From: SpyxFamily

Song: Are you Lonesome Tonight by Elvis Presley

Art: YoruReido on Twitter!

Let's go!

________________

"Sherwood, is it?"

Amidst the many conversations in the train station, a unique exchange took place, one that would shape the future of Westalis as we know it

That day, two of WISE's best would meet

As per the request of your superiors, you went to pick her up from a secure train station. No luggage, no documents, no attachments

Before you stood a young woman with long strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes that housed so much determination she appeared just to be angry all the time

You: Y/N L/N. It'll be a pleasure working with you

She stared at your hand before shaking it with the same expression

Sylvia: Whether or not I can say the same will depend on how competent you are

This earned a laugh out of you and even surprised her for a moment, but she ended up smiling at your reaction

You crossed your arms and smirked at her

You: Oh, I like you already

Then, you walked past her and gestured for her to follow

You: Come on, they're waiting for us

Back then you two seemed so full of potential, so full of life, like you could carry the entire organization on your shoulders and not break a sweat

Back then, the mission was clear

__________

You caught a brief glimpse of the moon as you took one last drag from your cigarette. It seemed like such a peaceful night 

With a sigh, you threw the cigarette on the ground and put it out. Thank god for the smoking area in this building

You: Well, it's time to get back to it

The other two agents turned to you as you walked back

???: You sure you don't want the help, handler?

With a smile, you shook your head

You: I got it. Go get some rest, boys

They nodded with a smile of their own

???: Have a good one, sir

With that, you headed back into the main area, throwing on your suit jacket, the one with the left sleeve pinned up

Peace reigned between the neighboring countries of Westalis and Ostania

That peace was hanging on by a thread, and it was your job as agents of WISE to maintain said peace

But you didn't count as an agent anymore, not in the field at least. Your job was to coordinate them, to make sure they had the intel they needed before going out there, and ensuring they got back

"Wolf Father", that was the nickname they had for you. Never really understood why, but they refused to elaborate every time you asked, even Twilight, as loyal as he is, kept it to himself

It didn't matter

On your way to the office, however, you spotted another one that still had the lights on. You knew exactly why. It was the other agent left from your generation, the one with who you shared the title of "Handler"

So you walked up to the room and leaned against the door

You: You too, huh?

Inside one of the many rooms used for planning, was Sylvia. Her hair had grown much longer, glasses now covered her face, and of course, there was that hat

She was looking at a large display of the two nations. Various notes were scattered over the map, and files were on the desk nearby right next to the coffee 

Sylvia: There's still information I need to go over before we make our next move

You: Let me just get done with mine and I'll come over

The woman nodded before she picked up a file 

Sylvia: I bought you coffee. It's waiting at your desk

She said it so nonchalantly, but you still smiled at the gesture

You: Thank you, Syl

You decided to leave her to it, Besides, you had work to do yourself

Sylvia and you were the last two of your kind. All those agents you got to work with had either been killed or taken away by the Secret Police, in which case, the result was the same

Publicly speaking, however, the attaché at Westalis Embassy and the history teacher have never even crossed paths

You got to your desk and sure enough, coffee was waiting for you, as was the small pile of papers waiting for you to review them

You: Alright, let's get this done

With a smile, you took a sip from the coffee before setting it aside and opening one of the documents

Only those who worked at WISE knew Sylvia and you were close, but they could never tell to what extent, and asking the nicknamed "Fullmetal Lady" certainly wasn't a choice

It was certainly, something to keep between the two of you

__________

"Over here, quick!"

You rushed over to her side and took cover in the same barricade as Sylvia just as bullets went flying from the other side, with your gun at your side

You: Got any word yet?

Sylvia: It worked, the vehicle is getting intercepted

You let a sigh of relief from the other side of the cover

You: Great. That's most of them dealt with

The girl peeked from the cover when the bullets stopped raining. Your eyes went wide in the fraction of a second that you spotted a blinking light coming from one of the windows. A scope

You: WATCH OUT!!

Without thinking twice, you lunged at her and tackled Sylvia to the ground just in time for the sniper to shoot. A burning pain quickly spread through your arm, but you had succeeded

Sylvia: L/N!?

You got off her and leaned back on the cover

???: I GOT IT!

Another agent used the flash of light from the scope as a way to locate the sniper and fired away. While this was happening, however, Sylvia's attention quickly shifted. Her scowl told you as much

Sylvia: I could've taken that

You: No you couldn't. They were aiming for your head

This got a groan from the young agent

You held your shoulder. The blood was quickly staining over the white shirt you wore. She was no stranger to the sight of it, but it never made it easier

Her breathing was heavier than usual as she tended to your wound, even her young eyes were filled with worry and fear now. A crack in the unyielding facade 

Sylvia: Are you okay? Can you still go on?

You: Yeah. Did we get him?

She peeked to find agents already walking out of the building with the cuffed terrorists 

Sylvia: Yes, we did

A weak cheer could be heard from you as you leaned back on the cover

A sharp breath came from Sylvia before she grabbed your chin, making you look at her, her composure still not quite present yet

"Don't do that again, do you hear me?"

