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“Now class I hope you all studied your review packets. I went over your unit 1 exams and must say that I'm very impressed by the results. The overall class comprehension of the American Civil War was much higher than I anticipated. Despite being peace loving ponies, you all are very studious when it comes to the intricacies of war." A few chuckles rang out from the class, but the equine students all quickly became quiet again, eager for their human professor to continue his lecture.

The teacher turned his back to class and began writing on the chalkboard saying, “The next conflict we'll be going into is Earth's first world war. And yes I know what some of you are thinking … 'There was more than one!?' Well as we venture further in the lesson you'll see why my home world is in a constant state of war. Now before I get ahead of myself, were there any questions?"

The professor scanned the room then pointed at a student with their hoof up. “Yes Ms. Prism." The turquoise colored earth pony scratched her chin a little bit before asking, “Are you still going to tell us Professor 22?"

The human arched an eyebrow and watched as his class began murmuring amongst themselves. 22 grabbed a nearby ruler and began twirling it around replying, “Tell you all what? You'll have to forgive me, us humans have pretty awful memories."

Prism chuckled then said, “You promised the class you'd go more into detail about your arrival to our world if we did well this unit! We surpassed your projections so surely that means you have to tell us right?!" More of the class began clamoring and adding their input, quickly turning the scene into something more reminiscent of a cacophonous gaggle rather than an university lecture hall.

22 said nothing, only held his hand up in the air. The students quickly became quiet and awaited his response. Professor 22 sighed then sat on his desk remarking, “What is it with you students always wanting to hear a war story? You all know the basics of who I am and what I've done. It's not like my arrival here wasn't talked about for months in the news."

22's tone was somber and twinged with guilt, but only the most astute students seemed to notice. Prism straightened up and replied confidently saying, “We want to know because we haven't heard from you! We saw the articles, heard the rumors, and even saw the destruction done to the castle, but you've never told your side of the story. We want to know about your past some more Professor!" More student clamoring and cheering was all 22 needed to tell him he wasn't getting out of this one.

The professor stood up and looked at the clock then said, “Alright I'll divulge to you the mission I had prior to arriving here in Equestria. Maybe some other time I'll show you actual videos from the event. CT-9 is away working on a project of mine, so no visuals today." 22 paused while looking away from the class then saying, “As usual I won't sugarcoat anything. You want to know about me then you deserve the unaltered truth. Are you all sure you want to hear more? Images of wars past and battle training is one thing, but once I start divulging about my past. You wont be able to help how you perceive me, in case some of you hadn't known, I wasn't a good person, I'm still not if I'm being honest . . ."

The students watched, but said nothing as their teacher lamented his past. So many wanted to say something, to assure 22 that they wouldn't look at him differently but they all knew better. They hadn't even respected him when he'd first started as a teacher here.

22 looked over his quiet students then sighed continuing, “Well if there's no objections then let us begin. You all know me as 22, some have asked what my actual name is, but I've always been cagey about it. I was never given a name, since birth I've been referred to as Killer 22 of the Hidden Hand Cabal. A secret organization with influence far and wide . . . And the only mission being to kill, depose, assassinate, destroy, eradicate whatever was deemed a threat to our operation. This part of the story takes place a few days before I arrived here, in the mountains of Pico de Orizaba. Snow capped peaks in Mexico. The Cabal had ordered us to infiltrate a secret testing facility and kill a scientists who had defected from us. A textbook mission for us, but by this point in our lives . . . nothing was textbook anymore . . .

EARTH: PICO DE ORIZABA

Heavy harsh winds blew over the mountaintop threatening to topple any climbers not properly grounded, but the weather would not deter Triple7 from their mission. The five man team trudged through the snow silently, focusing on completing their assignment and returning back to base.

One of the group members looked around between their comrades and scoffed saying, “So we're not going to talk about it?" The outburst was heard by everyone, but no one felt like acknowledging what had happened. Killer 7 readjusted her sniper rifle and laughed saying. “Here we are! Climbing up the side of a fucking snowy mountain and for what?! Because 49 has gotten soft!"

