Silus and his team were responsible for monitoring the build-up of dangerous gases underneath the city. The day had started as always. He'd had a big breakfast, not wishing to eat again till he was finished for the day and able to wash thoroughly. He'd stopped for a pecan tart too, and a few remnants of the flaky pastry could be spotted in his beard. His team had met above ground and dressed in PPE gear before heading down into the sewers with a few clipboards and various tools for monitoring methane and hydrogen sulphide.
On that day, however, he'd received an unusual call an hour or so into his shift.
"Erm, Silus? I think you've gotta see this…"
"What is it?" he'd asked.
"I think we've found a body, and it's a fresh one."
"Which area are you in?"
"12-B."
"I'll be there in fifteen."
*
A few hours later, Silus found himself sat in a backroom of Section 41's morgue. He'd never had much call to come here before. Although he'd heard horror stories about things that had been found underneath the city, he'd long since learnt such stories were mere urban legends. Or he's suspected so anyway. Now as the senior member of staff, he was responsible for relaying as much information as possible to the morticians. To his surprise, he'd been asked to stick around until the faction the body belonged to had arrived.
"Faction business," he thought to himself. He never wanted to get caught up in the world of ability users. The spirited were incredibly powerful, and their talents helped to keep the city safe, of that he was sure, but being around them felt a bit like being the small chubby kid at school while your peers were monstrous steroid-using athletes. If they had wanted him dead, there was little he could do about it, and even the government's action would be muted if the clan were large enough. "Bloody factions…" He sighed in resignation.
It was at that moment, Silus realised he was not alone in the room. Someone was stood in a dark corner, looking at him, or more precisely, looking through him as if he were simply a part of the scenery.
"Hello," he said.
The woman smiled at him, but it was not a smile full of joy but something more sinister. "Hello," she replied, then appeared in the chair in front of him. Although she had appeared to teleport, she had done no such thing, simply moving at a speed Silus had struggled to register.
Silus's mouth hung open, in awe at what he had just seen. Even the ability users he had seen on TV a few times before had not shown such speed. It was as if her ability had been super speed, but even then, it was very different seeing it with his own two eyes. How surprised he would have been, then, to find out that her ability was nothing to do with speed and was simply an enhancement from her high-level gear.
She lifted back her black hood, revealing a bald head. "Tell me," she said. "Tell me everything about the body you found this morning. And don't leave anything out. I'll know if you do."
Silus gulped, then began to recount what he had seen.