__________

You set the empty coffee cup down with a satisfied sigh before taking notes from the last file. That should about cover the progress of the various missions, including Operation Strix

You: We gotta give Twilight some vacations or something...

Still, you were done for the night

It wasn't long before you noticed the light still coming from the room you saw Sylvia in earlier. You looked at the clock. It was one in the morning

You stretched a little before getting up and making your way back to the room

You: Any progress?

Sylvia turned at the sound of your voice. Files were scattered in a less organized manner, and the map on the wall had way more notes and red strings now

Sylvia: Not enough

You walked up to her and picked up the reports from the last incident involving a particular terrorist group

You: The Red Circus? That's a name I haven't read in a while

Sylvia: I have reason to believe they're active again

You tilted your head

You: How? Most of their members are under the custody of the SSS or dead

Sylvia: True, but we've got reports that Billy Squire disappeared two days ago

She rubbed her chin gently as she placed another red string on the map

Sylvia: Lives may hinge on any little scrap of information

Then, she picked up Squire's criminal record

Sylvia: These reports are very vague, and there are so few details to know if they're planning something for sure

With that unreadable expression of hers, she slid it across the table for you

Sylvia: It's up to us to find the truth about it

You looked at the file for a moment before a sigh came from your lips

You: Can't argue with that

You picked it up and opened it

"Let's see what we got here..."

__________

Perhaps the most emotion anyone had ever seen out of Sylvia, was when her daughter joined the casualties of this conflict

It happened so suddenly, nobody could've prevented it

You were across the country when it happened, but you returned the moment you got word of what happened

The disheartened mother cried her heart out at the funeral, as did everyone who got to meet the little girl

Sylvia held on to you with desperation, terrified that if she were to ever let go, she wouldn't be able to contain herself and lose herself in the grief

So you held her as best you could, you held her as you silently mourned the loss of the young soul

Sylvia: Children should never pay for the mistakes we make

Her hoarse voice cut a swathe through the rain

You: That's why we fight so tirelessly

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to find your bloodshot eyes, and tears running down your face as well, and yet, your voice remained as firm as ever 

You: So they won't have to, ever again

She looked at you for a moment before her grip on you loosened

Letting the tears roam freely, the woman walked up to the gravestones and rubbed her arms

Lives were lost because she got careless, because she let her guard down and let something slip through the cracks 

Sylvia: Ever again...

She exhaled sharply and placed a hand on her heart, looking at the resting place of her family, of the life she tried to build for herself

That day, she made a promise

__________

Early in the morning, the agents of WISE returned to the compound, ready to continue their mission

Two, in particular, were surprised to not find Sylvia at the usual office

???: Hey, Twilight, have you seen Handler? Any of them?

The older man, the one with the mustache asked the blond, who shook his head

Twilight: I was about to ask you that

The other agent hummed as he rubbed his chin when Twilight spotted something out of the corner of his eye

Twilight: There's something in that room

He pointed at the only room in this place that still had the light on. Not a single person had entered this area, so no one could've turned it on

The agents sought to investigate this with the extreme caution they had been taught

However, no training on this planet could ever prepare them for what they would find there:

The room was a mess, with files grouped up yet somehow scattered at the same time. The map in the wall was almost filled to the brim with notes 

And most surprisingly of all...

They found their Handlers

You were sleeping soundly on the couch in the room. A hatless Sylvia was by your side as you rested against each other. A coat of yours covered you both as an improvised blanket

They covered their mouths with wide eyes and immediately stepped away to talk in the hallway, away from the scene

Twilight: What are we supposed to do in a case like this?

Agent: That's a good question. It's never happened before

Twilight: Should we wake them or...?

The older man shook his head

Agent: Do you know how rare it is for those two to get even a wink of sleep? 

Gently, Sylvia's blue eyes opened. She blinked a couple of times to get adjusted and she looked around to recognize the room she was still in, and lastly, she took notice of you sleeping by her side

- - -

Agent: If anyone here deserves sleep, it's those two, I--

Sylvia: There will be plenty of time to rest when we're done, gentlemen

The two men almost screamed at the sudden appearance of Sherwood at the door. Hat on her head, arms crossed, and an expression as blank as ever

Sylvia: Come along. I got information to share with you

She walked past them, acting as if she hadn't just been sleeping a minute ago

Agent: Uhh, Handler? Shouldn't we wak--

She immediately turned around to them

Sylvia: Not. A. Word

The two men tensed and nodded at the same time, with a shaky "Yes ma'am" leaving their lips

While they headed to the office, the woman turned back to the other room, catching a glimpse of you as you yawned

Her gaze softened at the sight of it

Peace reigned between the neighboring countries of Westalis and Ostania

That peace was hanging on by a thread

You've never stopped fighting for it, and neither has Sylvia

She will never admit it, of course, but you were the best partner she could've asked for, even after all these years 

And you'd both live to see the end of this, she would make sure of it