Something was bothering me all day and by the time I had finished my lunch break and made my way back to the building, all my senses were on alert as unfamiliar faces jogged back and forth as well as a hectic ambience passing through me.

Instinctually, the frantic atmosphere imbued me with a sense of readiness as my steps sped up and I made my way towards the ‘barracks’, which was no better than just a large office or study.

Walking briskly, and nearly bumping into a young man holding a gun jogging in the opposite direction, I luckily found Rhodes and promptly reported in.

“What’s going on?” Was the first thing that I said. Perhaps it was out of line for a mere subordinate to demand an explanation of the situation to them but the hecticness of the place made me feel like I could get away with it today.

And indeed, I could.

“There’s an incursion. Pythia states it’s only one person, a woman, but they’re a user; B-rank at least if they can make it inside alone. The base is on high alert because of that,” He got after reading something on his tablet. Around him were sheets of loose, disorganised paper, a tablet, and more than one phone. It must’ve been incredibly busy for a man in the organisational hierarchy such as himself.

“Why didn’t we get a report sooner?” I asked, my curiosity brimming.

“You don’t need to know,” He replied sharply, glaring at me. “You’re assigned to the boss’ room. Protect what’s there and throw out any intruders; you understand?” His tone was firm, leaving no room for questions. I nodded and began to move.

The ground floor was bustling with activity, the vast majority of it centred around the barracks which was acting as a main interchange for people to get to where they needed to be. Not only did users go there to receive a latest report but also to know where they needed to report to, in addition to all the non-powered staff who were making their way to their own panic room.

Not having seen or heard about the boss, I could only assume he either wasn’t in today or was already in a panic room of some kind.

The second floor was vastly different from the first; for one, there were too few people there that I struggled to see anyone in my walk as well as I felt a faint, lingering residual of energy in the air. That alone made me realise the scope of this situation bodily; I tensed up, ready for anything.

From the barracks, I was given a bulletproof vest that I inserted underneath my suit quickly but that was about it for armour--I had to hope I’d only be shot in the chest and no one would try to attack me up close. It wasn't very comforting but at least it was something.

In addition to the best, I was given the small pistol I always had on duty.

Surprisingly, I made it to the room with incident. The room was unlocked and, inside, empty. Any paper that was here before was neatly tidied up and packed away and it looked like a museum rather than an often used office space.

I scanned the place, looking to see if anything was strange or unexpected. The windows--of which I was assured were bulletproof--were intact, the rug immaculate, and the paintings and books undisturbed. It seemed that whatever incursion was happening, the invader hadn’t made it here yet.

Still, that didn’t mean I could relax. One of the reasons the boss does everything analogue was to create two locations of interest for his enemies; himself and this room. Naturally, his life was deemed more important so not only was he in a safe room of some kind but he was also protected by multiple users--some I didn’t even had the clearance to know about.

However, that didn’t mean I could relax and let people ransack this room. 

I tightened my grip on my pistol and walked to a space in the room which I felt was hidden from either of the two windows. There, I maintained a clear sightline towards the door and just waited.

Silence permeated the room, a stark contrast to the hive of activity down below. My arms were starting to sweat but my mind remained cool and collected.

Minutes went by without any activity, any indication of another human being near me.

And then I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Instantly, I raised my pistol, waiting for whatever it was that I sense. There was nothing yet, in the immediate few seconds since, but I knew my Specialisation; there was a user nearby and they were using their System Specialisation.

The fact that I was the only one sent to guard this room suggested to me that their Specialisation was one more of utility rather than to directly attack someone, though that line of thinking did little to calm the nerves wracking my body.

One. Two. Three. Minutes passed in silence.

I waited in tense nervousness as multiple signals were travelling through my brain; they’re here; they’re close; be ready.

In my heart, doubts were scurrying through my mind. If they managed an incursion, managed to make it all the way to the second floor, they were strong. As scary a though as it was, the idea that this may be the final moments for me settled into my mind.

But there was nothing I could do about that. I was here, and that was it. All I had to do was try my best to survive. I was green but I could do this.

And then the door opened. It was a slow, methodical thing, but the utmost unnerving as well for, you see, there was no one there to open the door.

For a moment, confusion took over my mind as I stared at the door--is it the wind? Something else?--but my even though my conscious, cognitive mind was slow on the uptick, that unerring sensation of energy throughout my whole body, creating the subconscious knowledge of a user is here, didn’t cause me to lower my guard.

Instead, without even really thinking about it, I raised my gun and aimed at the door but with one hand, I gripped tightly and used my Specialisation.

There was no explosion, no loud bang, nothing. Nothing except the sudden image of an adult human appearing right in front of the door. The person was dressed in dark, black clothes but didn’t seem to carry a weapon with them. Really, they looked like a small-time criminal doing petty crimes rather than an actual dangerous user.

However, my guard remained firm and as soon as my eyes caught sight of the person, I shifted my gun to aim towards them and fired without hesitation. I felt the recoil racket my arms, the sound of the gunfire echoing loudly in this room as I was inwardly glad at wearing earplugs.

The figure, as soon as the sound exploded outwards, fell to the ground and promptly disappeared.

Without waiting, without thinking I had already killed them, I used my Specialisation again.

Nothing.

As fast as I could, knowing the enemy was near by, I turned wherever I could, with my hand raised outwards, and used my Specialisation. And then I heard it.

At the sound of a drawer being flung open, I turned towards the desk.

Suddenly, the figure reappeared, throwing open drawer after drawer and having covered an impossible distance in just a few seconds. Instantly, I turned my gun to the side and fired again, hitting nothing as the figure vanished again.

As I readied myself to dispel whatever invisibility they had once again, I was abruptly stuck hard in the abdomen, doubling over and sent back a few metres from the sheer strength of the impact.

As I collapsed onto the ground, thoroughly unprepared for that sudden aggression, another kick, of even greater intensity and power than the last one, thundered against my side as I literally flew through the air, tumbling against the floor and sharply hitting against a bookshelf.

I took a sharp intake of breath as crippling pain surged through me, books trickling down on top of me like a paper waterfall.

My mind was racing and I was panicked. My breathing was hitched and irregular, and my heartbeat was noticeably pronounced--far more than it should’ve been.

Inwardly, I cursed my Specialisation not being a passive thing that I could always use but chased away the thought instantly; I still had to survive this.

Without taking more than a second to think, instinctively activated my Specialisation but over my whole body this time, like a bubble of armour. 

The kick still came but it was distinctly weaker and non-life-threatening. It threatened to make me throw up in agony, yes, but that was it.

The figure, seemingly to have realised what I did, took only a few steps back before disappearing from view once again.

A clear cause-and-effect had established itself; whenever I used my Specialisation and unshrouded the person, they’d attack me and then disappear again.

A primal thought overtook my mind and that was to just not interfere--leave the person alone and I’d live--but, cognitively, I knew that wasn’t an option; if I was still alive but the documents had left this room, I was as good as dead anyway.

Panting and heaving for breath, slowly, I pulled myself up onto my knees and then stood up, bracing myself against the bookshelf as books tumbled off my body.

I quickly shook myself, cementing a thought in my head, before turning towards the desk--where papers were flying into the air magically--and charged towards it.

My mind was centred around one thing and one thing only. My Specialisation was active.

As soon as another body came into view, an elbow rocketing towards me, I let my instincts take over and pulled the trigger. With barely a moment to react.

Two bodies collapsed to the ground, one with a bulle thole in and the other crumpling like a wet cloth.