Early hours of Wednesday, the 2nd of August 2006 – the night was cold and moonless, the stars burning faintly through a restless canopy. A low boo-book… boo-book… drifted between the trees, folding into the constant murmur of frogs and insects along the creek, while the occasional ripple of water broke softly against the banks.
Conditions were terrible for a search mission, but the Zeta Squad remained steadfast.
The sheer number of natural creatures and dense plantation, coupled with the shifting water, made it nigh impossible to isolate a single, suppressed Ki signature. They were forced to rely less on Ki and more on their eyes and ears, though even those felt unreliable in the dark. And the deeper they went, the noise of the creek and wildlife grew quieter, and the silence felt wrong.
Most of the squad members searched on the ground and along the river but Hugo suddenly took to the trees.
One of the hunting parties felt a movement.
They decided to carefully move in to check.
The trio was comprised of three prodigious students of Hugo himself – Camille Baylis, Gina Hart, and Marcus Bernthal. All three were ranked 'Sokidu' – a second grade master of the Martial Arts, second only to the Zaatsu.
They trod the dark forest carefully. Others had mistaken birds and even thick bushes for the White Bolt. They did not want to repeat that mistake.
Once close enough to the point of the disturbance, they split up – Gina took North, Marcus took South, and Camille went straight in. The youngest core member of the squad, 21-year-old Camille was considered the weakest fighter in the squad but her expertise lay elsewhere. She was in training to become a Spotter. Spotters were masters in gathering intelligence through covert means, making them the backbone of strategic information acquisition for the Eye. And her specialized skillset was exactly what such a mission required.
Using a Ki blending spell, Camille moved unnoticed in the shadows, or so she thought.
An inaudible whisper was first heard and then she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She lost all control over her Ki!
She tried to turn around, but a cold sword blade came and sat on her neck. She was certain it was the bounty hunter. But surprisingly, the sword was then retracted and whoever it was, moved a step back.
Camille slowly turned around. "You're v-v-Vincent," she mumbled.
The bounty hunter took another couple of steps back and sat down.
"Vincent," he said, smiling. "So, that name finally stuck, huh?"
The Sokidu tried to look, but in the dark, his face was barely visible.
'He looks… young,' she thought.
All she could see was the frosty white hair hanging down to his broad shoulders.
'He's young… but then why the white hair?' Camille was still confused. 'Does he colour them that way just to put people off? Well, he's doing a fine job putting me off! I should be thinking of a way to call the others!'
She was still as a rock, unable to come up with any solutions. How could she? He had placed her under a spell which was stopping her from accessing any Ki.
'I could scream,' she thought. But as soon as she inhaled to let out a scream, the bounty hunter said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Camille stopped. "You don't have to die today, miss Baylis."
'His voice, it's so calm.' The young Sokidu stood contemplating in silence. 'Andhow does he know me? Why does he know me? What is he doing? Something isn't right.'
"What're you doing?" she asked.
"Trying to recuperate…"
"What?"
He sat leaning against a tree trunk and did not seem bothered at all about the fact that there were people hunting him. He even closed his eyes and dropped his head.
"Hey!" Camille said, gaining his attention. "What's going on?"
"You tell me," he replied.
"What have you done to me?"
"I sent some of my Ki into your cognitive receptor stream. A tiny energy surge, if you will. It has numbed your senses."
"That's why I'm unable to control my Ki…"
"Yes."
The bounty hunter snapped his fingers and lit a tiny flame. It hovered beside the duo allowing them to see each other.
Camille was shocked. 'Is he trying to get caught?'
After a short moment of silence, he looked at her and said, "Why don't you sit down? No need to strain yourself." She stood wide-eyed and dumbfounded as he continued after a slight pause, "Take this opportunity to rest your body… recuperate."
'He's supposed to be one of the deadliest people alive,' Camille thought and observed him top to bottom. She could see his light brown eyes now and his pale white skin. She noticed the torn edges of his black t-shirt and trousers, and the dusty tabi boots, and the few cuts and bruises on his face and arms. But what caught her attention the most was a small scar crossing his left jawline, running from his cheek down toward his neck. It felt old, like it came from a battle he had fought months, maybe years ago.
'This is wrong.' She gulped. 'Why is he talking to me like this? Why is he treating me this way? What's he planning to do to me?'
She was still standing. He smiled, shook his head, and looked away.
"You're giving your position away, you know," she said. "They're gonna see the fire."
"Oh, really?" He chuckled. "After all you've seen me do, do you really think I'm that stupid?"
Camille went quiet and the bounty hunter sighed and dropped his head.
'Direct confrontation without control over my Ki would be foolish.' She could not calm herself down. 'Screaming also seems pointless. Through this thick covering of trees, the others probably won't even hear me. Plus, he's so fast he'll kill me before I'd even move my lips.'
Understanding she had no other choice, she finally sat down kneeling. "How do you know my name?" she asked, slowly.
The bounty hunter looked at her and replied calmly. "It would be considered foolish to go into battle without gathering at least some intel about your adversaries. Weren't you briefed about who I was before you came after me?"
"Yeah, well… I guess so."
"Blonde, shoulder-high shags, not that tall, sneak, is the weakest fighter in the group… youngest Baylis."
"Oh… sneak… did you memorize that?"
"Just need to be aware of who's who before engaging. That's why memorizing visual cues and specialities is important. Like, the dark side-fringe haired man, just under 6 feet tall, about my height, leading the group from the centre… that's the main threat, Hugo Baylis."
The bounty hunter chuckled scratching the back of his neck. "I remember his name just fine." After a pause, he added, "The red hair tall, clumsy, cautious fighter is the strong opener I have to be careful of. Bernthal, right?"
Camille nodded.
Vincent nodded back and continued. "The blonde cocky guy, about the same height as Hugo, the one with the quiff and the shave now, who will engage headfirst, he's the weakest link in the squad. I believe that's your brother?"
She chuckled. "Wow," she said. "Weakest link, huh? I thought Zaatsu's aren't weak links…"
He shrugged. "It's just a rank. Then the tall brunette with the wedge, up front and centre with the captain in a direct confrontation – that's the Mystic."
'Ella,' Camille shook her head, smiling.
"The rear is always covered by the Magicist who is also not very strong, but she's experienced. I heard she remained on Cult duty for a while in Asia. Tricky people there. She is the not so tall one with the dark undercut."
He pointed to his right. "She came here with you and is now looking for me over there."
Looking back at her, he sighed, then said, "And that's the core of your squad. But then you people always carry a bunch of stowaways."
He looked away once more.
A whisper escaped his lips – "You shouldn't be here…"