The leader of the group suddenly stopped in his tracks then turned around to face 7. 49 was the complete opposite of 7. 7 was a youthful woman only in her late 20s, but her age did not match her demeanor. She was all business and remarkably ruthless. Her and 49 had butt heads on a myriad of issues, but this was looking to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

49 smirked as he looked 7 over and said, “Something you want to get off your chest 7? I get I'm an old man, but no need to beat around the bush, just come out and say it." 49 stood square with 7 and well over a foot taller. He was indeed old, no one knew for certain but he had fought and served the cabal far longer than anyone else on the team. His grizzled gray beard and streaks of white hair were good indicators he was in his 50s pushing 60, but with the way he cut down targets, some might be forgive for thinking he was still in his 30s.

7 growled then stomped the ground saying, “You should have killed her! Both of you should have!" 7 suddenly directed her ire towards 22 saying, “Of all people to suddenly grow a conscious and want out it had to be you! Are you kidding me!? I can understand grandpa wanting to retire, but you!? Don't tell me you're still upset about Romania! Get over yourself it's part of the fucking job 22!"

22 suddenly raised his maxim 9 pistol and took aim at 7 saying, “Don't you dare bring up Romania! You don't know a damn thing about what I had to do there."

7 rolled her eyes and replied, “When did you become emotionally unstable? Boo hoo you had to kill people. Get over yourself, you've been killing since you were 10. Your secular sense of morality should have died long ago, but I don't blame you . . . 49 is the squad leader. He's the one who's been tampering mission objectives, sparing lives, and going against the cabal code!"

49 took a step closer to 7 and said, “then why'd you come then huh? You knew what this mission was about and you knew what 22 and I were planning. Why'd you come? Why did any of you come?"

The other killers said nothing, only raised their weapons in response and aimed it at 22 and 49. The duo raised their weapons as well and took defensive steps back.

7 folded her arms and replied, “Did you honestly think the cabal would let you go rogue like this? That for years they'd train and mold us, only for us to one day escape? Laughable. We all know no one escapes the cabal. Not you 49, not you 22, and . . . not me . . ." 7 looked down for a second before catching herself and raising her weapon.

“Now the Cabal has been gracious enough to offer you all a second chance. You'd be fools to refuse it." 22 aimed for 7 and replied, “You can't be serious 7! A second chance?! Did they give you a second chance after Shanghai?" The mere mention of the city caused 7 to growl ferally. She raised her weapon to take aim but 49 was faster. He fired off a round from his attached grenade launcher which pelted her right in her chest.

The grenade exploded upon impact and immediately flooded the area in tear gas. 49 and 22 wasted no time and took off for the facility's entrance, leaving the others to cough and hack through the gas.

49 pumped his arms and legs as fast as he could then said, “I hope that robot of yours will come through. If the Retribution isn't ready to take off then we're as good as dead."

22 kept pace with 49 and replied confidently saying, “CT-9's never let us down before! He'll come through!" Just then 49 and 22's communication devices beeped, indicating an incoming signal.

22 patched the signal through and listened to the robotic yet mirthful voice of his robotic companion. “I take it the confrontation didn't go as planned?"

“Can the jokes CT! Is the retribution ready to take off?!"

“Yes it is. In fact you if you look up you'll see it in the sky." The duo looked up and indeed could see the silent behemoth hovering high above the mountaintop. The Retribution was one of the Cabal's light class heli carriers. Flexible jet carriers that not only could fly and sail the seas, but served as a mobile base of sorts.

“49 you really think this'll work? The Retribution maybe stealthy, but we can't run or fight off the Cabal forever . . ." 49 just chuckled and replied, “Getting cold feet 22?" 22 gave a smirk right back and said, “Yea. Some snow got into my boots, I'm freezing."

The two assassins shared a tired laugh before a bullet whizzed right past them. Neither one spared a glance backwards and instead sprinted even harder. More and more bullets began flying in their direction, forcing them to weave and bob as evasive maneuvers. 49 pointed frantically and said, “Come on 22! There's a side entrance to the facility!"

