Astrid waited around for Andre at the train station. Back when she worked for the agency, this was the location for most of their dead drops. She thought it was a location that was suited for meeting.

“You sure about this guy?” asked Andre. “This… Umbyr. He does not even a have a last name.”

“He’s part alien, part human. His mother was a human, and his father was an alien. He is a shapeshifter,” said Astrid. “He’s also a villain and a criminal mastermind. He’s one of my sources. He was also a part of my assignments long ago and as for the last name, I don’t think you need to have one in the criminal underground.”

“If he is that bad,” said Andre. “Then, why didn’t you arrest him?”

“Because for all his talk,” said Astrid. “He isn’t half as bad or terrible as the other villains I have encountered and it’s complicated.”

Why does he get to come with you on this one?

Astrid read the message from her boyfriend, with a contempt face, before she started the car.

He’s had more experience with the criminal underground like I have and because he knows how to deal with them. Also, Umbyr and I have a complicated relationship.

This was not the first time she had been to the criminal-ruled side of Artemis. She had been here many times because most of her informants and sources, besides Alec, came from this side of town.

“Are you sure you can even trust this guy or that he is even reliable?” asked Andre.

“He has come through so far,” said Astrid as she shut the car door behind her. “Besides, he gets really sensitive when people doubt his allegiances and loyalties to friends.”

“Ah… Astrid,” said Umbyr. “You brought someone with you to see me this time. Please introduce me.”

“He already knows everything about you,” said Astrid. “He’s the third best agent within Knightwatch. I only told him what I learned about you from you. Also, I trust him.”

“And you trust very few,” said Umbyr. “Come in… sit. Word about your condition has spread through this part of town though whoever else besides me knew about it is dead.”

“It’s the price of sending a madman to a prison that he cannot escape, and you didn’t need to kill people to protect me,” said Astrid as a servant brought in drinks and snacks. “I can protect my own ass in several different ways that do not require the powers of the universe.”

“So… what do you need?” asked Umbyr.

“What do you know about the Orb?” asked Astrid as she picked up a biscuit. “The whole heist must have the whole criminal underground talking.”

“It does,” said Umbyr. “I would not suppose you know who actually conducted the heist or who is behind it.”

“I have some pieces of the puzzle but not all,” said Astrid as she took a bite out of the warm biscuit. “But when I was here, your mind worked like mine. I would like to know what you think or know.”

“Tell me what you know,” said Astrid.

“I have been trying to think the way this guy is likely to think,” said Astrid. “I know he has to have a lot of resources, time and money… and to hire someone like—”

“Rurik Vallen,” said Omri.

Astrid looked up slightly surprised at Omri, who simply shrugged at her as Astrid sipped the lemonade.

“I’m not a mind reader but I am in love with a criminal mastermind and live in the criminal underground,” said Omri as he spoke in a soft tone. “And we hear things the same as you spies do, we have heard rumors that Vallen was getting involved into things and answering to someone’s orders.”

Astrid and Andre exchanged nervous glances. Astrid wondered how much she could tell Umbyr and Omri she knew about the situation.

“And you are sure that this was not some crime lord?” asked Astrid as she looked at him pointedly. “That could have paid him off to get the information.”

“Hmm… how much was the sum?” asked Umbyr. “Listen, Astrid… if you want me to help you with this, then you have to trust me. You trusted me enough back then.”

“You are right. I do trust you… it’s not about trust,” said Astrid. She let out a deep sigh. “It’s only that I have way too many people’s blood on my hands. I don’t want to add you to the body count by getting involved in this.”

“We can look after ourselves,” said Umbyr.

“Ten million,” Astrid breathed out. “From what I have been able to trace, Rurik Vallen was paid ten million.”

“Definitely not one of us,” said Umbyr.

“Are you sure?”

“Are you doubting us?” asked Umbyr, his voice hurt. “I’ve been on your side even when you were working undercover in the criminal underground.”

Astrid winced but nodded at Andre to tell them.

“Vallen was found dead in his apartment by local police and covered in cat litter,” said Andre.

“It’s the kind of style that a criminal gang would do,” said Astrid as she took a deep breath. “That’s one thing I learned when I was down here, and I do not want to suspect you, but I have reason to.”

Her eyes tracked to look at Omri.

