[DPA Station Nine, March 2023]
Things around Station Nine had pretty much returned back to normal after the whole Iznana situation was over and done with. Well…mostly. A few slight changes had been made, but nothing of any major significance. But as far as Maria was concerned, it was business as usual.
As she entered the building and slowly made her way toward her squad's area, the young woman took a moment to admire everything around her.
It was still crazy to her how the government could fit an entire building the size of a basketball arena underground like this without anyone outside of the DPA even knowing about it. And to think that the Charlotte Station was considered average size made it even more bizarre in her opinion. So much so that she actually wanted to see what the stations in places like New York and Los Angeles looked like. Based on what Sebastian and Skylar had told her, those stations were even bigger than this one. And by a pretty wide margin.
'I don't even want to know how much money something like that would cost.' The young 'beast magic' user thought to herself as she rounded the corner near where the records room was supposed to be.
As the woman walked past the door, she took a moment to peek through the window to see if anyone she knew was in there. But the only soul inside was a certain blonde-haired high schooler who was currently smiling while scrolling through his phone.
Now that Freddy was gone, someone needed to take over the place to help keep things up and running. And as luck would have it, Zack, the boy that she and Sebastian had helped out all those months ago, just so happened to be the guy for the job.
The new intern had been temporarily assigned to the place as part of his training for whenever he officially joined the DPA, as a way for him to get used to how things worked around here.
It all worked out now that he was mainly doing online classes these days, especially since he wasn't in the mood to go back to school after all the bullying he had gone through before awakening his powers. And the fact that he was actually getting paid for his time made the blonde boy all the more motivated to do so. Plus, he had been doing a pretty good job so far.
'Must be nice.' Maria thought as he walked a bit further down the hall. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't a bit jealous that the kid had managed to land a pretty nice gig like that. God knows she would've loved to have the extra cash when she was his age.
Just as the young woman was about to round another corner, she suddenly came face-to-face with a familiar sight.
"Oh, what's up?" Cyrus said in a cool tone after looking up from his phone.
"'Sup." Maria replied in her usual stoic tone of voice.
"Heading over to check in with your crew?" The scarfaced 'tree magic' user then asked.
"Yup."
"Well, have fun. See you around."
"You too." Maria replied as Cyrus walked past her in the direction of one of the meeting rooms.
As she took a moment to look back at the man, Maria couldn't help but wonder about how her friend was doing.
To say that Cyrus had been acting differently lately would be putting it mildly. There had been a noticeable change in his demeanor ever since the big operation. And although the guy was never as extroverted and boisterous as someone like Valerie or Sebastian, he was still pretty normal when it came to how he acted. But these days, he was a lot quieter and more reserved than what she was used to. Not only that, he was a lot shorter with his words and thoughts.
From what she had been told, Cyrus immediately started seeing a therapist right after the whole Iznana situation had been wrapped up. Something that had been personally ordered by the Chief on account of everything that had happened to him. He had been going weekly for the last three months, but Maria was starting to wonder how effective it might have been.
She herself had to go after what happened to her father, so the young woman knew how depressing and difficult something like that could be. Having to relive past traumas over and over again while trying to overcome them. But even Maria couldn't help but think that something was genuinely wrong with him. Which, honestly, wasn't exactly unexpected on account of everything that happened.
'Is something like that gonna happen to me?' The woman wondered as she continued making her way to her squad's area.
She herself was on her own revenge plot to find the person who killed her father. A goal that she had been working toward for quite a long time. But seeing Cyrus act like this really made her wonder what would happen to her after she eventually achieved that goal. Would she turn out the same way as him? Or even worse?
Maria quickly shook those thoughts out of her head. There was no point in worrying about stuff like that when she still had yet to even find the bastard responsible for killing her dad. All of that could be saved for after. But even so, she did wonder what her life would be like after she finally completed her goal. Or what would become of her after it was all said and done.
-(o)-
"So we're all going to Elaine's concert in two months?" Maria asked Valerie as the two junior agents sat down at their table on the far side of the cafeteria.
"Yup!" The tall blonde said with a wide grin. "Evan already gave Aunt Zoe the heads-up. She's even giving us the next day off since we're technically going to be working as security for the twins!"
"Hmm." Maria took a moment to think about what she just heard.
Elaine's free concert, which happened every year in Freedom Park, was one of the biggest events in the city. Something that everyone looked forward to kicking off the spring season with. As a way to say thanks to all of her fans and to give something back to her hometown, the former DPA agent turned international superstar held a totally free, day-long concert that anyone and everyone could enjoy.
As long as you were one of the lucky ones who were able to receive a ticket through either an online raffle or a special giveaway, you were guaranteed to have a good time. And, as one would expect, there was no shortage of people who leapt at the opportunity to see one of the most famous artists in the world do her thing.