22 ran past 49 in an excited fervor then began working on getting the door unlocked. He could hear 7 and her squad's footsteps fast approaching, but he wasn't afraid. With 49 covering him there wasn't much to fear. 22 got the lock picked then threw open the door. 49 backed into slowly, making sure to keep his rate of fire up against the others. Though once he crossed the threshold, 22 closed the door and relocked it.

49 ran over to a nearby table and began pushing it against the door. “It won't hold them long, but it should give us just enough time to get to a jet and get aboard the Retribution." The grizzled killer brought his comm device to his face and said, “CT are the weapons online?"

“Affirmative 49. Retribution's weapon systems are primed and operational."

“Good. Scuttle this facility and the surrounding area. And I mean scorched Earth."

“Order received but I must insist that your chance of survival is very low." 49 growled and replied, “It'll be low if we don't rain fire. You just worry about destroying everything, we'll worry about survival!"

“Very well. I'll discharge a salvo in approximately 7 minutes." The line went dead and the two assassins kept up their sprint for the launch bay. As the two made their way towards the elevator, 22 suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. The killer wasted no time and pushed 49 to floor then dived down himself.

A volley of gunfire tore through the wall next to them and 49 laughed saying, “Thank God for that six sense of yours! Come on we're practically there!"

The two crawled the rest of the way inside the elevator then quickly closed the door.

22 could feel his heart beating rapidly, but excitement and adrenaline were nothing new for him. He'd stared down the barrel of a gun many times before and each time he'd escaped certain death. Though all those times prior paled in comparison to being hunted by a fellow cabal member. Someone you knew intimately and had received the same training and instruction as you. It was like fighting apart of yourself and in a situation like this there was no real victor. Only survivors.

49 reloaded his M4 and chambered another grenade saying, “Once we get aboard the Retribution priority one is going to be scrambling our presence. We'll need to get high enough to avoid the cabal's radar detection units."

“Wishful thinking 49. Even if we get high enough and manage to avoid detection from patrols, the Retribution's stealth wont be enough to avoid long range detection systems. CT says that we might be able to confuse some older systems by flying at commercial airline altitude but that's another gamble."

49 put his hand on 22's shoulder and nodded, “Don't worry about that. One problem at a time. Get to a Vtol then get to the Retribution."

22 spun his pistol around then replied, “You know she won't rest right? Even if the Cabal marks us as inconsequential, she'll never let up." 49 looked off to the side, deep in thought then said, “I know 22. This is my fault and when the time comes I'll deal with it, but we need to live to fight another day."

The two assassins settled into a comfortable silence as the elevator rolled along, but soon the silence was disturbed by a rocking explosion. The two killers were jostled from side to side as the entire facility shook under the battery of fire. 49 held onto a handrail and cursed saying, “That fucking bucket of bolts! He said 7 minutes!"

“Maybe his watch is a few minutes fast?"

“Heh that's good 22. Keep your sense of humor intact and we just might make it out of here." Another explosion gripped the facility then left the elevator without power. The lights suddenly went dark and bits of rubble and dust began seeping through the elevator shaft.

“We're a sitting duck here!" 22 said while looking around. 49 hummed to himself then pointed upwards saying, “Fancy a climb?" 22 nodded and went to the other corner of the elevator car. 49 aimed his weapon at the roof of the car then blasted the latch clean open. He then got down on one knee and held his hands out saying, “Alright 22 I'll give you a boost!"

22 nodded then ran towards 49 with a practiced gait. The younger assassin then jumped into 49's hands just as the seasoned warrior threw him upwards. 22 barreled upwards then grabbed onto the ledge of the roof opening. Once he pulled himself up, he tied a nylon cord to the elevator roof and let it down for 49.

The older warrior grabbed the rope and climbed as vigorously as he could. Once he goot to the top 22 helped him up saying, “With the way CT is raining down, we're not going to make it to the top bay."

“Never say die 22. Got your monkey bars?" 22 nodded then produced a hefty device from his supply bag. The device was a motorized climbing apparatus, useful for having to scale vertical heights in record time.

49 aimed his rifle for the top of the shaft then fired off a long tow cable. The cable's connectors made contact with the top of the shaft, producing a taut and sturdy line. Both assassins worked quickly to connect their monkey bars to rope, sweating profusely as the Retribution continued its barrage on the facility.