“You called him an asshole,” said Astrid as she looked at Omri. “You see why I have to consider you into the equation even if I trust you guys. Even if you are my friends, I have a duty to the mundane population and prodigies, and because I understand more than anyone what it is like to lose my powers, Omri. If you aren’t willing to help to me, I will walk out right now and figure this out myself.”

“Wait…” said Umbyr. “I understand your position, but… I can prove it was not my organization if you allow me to.”

He whispered something to one of his henchmen and the man nodded at Umbyr and disappeared behind the curtains.

“You seem to have made much more progress in this investigation,” said Umbyr as he studied her. “I can see it in your eyes. Educate me.”

“I think it took a lot of planning and consideration,” said Astrid. “Whoever is behind this seems to have been planning this for a long time. At least two years. Vallen’s death and the lack of evidence at that crime scene signals a professional assassin.”

“Anything else?”

“They policed their brass,” said Astrid as she paused in thought, pursing her lips. “And the angle of the assassination was really professional… besides me, there are only a few other assassins out there that could do that, but the hit was definitely ordered by a crime lord which tells me he has the need to keep his hands clean.”

Umbyr’s henchman handed him the paper and he handed it to her. Astrid scanned the document quickly and gave it back to him with a sigh.

“Any reason I should be worried about you going after the Clerkenwell Syndicate?” asked Astrid.

“How do you know about them?” asked Umbyr.

“I am the number one spy in the world currently,” said Astrid as she picked up another biscuit. “I am expected to stay updated on all the criminal and terrorist organizations and syndicates out there, among other things.”

“And you are not going after them?” asked Umbyr.

“They are not a huge problem right now,” said Astrid as she chewed on the biscuit. “And… I am dealing with enough right now. Ok… well, if it was not your organization who ordered the hit, then who did?”

“Maybe, the person behind this all,” said Umbyr.

“Yeah, but…” Astrid said, but stopped mid-sentence.

She was going to the crime scene tomorrow to look, but by then there was a very likely chance that whoever ordered the hit would have wanted it cleaned up.

“I know that look. It means… you have an idea,” said Umbyr as he narrowed his eyes. “Spill.”

“This might be the dumbest thing I have ever considered doing,” said Astrid. She let out a deep sigh. “If I showed you the style that Rurik Vallen was dead, do you think you could identify which gang ordered him dead?”

“Possibly,” said Umbyr. “A picture won’t do it justice, though. I would have to see the body or at least the angle by which the kill happened to confirm who ordered the hit.”

“You know sometimes you can be thick,” said Astrid. “I meant I was going to take you with me to the crime scene… tonight.”

“Tonight…”

“If you were the leader of whoever was orchestrating this then wouldn’t you want the evidence gone fast,” said Astrid.

“And we don’t get television down here, so they probably have not heard it,” said Umbyr. “Isn’t that illegal?”

“I was a seventeen-year-old spy, and I am a vigilante,” said Astrid. “We rarely do things legally.”

They snuck into the crime scene that night. Astrid scanned the surrounding and got to work. She had not actually seen it. No matter how many times she had seen dead people or had to kill people to protect herself. She never got used to the sight of it.

“Are you okay?” asked Umbyr as he followed her. “You look like you have seen a ghost.”

“I’m never going to get used to seeing assassinated people or pools of blood,” said Astrid. “J-just tell me which criminal organization ordered this.” She paused for a minute. “The guy died a little earlier yesterday and I know he is a criminal, but I never got used to the black ops aspect while I was an agent. Killing people with so little details.”

“You had to do that under the previous director?”

“Yeah… I did,” said Astrid. “But… then, management changed, and I was not always chosen to do black ops assignments and things got better.”

“Rurik Vallen does not seem to have been dead long,” said Umbyr as he looked over at Astrid. “What did the newspaper say that he died?”

Astrid pulled her phone out of her back pocket and handed it to him. She, then, pulled on her crime scene gloves that she tended to carry with her.

“Hmmm… at ten fifteen in the morning on Tuesday,” said Umbyr. “Does this guy seem dead for two days? Are you sure the headlines didn’t lie?”

“Right now, I’m not sure of anything,” said Astrid, agitated. “It seems like in the past few weeks the world has inverted on its axis, and we are left to clean the damn mess up.”

Umbyr turned to look at her and he could start to see the panic and tears beginning to form in her eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder so that she would look at him.

There were probably only a few people in the world who knew how to get Astrid out of her thoughts. Umbyr remembered one specific night when it became too much for her.

