DCI, The Organization Unknown And The Phoenixes Power

I’m not supposed to tell you this. 

But I am anyways. 

I am going to tell you a story about a secret. A story so old and unbelievable, that it’s more tale than true. A narrative passed down through dimension after dimension, until it reached ours. 

We start with a fifteen-year-old girl - Arwin - who’s been bountied by her own, secret school hidden beneath The Big Apple, New York. It was called DCI, (Detections.Central.Intelligence), a specialized school to fight every type of devilish monster, spirit and being.     

Her school was chasing after her because of an outburst of unidentified power. Arwin had changed into a fiery angel in the 21st corridor one day, and the school was after her. Now Arwin’s escaped to a mall with her sister, in a muse to shake off her trailing enemies... 

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The crowd thinned completely once Arwin and Natahsa, (her sister) had burst into the mall. They rushed to the first store (a pretzel restaurant to be precise) they could get to, and ran through its doors. The air inside was warm and smelled of baked bread and the two sisters inhaled deeply, relishing the aroma of the restaurant. The heat from the ovens in the back of the store warmed them thoroughly, unlike the bone-chilling weather outside. They seated themselves onto a coffee table discreetly hidden from the looming, clear windows. 

“Wanna order something?”s

Natasha said, looking longingly at the cafe’s delicious menu. Arwin could hear her sister’s stomach rumble hungralily. 

“Sure, get me something too.” Arwin said, heaving herself to her already tired feet.

“I’m gonna go and see if they’ve caught up to us yet.” Natasha nodded quickly and began digging excitedly through her watermelon purse.

“I’ll come back straight away once I find anything. Whatever you do, don’t leave here, and if an agent from DCI or someone suspicious enters this place, call me at once.”

Natasha merely nodded and continued digging though her purse to find her credit card. Arwin sighed and smiled. Her sister would always love food. She stepped outside of “The Pretzel Place” and noticed that the crowds had died down incredibly. 

“Bad thing when you're trying to hide.” Arwin thought to herself. 

She walked subconsciously down the line of stores, remembering the hazy day’s events. The strange accident in the hallway, where she had nearly burnt down half the school with her flaming hands. The wings pearly white, feathered wings that had popped out of her back without warning.   The hatred she had felt twards Mr. Flank.

She had felt...what was it? Toxic? Controlled? Distorted?

(Is this what puberty felt like?!) A bang, and a shattering of glass behind her signaled a disturbance. Arwin swung around to see a crowd of agents swarming into the mall, all armed with weapons she didn’t even want to know what they were - or did. And with the agent, DCI crews. She could see the tall outlines of Bode and Emelia, her closest friends. The similar silutes of the Lush Crew agents. 

Arwin gulped. She was much too far from The Pretzel Place now, and there would be simply no hope in trying to go back for her sister. She would have to hope for the best for her. Meanwhile, Arwin slipped into another part of the mall, putting as much distance between her and her hunting enemies. Angry thoughts swirled through her head as she remembered the judging looks on each one of her friends' faces once she had burst out in sudden fiery fury. She could still remember the flames sparking from her wrists, as they harmlessly licked the tips of her fingers. She couldn't explain how it had happened. It just...did. And now, they were hunting her. She was an uncontained, wild animal on the loose, with the whole of New York’s DCI agents running after her. Arwin turned down the final corridor of the mall - with the sound of shouts and crashes behind her - and found herself in a dead-end hallway. 

“They’ll catch up to me in a matter of seconds,”

Arwin mumbled, feeling her way in the dark. Maybe there would be a light switch, or a janitors office she could squeeze into. 

“I need to escape before anyone can find me.”

She whispered to herself.

“I need to escape before anyone can find me. I need to escape before anyone-”

 And then her fingertips hit something soft. She hit something...alive. Someone had found her. 

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Arwin jumped back in surprise and utter horror. She looked up to see the glint of two eyes, staring down at her. The height of whoever was standing there in the shadows was obviously taller than Arwin, but not as tall as a grown, adult agent.  

“Why are you running?” A young, male voice asked her. 

Arwin now knew she had run into Glitch, one of her closest friends from DCI. His voice was quivering. Unsteady and at the point of breaking. She glanced over her shoulder and took a fearful step back.

“They’re all trying to kill me, Glitch.” Arwin said firmly through gritted teeth.

“I thought DCI was true to their word. They said they would welcome anyone with talent enough to battle. They said they would be my new family. But they lied.”

Arwin’s friend stayed unmoving and silent. 

“Oh please! Step out of the dark!” Arwin snapped edgily. 

Glitch walked out of the dark, with a look of pure sadness on his face. He looked wary, and tired. His shoulders slumped, and a purple bruise across his neck and cheek caused Arwin to be briefly startled. She had never seen him hurt before, not like this. Sure, he and Mo argued and tackled a lot, but would his own agent partner injure him? No...not like that he wouldn’t. 

