4 Chapter 1.3

Jason walked into the Loft, a base he established for himself, which was located on the topmost floor of the Rubric Building. The floors of this building could rotate at any given time, giving the tenants a panoramic view of the city. Of course, most normal people could not even afford to look at this place, due to the fact that each floor had to be rented out to a single tenant.

The elevator Jason used to enter the Loft slowly lowered itself into the ground and closed with a click as he walked away. The room's walls were consisted entirely of glass, while in the center lay a large computer with multiple monitors.

"A.V.A, the report," said Jason as he took off his jacket and laid it on the chair in front of the computer before lounging on the seat.

The computer lit up and a report from the Council showed up. The original file had many redacted statements, yet this unfazed the supercomputer which began to slowly replace the black lines with complete sentences. As Jason read the file, he shook his head with disappointment.

The file had contained what little information the Council had on him and their recommended suggestions on how to handle him should he ever go against their wishes. One suggested keeping an eye on Alina and using her as a hostage, which was quickly ruled out. Another suggested letting him do what he wants in order to please him, hoping he would return the favor to the Council.

Eventually, the Council elected to give Jason a license to kill in the form of recruiting him as a Phantom, an agent who would complete certain unsavory missions for the Council, in exchange for having full immunity to any crime committed. Jason's Phantom status, however, had a special aspect to it: they would only give him missions that could affect his life or threaten the very safety of Atlantis. [3]

"Damn geezers are lucky they didn't follow through with the hostage play. Ava, can you find out which member suggested that? I'd very much like to send him some . . . flowers," Jason emphasized the word flowers in a particular manner as he asked the supercomputer.

"It will take time to break the security systems, I'll let you know when the information is available. Currently, an incoming request from the Council has been received, displaying on-screen." The computer flashed its screen for a moment before a new file popped up.

It was another report on mercenaries, linked to a certain first world country, being seen operating in the outskirts of the city. The mercenaries appeared to be posing as terrorists, human supremacists who despised ESPers and the likes. Of course, their main objective was to instead kidnap certain ESPers and transport them elsewhere, most likely, to the same country that the mercenaries originated from.

Jason read on with a cold look in his eyes. Despite the war ending and peace returning, countries and corporations still attempted to control ESPers and spellcasters, limiting their freedom by forcefully conscripting them into the military or their intelligence agencies. This eventually led to the creation of Sanctuary, an artificial island floating in the Pacific where most ESPers and spellcasters reside in. Now, it seemed that many forces were resorting to human trafficking to try and obtain more ESPers.

The document also had a list of people who were the mercenaries' targets. As Jason browsed them, he couldn't help but pause when he saw a familiar face. Brown hair with multiple light shades of highlights, strikingly green eyes, and a face to kill for.

Strange, Jason thought. Why would they target her, a level 0 for?

Ava noticed Jason contemplating and immediately opened a new window with information on the target. Reading it, Jason's eyes narrowed again while he tapped his finger on the armchair.

Despite being a level 0, her potential is incredible, he thought, his hand rubbing the thick stubble on his chin. The talent to increase a person's latent regenerative ability . . . this could potentially evolve into a powerful healing ability in later levels. Maybe even resuscitation . . .

A part of Jason instinctively wanted to obtain her and her skill by any means. Having someone with such abilities near him would be a great asset and it wouldn't be hard for him to snatch her; he would just need to seduce her. However, regret and anger flooded him when this thought ran through his mind and he shook his head.

No, I refuse to use people, I won't be like them anymore. Besides I've already asked much from her.

Jason continued looking through the list and stopped at another familiar face. The temperature in the room dropped as Jason crushed the armchair with his bare hands. The screen showed a girl, her brown skin, half curled raven hair, and vibrant smile as she walked down the streets gave her childish features an innocent touch.

"Alle . . ." Jason muttered as he stood up, his black eyes absorbing all light around them. "Ava, find me their precise location now and interrupt any nearby cameras and equipments."

"Already done. Would you like me to your Phantom armor up so you can dress for the occasion?" as Ava asked dryly, a closet lifted itself up from the ground and opened up.

Jason looked at the outfit for a moment then shook his head.

"No, that won't be necessary. I want them to know who I am. I want them to see my face," he said as he took his jacket and put it on, leaving the Loft from a window.

As he fell like a boulder, Jason activated his ability when he was near the ground. Immediately, the speed of his descent slowed until he landed softly in the alleyway. Pulling out the holographic map from his helmet, Jason went to his motorcycle parked by the sidewalk and quickly took off.