Days passed since the incident with the shadow Power Fighters. Marcus woke up to a slightly chill morning on the 15th of October. The World Power Fighting Tournament was in three months now but they had to reach China by the 1st of January. The World Tournament next year was going to take place in China with the inauguration ceremony in Beijing.

Marcus got dressed and went down for breakfast. Today it was Brock’s turn to make it. Brock had already started breakfast when Marcus came down. He also had a small bag leaning on his chair.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, “Where are you going so early in the morning?”

Brock replied, “I am going to my parents’ house for a few days. Father has something important to discuss with me and Leopold. I will be back in a maximum of four days I believe.”

“What is so important that it will take four days.”

Brock hesitated. Marcus could see that he was not yet comfortable sharing what his father, Doug had planned for it.

Marcus said before Brock could say anything, “It’s alright mate. You go home. I will hold the fort here.”

Brock snorted but did not say anything. He left shortly after breakfast. Marcus wondered what he was going to do today. Then he remembered Selena’s training. He quickly finished his breakfast and looked at the time. It was 7:30 am. He was not late. He left the house to go to their training warehouse.

Marcus wondered as he got on the bus as to what Tisane was planning. There had been no team meetings or training or anything since the incident at Hotel Tall Oaks. Incognito was a team and they were going to participate in the World Tournament. They needed to be in top form to fight power fighting teams of other countries. However, there was not a peep from Tisane and Marcus and Brock’s attempts at asking her anything yielded no result. They had even tried asking Forum but she had simply replied with, “Give my sister some time and space.”

There was also no word from Alpha and Lara Angel. They also seemed to be busy with something and would not tell the others what it was. Emma had been joining Marcus and Selena for training but Brock and Forum had been busy with other things. Now Brock was going home for a few days. Marcus wondered as to what all was happening.

He reached the warehouse to find Emma and Selena waiting for him. They had already started with the warm-up. He focused on them now and put other concerns to rest. He would find out what was happening in due time.

***

Selena looked at Marcus who was simply sitting looking at his tab. After the warm up, Marcus had given her a few energy circulation exercises and sat down beside a pillar with her tablet in hand. Emma was also going through some forms for her Water Mastery. She would be waiting for Selena to finish her exercises so that they could have a spar.

Selena learned as much from spars with Emma as she did with the basic and intermediate level energy exercises that Marcus made her do. She was not complaining but she enjoyed sparring with Emma more than doing Marcus’ exercises.

Selena wondered what was bothering Marcus. It could possibly be the radio silence from Tisane. She knew he was worried about the upcoming tournament but did not show it. From his stats, she knew he was worried about other team members rather than himself.

Once her exercises were complete, she waited a bit for Emma to finish her routine. Then they sparred for about half an hour. She was feeling exhilarated somehow at the end of today’s training.

Selena said, “So lunch guys? What are your plans?”

Emma grinned, “I am having a lunch date with Willow.”

“How is she?”

Emma shrugged, “She is okay for now. Her team has accepted that they would not be participating and it will take some time to get over their loss of participation in the World Tournament. She is more concerned about her friend not being a power fighter now. I am helping as much as I can. I understand loss, in a different form, but I do understand it.”

Selena nodded and then turned to Marcus, “So what about you?”

Marcus replied, “Sure. We can do lunch. I am free.”

Selena and Marcus said their goodbyes to Emma. They walked up to a small diner which was close to their training warehouse. Marcus looked as if he was lost in thought the entire way.

Once they had settled in their seats, Selena said, “A penny for your thoughts.”

Marcus grinned as he replied, “Do you even have a penny? I don’t think anyone carries pennies in America.”

“You know what I mean Marcus. Do not mess with me when I am hungry.”

A waitress arrived at that time to give them menus. They were busy looking at the menus for some time, deciding on what to eat. No one spoke for some time. The waitress came back. Selena ordered a sandwich and a shake while Marcus ordered a rice based dish with a bottle of mineral water. His eating habits always surprised Selena.

Once the waitress was gone, Selena said, “So, are you going to tell me what has been bothering you since morning?”

Marcus took some time before answering, “It is about our team. Incognito.”

“I know our team name, Marcus.”

“Ha ha! Very funny! I am not concerned about our team name. I have a feeling that our team is going to go through some changes before the World Tournament.”

“How do you mean?”