Once both were connected they immediately fired up the monkey bars and went sailing upwards. As another heavy explosion went off, both assassins could see the elevator shaft they were standing on suddenly come crashing down to the ground.

49 laughed as they flew up saying, “Hahaha one more wasted minute, and the Cabal would have been the last of our worries!"

“Oh yea? What would have been the first of our worries?"

“Trying to explain to God why we deserve to be let into heaven. Don't know about you, but my rap sheet must be volumes upon volumes long." Even though 49 was joking and trying to lighten the mood, 22 couldn't help but feel pricked by the statement. He didn't like thinking about what he'd done, even if it was in a joking manner. He knew that if they ever escaped the Cabal, he'd probably never adjust.

The two finally hit the top of the shaft and forced open the top elevator door with a pry bar. The two sprinted into the launch bay looking for any available jets to take. 49 pointed to a pair of AV-8B Harrier jump jets and said, “No time to be picky! Get your ass in a jet and book it 22!"

But before the two could even take another step 49 cried out in pain then fell to the floor suddenly. 22 responded in kind by dropping down to cover his mentor. 49 clutched his side and could feel blood already staining his hand. 22 wanted to look down and render aid but focused on suppressing 7's fire.

He returned as much fire as he could while also dragging 49 behind a storage crate. Bullets pelted the metal crate, but thankfully none were able to penetrate it. 22 finally knelt down and took a look at 49 saying, “49 are you alright?!"

“Ugh, that girl is one hell of a shot. I'm alright 22, bleeding like a leaky faucet, but she only hit me in the side of my Kevlar. Nothing major."

“It'll be major if I don't get you out of here!"

“Here take my M4. I'm gonna make a mad crawl for one of the harriers. I'll get it up and running then you can hop in for a quick break." 22 wanted to argue, but he knew better than to fight with 49 when he was determined. The younger assassin took his mentor's weapon and gave him a look of assurance.

The hunted duo nodded to one another then sprung into their roles. 49 began stealthily low crawling to a jet while 22 hopped out from cover and began firing off a volley of rounds. His objective was to make as much noise as possible, keep 49 covered, and keep 7 distracted. He ran then slid behind another crate just as 7 and her team were able to get their bearings. The team focused their efforts on a single point of the crate, finally piercing it and forcing 22 to relocate. 7 found 22 in her sights and took aim, but the assassin performed a side flip and evaded the round. She fired off several more bullets but each one was expertly dodged in some way shape or form.

7 growled and she tried to realign her sight picture. 22's prodigious agility and extrasensory perception were something the team had cherished during their different missions. It was what made 22 so deadly in the first place, but now that they pit against each other, he had quickly become a nuisance.

The spry assassin slid under another bullet before changing tactics and rushing towards 7's team. 51 and 32 both fired at the oncoming assassin, but they were no match for 22. The assassin leapt in the air off of a nearby crate and took aim with his pistol. He fired off 3 rounds, two of which killed 51 instantly.

32 shot desperately at 22 as he rolled onto the ground, but the spry killer quickly found himself behind another crate for cover. The crate was only a few feet from her and 32 so she took aim and smiled. The second he poked his head from out of cover was the second she'd blow it off.

A few tense seconds went by before an object flew over the crate 22 was hiding behind. 7 saw the grenade and reacted quickly, firing a round clean through it. The explosive went off and flooded the immediate area in masking smoke. 7 quickly backed away from the approaching smokescreen as listened keenly for 22.

She could hear some scuffling and the bloody gurgling of 32, but it bothered her none. 51 and 32 were liabilities anyway, they would have been next even if the mission had succeeded. 7 focused and tried to peer through the smoke, she could see the silhouette of 22 stalking about, but it was still too murky to make a move.

7 listened some more then froze as she heard the distinctive click of 22's weapon . . . He was out of ammo. She raised her weapon to fire at the noise's origin but she was taken by surprise when 22 leapt from the smoke straight at her, arm outstretched and holding his signature Khopesh Egyptian sword.