“Hey… Astrid, look at me,” said Umbyr as he looked her in the eye. “Look at me. There is not a problem in the world that does not have a solution and I know lately it seems like the world has gone to shit, but I also know that there has not been a problem that you could not solve.”

He noticed Astrid’s eyes starting to clear up and her breathing seemed to even out. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks,” said Astrid. “I probably should not have panicked just now.”

“You probably have not gotten a chance to do that in the last few weeks,” said Umbyr with short rough chuckle. “Now, what were you going to tell me?”

“You’re right… the news headlines don’t match up with the evidence,” said Astrid as she felt the man’s neck. “I don’t get it. It’s the reporters’ job to report the truth, not sell some shit.”

“It’s been a long time since I have heard you curse,” said Umbyr. “It may not be the media. The cops might be corrupt.”

“Yeah… well, given the last few months have been rough and I have been a poster girl for a hero,” said Astrid as she laughed. “I think I am allowed some curse words.”

“Now, that’s the Astrid I remember,” said Umbyr. “Not so serious but serious enough when it mattered. Incredibly smart…”

“You know most people describe you as and I quote… ‘a cunningly devious villain and a real force to be reckoned with and really evil’…” Astrid said, paused and looked at him. “But someone who is evil would not have serenaded me with songs when I could not sleep those nights or would have talked me out of a panic attack just now.”

“You should not have let those build. And you remember?”

“Your singing was not ideal or great, but it was good enough to do the job,” said Astrid as she looked up at the top floor at the opposite building. “I think I found something, though how the shooter managed that is a mystery to me. It’s a near impossible shot.”

“Damn, you are right. That is quite an impossible shot,” said Umbyr as he watched her look at the third floor of the opposite building. In some sense, he knew what she was doing. “Guessing by the look on your face, not undoable.”

“No… though, it takes near perfect skill to do something like this,” said Astrid and she turned back to the body. “And the bullet went through and through. So, tell me does anyone hire specific hitmen with this kind of killing style?”

“A few come to mind,” said Umbyr as he wrote down some names on a piece of paper. “You do realize that the mastermind behind this is not going to be the leader of some criminal gang?”

“I am perfectly aware of that,” said Astrid as she crossed her hands and he handed her the sheet of paper. “At least, now I have a new lead and not a literal dead end. I have a question. Umbyr… when we were together, was I just another one of the girls you slept with or was there something more for you. Did you consider me a weakness?”

“What about for you?” asked Umbyr.

“Perhaps, my first real relationship but I could not drag you along on the path I was taking at that time,” said Astrid. “Because of the uncertainty.”

“You meant something to me,” said Umbyr. “You were different. When I got the news that you were leaving, it broke my heart. I understood your decision though.”

“For the timid and anxious man, you are underneath that bravado,” said Astrid as she wiped her tears with wet laugh. “You were okay.”

“Tell me something. Are you happy with him? With the guy you are with?” asked Umbyr.

“Yeah… I am,” said Astrid. “Despite our bumps in the road, he makes me happy and makes me smile. He knows how to make me laugh and he seems to know what I am thinking most of the times, but… I am glad that you and Omri are happy. If I had one regret, it was leaving you alone.”

“It hurt for a while, but… you had a reason of your own for leaving me,” said Umbyr. “Did you end up finding your birth family?”

She shook her head. “I did. Umm… thanks for being willing to come out with me here, especially after I marched into your headquarters and accused you.”

“You were stressed… and you panicked,” said Umbyr as he put his hands on his shoulder. “I do not blame you.”

Astrid smiled. “I enjoyed working with you, Umbyr.”

“So did I,” said Umbyr. “It felt like old times. I wish you would stay. We could do a lot of work together.”

“It’s a nice offer, but I have a responsibility now,” said Astrid as she crossed her hands. “And my team is like a family to me now and as that is, my first duty is to them and my family. I’m also a secret agent and superhero.”

“I understand,” said Umbyr. “Just don’t go fighting these battles alone.”

“I promise I won’t,” said Astrid. “You know I have learned to less reckless since I left my undercover position in the criminal underground.”

When she got home, her siblings were waiting for her in the dining room. Cameron pushed herself away from the wall and walked into the kitchen.

“How did it go?” asked Cameron as she opened the fridge and closed it.

