Near

VECTOR BUSINESS CENTER. 7:47 PM

You have been given a simple but deadly task: find and kill the owner of the company and blow up the building.

You're standing in a dark storage room, surrounded by bags of explosives and the cold smell of metal. Your friend and partner, Near, is standing next to you. He has ash-blond hair that falls slightly over his forehead and blue-gray eyes that always look straight into your soul. His gaze holds a quiet, constant love, the very one you've grown accustomed to pushing away and hiding behind a businesslike facade.

Nia conducted his investigations as if it were a game: he noticed details, pieced them together, and the truth emerged. You, however, were the one who acted—quick hands, decisive steps, the ability to not flinch when everything around you was burning and fading simultaneously.

"What if we don't make it out in time?" His voice was calm, but there was a crack in it. "I'm scared."