7 rolled back just as 22 swiped at her, producing her hunting knife as protection. 22's strikes were quick and precise, forcing 7 on the defensive. She cursed as she found herself being pressed back and back by 22. Close quarter combat was another area 22 excelled at. He was the lowest scoring when it came to marksmanship but with a blunt instrument in his hand or bare knuckle fighting? He was near unstoppable. No one could match his agility or skill at martial arts, but his skills rarely got time to shine in the cabal. Who needs sword fighters and martial artists when most objectives called for long range capabilities and stealth? But as the two clashed 7 wished she had honed up on her blade work too. 22 was too skilled and his range too great, any closer and he would cut her down. 7 needed to create space and that was exactly what she did.

She performed a back handspring away from 22 causing his eyes to widen at his mistake. He quickly sprinted away instead of pressing the offensive, and he made it away just in time as 7 fired off a round that clipped his Kevlar armor.

22 could see 49 in the co-pilot seat of harrier and made a sprint for that. 7 saw him making his mad dash for jet and cursed saying, “Oh fuck that . . ." She took aim and fired off as many controlled shots as she could, but 22 dodged them all. A round towards his head? He rolled out the way. A round towards his leg? A somersault to accent his evasion. 7 aimed for the small of his back, an area not so easily evaded, but 22 surprised her. The assassin performed the splits and spun around to face her with his pistol raised.

The maneuver took less than a second and before 7 knew it, she felt the distinctive ping of a bullet hit her square in the chest. She staggered back and fell to her knees as the pain suddenly coursed through her chest. She looked down and could see the crumpled up 9mm round and scowled. It might not have been enough to pierce her armor or even cause bleeding, but the round dazed her just enough to where 22 had time to hop into the jet and begin taxing out of the launch bay.

She watched as the ship fled and scowled. She set her sights on another harrier jet and sprinted for it.

22 fiddled with the controls and stabilized himself as he rocketed out of the bay. He queued up the communications device and hailed CT-9 saying, “CT we're out! Level that place!"

“Firing next salvo." 22 watched as the Retribution launched another volley of missiles, these of which tore through the facility and set the mountaintop ablaze. 22 smiled wearily and guided the jet up to the Retribution's top deck. As the plane balanced in place, 22 looked back at 49 and grimaced. His mentor was still alive, but clearly in pain and bleeding out. His hand that had been keeping pressure on his wound was lazily sitting in his lap and covered in blood.

22 shut the jet off and cursed saying, “Shit! CT-9 49's going in and out of it! Gotta get him patched up!"

“Get him inside quick, we need to scramble all anti-aircraft defenses."

“Wha? Why?!"

“Like most cabal operatives, 7 refuses to die." 22 Opened the jet's canopy and could see another harrier jet flying high into the sky and coming around for an attack pass.

“Fuck!" 22 grabbed 49 in a hurry and strained himself as he tried to climb down the jet's ladder. 22 huffed and puffed, half running half dragging 49 as he could hear the sound of 7'sjet bearing down on them. The two assassins fell to the ground as several 20mm rounds tore through the Retribution's tarmac.

7 flew away and began setting up for another pass, while 22 finally drug 49 to safety. Once inside the helicarrier, 22 continued carrying 49 until they got to the central command room. Once there the younger assassin gently laid his mentor on a table and began dressing his wound. 22 looked over at CT-9 and grumbled as the feline robot hunched over a panel.

“CT-9 tell me those AA defenses are ready!" The android cast its gaze towards 22 and replied, “Some are ready 7 cannons are online, but 14 others are still warming up, not to mention our acceleration drive is offline. I've redirected some of the reactor's power to propel us as fast as we can, but we're still moving at suboptimal speeds."

“Do whatever you have to do to get us out of here! The cabal's gonna scramble jets if we don't hurry." CT-9 continued working on the panel, seemingly ignoring 22 as he desperately tried to stop 49's bleeding. The younger assassin wrapped a bandage tight around 49's side and kept the pressure on it best as he could. The blood formed a spot on the bandage but it seemed the gauze was holding and everything stabilizing.

49 grumbled a bit before falling into unconsciousness, leaving nothing else 22 could do for him. 22 sighed then stood over by CT-9 saying, “Where is she? I don't see her on the radar?"

