Night fell on the Forgotten Capital of the Cetra. From a vantage point on the cliffs above the city, two figures looked at the city. Both were wearing identical black robes with large hoods that concealed their faces. One, however, was skinny, while the other was shorter and chubby.
"It's dark enough," the skinny one whispered. "Let's go."
The skinny figure reached into its robe, produced a grappling hook, and tossed it down the cliff. The hook caught on a rock near the bottom. The hooded figure then grabbed onto the rope and slid easily down to the coral-covered ruins. It looked back up a the cliff, where the chubby one was still standing. "Get moving," it snapped.
"I'm scared," the chubby figure said. Clinging to the rope, it slowly made its way down the cliff, where the skinny one stood waiting impatiently.
Silently, the two mysterious figures made their way through the city until they came to the circular building at the center. The pair was not interested in the building, however. The chubby one searched through the coral until it finally located the pump that they had stashed there the previous night. The chubby figure dragged the pump out from the coral and over to the small pond near the building.
While the skinny one watched, the chubby figure proceeded to drain the water from the lake with the pump. When the lake had been emptied, the skinny figure crawled down the former banks to the bottom of the lake. It soon returned, bearing a body. "Okay. We're done," it said. The figure produced a small communication device, flipped it on, and spoke into. "Succesful completion of Phase I of Operation Lansing. Returning to base."
"What about the lake?" the other asked.
The skinny figure paused to think. "Those AVALANCHE do-gooders might not like it if we left it like this," it said. "Better fill it back up."
The chubby figure reversed the pump and started to release the water back into the lake. Without waiting for it to finish, the two hooded figures hurried off the way they had come, carrying the body.
| Next chapter: Emiko |