Beyond the mission

Faux pas

The S-Rank operation had finally begun!.

The convoy rumbled through the hot afternoon,shadows flickering across the metal walls of the armored vehicle. Inside the crate, Jason's heart hammered against his ribs-half excitement, half fear.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to steady his breathing. This is it. No more waiting. No more hiding.

The crate jolted as the vehicle stopped. The sounds of footsteps and voices filled the air outside. Jason pressed his back against the cold metal, every nerve on edge.

Jason stepped out of the crate unnoticed, the mission beginning-and the real test of who he was about to start.

Gunfire tore through the air inside the dark compound, bullets ricocheting off walls and slicing through debris. The mission was chaos.

The S-Rank team was pinned down.

Their objective: retrieve a highly classified file from the enemy vault. But the enemy wasn't making it easy-they were everywhere, firing relentlessly, giving no room to breathe.

Amelia ducked behind cover, gritting her teeth. "Simon! We're boxed in! Do we push?"

Simon, reloading with mechanical precision, glanced over at her between bursts. "No. Not like this. We'll get shredded."

She knew what that meant. "Plan B?"

Simon nodded once. Bait and steal. One draws fire-one grabs the package.

Before she could respond, Simon had already sprinted into the open, drawing the attention of half the enemy force. Bullets chased him as he weaved through crates, flipping over a barricade with deadly grace.

Amelia moved fast, slipping through the chaos and disappearing down a side corridor toward the vault.

Meanwhile, deep in the enemy's command zone, their commander narrowed his eyes. Something didn't add up.

"They're pushing too hard," he muttered. "Why aren't they retreating-wait..." His face twisted. "They're distracting us!"

By the time he shouted, "They're going for the vault! Stop them!" it was too late. Simon was already sprinting back, file in hand.

"They've got it!" a soldier yelled.

"Don't let them escape!" the commander roared. "Light them up!"

As Simon and Amelia ran for the exit, gunfire followed like a swarm of wasps. But amid the chaos, one of the enemies spotted movement near the wreckage.

"Sir... there's a kid. Is he with them?"

The commander didn't even blink. "What part of 'kill them all' don't you get?"

Jason stood frozen, heart in his throat. This wasn't training. This was death.

The enemy soldier raised his rifle, aiming right at his chest.

Jason couldn't move, couldn't think. His legs locked. His voice cracked as he screamed-

"SIMON!"

In a blink, something slammed into him. Not a bullet-a body.

Jason hit the ground hard. When he looked up, Simon was standing over him, shielding him.

Blood poured from Simon's side. He turned slowly, smirked weakly, and said,

"Idiot... I told you not to come."

Then he collapsed.

Jason caught him, shaking. "Simon?! Simon-!"

The building shook violently. A distant explosion roared as support beams cracked and the ceiling began to cave.

Outside, Amelia turned at the sound. Her eyes widened.

"Simon's still inside."

Without hesitation, she sprinted back toward the crumbling ruins-unaware of the boy standing inside... cradling the man who'd just taken a bullet for him.

The ceiling groaned above, chunks of concrete crashing down around them. Dust and smoke filled the air, but Jason didn't move.

He was frozen-kneeling beside Simon's body, still cradling his mentor's weight in trembling arms.

"Simon... wake up... please..." his voice cracked.

Simon's blood soaked through Jason's sleeves. Another chunk of the ceiling collapsed just feet away, snapping him back.

He looked up-the whole place was coming down.

Jason clenched his jaw. No... I can't leave him here.

Suddenly-a burst of static in his earpiece.

"Jason?! Jason, answer me! Are you in there?!" It was Amelia's voice, panicked, coming through the comms.

"I-I'm here..." Jason rasped. "Simon's hurt... really bad."

"You have to get out NOW," Amelia said. "The building's seconds from going under. Move!"

Jason looked down at Simon's pale face, then gritted his teeth. "No. I'm not leaving him."

The tremors got stronger. Fire crept along the edges of the hallway, eating its way toward him. Jason's heartbeat pounded in his ears. The panic...the fear...it started to shift-into something else.

Jason's world slowed to a crawl.

The roar of fire, crumbling steel, and collapsing walls faded into silence as he stared at Simon's body-still, broken, and drenched in blood.

His lungs tightened. He couldn't breathe.

He dropped to his knees, trembling. "Simon... no, no, please..."

Then-a weak touch on his arm.

Simon opened his eyes slightly, blood on his lips but a smile on his face. "Jason... you're safe. That's all I needed to know."

Jason's lips quivered. His voice came out small. "Don't say that. Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine, I'll get you help-just hold on."

Simon gave a dry chuckle, coughing hard. "I always figured I'd die on some badass rooftop or mid-air explosion. Not... under a pile of cement with your loud crying in my ear."

Jason laughed through his tears. "Shut up... shut up and hold on."

Simon's hand tightened on his arm. "Jason, listen to me... the building's not gonna hold. You have to go."

"I'm not leaving you," Jason whispered, panic rising again.

"You have to." Simon's voice cracked, fading. "You're gonna do great things, kid. You're stubborn, reckless, arrogant as hell... but you've got something the others don't. Heart."

Jason's vision blurred. "Please don't leave me. I swear-I'll listen next time. I'll do whatever you say. Just stay."

Simon exhaled slowly. Then, with a weak grin, he said,

"Before I go... just one thing."

Jason leaned in, heart pounding.

"I totally cheated in our last game," Simon whispered. "Swapped cards when you blinked."

Jason let out a sharp laugh, tears still falling. "You think I didn't notice? I just let you have that one."

Simon's grin widened, faint but real. "Heh... punk. That's the last thing I needed to hear."

And with that... his eyes closed.

Gone.

Jason froze.

Then-the scream ripped from him.A raw, aching sound no one should ever have to make. He clutched Simon tightly as the world collapsed around them.

Just as the roof gave in, Amelia burst in. Her eyes locked on the scene, and without a word, she grabbed Jason and dragged him out.

Outside, the building caved in behind them.

The other S-Ranks stared in stunned silence as Amelia, bruised and bleeding, carried Jason-eyes empty, arms limp, tears still rolling.

No one spoke.

Someone finally asked, "What the hell happened in there?"

Amelia answered, voice hoarse she filled them on what had taken place

Jason didn't say a word.

He just stared at the ground-knowing this from this moment on...

Everything has changed.