CT-9 pressed a few buttons on the console with his paws then pointed saying, “Here. She was making another pass then suddenly stopped and flew away in this direction. A most peculiar move, but it might coincide with this disturbance I found right here." The feline android pressed another button and immediately static and distorted white noise began ringing throughout the Retribution.

22 covered his ears and asked, “What the hell was that?"

“I am not certain. When I originally gained access to the ship this disturbance was present as well, but not as strong. It reads like a tropical storm, but seems to be fraught with electrical interference of some kind."

“Well, whatever it is 7 seems to be heading that way. Divert power from the weapon systems and get us moving. Can you keep a lock on her position?"

“I can but you can't be suggesting what I believe you are." 22 crossed his arms and turned his gaze towards the observation deck's window saying, “Yes we're following her. Full speed ahead cat." CT-9shook his head then grumbled his reply saying, “Unbelievable. I'm surrounded by masochists. I should have stayed in that Blackwater testing facility."

“Quit your complaining. We can't let 7 rendezvous with the cabal. The second she comes into firing range, take her out." CT nodded in agreement then pressed some more buttons on the console. He brought up a projection of their current location, 7's location, and where the disturbance was.

22 studied the map and watched the swirling storm-like interference intently. Something about it was not sitting well with him, but he'd have several hours to come to terms with how he was feeling about it. The assassin turned away from the observation deck and went to check back up on 49.

The mentor assassin tossed and turned as he strained to sit up. 49 rubbed his forehead and groaned saying, “Ugh please tell me we're above the Bahamas or something. After that shit, I need a long vacation." 22 shook his head and replied, “Sorry 49, but we're currently flying over Mexico on our way towards Bermuda. 7 called off her attack and is making a beeline for somewhere in that area."

49 grunted then slid off the table shakily. 22 quickly helped his mentor stand and threw his arm over his shoulder saying, “We've got to stop her before she makes contact with the Cabal. If she links up with another helicarrier then we're screwed."

“Yea no kidding. We making good timing?" 22 pointed to the live readout of their progress and let 49 work out the math. The grizzled warrior counted some invisible figured on his fingers then said, “ We'll never catch 7 in this old bird. Retribution's top airspeed is what? 70mph? And that's with all power going towards the reactor. 7's jump jet is flying like what? Mach 2?"

CT-9 kept his gaze on the computer console but chimed in anyway replying, “Actually the Harrier jets have an average speed of Mach 2.8."

“Regardless . . . We aren't traveling anywhere near twice the speed of sound. She'll be there, make a report, and have time to get picked up while we're barely crossing the ocean." CT-9's eyes suddenly flashed white and the android began projecting a live feed of coordinates being generated.

The two assassins looked towards each other before 49 asked, “What the hell is this!?"

“An ever-evolving list of coordinated being generated for 7's Harrier jet. Every jet that was in the facility was connected to the Retribution, not the Cabal's main network. 7 saw the disturbance on her scanners and queued for directions to it. What she didn't realize is I'm giving the directions. I've determined the appropriate sequence of coordinates to feed her that will keep her flying until we arrive there first."

22 laughed while 49 shook his head saying, “I barely understood half of that, but I think I get the gist. You keep 7 busy and that'll buy us time, got it." CT-98 grumbled to himself saying, “… philistine."

49 removed 22's arm and began testing his range of motions. He started with light squats and quarter body turns. The pain was there, but nothing life-threatening. He'd be back to fighting shape in no time.

“Thanks again for the save 22. I would have been a goner without you."

“Ah think nothing of it. 7 just got lucky." 49 sighed then sat down saying, “ I hope you're not taking this personal 22 . 7 may have orders to eliminate us both, but I assure you it's me she wants." The older assassin gently traced his hand over his weapon before continuing saying, “ I used to think I knew what the right course of action was 22. I followed orders from the Cabal to a letter, and I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy it. I love killing, thrill of a life . . . But what I did to her . . . it haunts me 22."

The younger assassin listened intently as 49 opened up to him. The cabal veteran had always been jovial but guarded. Never once acknowledging the morality of any issue, no matter the order. So to see 49 so conflicted was a hard thing to watch for him.

