thirties, with black hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. If you saw her on the street, you'd never suspect she was a criminal.
Aegis nodded as I pulled out my work phone. "Same here. I almost didn't take this job when I learned the squad had been assigned, and I couldn't pick who I'd be working with. At least, even if you are a bit suspicious, the few jobs you've been on haven't raised any alarms. And if you did try something?" He smirked. "Well, I could put you down easily."
He ripped off his mask and tossed it beside Karina's in the back.
Unlike her, Aegis looked exactly like the kind of guy you'd expect to be in this line of work—big, bulky, with a buzz cut and scars scattered across his face. If I didn't know better, I'd assume he'd just gotten out of prison.
[It's time.]
As we cruised down the highway, two cars merged onto the road from the nearest entry. Both were matte-black sedans.
The exact same ones we saw on the beach.
I let a moment pass, then muttered, "My power is going haywire."
[Liar.]