“I have orders,” He said, pulling out a brown sack from his pocket. 

“And I can’t let you just leave. I have one simple command from the core of DCI itself.”

He came nearer to Arwin, holding up the bag threateningly. But if he felt any evil at that moment he certainly didn’t show it. His face was filled with disdain and guilt. Arwin backed away slowly, keeping her distance from her friend and his bag. 

“So, if you're gonna catch me first, is DCI gonna hurt my sister?”

She could feel hot, fearful tears building at the back of her eyes. Betrayal, fear, guilt, anger. All swimming together in a foul mixture of pain and confusion. But she didn’t want to cry. Not now at least.  

“They promised not to hurt you, or anyone related to you.” Glitch said, letting the bag drop a little.

 “Unless you do anything rash.” 

Arwin couldn’t help but doubt it. 

“My sister- she’s gonna know somethings wrong and come looking. She can fight as well as I ever could. We are sisters you know.” 

Glitch had stopped walking towards Arwin and stood planted to the spot. His face looked as if a million thoughts were flying through his brain. 

“You’ve heard of Irises - we learned about them in Defence against Devilish Beings class. They take the form of whatever they're told to be, and follow orders.”

“But they’re known for betrayal! They’re thieving, lying, cheating-”

“Yeah, I know. But DCI uses them anyway. The Iris took the shape of you, and it went to the Pretzel shop. Your sister’s been tricked Arwin.”

She froze at the thought of the true devilish creature sitting in front of her sibling. It could kill her with a swipe of it’s clubbed hands. She didn’t want that. But she didn’t want to simply play along with whatever the twisted DCI system wanted with her now either.  

“DCI shut down all internet access here. She won’t be able to call you even if she wanted to. And-” He paused.

“They have Torchers guarding the mall.”

“WHAT?!” Arwin yelled, suddenly ceasing to care if more agents found her or not.

“You - DCI - why-”

“I still have orders.”

Glitch repeated. He came forward, raising the bag again. She drew back quickly, anger pulsing through her and her fists tensing. Then she backed into something else. Something else alive. She looked up to see Mo’s faintly outlined face, and felt his firm grip on her shoulders. Arwin screamed, punched Glitch in the gut as he tried to draw near, fighting with all she had in her. Arwin didn’t know what DCI wanted with her, but she knew she wouldn’t go quietly. Finally, her sudden burst of energy ran out. Mo’s strong fist collided with her temple, she could feel the dark bag slip securely over her head, and the floor beneath her feet slowly slipped from underneath her. . .

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Arwin was laying on the floor of something moving. Some type of vehicle. Yeah, it was a...a van. It was driving swiftly down a bumpy road, and Arwin was bouncing up and down in a body sack, She was tied securely in a scratchy bag. Her matted and tangled hair was covering her face and eyes, and the only thing she could sense was the steady noise of boxes - containing some sort of junk - clanging against each other. Her bag was quickly becoming hot and stuffy, and she was finding it difficult to breathe. If DCI meant to suffocate her in this unwelcome sack, she wasn’t happy about it. Arwin pictured herself dying a more victorious death, like by a duel with an army of angry Torchers or something of the sort.

(Torchers are a cloaked spirit that eats the energy and light out of anyone near them. Many have been mistaken as ghosts, and the most famous known one...the grim reaper.) 

 Then Arwin heard voices. Two, male voices. They belonged to Mo and Glitch, who seemed to be in the two front seats of the vehicle. They were close, and Arwin assumed their seats were right in front of her. 

“When’s the trail for Arwin again?” Came Glitch’s quivering tone. 

“Aw man bro! How many times have ai told ya now? It’s whenever we get there! The Reducto Corp don’t have a care ‘bout schedules little man, they just do.” 

Arwin imagined Glitch going pink with frustration at his faulty memory. Ever since Tan’s army had invaded DCI in her first year of school, everyone was still trying to recover from his total mind sweep. Well, everyone that had been present, and that didn’t include Arwin. Thankfully. The van was silent for a few minutes, until Glitch asked,

“Are we there yet?”

“Why?” Mo said, clearly annoyed.

“I’m bored.”

“Look out the window then.”

“But there’s nothing to look at! All there is is tumbleweeds and dead grass!”

“So we’re in the desert…” Arwin whispered to herself. 

She heard Mo grumble something inaudible under his breath, and heard Glitch land an angry punch on his partner’s shoulder, until the three resumed their eerie silence. The two crew members talked quietly for a while, whispering things that Arwin only partly heard. Words like, “Traitor” and “Bewitchment” and “Devil army” were repetitive words, and she couldn’t help but wonder what things she hadn’t heard. What secrets was she not being told? What was her own friends keeping from her?!

