1 Chapter 1 - Tenth Birthday Mission Objective: Murder.

?: "Position! What's your coordinates?"

?: "Uhmm...67'79.5 Northwest of-"

?: "Haah.....forget it. Just tell me the buildings around you – I'd prefer store names or street signs. Think you can handle that much?"

?: "Hey! Daddy I was just about done figuring out the proper coordinates! Just a bit longer--"

Daddy?: "HURRY UP WITH THE MISSION!! If you believe I have the tolerance to waste on your petty emotional drivel then it appears you wish to spend another year in the cells with your failure of a sister!"

?: "Father, wait! I―I'm sorry, okay?! Look – Oh! I-I see them! The target and his daughter finally left the organization RAVAGE's lab that was disguised as a coffee shop! About 112 meters until he reaches his car...Wait, what's my mission, again?"

Father: "...Kill him. do it in 1 swift move."

?: "...Does he have to die? I-In front of his 3 year old daughter?"

Father: "Yes. You have two minutes before I send your brother in to finish the job. If that happens..."

?: "I-I get it. *Phew* Okay just like normal training! I just have to pull the trigger on my handy DES. suppressed Silencer.09....and...it's over. All over. He-He's a dead man anyways...because bro is definitely somewhere nearby, even though I can't see him. If I don't eliminate Mr. target...father's lackeys will torture me again. A-Anyways, isn't there something WRONG with this situation? I-I mean, who sends a 10 year old to kill someone?! Especially their own son?? Hahah, Big sister Alianne is right...our family is so dysfunctional that it's just scary...."

Father: "What was that?!"

?: "Um...Nothing...."

{While having just turned 10, most kids would get birthday presents and a delicious cake. Maybe some will have a party thrown for them, or maybe, just maybe...they'd even get to go to an amusement park!

...Me? I'm undergoing my first A ranked mission of the family: High Profile Target Assassination: in other words, a 'hit'. How fun...

When I turned 6, my family made me kill somebody for the first time, but I wasn't consciously aware of my actions, or if they even had consequences. After all, what does 'good' and 'evil' mean to a 6 year old? That year was mostly spent finishing off brother's targets, which I thought was some kind of game. When I turned 7, my family made me complete solo-roles in lots of missions for the very first time. Only small ones though, like robbing a jewelry store, pick-pocketing councilmen or playing the role of brother's bait on missions - and they were always with a guide. If I failed 'em...it would be reported to daddy, and I would be tortured in the dungeon equal to how big of a failure I was during the mission.

After turning 8, I learned lots. How to customize, create, disassemble and reassemble my own weapons a little; like a handgun, a pocket knife or a grenade. I studied about family affairs more extensively...and no, I definitely don't mean something trivial like sibling rivalry(we do have it though), my parents cheating or like...an inherited street shop or something like that. Yeah those things probably happen to people, but not me. What I mean by "Family" is an actual crime syndicate.

The Malierano Family or "Familia" has practically taken over the Underground scene throughout the world(Except for China, India and parts of England. There have also been fights all over the place on small scales though.)

I'm told often that my father is a legendary figure throughout the 'world' unknown to normal folks. He was a hero who saved countless from tyranny and death, gaining admiration and praise from afar. A villain that plunged this very same world into fear, wreaking havoc upon followers of the oppressing word popularly known as 'Justice'. An upholder of the law who protected the highly valued legal system and very recently, a rebel that threatened to destroy it.

But this was all I learned about him.

The family's prosperous upbringing didn't happen thanks to father alone. The Malierano Family took over Earth's underground scene by using their vastly expanded intelligence network headed by my aunt, multiple business chains collectively formed through the union of all my mothers after trying their financial hands in various fields, superior technology uncle created which rivals the hidden forces of powerful countries and heavily trained elites who specialize in killing even the greatest of martial artists produced by ordinary styles of combat...and finally....with the help of Father's brute force tactics and strength.

Once I turned 9 my missions stopped being simple and became very difficult. I was even taught personally by father to forget my emotions while in combat. I wonder if he'd get mad knowing that sister Alianne would teach me otherwise in secret.

Normally, as his children we receive personal instructors hand chosen by him or our mothers until he approves of us. This is when we're decided to be successful heirs or failures of 'The Family'...so learning from father directly is a type of honor. His favorite method of teaching us, of course, is through his fists.

The biggest surprise however, aside from an increased training regimen and spy-type missions would definitely have to be my birthday present.

What father gave me that day....was a chip. A microchip to be exact, installed straight in my brain to increase my thinking capability, enhance comprehension and other functional skills before finally granting me more access to my brain. I essentially became a genius after wearing that microchip for an entire year, and finally it was uninstalled last month in June...to prepare me for my tenth year birthday missions. Although, being praised as a "genius" is only relative to average folks, since all of father's chosen 'children' have undergone the same treatment I have.

Which leads to today. I was forced to cancel my birthday-date with Lisa Rowe! She's the lovely assassin's daughter who I grew up with and who I--} *cough* *cough* {ahem.

Anyways. Da--father said that it was time to 'remove my training wheels' and tasked me with assassinating a high profile commerce member within Oklahoma's department of Commerce, while my siblings get rid of 4 other people I don't know. According to Father, there are two opposing....uh...opposing financial factions if I recall, who wanted to commit some shady slander war that'd crush the opposing force, but before that, they needed to kill the other's insiders without being suspected – leading to them both hiring us. Problem is, Oklahoma's governor caught wind of their movements and hired a few heroes to protect the Department's members.

