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[color=steelblue][b]「 Point Blank 」[/b][/color][/center][hr]
[hider=Final Fantasy XV OST - Track 22: The Hunters][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG4LnxLDrdw[/youtube][/hider][b][code]DOVE/RAVEN Joint Headquarters, White Coast_[/code][/b]

Shizuka Takashiro was out at the shooting range again; only that this time, he was hanging out with pistols indoors. He was here for the past two hours or so, rotating between different types of handguns and filling the humanoid target boards with holes in all the vital areas.

The shooting range hadn't changed much since he last dropped by (before he was away on numerous missions overseas), other than a vague feeling that it was a tad more spacious now. It was also one of the few places in the Headquarters that got spared from the Intimidation Unit assault on that fateful night three years ago. Not like the Hound's puppies needed to raid the armory for weapons when they already had their own - and better? - guns.

Besides, he felt more at ease coming here to polish his marksmanship than cooping up in his office room with mundane desk work the entire day. Also, he could have the range all to himself - he needed some time to be alone, anyway.

Even after the fall of the Founding Family, there were too many loose ends to tie up. Too many bullshits to deal with in the aftermath. Europe was thrown into a state of chaos as the governments of the various European countries began to weed out the remnants of the Family's supporters still hiding among their ranks, fueled by their own people protesting on the streets. The Family's idea of bestowing every human on this planet with superpowers didn't turn out quite as they had wished - it only made the people feared the Metahumans even more.

Nobody could be trusted with a power. Because so few of them could use their power with responsibility; even fewer not to harbor greed for more power.

[i]Let's not even mention those who can truly understand the devastating consequences that come with unrestrained power.[/i]

He was greeted with the sound of clapping when he finally took off his protective gears. Turning around, he raised an eyebrow at the low whistle from the arsenal guard on duty.

"You never fail to amaze me, young man," he began when Shizuka returned the gears and emptied guns at the counter. "You've just set another personal record."

"Hmm?" Shizuka replied, then he saw the tabulated scores scribbled in the guard's little notebook. He shrugged, though not without a hint of amusement. "Nah, the Taylors are still better."

The guard chuckled at the Asian agent. "Well, you'd probably reach their level once you're at their age. 'Sides, you're still the best sniper around - no one has ever come close to beat your current best so far."

"Right," was Shizuka's offhanded response as he was picking up his belongings from the locker. He frowned at the time on his mobile screen. "Damn. Sorry, gotta rush."

"Running late for a meeting?"

"Yeah," Shizuka said as he stuffed his phone into his jeans pocket. "And a very important one. Later!"

[i]...What a drag.[/i]

[hr]
Thankfully, he had arrived right on time - his intangibility sure came in handy to take those shortcuts. Even so, he wasn't spared from the looks of scorn from the other department heads at his inappropriate dress code (today he was in a black long-sleeved turtleneck with dark jeans and sneakers) as he took his seat. He ignored them, focusing his attention on the one individual at the end of the long meeting table.

Maximilian Cornell. The director of RAVEN - and his direct boss. Well, Maximilian was a pretty chill guy whom Shizuka had no problems working with (or under, technically). He was here in this organization thanks to that old man. He could still remember the day Maximilian offered him the chance to join RAVEN after the end of the Verthaven Disaster.

Though, his reason for sticking around here, doing something that wasn't in line with his personal beliefs and policies had changed over the years. No, he still didn't believe in stupid things like heroism, but sometimes he couldn't help questioning himself why he was still staying in this organization for so long...

The arrival of another familiar face pulled him out of his personal thoughts. [i]Zhao Meifeng.[/i] He hadn't talked to her ever since her mother's - Lihua's - funeral, and her best friend Cindy Keagan was still MIA. He wondered how she was coping these three years, but now wasn't a good time. Not like they could catch up with each other later anyway, especially not how distant their friendship was compared to most other Verthaven survivors.

[i]...Whatever.[/i]

Meifeng wasn't the only latecomer. Another girl, this time an [i]un[/i]familiar face, had tried to slip in as quietly as she could while Maximilian began to talk about 'ZODIAC'.

Disregarding those two late arrivals, he turned his attention back to the front of the meeting room.