“Something is going on with Tisane and Forum. Also, something is going on with Brock, Leopold and their father. Alpha and Lara are also up to something. And no one is telling us everything. Am I safe in guessing that Tisane has also told you nothing except to wait?”

“I don’t know why you are concerned about all this. They will tell us in due time. I don’t think the team is in any trouble.”

“Yes, but are we still a team this way or are we a group of individuals pretending to be a team?”

“Come on Marcus. Don’t say that. We have come a long way from when we started. However, in the end, we are still individual power fighters. It is the same with the rest of the teams. Very few teams reach a level of camaraderie that they are one team as a whole. Otherwise it is mostly individuals or tag teams fighting together, supporting each other to win. Do not dwell on it too much. You will only stress yourself unnecessarily.”

Marcus was not completely convinced by Selena’s logic but he gave it a thought. The waitress came at that time with their food and they dug in. As he ate the rice and curry that he ordered, he thought more about what Selena had said. His fears were not allayed but he did feel a bit better. Maybe he should relax a bit. Only time would tell what was going to happen.

They finished their lunch and went on their way. Selena saw Marcus’ retreating figure till he disappeared around a bend. Then she shook her head and called Tisane.

Selena said, “Tisane. It is time to talk. Do not delay.”

***

Brock took a deep sigh as he rang the doorbell to his parents’ house. He was not that happy to be back. He knew the effort that he had to make in order to leave it. His father had not been happy. His brother had supported him but in a passive aggressive manner. And now he was back because his father had to discuss something regarding the World Tournament that affected Brock and Leopold both.

Brock did not understand why he needed to stay with his father for a few days for this. He knew better than to argue with his father when his mind was fixed. It would take some time to change it. And his father had not demanded anything from him for quite some time now and Brock had been surprised by that.

The door opened and it was Leopold. He gave a short nod to Brock as he stepped aside to let Brock in.

Leopold said, “Set up in your old room. It is the way you left it. Father has not made any changes.”

Brock nodded and went to his old room. It was bare except for a bed, his cupboard and a study table. These were the things Brock did not take when he moved in with Marcus. He had also left some clothes in the cupboard as a compromise that he had made with his father.

He put his bag in the cupboard and lay down on the bed. He was lost in thought for some time.

“Well”, he said to himself, “I am here. These are going to be long, three to four days.”

***

Emma was happy. She could see Willow was enjoying too. They were in a multiplex, watching a movie. It was a mere mundane thing but Emma was glad of the company. She knew that Willow had been troubled the past two weeks but she had not pushed Emma away. Emma was glad. She really liked Willow and she could see their relationship blooming. It would take time. It would take effort but Emma had a feeling they would make it work.

She had her baggage and she could guess that Willow had something in her past that she was not comfortable sharing yet. However, Emma was not concerned. She was happy at the present. Her life had been going well since she moved to America. It was slow but she was in a good spot.

After the movie, they went back to Emma’s house. She could see Willow was nervous but Emma eased her nervousness. They spent most of the night talking among other activities and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Emma woke up with a smile on her face. Willow was still sleeping. She looked peaceful and content. Emma grinned and got up. She picked up her clothes from the ground and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

She was making breakfast when Willow came out. Willow kissed Emma and said, “You got a message. I believe it is from Tisane.”

“Are you already going through my phone?” Emma said in mock outrage, “I thought you trusted me!”

“Ha Ha”, said Willow and gave Emma a long deep kiss this time.

“Read it”, said Willow, “It is important.”

Emma frowned at that and read Tisane’s message. It was a message for a team meeting. Finally, Things are now starting to roll.

***

Alpha looked up from the message that he had received and sought his wife. Lara was combing through some books and was not paying attention to her phone. Zip was on his computer, researching what Lara had asked and Alistair was also going through books with Lara. Alpha knew what they were looking for. He was doing the same but was not as enthusiastic as his wife.

Alpha said, “Lara, check your messages.”

Lara took some time but finally looked at Alpha. She had a dazed look on her face. Her focus was broken and she was not going to like it but Alpha knew that the message was important.

Lara frowned when she looked at Alpha’s face but did not say anything. She checked her phone. She grunted and got back to reading.

Alpha rolled his eyes and said, “There is a team meeting.”

“And what we are doing is important”, said Lara, “I thought we discussed that. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We cannot let it go.”

