"You guys were in touch with my mother?" I sputtered out, confusion and anxiety clouding my mind after sitting there for the past hour or so listening to an event that, although occurred three years ago, had me glancing at the man to my right every two seconds to make sure he wasn't dead.

"No," Jay countered with his firm tone, "We were in touch with Agent W. Your mother, was kicked out and gone for good."

"I don't need you to be some inspirational poetic preacher right now, Jay," I snapped, "I am Agent W. Who was that woman that claimed she was me?"

"Wendy Emerson, your biological mother, a former top-class R.U. Agent assigned with the code name, . She was stripped of her title and position after a dating scandal with former Agent N, and he too retired."

"Why am I only hearing of this now?" my voice came out almost accusingly.

Jay sighed. "Because like you just heard, Agent W and her husband lost their memories because of Raelyn. Your father, from outside sources, have been reported to become a drunkard because he sees a resemblance of Wendy in you, and only vaguely remembers her existence. Your mother doesn't remember the R.U. until just recently when her memories came back. Why, we still don't know. However, on the day she didn't return, we were sent to go search for you as an agreement that she requested for her daughter to be under our care if she ever was parted from you. From then on we took you in and trained you since you were seven, and the rest is up to date with what you know."

I listened and made little movement, staring into space as I tried conjuring up images of the past. My mother was an agent? My step-sister was an agent? My step-mother was an agent?

What even is this.

"You mean, Wendy was the 'Taboo Agent' we couldn't speak of?" I finally let out, shaking my head slowly in denial, "But we've been saying the code name for years since it's my title. Agent W."

"Yeah... don't ask me," Jay replied, glancing at Liam before letting out, "Look, Agent... "

I frowned at his hesitation, "What?"

"W," He finished, putting on a fatherly smile, "There's nothing wrong. I was just thinking how well you lived up to that title. From what I heard, your mother also lived up quite a reputation with that code name before it was taken away from her."

My eyes softened slightly before my face went blank again.

"First it was Liam, now it's me. Work on your speech, sir," I managed to spit out a sincere light-hearted joke, but that soon died down as I dawned on my situation.

Jay checked his watch and looked back up at me with a sense of urgency. "Liam's waking up anytime now. He has a mission at 7. You will accompany him since it's an ongoing mission he's been at for weeks now."

"Like I have a choice," my sarcastic reply jumped out readily as I picked up my right arm that was locked with Liam's left one, "What's with the cuffs anyway, Jay? It's burdensome."

"That... is a mystery," Jay leaned forward, rubbing his chin, "I suspected it was something attached to him even before Wendy got to him. Your father and Raelyn must've attached that to him before he was taken away. If he ever came in contact with you ever again, you guys would be bound together until they could get their hands on you. Wendy must've lied and just told him it was a mission gadget for his safety, because if he knew it might trigger something."

"Physically or mentally?" I tested carefully.

He responded, "Possibly both. We don't want to trigger the cuffs to self-destruct or trigger the boy and make him trigger the cuffs. We have to be careful."

"But you hid it for so long," I pressed so that his voice faded away. I wanted to stand up and walk up to him and give him a piece of my mind. But he was my team leader, and I was trapped with Liam.

"Wendy requested for you not to know before we figure out the whole situation," Jay answered sincerely, "She said the R.U. should deal with it as we see best. We thought he ought to remember how to defend himself and it was a chance to see his potentials while he was on our side, so we trained him."

I scoffed. "Wendy 'requested?' What does she know." 13 years of pent up anger of misunderstanding my mother had me heated and short-tempered at the present. "Where is the woman?"

"That is confidential. We can't tell you. You know it's Bullet 88."

After an agent retires, he or she has the right to remain hidden regarding where they locate to and what they proceed to do with their life.

"There will be a time that you two meet, but Wendy doesn't believe it's the appropriate time yet. Please understand, Jamie."

"That's technically not fair since I'm her daughter," I tried, although my voice quieted down and I settled into a tired slump.

"Former Agent W turned Charles, Raelyn, and Allison in to us and we are now holding them custody for interrogation, a matter which you cannot interfere with."

"Wouldn't want to," I looked him in the eye, "Never wanted to either."

"Good. We'll make them spill on what we should do to have the cuffs off of you two without risking your lives," Jay sighed, glancing at the our wrists locked together, each person with their own unique bruises. "Don't worry, Lennon. You just focus that head of yours on the mission."

"And if there's no return option...?" I voiced out. My fists curled up and ever so slightly tensed into balls.

"N- ..." Jay started, shutting his lips and eyeing me with a dark, drawn face, not daring to complete his thought. "That will not happen," he finished instead. The man heaved out a soft sigh and stood up from his chair. My eyes followed him.