Finally, the confined quarters of her sack became too much, and - unable to catch herself - coughed loudly. Now Glitch and Mo knew she was awake and listening to what they had been just saying. Oops. 

“How long have you been up?”

Mo asked, with a tad of edge in his tone. Arwin wanted to shrug, but remembered they couldn’t see her shoulders from underneath a bag. The heat and stench of the sack was becoming unbearable.  

“Get me out of here and I’ll tell you morons.” Arwin grumbled. 

“Or else, I’ll set this whole place alight.”

In reality, she had no idea how to access whatever firepower had happened in DCI that morning, but she wanted them to believe she could. 

“Mo, I think we should listen to her,”

Glitch’s worried tone whispered to his partner. Mo must have agreed, because the topmost bag was lifted from her head, golden light flooded her eyes, and fresh air rushed at her face, cooling her. Glitch was standing over her, bag in hand, mouthing the words, ‘Forgive me.’ She just shot him a stern look and averted her gaze.

“Now, tell us how long you’ve ‘bin up.” Mo said in a cutting tone. 

“I am not all too happy that DCI’s serum didn’t work.”

“I’ve been up for about five minutes...I guess.” She answered, moving herself to a sitting position. “But what serum are you talking about?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“They’ll punish me.”

“You’ve already punished me, and I don’t know about it. What have I got to lose?”

Mo groaned and turned the van right, apparently choosing not to answer Arwin’s question. He entered an abandoned road with barbed wire fences and two giant statues of Torchers guarding the top of a large gate. They were driving in the middle of a wasteland, hardly a dead tree or tumbleweed in sight. They passed the gate in silence, the stress and curiosity in Arwin mounting. But why was she growing suddenly tired? Was it the-

“We have arrived!”

Mo exclaimed, making Arwin jump. The van was pulled up besides a giant mansion, (It looked more like an abandoned, old factory in the middle of nowhere,) and two doormen in butler suits came out to meet them. Mo began to converse with the two men, while Glitch scooted closer to Arwin’s side.

“You OK?” He said, barely above a whisper.

“How can I be?!”

She shot back, fixing him with one of the strongest looks of rage she could muster. It worked, and he looked away shamefully. 

“I’m tied in a sack, stuck out in the middle of - who knows where, and about to be put on trial for - who knows what!”

“I didn’t want to bring you here.”

He answered softly, catching Arwin off guard.

“I pleaded with them to let you go unskathed, but the Reduco council refused.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and stared up at the ceiling of the car.

“I don’t want to go in as much as you do either. They have Torchers and Irises guarding every inch of this place. And Reducto doesn’t train them.”

Arwin gulped. Devilish monsters had a tendency to chase after her the most. 

“Please, I don’t want you to hold all this against me. We haven't had anything like this happen ever. DCI has had some strange cases - true - but never one like this.”

He sighed and looked Arwin in the eye.

“Please,” He whispered, so softly that she had to strain to hear him.

“Forgive me.” 

He bent down untied his friends' bound hands. She gratefully pulled them out of the hot sack and rubbed her sore wrists. She would’ve thanked Glitch, but she was still mad at him. The look on his face told her he already knew. Arwin wanted to believe that Glitch had sad tears welling at the backs of his dark, brown eyes, but she simply couldn’t fathom it. The two of them were quiet for a moment, and they shifted awkwardly in their positions. 

“What ‘serum’ was Mo talking about?”

Arwin asked, as she too stared at the ceiling, as if it was the most intriguing thing in the world. 

“I dunno.” He answered honestly, rubbing the side of his face, where one of his dark, blue bruises lay.

“He must have injected something into you because even I know he can’t knock out somebody that long. I was almost sure you would sleep forever.”

Arwin felt her cheeks grow hot. She felt embarrassed for some reason. She felt weak and helpless in that van parked in the middle of nowhere. And Arwin hated feeling weak.

"Where did you get those scars though?" She said softly, running two fingers over the welt on his forearm. He stiffened, and she drew away.

“They - DCI - they beat me up when I wouldn’t agree to hunt you down. That happened with a lot of the crews, especially the girls from your dorm. But they beat me the hardest.”

“Because you’re stubborn.” Arwin thought, looking at all of the wounds jarring her friend up. Her heart felt...different then it had been moments ago. It wasn’t gratitude, no. She refused to thank him for shoving her in a sack. But it was...what? Mild...hmm. She didn’t know. The two of them sat engulfed in silence again. Thinking. Saying nothing. Wondering what came next.  

That’s when the van began to move again. 

Now I’ve told you part of the story of DCI. About Arwin and the chase for her powers. The story continues of course, with an adventurous thrill and twists with crazy turns of events. But….that's all I can tell you for now. 

So now it’s your turn to complete your job. 

This story is a secret, remember? 

Can you keep a secret?