Seraphina let another lifeless dummy fall, it's body disintegrating into a lifeless puddle, and executing a perfect shoulder-roll as she dodged the simulation's bullets. Every morning she would wake up to train like there was no tomorrow.

She liked the adrenaline, the excitement of having a goal to work towards. It gave her a path in life, even if it wasn't hers.

"Seraphina... You're up early," Ethan's voice distracted her, and she barely ducked as a holographic bullet whizzed over her head. The simulation stopped, flickering out.

"Good morning, Mr. Kang! I wanted to get some extra training done. It's actually kind of fun." She wiped the sweat from her forehead and redid her braid.

"Something on your mind?" Ethan's brow furrowed.

She had prepared for this. "That Project White-something. I've been thinking about it. What could they be hiding from us?"

Ethan sighed. "I don't know..." Ethan's voice trailed off "Sera. I have to go to Colin's graduation now, so I'll see you later."

"Bye."

******

Seraphina flashed her ID, once again hoping she wouldn't be discovered. Not this time. Not this time. Not this time. I've come so far. Please.

"Seraphina Price? Please input your password," the computer automatically stated. She exhaled a breath of relief. Once again, she was safe.

Seraphina typed in a series of numbers and letters, and the machine beeped. She was in.

Today, she was having a secret conference with spies of the Parinjaier Intelligence Agency. They had also made their way into the inner circles of the Xanythar administration and were posing as high ranking officials.

She entered the meeting room. Five men and four women in black suits stared back at her. There was one empty chair, which she promptly took.

"So... Seraphina. Is there anything new?" One of the men, Mr. Ikari, asked her.

"I was in the Xanythar government meeting 512 with Ethan Kang. They needed some of his weapons-"

"Which ones and how many of them?" A woman with bronze skin demanded.

"A hundred F/A-71 fighters, 20 B-92 heavy bombers, 50 C-74 dropships, and about 100,000 laser guns," Seraphina said smoothly. She had memorized the information, as it was too risky to write anything down. "Oh, and Four AIM-8Xs and six AIM-22s for each fighter and ultra-high-density condensation bombs for every bomber. I think they also wanted some F-63s."

Mr. Ikari nodded and jotted it down.

"But, it's strange because they said they needed that all for border patrol, so... they must be hiding something," Seraphina added.

"They are."

"Project Whiteout," she and another man said at the same time.

"What's that supposed to be?" Seraphina asked.

Before anyone could answer, though, a deafening explosion sounded and shook the room. Bits of plaster fell from the wall.

Outside, a plane had crashed onto the beach, erupting in flames.

"Aw, shit!" Mr. Ikari swore. "That wasn't supposed to happen.

Everyone else grumbled amongst themselves.

"And Curron! They had Curron!" Another woman exclaimed. "Now he's dead!"

"Not all of them. Aren't you Ethan Kang's apprentice?" Someone asked her. She nodded, not really listening. The image outside the meeting room captivated her.

But what surprised Seraphina most was the tiny figure hovering above the wreckage.

He was limp in his parachute as he drifted down, but she would recognize that thick, blonde hair anywhere.

"Jaxon Curron?"