Maria had never personally been to a concert before, mainly because ticket prices were always way out of her budget. But being able to go to one free of charge while also getting exclusive backstage access was something that she was definitely looking forward to, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud.
"I'm, like, totally pumped for this!" Valerie then said. "I've never been backstage to anything before! This is gonna be awesome!"
"I bet…."
"Speaking of awesome…" The tall blonde then looked at her friend. "Did Aunt Zoe finally tell you where you were going for your training next month?"
"Vice-Captain Stillwater told me earlier." The young 'beast magic' user replied. "I'm going to Texas. That lady from the Conley family that we met back during the fundraiser got her husband to agree to it."
On top of the good news about the upcoming concert, Maria, Valerie, and Cyrus had been notified that they were going to be going away for an entire month to do some special training with some other stations in other parts of the country. This was something that had been in the works ever since the fundraiser, and now that all of the logistics had been sorted out, it was only a matter of time before they were all set to leave. Apparently, the whole thing was a pretty normal procedure around the department. A lot of stations sent their newest people to other places to gain a bit more experience.
"Are you guys talking about your little vacation?"
The two young agents then turned their heads to see Ayako and Sebastian standing behind them.
"Sure am!" Valerie said as the two older agents sat down at the table.
"I take it that you already know where you're going?" The 'water magic' user then asked.
"Texas." Maria said coolly.
"Florida!" Valerie beamed. "I'm gonna be training with Zharia Owens down in Miami!"
"Seriously?" Ayako said with a genuine look of surprise. "You mean that famous MMA coach who trained Deputy Chief Mubele and Vice-Captain Stillwater? How'd you manage that?"
"Aunt Zoe told me that Deputy Chief Mubele was the one who set it up."
"Wow. Well, good luck. I heard that she was totally crazy. My cousin, Nathan, said that she was completely unhinged."
Sebastian now felt the need to put in his two cents. "For real. My sister told me that she puts people through hell. Granted, she's supposed to be an amazing trainer and all that jazz. But what they told me about her methods made it sound like she was actively trying to kill them the whole time they were living with her."
That comment did nothing to dampen Valerie's excitement. If anything, it only made her even more motivated. Not only was Zharia Owens one of the best MMA coaches in the business, but she was also a famous sorcerer trainer as well. Someone whom everyone wanted to work with. Getting to train with her, even if it was only for a month, was a golden opportunity. One that Valerie was looking forward to.
If the 'fire magic' user managed to impress someone like her, then she would be one step closer to becoming the head of the DPA. Having someone like that put in a good word for you was worth its weight in gold. And the more notable people that she had in her corner, the better.
"What about Cyrus?" Maria then asked Ayako.
"He's going to Kansas to train with the Blairs." The 'water magic' user replied. "From what he told me, Secretary Blair and that girl, Alyssa, found out that the Chief was looking to send him away, and they jumped at the opportunity to have him."
"Is that really a good idea?" Sebastian then asked. "If you ask me, that should be the last place they send him."
"Well, they already know about his ability to absorb mana thanks to what happened at the fundraiser. But either way, they are the most logical choice when it comes to people who can help him train his magic. Most of the 'plant magic' users in the country are a part of their family anyway. So it's not like they don't know what they're doing."
"Do we know who he's going to be with?" Valerie then asked.
"No clue." Ayako shrugged. "Secretary Blair has yet to decide. But since he's going to Kansas, it's more than likely that it's going to be either Constanza Flowers or Jonathan Blair."
"Make sense. I've heard about those two before."
"And Maria is heading down to Austin to go stay with my uncle Alexander and his crazy-ass wife." The elder 'beast magic' user then joked. "I wouldn't be too scared, though. My cousins, Sam and Alexandra, should be there too. I've only ever met Alexandra, but she seems like a cool person. So it shouldn't be too bad."
"Noted." Maria nodded before taking another bite of her food.
In all honesty, the raven-haired teen was more than a bit interested in what her training was going to look like. Alexander Conley was the only other 'beast magic' user in the country who possessed a dragon-type cryptid. And from what she heard about him from Robin, the guy was one of the more talented members of their family, along with being a very accomplished agent who was on the short list for being the next DPA Commissioner. Being able to train with him was sure to be a big help to her, especially since he could probably help her fully tame her most annoying companion.
Either way, the whole thing was sure to be a valuable experience for the young woman. And the idea of getting to travel for a bit and see different parts of the country wasn't exactly a bad deal either. So, no matter what, Maria was going to try to make the most of her situation and try her best to improve her skills.
After all, this might be exactly what she needs when the time comes to finally confront her father's killer.