“She's not gonna let you make amends 49, we'll have to put her down." 49 gathered his resolve then stood to his feet replying, “You just let me worry about that 22. I'll make things right somehow."

22 wasn't completely convinced but dropped the subject. The two assassins meandered throughout the command center, absentmindedly checking up on the Retribution's progress or cleaning weapons. Though CT-9 suddenly interrupted their downtime saying, “49 and 22? you both might want to look at this . . ."

The assassins gave each other quizzical looks but stepped up to the observation deck to see what Ct-9 was talking about. 22 stared at the screen then excitedly exclaimed, “Holy shit!" 49 ran a hand through his hair and shook his head in disbelief saying, “I don't fucking believe it . . ."

*RING* *RING* *RING*

22 looked over at the clock and ringing bell then chuckled saying, “Welp class dismissed. Story time's over. I'll see you all on Friday for your applied military tactics lab." A cacophony of groans and complaints rang out from the class, but 22 stuck to his guns. “There'll be other days to tell stories, Friday for sure seeing as it's this month's Research and Development day."

The complaints died down and were soon replaced by excited clamoring from the class. Research and Development days were by far one of the most exciting parts of the class. Getting to see new technologies 22 and his team were working on was always a treat. 22 wrote down some notes on the chalkboard then said, “Be sure to have your assignments from yesterday turned in as you leave. I'll have them graded and returned to you on Friday before our lab, oh and that reminds me. We won't be meeting here, but instead, we'll be meeting on the school's track field instead. Don't be late."

The class sounded off with a rather unenthusiastic, “Yes Professor 22." Though 22 knew better. Everyone was ready and raring to go for Friday's lab, and he'd be sure to deliver this month.

“Alright run along everyone. I'll see you all next time." Ponies and pegasi all filtered noisily out of the classroom suddenly leaving 22 alone. The professor gathered a stack of papers left by the students and began grading them.

The process was usually faster with CT's help, but the two of them were stretched thin with work. CT-9 was overseeing a project on the Retribution and it demanded his full attention. 22 zoned out as he continued his grading, the assignment was multiple choice so thankfully he could just cross-reference the student's work with his own answer key. Everything was going smoothly until he heard his classroom door creak open.

Thinking another student had came back to hear more of his story, 22 casually said, “I thought I said I'd continue my story some other time? Skipping class isn't going to make me tell you more."

“I graduated some time ago thank you, and I'm not very interested in your life story." 22 perked up at the even and emotionless voice and said, “Ahh Agent Smith. I see you've finally left the matrix to grace me with your presence. What can I do for you?"

Agent Smith was a jet black pegasus that sported a stylish white streak across his chest. The combination of which gave off the illusion of him wearing a suit. His bowtie was pristine and dark reflective sunglasses just as sporty. He was the spitting image of a stereotypical government agent and 22 couldn't help but poke fun at him for it.

Agent Smith held his emotionless gaze before removing his sunglasses and wiping them off saying, “Even with having seen the reference material, I still don't think you're funny for those jokes."

22 waved the pegasus off dismissively saying, “Ah even after what? 4 years? You're still just as stiff as ever. Now, what brings you to my classroom? Office hours aren't until after 3 you know."

Agent Smith paid the joke no mind and tossed a dossier on top of 22's desk. The agent came face to face with 22 and said, “7 is active again." 22's smile and joking demeanor vanished and replaced by them was his killer attitude. 22 opened the dossier and quickly scanned through reconnaissance photos taken by Agent smith's team.

“These photos come courtesy of the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence. We captured them five days ago off the coast of the Wolven Ascendancy's territory. Looks like she's training another batch of mercenaries."

22 studied the photo and could certainly see where the intelligence team might have gathered that, but 22 knew exactly what she was doing in that photo and it wasn't strictly training.

He traced over 7's form and said, “She's not just training them . . . She's putting them through the crucible."

Agent Smith looked at the picture as well then replied, “How can you tell?"