“Yes, but we also need to be there for the team and explain to them our predicament.”

“We shall do so in this team meeting. After all, we leave in a week.”

Alpha nodded and stood up. He went out of the library from where they were working to the private training ground they had. He trained for a bit, going through the motions. He wanted to clear his head.

They were leaving the country in a week. They would be back by the World Tournament but their team practice and personal practice for the tournament would suffer. He did not know how Lara was going to convince Tisane but he hoped that she was able to do so. Lara was right. This was indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity for them and they needed to get there before other competing archeologists.

He finished his work out and went back in. He continued his research, worried about what was going to happen in the team meeting.

***

Brock looked at Tisane’s message. He looked up at the silent table. Leopold was lost in thought. He had still not decided on father’s offer. Doug was reading a newspaper, his breakfast finished. He looked calm and composed, the opposite of what Brock felt.

Brock was feeling a bit guilty after reading Tisane’s message. He had agreed to father’s offer without even discussing it with the team. He did not know how the others would react but they would not be happy. He was sure that Marcus would support him though.

Doug looked up from his newspaper and said, “Something troubling you Brock?”

Brock replied, “Tisane has sent a message. There is a team meeting this evening.”

Leopold looked at his brother and then at his father. He looked determined.

Leopold said, “I am ready. I have already talked to my team and they are also okay with it. We can leave in a week.”

Doug clapped his hands, “This is good. Brock, be sure to inform your team of your decision too. We do not want any hassle.”

“Yes”, drawled Brock, “We don’t want anyone to inconvenience you after all.”

Doug shook his head but did not say anything. Leopold simply rolled his eyes and got up. Brock left soon after that. He was now nervous. He hoped that the evening went well.

***

Forum was a bit worried about her sister. Their father’s proposal had shook her a bit. Forum had jumped at the chance but had not consulted the team. This was too good an opportunity to pass by. However, she could see that Tisane was not that happy for her. She had, after all, the whole team to consider.

The past few days had been stressful for Tisane, coming up with a plan that would help her team. Forum could see the dark circle beneath Tisane’s eyes. Tisane had been staying up late. She had also not been spending much time with Juran and that was also not good.

Forum thought about the evening’s meeting. It was then she would break the news about her opportunity. Tisane would be coming with Forum. They will be leaving in a week. She wondered how the others would react to the news. Now she thought she really should have consulted the team before making any decision.

Forum shook her head and turned on her computer. She needed to distract herself otherwise she would spend the rest of the day worrying about the evening meeting. She decided to watch some movies.

“It would all turn out okay”, she consoled herself.

***

Marcus looked at his team. They had decided to meet at his and Brock’s house for the meeting. Alpha and Lara were on a laptop, looking at god knows what. Selena was on her tab, sitting beside them. Tisane had taken one of the single couches and Forum was resting on its arm.

Brock and Emma were having a quiet discussion near the kitchen table and Marcus was sitting on one of the single couches looking at everybody.

Tisane called everyone to order. She said, “I have got something important to announce regarding Incognito’s future. This will affect the whole team. However, I have also learned that Brock and Lara also have something to say. They messaged that they wanted to tell their news first. So, go ahead. One of you, start.”

Brock and Lara looked at each other. Then they both started to talk at the same time. Then they both asked each other to go first. They were finally interrupted by Tisane, “Heavens! Brock you go first.”

Brock said, “My father came up with an interesting proposition for me and Leopold. He has somehow managed to convince the Fire Temple in Philippines to take me and Leopold as students for the next two months.”

There was a stunned silence after his announcement. Brock continued, “I have decided to accept it. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Fire Temple does not take students easily and the training that I receive there would help me strengthen my Fire Mastery. I am sorry I did not consult everyone but I did not know what else to do.”

No one spoke for some time. Then Marcus said, “Bro, this is huge. I am happy for you.”

The rest congratulated him too. Brock had a grin on her face now. Marcus could see he had been nervous but was not so now.

Lara said, “Okay. Time for our news. A new tomb of the Ancient Ones has been discovered in the Sahara desert. Considering how Alpha and I are the experts on the Ancient Ones, we have been asked to be the leading archeologists to lead the expedition into the tomb. We have accepted. This is a huge deal for us. We know this would impact our training for the tournament but this is bigger than the tournament for us. I hope you will understand.”

