She stormed into his room, her eyes shooting lasers at him. Her golden-brown hair seemed brighter than ever, and looked halo-like, especially with the way it was braided in a tight circle on top of her head.

"He has been an informant for us for a decade. In fact, he started aiding us the very day you confided in him about hiring a private investigator to find your brother." Maren confessed, looking straight in her eyes as he did. She wants answers, and I'll give it to her.

"Before you ask me why, Jonek wanted to help you financially. Your salary that you used to fund for discovering Ren's whereabouts- it came from him. Honestly, Alara, where did you think those bloods came from?" He continued bluntly.

He regretted being so crass with her when he saw her breakdown in front of him. His fists clenched and he wanted to soothe her. But no, this was life, and she had to learn to stop crying and whining.

She must learn to survive and march on, even when things turns out to be challenging.

She was cognizant of the fact that Maren had been attentively watching her wallow in self-pity. Her bleak eyes met his, and in his brown eyes she saw him berating her for being weak. In his eyes she saw his embarrassment that she was his partner for this mission. Hell, I can visualise him begging for a replacement.

I am more than conscious of the fact that both Tania and Maren probably had their own personal onerous burdens to shoulder and yet they aren't jeremiading about are they?

Alara couldn't bear to think what impression they had of her unsatisfactory behaviour.

Probably that I'm useless, she guessed, suddenly feeling abashed. I have to focus on saving my hometown. Focus, Alara, focus.

Amid her breakdown, she heard Maren saying, "On the bright side, you know his ties to the Agency now. I recommend you figure out where the attacker planted those bombs. Once we have the location, Tania and I will deduce how to go about defusing them. And finding the motive would be good too. If you can't do any of these, we wasted a plethora of resources on you."

She could feel Maren scrutinising her, and before he left her alone, he stated coldly, "Though I wouldn't be surprised that, given your current state, for you do nothing except for isolating yourself again."

A foreign feeling swept over her, and she felt as if shards of glass were stabbing her fragile heart repeatedly, without even pausing. She felt as if some invisible being was choking her strongly, and there was tight squeezing pain in her chest.

All of a sudden, she felt as if she couldn't breathe and could feel her knees becoming like jelly. As Maren stormed off, she grabbed the couch tightly. A conflicting variety of emotions erupted over her consistently, ranging from hurt to indignation to... that alien emotion again.

She opted to focus her all on the boiling rage in her. That ball of raging inferno- she was going to let it grow and possess her and throw it all into profiling the darn Amorals and tracking down the location of the explosives.

I'll give you the cold shoulder, Maren. You... why? Why, Maren?

It turned out that Jonek found out about the bombs under the guise that he was weeding plants nearby a commonly shady area, where he was confident that Amorals commonly frequent.

The UNSUB must have been far enough to avoid anyone noticing but luckily Jonek had experience in these aspects.

Despite being an old man, Jonek had been through many wars and revolutions and that resulted in him knowing how to use them- as well as his age- to his advantage and appear discreet, will also allow him to even get a long, good look at the UNSUB.

Their posture was so uncertain and they seemed perturbed. Even a blind man can tell that they wanted no part in this. I heard 'I've planted the bombs, but I feel disturbed by this. But I can't risk my daughter's life!', so they definitely aren't the mastermind and have no loyalty to the mastermind. I guess the mastermind gains their 'loyalty' via fear and very real threats.

Alara read the excerpt containing Jonek's tip-off to Valesque over again and again until she committed it to memory.

The UNSUB clearly didn't use his cronies for this, and if he or the Amorals has the ability to plant bombs, then they must be influential and cunning people. Assuming that the Amorals didn't use men he trusted to do his dirty work, this violent attack isn't personal for the UNSUB. If that's the case, that the UNSUB must be using this to get his victims to be compliant, submissive beings.

Who are the victims? If this rural area is important to them, the sites of the bombs must be too. But who are them, and where are the explosives?

Frustrated, tears started to prick her eyes. Not wanting to cry, Alara took a deep breath and went through the materials again, hoping that she could at least solve where the bombs were placed.

"Lara, where are you? I need you! Are you abandoning me again? ALARA PLEASE HELP ME! NOOOOOOOO!"