“See the formation these wolves are in? This is the group about to embark on the crucible. In the cabal we would always stand two shoulder lengths apart, heads bowed, and with our arms outstretched towards our instructor. It's a sign of obedience and reverence. She's choosing who she thinks is worthy enough to take the challenge. If her training program is this far along where these many wolves are going through the crucible . . ."

Agent Smith nodded at 22's concern but continued on saying,

“Well, regardless I believe we need to embark on another intelligence-gathering mission. These photos are old and without new substantial data, we can't prove that Killer 7 is still a threat to the upcoming Royal Summit."

22 scratched his chin then asked, “You run any of this by Celestia or Luna?" Agent Smith shook his head saying, “Not a word. Our department doesn't share any reports with the princesses unless deemed of the utmost importance. Keeping them in the dark allows us to operate more freely."

“I know trust me I do, but . . . this changes things. Look I appreciate the report, but it's not like you have to answer to me or anything. You run the intelligence department, why'd you tell me?"

“Because you're the only one left with a tangible tie to her. You understand better than anyone else the threat she poses to Equestria. If she's training militants in another kingdom then that suggests another attack is imminent. I told the princesses mere days before you arrived that trouble was inbound, they didn't listen to me then and look where that got us. Otherworldly assassins running around, leaving death and destruction in their wake."

22 was keen not to miss the subtle smirk Smith gave him. The two had crossed paths and butt heads since his arrival in Equestria. The agent and assassin both being professionals in their respects but also firm adversaries. Though with time their bouts had cooled and they'd even developed a friendly rivalry, Agent Smith still saw fit to bring up his rocky integration into pony society, even 4 years later.

“Alright here's the plan Smith. Get to the Retribution and lay out all your team gathered from that mission. I need to finish grading these papers and write to Luna letting her know I'm not gonna be home for dinner tonight."

“Hmm what will you tell her?"

“What I always tell her when there's some trouble I've got to deal with. Something came up and I've got to deal with it. See ya soon, love 22." Agent Smith scoffed while picking up the folder saying, “I refuse to believe our princess actually believes that."

“She doesn't but she's good about not asking questions. I'm thankful for that because I'm not sure I'm ready to tell either of them 7 is running amok in Wolven territory."

“We all knew her true intentions from the last Royal Summit, she was taunting you, testing your resolve. Seeing how far your defense programs and military instruction had gone. I believe she'll be ready to make a move soon." 22 put a hand on Agent Smith's shoulders and sighed saying, “Let us hope it doesn't have to come down to that. 49 believed that 7 could be reasoned with, that she would see the light I suppose and stop."

“You can't reason with someone so far gone. If your past is any indication, she was beyond reason when you arrived here. Now years of stewing in her madness have done nothing to help peace efforts. She needs to be eliminated 22." Agent Smith's words were as cold and lifeless as they always were, but they struck another nerve in 22. He knew he'd have to stop 7 before her training program yielded too many elite warriors. 22's own military training was coming along swimmingly, but he was his students to be soldiers, not assassins like he was.

“So Agent Smith, you propose a joint operation?" The emotionless pegasus nodded and replied, “Would not have it any other way. My team will have the necessary reports prepared and we'll begin our presentation say 1900?"

“Sounds good to me, I'll see you aboard the Retribution." Agent Smith nodded then turned and left the classroom. 22 sighed and sat back in his chair. He looked over on his desk and grabbed an old photo of him, 49, and 7. The trio were smiling and posing over the dead body of terrorist grunt they'd killed. 49 was sporting his trademark grin, while 7 flashed a Hollywood worthy smile. 22 chuckled at his own smile, it was the biggest smile of them all. All teeth and a wide mouth as he beamed at the camera.

He placed the photo face-down then stood up. He gathered up his student's work and placed it into his work bag. 7 had always worried him, but he had grown to ignore her threat as she lurked quietly in the shadows. It was easy to dismiss her as a boogeyman or nonimportant part of his life now, but the fact of the matter remained.

There were two assassins with different ideologies, now sharing an isolated plane of existence. 7 and 22 could not both exist in Equestria forever with their polarized views. Someone was going to have to give or die, and 22 wasn't sure he was ready to face 7 again after their last outing.

The assassin-turned professor slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the classroom. It was going to be a long night . . .