“It went fine,” said Astrid as she took a long gulp of water from the water bottle. “Not all exes are insensitive to the others’ emotions. He understood why I left, and I talked about and explained my reasoning to Dante, and he understood why I did not want him to come.”

“Was it him that hired the hit on Rurik Vallen?” asked Frank.

“No… his hitmen were hired for another specific hit,” said Astrid as she handed him the paper. “Which raises the question who on the list he provided me ordered the hit and who hired the criminal gang?”

“Why is that a question?” asked Cameron.

“Because like I said,” said Astrid. “Crime lords might be smart and resourceful, but the equipment and technology you would need to get the device to work can’t be found in the criminal underground.”

“So, we’re looking for someone with what?” asked Cole.

“Influence, money and resources, according to Astrid,” said Cameron. “The problem is that there are tons of entrepreneurs these days who have the capacity to recreate this device if they get their hands on the design.”

“We just need to find the connection between all of these puzzle pieces,” said Astrid. “Because at the moment that is all they are—separate pieces to the larger puzzle.”

“I mean, why kill the messenger?” asked Frank.

“I can think about twenty reasons why they would have killed Vallen,” said Cameron. “They were trying to cover it up, it seems clear that whoever is behind this cannot risk getting their own hands dirty.”

“So, he or she is having them do their dirty work for them,” said Astrid as she leaned against the wall with a pen to her lips in deep thought. “Crime lords don’t mind getting their hands dirty when they need to. This man or woman feels like they have to stay above or out of the range of the radar.”

As were most of the conversations at the dinner table, like she said, they were not a normal family. Astrid moved towards the kitchen to make dinner.

“Whoever organized the hit has to be on the list that Umbyr gave me and that brings me one step closer to the guy that we are looking for,” said Astrid. “Frank… whenever you get the time I need you run down these names.”

“Cool… can I use the computer in your lair to do it?” asked Frank. “Cole spilled soda on mine yesterday when you were out of town and the new one I ordered is not arriving until next Wednesday.”

“We can share my computer,” said Astrid as she pulled out some cold juice from the fridge. “At least, until the new computer arrives Next Wednesday.”

The parents lived in a house that was next door. They figured that the kids were mature enough to take care of themselves on their own.

“So… what do you guys want for dinner?” asked Astrid.

“Spicy Thai noodles,” said Frank.

“Lasagna,” said Cameron.

“Pizza,” said Cole.

“We had pizza yesterday,” said Frank turning to look at Cole over his shoulder. “After you had football practice and I had to stay there and finish my homework on the bleachers. I would have preferred to be doing my homework at home.”

“What’s wrong with having pizza again?” asked Cole.

“Nothing… except we have had pizza for three days in a row,” said Cameron. “I want something different. I want some change.”

“Chill,” said Astrid as she removed the ingredients she needed from the cabinets. “I’m not going to order pizza, but I will make some pasta not lasagna, however, because that takes way too long to make.”

“Are you making your famous baked ziti?” asked Frank. “You know, Cole and I love that.”

It was one of Astrid’s original recipes, and even though she used vegan sausage instead of the real thing. Her brothers still loved her baked ziti.

“So, what progress have you guys made at finding out who is behind all of this?” asked Frank.

“Nothing. Nada. Zilch,” said Astrid as she threw pieces of the vegan sausage into the grinder. “However, you want to say it. Whoever is behind the chaos that is going on outside is intent on keeping their hands clean.”

“And our only witness happens to be dead,” said Astrid. “All I have is the list that Umbyr gave me.”

“I see,” said Cameron.

“Listen… I still reek of smoke and other things. I am going to go shower and change,” said Astrid.

“I’ll keep an eye on the pasta in the pot,” said Cameron.

Astrid climbed up the stairs until she reached the section of the floor that had been cordoned off to be her room. She showered and changed. She was combing her hair as she looked through her email as she came down the stairs.

“You told us to watch the pasta, but you did even turn on the stove so… nothing happened,” informed Frank as he looked up from where he was sitting in front of the television. “Cameron went to the bathroom.”

She strained the pasta and added a little bit of oil. She, then, continued to make the rest of the pasta. Within a half an hour, she was done, and she poured the sauce on top of the pasta and ricotta on top of it. Then, she put it in the oven.

Frank agreed to look through the names on the list which he wrote down on a separate piece of paper. They were all tired that evening, so they did not do any investigating that night.