Alara woke up, drenched in perspiration and her heart was pounding wildly. She swore that she heard Ren's once lilting voice screaming for her, for his sister to protect him. And right now, Alara was convinced that she could still hear the echoes of his excruciating cries of torment for she could feel it lodged deeply in her brain that Ren was being abused heinously right this very moment.

Why am I dreaming of this when I should be going through the details of my case in my sleep? Why am I remembering that fateful day? Why now of all times? I've been spending every waking moment with Mare and Tan, and they have located one bomb- in a forest where I had frequented because they scouted it.

What if... somehow, that this case is connected to me? What if... is Ren... a part of this too?

Though that thought scared the daylights out of her, she knew that in order to prevent a multitude of deaths of innocents, she had to take a gamble as time was running out swiftly. And so she promptly decided to act on just the basis of her hunch.

"It can't just be merely a coincidence that it was Jonek who heard and found the Amorals talking about the bombs, could it? I mean really- look from my perspective. Let's say I'm a bomber and I'm going to discuss it with my co-workers about it.

Am I going to announce them in a so-called 'secluded' area? And even when it is obvious that an outsider is eavesdropping, am I still going to talk about it?" Alara theorised in what she hoped was a persuasive manner.

She had taken the initiative to start a meeting with everyone included so that everyone could put their thinking caps on and work together.

"You're right," agreed Keyla. "But... this is just based on a theory, with no concrete facts at all."

"Do you have a better idea or suggestion then?" retorted Maren.

"No... I..." stammered Keyla, who was pouting and seemed very upset.

"Please. There is a method to my madness. I know you all think I've lost my marbles... but please. I can feel it in my gut that this somehow related to me." Alara was attentive to the fact that she sounded desperate, but she felt that if she didn't share her theory, more time would be wasted.

"You're just grasping at straws!" Keyla spat at her out of the blue. "I'm just going to perfect the armour and vehicles... this whole thing is just plain stupid." When she left, Valesque wore a displeased look but made no comment.

"Alara is right. In the letter I sent you, I mentioned the possibility that this is targeted at your agents. I will depart soon, and head to town to scout out places that mean a lot to Alara." maintained Jonek.

"Very well. There are too many coincidences to be dismissed so easily. I trust all of you," concluded Valesque thoughtfully.

"Well, that was tense!" exclaimed Gabriel. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," she replied offhandedly. "Let's just get back to work."

When her mentor did not make any more attempts at small-talk, she let her mind wander off.

His presence and smile never fails to light up the room. His gait- what a powerful and equanimous one!

Always so unflappable in any situation, and often rather blasé to people trying to show off materialistic possessions pretentiously. He always tries to please others by working hard, and oh! It makes me really admire him.

When Papa prodded me for what I desire, I was not inclined to respond. But when he avowed that he could make anything happen for me, I told him, "Maren."

Initially, he had hesitated. Thus I started to guilt-trip him- and guessed what? Maren and I had more time to interact. When all of this starts to settle, all will be well.

Places that mean a lot to both me and I...she gazed pensively at what she had jotted down on her notepad.

A forest perhaps? I used to collect crepe ginger and lemongrass there. Moreover, when I was younger, I had roamed and wandered that forest with Ren, and we were happy as a lark. Sometimes, Qas and Jonek were there often so as to weed their plants and fertilise them there.

She jotted it down quickly before she forgot about it.

I'm making progress now. But where and what were the other places dear to me?

The answer soon came as soon as she pondered it. The Grittie Market.

When Renald was still with us, Mama had frequented there and spent some scabs on me, and would regularly buy ribbons and silly dresses to satisfy my vanity.

But what could be the last place? It would never be her home, as that was where her father's urn had been delivered too, only to be destroyed when the Amorals came in and kidnapped Renald. It was also the site where her Mama had fallen sickly after her father's death.

Furthermore, that was her second home. They were forced to move to a poorer area as according to her Mama, when she was two, the fighting had escalated and their safety was compromised if they continued to stay there.

That had been the main motive for moving, and ever since disaster had only befell on the Berrera family, which was why it was never a homely or joyous place for Alara. And she knew that that home had been dismantled when randomly placed explosives struck it.

While she wrecked her brains to think of other possible locations, she received a phone call from Gabriel.

"I've found out where the third bomb is. It is at your current home."