Liam stirred to my right and I snapped my attention to his knocked-out form. Jay whistled from behind and I looked back at him, hearing him say, "I have things to attend to. Might be a good idea if I leave before the boy wakes up, 'else he might remember me stabbing him with a needle. Also..."

I waited for my team leader to continue with arched brows.

"Did you and Hall have an argument?"

I sighed out purposely extra-loud and respectfully acknowledged his leave with a forced grin and nod after muttering, "My business."

_

"What... happened?" Liam asked, rubbing his face wearily with his free hand and gradually surveyed the room.

"You fell asleep, dummy," I acted my part as I yawned just looking at him trying to wake up. It was honestly not a good time to go on a mission, but what could I do when Jay personally commanded that I go on it with Liam.

He gave me an irritated look. "I'm not a child, Agent W."

Upon hearing my code name, I unconsciously shuddered and flung out my left hand right in front of him, making the man stop midway from standing up out of his seat.

"Let's clarify something first," I said loud and clear, startling him, "I'd prefer for us not to keep calling ourselves letters if we're going to be together for who knows how long. What's your name?"

It was an obviously easy question that I now knew so well. But, act the part, Jamie.

"Jason Carver. What's yours?"

Carver. Carter. Close enough.

"Hey," I put on a smile as if we were on friendly terms. Liam eyed me weirdly and tried to take a step back, but the cuffs pulled me one step closer, so we were both back to the same position as before.

"Mind if I called you 'Carter?'"

Liam raised his eyebrows and coughed. "Not only is that my last name, but it's also not even my name."

"Uh... " I stated softly, running my left hand through my hair in anxiousness, "Your nickname?"

"And why would that be my nickname?" He shifted his weight onto his other leg and narrowed his eyes at me.

He was really pushing it.

Then again I was too.

"... cause they... rhyme..."

"What are we in, kindergarten?"

.:.

"Do you know what personal space is, Ordeon," I snapped, "You walked into my bubble. I had a bubble. And you popped it."

Daniel scoffed, "What are we in, kindergarten?"

"Can you even spell that?" I jeered back, receiving a glare as a result.

.:.

Good times. Good times.

"To be fair," I retorted slyly, "I learned how to rhyme in Pre-K."

He glared at me with so much passion in his eyes that I pursed my lips shut and cursed myself silently for trying to be a smart aleck towards another agent.

"You still didn't answer if I could call you Carter or not, Carter."

His brows twitched as he eyed me dully. "And you haven't answered me."

What did he ask? Did he ask something?

My mind rewinded a few minutes back and I must look like a crazy woman in his eyes as I scrutinized his eyeballs with extra concentration and deep thought. He probably expected me to say something like, "Nice pupils," after that intense staring session.

Instead, I said, "Jamie. Jamie Lennon."

It was followed by a rather oddly long silence as he glanced at me and kept my gaze sincerely. He drifted away into thought for a moment but seemed to be struggling with something, and his eyes frowned a bit as it focused back on me.

"How to say this..." Liam broke the silence as his right hand glided gently along the back of his neck, "I... also like calling you 'Lennon,' not Jamie. Don't know, the latter name just... fits. Guess we're even with our nicknames."

My eyes widened gradually as I realized that that moment just freaked me out— whether in a good or bad way, I don't know.

Just like the past, huh...

Suddenly, Liam glanced at his watch/cuff and sucked in a loud breath, frowning at his wrists as it was my turn to stare weirdly at him while still in my dazed state.

"We have to get a move on. I can't miss that date."

"That what?" I blurted out in confusion as I snapped back to reality, my expression darkening as I was dragged from my spot and towards the door along with the man leading.

"You have a dress?" the man rushed as we stumbled into the main floor and raced down the hallways where the dorms were.

"Uh, disguises?" I managed out, trying to keep up with the man's alarmingly fast pace, "In my dorm, yea-"

"Great, take the lead. Hurry," Liam nodded at me, slowing down as me and him switched paces so that I — who was still not grasping the situation — was now in the front.

After a few good seconds of our feet thumping the ground and directing the pulsation of our chests, I gradually began to slow down, so much that we ended up almost walking as I neared my dorm.

"Can you pick up the pace?" Liam questioned when he noticed the swift change in speed, an obvious tint of irritation in his tone, "What's wrong? Why'd we slow down so much. Are we there?"

I struggled to explain to him what was going through my mind as my feet came to a complete stop. Liam... didn't remember anyone. However, there were people that remembered him.

I stared at his concerned eyes as he let out a few breaths, waiting.

I wanted to tell him...

"... My boy Chestin's going to you in half and Axel's going to somersault you out the window!! Run! Don't look back! Don't even come in here— leaveeee."

"We're... here," the actual reply came out dreadfully.

Oh god... Lord save us. Carter, I hope you have butt packs.

_

- M i n n a

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