-(o)-
[Later That Day]
Not too long after their lunch break was over, Maria found herself sitting at one of the spare desks in the APS office area. Things had been relatively quiet so far, seeing as there weren't any pressing matters for them to attend to. But that all came to a sudden halt when Robin and Theo walked into the room with a set of serious expressions on their faces.
"Oretga." Theo said to the young woman. "We have some new info on your cold case."
"You do?" Maria looked up at the man.
Instead of responding, the 'lightning magic' user handed Maria the tablet that he was holding. Once she had it in her hand, the young woman quickly unlocked the screen and found herself staring at the blurry image of a man who looked to be in his late thirties, along with hastily typed notes at the bottom of the screen.
"I think we might've found your father's killer." Robin then said.
Maria looked back down at the screen and quickly began to examine the man's features. The guy looked pretty normal as far as appearances go. Although the woman couldn't see his face due to how blurry the image was, she could tell that he had short dark hair and a pretty solid build.
"The guy's name is Martin Pierce. Or at least, that's the name that we know him by." Theo then said. "He's a known Inquisitor Assassin. One that has a pretty impressive reputation."
"The DPA's been hunting him down for years, along with every other sorcerer agency in the western hemisphere. He's responsible for a string of murders that go as far back as 2002. But no one's seen him for almost two years."
Maria's heart began to race as she tried to fully digest what she was hearing. This was the first major breakthrough they've had in their investigation ever since she joined the DPA. To think that she might finally have a name and identity of the man who killed her father made the world begin to spin.
"He's also known to have ties to some pretty unsavory organizations. Most notably, the cartels that are still running around down in Mexico." Theo then added.
"Are you sure?" Maria asked as she tried her best to keep her nerve.
Robin shook her head. "Not one hundred percent, no. But a lot of things do match up. The guy's probably the only sniper in this half of the world that could give Chief Chandler a run for her money. And although he's known to be slippery as all hell, he was spotted in Georgia a few days after your father was killed."
Maria took a moment to steady herself before speaking. "What else do we know about him?"
"He's a halfling." Theo then said. "Based on what we know from past investigations, his mother was a sorcerer. And although he didn't inherit the ability to use mana, his body has a physiology similar to ours. He's just as strong and fast as your average B-rank sorcerer. And just like Robin said, he's a damn good sniper. And the bullet that was used to kill your father matches up with the kind that he's known to use."
Maria quietly absorbed that information as she tapped her finger on the screen to view the other files that were on the tablet. To say that this Martin Pierce guy had a pretty prolific record would be putting it mildly. The number of confirmed kills that he has to his name was in the dozens. And every encounter with him never lasted more than a few minutes before he managed to either slip away from his pursuers or kill them.
However, there was one thing in particular that stood out to Maria. And that was the fact that he had ties to the cartels….
The raven-haired teen knew that her family had some kind of history with them based on what her parents had told her. But she didn't know all of the details since her mother never wanted to talk about it. All she knew was that they were the reason why her parents left Mexico in the first place and came to the States only a few months after she was born in Michoacán.
'Is this the reason why they never told me about it?' She couldn't help but wonder.
There was something missing here that Maria didn't know. Something that she was no doubt going to have to ask her mother about the moment she got the chance.
"I see…." The young 'beast magic' user breathed out as she tried to stop her hands from trembling.
Inquisitors were known to use a wide variety of drugs to artificially enhance their bodies so that they could keep up with sorcerers when they hunted them down. But what those drugs were made of was a complete mystery to them. If there was a link between that and the reason why her father was killed, then she needed to find out what it might be. And if there was, then it could go a long way in finally tracking this guy down.
"Thank you for this." Maria then looked at the two senior agents. "It means a lot."
Theo, however, was quick to make his thoughts known. "I'm going to tell you this right now, this guy is not someone you want to face off with by yourself. He's already killed two S-rank sorcerers, both here and in Colombia. If we ever manage to pin this guy down, do not engage him by yourself."
"But-"
"He's right." Robin interrupted the young woman. "He is way too dangerous, especially for someone as green as you. I know you want to get revenge for your father, but this is not the kind of guy you can handle on your own. The guy has a bounty on his head for a reason."
"O-okay." Maria nodded. "I get it."
"We'll keep you posted on anything else we find. The Chief thinks that there's something fishy about this, and I agree with her. I think that there's something bigger at play here that we don't know about yet."
"Understood, sir. Thank you."
With that, Theo and Robin left Maria to read over the contents of the files by herself. Whatever the raven-haired teen was planning on doing before immediately took a back seat to all of the new information that she now had in her hands. And based on how much there was, it was looking like she was going to be reading over this stuff for a while.
'Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight.' Maria said to herself as she read an old report from one of the previous encounters with Martin Pierce that took place back in 2021. 'Don't worry, Dad, I'll make sure to put this guy in the ground the first chance I get.'