Marcus did understand. He knew about the Ancient Ones. It was a civilization predating humans. There were miniscule records of their civilization and any discovery related to them was considered extraordinary and rare. This was indeed a major thing for Alpha and Lara and Marcus could not blame them for accepting the expedition.

Tisane frowned, “How long is this going to take?”

Lara said, “We shall definitely be back for the World Tournament. We are already making plans for it. The only problem is that our training shall be impacted and we haven’t figured out what to do about it. Don’t worry Tisane, we would not miss the World Tournament for anything but we can also not let this go.”

Marcus could see that Alpha was a bit uncomfortable and not as excited as Lara. He was primarily a power fighter and secondarily an archeologist. Lara may not be concerned about the missed training but he would be. The others first congratulated Lara and Alpha about the opportunity and then they started discussing what can be done to solve the training problem.

It was Marcus who suggested, “You should take Emma with you.”

“What?” said Lara and Tisane together.

Marcus sighed, “Emma can regularly spar with Alpha while you are at the site. I am sure Lara you would be completely busy but Alpha can spare some time for training. Having Emma there would help. They can spar, grow stronger. Also Emma could do with some training in harsh conditions. The heat of the Sahara would help her grow. This is, if you all are comfortable with this.”

Alpha looked at Emma. Marcus could clearly see his pleading expression. Emma was thoughtful. She said, “This is not a bad idea. However, I could miss out on some training with you and Forum over here.”

Tisane said, “This comes to my announcement. Forum will be training with my uncle and his students in China. We would both be going there for the next two months. I had prepared plans for the rest of you which would help during our absence but now it looks as if they are all going to go down the drain.”

Forum looked at her sister with concern. Marcus gave a short laugh as he heard this. He said, “So Master Chan finally decided that one of his nieces was finally worthy to train under him?”

Tisane frowned at him, “He wanted to train us earlier but father was insistent that we would get sufficient training in America to help us grow. Concerning the trouble in recent times, father thinks it would be good if we both underwent the famous Chan family training in China.”

They started discussing about Forum and Tisane’s trip now. Marcus was still observing the others. All were involved in the discussion except for Emma. She looked deep in thought.

Finally Emma said, “I think going with Lara and Alpha would help me then. Remaining here would not help me train but it would definitely be good for my love life. Willow is going to be pissed, I think.”

There was a short round of laughter at that statement. The meeting was starting to conclude. Forum and Tisane were going to China. Brock was going to the Fire Temple. Alpha, Lara and Emma were going to the Sahara. This left with;

“Marcus”, said Tisane, “What are you going to do then?”

Marcus looked at each of them slowly. Then he said in an innocent voice, “Me? I am simply going to spend some quality time with Taylor.”

Tisane narrowed her eyes, “Somehow I don’t believe it. Just don’t get in trouble.”

“Never.”

The meeting concluded. Everyone except Brock left.

Brock looked at Marcus, “You knew did you not?”

“What?” inquired Marcus.

Brock only stared and Marcus relented, “Oh yes. I had a talk with Master Jun and he told me about Forum and Tisane’s situation. I had a nice chat with Leopold. Your brother is not so bad when it comes to you, you know. He really is concerned about you. He told me about the Fire Temple. I also talked with Arya. Lara had told Arya about the expedition and Arya told me about it. She did ask me to keep it a secret though. How did you know that I knew?”

“It was your smug expression you”, Brock chose some colorful language to describe Marcus and they both laughed.

Marcus said, “You all leave in a week then?”

“That was what was discussed.”

“I am going to miss you guys.”

“Yes, but we do need to tell Evana about this though.”

“Oh crap! She is going to kill you guys.”

Laughing, they went to bed.

***

Marcus came to the airport to see Brock and Tisane off. Evana had also come. She had not killed her two friends but had been angry at their declaration. She had bullied Marcus in giving her some personal training, other than her team training. Marcus had agreed and would now be training her along with Selena. Selena would not be happy.

They said goodbyes and left the airport. Marcus was dropping Evana home. They were in Brock’s car which Marcus would be borrowing for the next two months whenever he required. They made small talk and mostly dissed their two friends.

Marcus dropped Evanna home and went to his house. He sat on the sofa and let out a long breath. The team had split. It would create some problems in the World Tournament but not much. He knew that this was necessary and everyone would come out stronger in the end with the exception of Lara.