A 'hero', that's the term we use for describing role-playing crime-fighte-.....ahahahaha. I mean, peace-bringing vigilantes who utilize their supernatural powers to serve justice, uphold order and prevent the spread of chaos...also referred to as 'Superheroes'. I rarely hear people using the term "Super" anymore though, ever since "Herotopia" was founded for the study of unknown phenomena that would effectively benefit or harm the human body and cause mutations. Thanks to advancements made in this field, nobody really believes powers are all that "Super" anymore. They're still rare though, and all who come forth claiming to wield powers are relocated to Herotopia, an actual "utopia" for heroes and future heroes alike, Formed on the artificially created continent: "Spes-Nova".

...And now, here I am on a roof where I'm supposed to kill some guy in a few minutes. It may sound like: "Durhurhur - he already killed shumbody before wen he waz 6 sho eazy peeshy!"

...NO! Daddy thinks the same way, so do my brothers and sisters but I was only 6! I would just hold what I thought was a toy gun and point it at people before pulling the trigger. 'Sides, when I first found out what I had done, sister Alianne said that I didn't have to worry so much, since brother had already hurt them beyond recovery.

Da--Father had me do that as a 'baptism' or something. I remember staring at his face, his eyes locked onto mine. 'Don't hesitate!' They said. Then I pulled the trigger, and the blood flowed...

Those a year older than me were offered this too, but they at least had the chance to say no. He thinks A) By dirtying our hands we can't run away from our responsibility to the family, B) He makes killing easier for us in the future since we'd already have gone through it at least once, and C) So that we don't turn out like my big sister: Alianne. She's the only one out of us all who's never killed before...which is really surprising considering how crazy strict our family is. They're always, "No emotions allowed on the battlefield!"

I know what father says, about death being a necessary part of society, but sister Ali told me that murder is the biggest fear of normal people and I'd be forever despised afterwards.}

*Kachik* {I have no choice. Readying my firing arm, I very steadily...okay actually I'm shaking like a leaf, but you would be too!

My attempt at aiming properly only erodes what little preparation time I have left and once I hear the alarm from my headpiece go off, signaling only 5 more seconds left...I pull the trigger.}

*Bang!*

{I panicked! I-It's fine though, right? My brother was going to kill him in a few more seconds anyway and that means I would've suffered another round of torture...wait. What?

Huh...?

As I take another peek out from my rooftop hiding spot, I notice a whole lot of blood...but....that's strange. Hum, was that reeeally from my little handgun...? Impossible--}

Father: "YOU FREAKING MISSED, STUPID! GET YOUR EMBARRASSING ASS BACK HOME SO I CAN BEAT IT!"

?: "…..Waaaah! Please wait daddy I'll try again!-"

Father: "NO. Your brother will take it from here. You're done."

{Not wanting to be cast a failure of the family, I attempt to take aim...until something awful catches my eye.

A little girl, barely 3, screams while drenched in her father's blood. He seems to be moving his heavy hand in a vain attempt to pat her shoulder. Nose running and sniveling, she tries to cover her father's heart while shouting something unintelligible. Poor girl only manages to catch swathes of blood on her petite palms instead of sealing her dad's wound. Maybe she was trying to cover the hole that was leaking fluids out of his chest? The hero seems to have finally arrived as well, only to be held up by my big brother Aeron.

Nevertheless right now, right here, for some reason...I feel strange. My brain recognizes my brother caused the scene below, but...

My...my chest keeps throbbing...and I'm scared. I don't remember ever feeling like this before.

Is this...guilt?}

?: "Did...I..somehow cause this?"

Father: "What are you mumbling about?"

?: "Umm, nothing...hehehehe."

{I should finish him off. That's right. The man's a criminal, and a dead target anyways with brother here. It's my mission to finish the target...}

?: "Haaah…phew."

{I steel my resolve – I have to. I know what is important. All that matters right now… at this moment...is…}

*BANG!*

?: "Daddy..? *Sniff* Daddy?! WAAAAAAHH! Daddy – Daddy!!! AAAAHHH!"

Noel: "...All that matters at the moment...is the mission."

Hero: "BASTAAARD!! Was this fight a diversion all along?! To distract me from your accomplice's position?! To give them a chance to STEAL THE LIGHT away from the eyes of a simple father, IN FRONT of his innocent daughter?!! DISGUSTING!! HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?!!"

Aeron: "...Well, my mission is complete, regardless. farewell."

{I did it...I did it! I... I missed at first, but... I...I completed the mission.

I didn't – I didn't fail...!

Yeah!

Yeah…!

Ye-Yeah…

…His blood is flowing from the hole I made in his skull. That girl is still crying, but she's alive.

That's good.

That's...

…

Why…

Why are my hands trembling?

This is normal!! Everyone in the family does it – besides Alianne, EVERYBODY has killed before! I'm acting stupid! Dumb!!

JUST STOP IT!!!

STOP!!

ST..OP!

…

S...top…

..

St...stop it...

.

…Just… just stop crying already...you stupid little girl…}

*Sniff* {please...}

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