• This was my last day.

    I take a deep breath of the Winwintar air. The chill in the atmosphere and the freshness of the snow make my eyes water slightly. This would be the last time I would see this for a long time, or perhaps forever. I adjust the small computer clip, the blue screen deactivating as I look at what was my house in this world. By next morning it would be gone. I don’t really hold much sentimentality for the one room, one bathroom place, but it had held everything I had collected throughout the years.

    Now it was just an empty house.

    Taking a deep breath I look over at the town of Winwintar. The last ERA festival happened there, and I had missed it. There were so many things that I was going to miss, yet I knew I had to give up. My hand reached up to touch my bow before I began to walk. In the process of sending out a PM I had written a long time ago.

    The message would go to all those that I have met, and knew. They would meet me in one place that I had spent most of my time in, and had also filled out plenty of paperwork. Ryou will probably wonder why I am doing it. Would ask if I would come back…

    I may…

    Most likely not.

    But at this moment I had to leave. Finding the teleportation point, I closed my eyes and soon found myself looking at the bustling halls of the FIREWALL base. Plenty of Subordinates were there, along with some troopers with paperwork. I gave a smirk, thinking it was odd I only had one piece of paper to fill out. It would be the last piece of FIREWALL data I would give out, and it would be my resignation. Trooping down the halls I spun and dodged as well as I could to come to the lieutenant’s wing. Most of the doors were blacked out, denoting that the Lieutenant inside did not want to be disturbed or, they just didn’t want to see anyone. Unfortunately, someone was going to see me.

    A quick knock was all the warning I gave as I entered into Lieutenant 39’s office. And there the man was sitting behind the desk with a coffee cup strapped to his hand. He did not look up at me as I let light seep into the room. My hand hesitated slightly as I walked forward and set down the single piece of paper on his desk. “Sir... Subordinate 52, and I am turning in my resignation to FIREW—“

    I did not even get to finish my sentence when he pushed the paper back at me, along with another piece on top. “You volunteered yourself for a mission. Now go.”

    Wait…

    What?

    I opened and closed my mouth several times trying to figure out what had happened. It was his glare behind those glasses that finally made me inch out of the room with the papers in my hands. The door seemed to magically slam behind me. Giving a glance at the door and then the mission papers I gave a shake of my head. The man was nuts, or he had wanted to get rid of the assignment.

    I was supposed to go to the Winwintar mountains for a reconnaissance mission. I was to go alone, and I was just supposed to see if rumors were true: If VIRUS was training their underlings out in such a desolate place. If they were, then I was supposed to report back my findings. Screenshots of faces, recordings of their training along with seeing how their weapons worked were requested. My eyes glanced over the paper again before shaking my head. I was supposed to resign today. I was supposed to say goodbye, yet here I was getting dragged into a mission. A mission that was a Trooper or Lieutenant level, not one a subordinate would take.

    Yet… I sent another PM. I would meet them later in the lounge. I would be on my last mission.

    I did not expect the troubles that I would run into.

    VIRUS was there. They were training. Twenty Underlings were getting the instruction, while six Minions stood watch. A fighter seemed to be in charge of the whole thing as they walked between and around the sparring underlings. I was doing my job as I stored the data I got into my computer headset. Once I brought it back, and gave all the data I would give it away. Ryou or Morrigan perhaps would have the most luck in using it…

    Morrigan was a sweet girl. She would get far if she only had more confidence in herself on missions.

    With my daydreaming though, I had gotten caught. It was actually quite hard to spot the one that had found me. Her white and black coloring made her seem invisible in the snow. As I fled from the group, dodging and firing attacks when I could I called in for back-up. Even though this was my last day I feared deletion. I feared to never come back without saying goodbye. Without apologizing for all that I have done. If I was left here, then…

    Then I would never see any of my friends’ faces again.

    “THIS IS SUBORDINATE 52 REQUESTING BACK-UP! AM SURROUNDED BY VIRUS! REQUEST BACK-UP ASAP” With the transmission went my coordinates. Yet, as I kept on running I wondered if anyone would come. Who really would save me?

    Finally cornered I had to turn to fight. My bow used as a make-shift staff as I blocked attacks sent my way. A ZIRUS caught my hand making me flinch and back my back up more, it was what came to my sights next did I feel like I could cry.

    I believe I actually did as Ryou came in with his key to strike down one of the VIRUS attacking me. And then… There were the others. This joy soared through me as I blocked another attack, ignoring the empty feeling on my hand as the ZIRUS scratch began to grow. I would survive this. I would be able to say thank you to them all. It was again that I got careless.

    With a gasp I felt pain. Immediate burning that slicked through my stomach. It kept on going, further up my body and soon the pain became too much that I felt numb. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t yell. The only thing I could do was watch my friends fight for a dying man.

    As I fell, the last thing I saw was the white Winwintar snow.

    This was my last day.