She sure has inherited her mother's trait of being obstinate as a mull. I can't believe it- she's still stewing over the fact that I am helping the Agency. That I've been secretly part of it for many a year. But why?

"I don't get it- why are you so mad? This is a good thing, Alara. Trust me, it doesn't matter if I am the one who is providing the lead. Nothing will go wrong. What are you afraid of? Me dying? My dear girl, I won't die. Trust me. My sources are extremely reliable too. Alara, listen- it's not a huge deal. In fact, it proves my capability."

"Jonek, listen to me, please." Her weary voice caught his attention and silenced him. Wiping away her tears, she continued, "I know very well that you have to travel for this kind of information. That means that every time you go out, you're risking your life for us!"

Alara started to tear her hair out in frustration and her brown eyes well full of clashing emotions. "Have you ever thought of how much this kills me, that you're here, in potential danger? That even though we're not related by blood, I consider you my kin?" yelled Alara. "My job as your goddaughter to shield you from harm! The fact that this is happening means that I have essentially failed at my duty."

She paused in her tracks, arms akimbo, and glared at him. "Tell me. Did our trip mean absolutely to you?"

"My sweet, sweet girl. That's my job, sweet girl- to protect you, keep you safe. Keep you healthy even if I cannot ensure your happiness. Ever since Ren was kidnapped, I swore to protect all of you. This is what loved ones do for each other." He smiled wanly at her as he gave her the bittersweet truth. "And every moment of our trip is forever carved in my heart. You have no idea what it means to me."

And because he didn't know what he would do if she pleaded with him to quit again, he bolted for the door. The moment he was in the hallway, he exhaled a long sigh.

He usually loved her persistency, her determination, but gosh. She was a hell of a girl to deal with, and he pitied any future lovers of hers. She'll win every argument for sure.

"Did you and Alara quarrel again?" He looked up and saw the chiselled Maren that everyone spoke highly of.

"Yes... and this is what happens when you get attached emotionally in this job aspect. Promise me that if you ever choose to date Alara, you won't ever give up on her or desert her. I say this because I can sense a strong chemistry between the two of you." He scrutinised the young boy's face, but Maren remained resolute and unwavering and maintained his poker-face even when he responded to his statement.

"No, all we'll be will be friends, and that's it." Maren proclaimed, and Jonek detected an odd finality in his tone.

The day that she had been anticipating has finally arrived. After her angelic- and slightly devilish- act had pulled off, Valesque had started assembling a special, qualified team devoted to recovering and returning children to their rightful families.

Obviously, she had successfully convinced to discreetly to go against their cruel Governors, and she was eternally grateful for the head of the Agency undertake such a monumental task as he already had plenty on his plate- he was planning to infiltrate their security, firewall and database in order to find a way to wage war on them. Regardless of her feelings towards him, the fact that he did listen to her made her regain her trust for him again.

However, Valesque did warn her by stating that if they succeeded in freeing the teenagers and children, this would likely cause the high-and-mighty Governors much distress and cause them to strengthen and tighten their security even more, making even more of a challenge than it already was to take them down.

Teenagers. Alara had truly forgotten that her baby brother, Ren, would no longer be the little boy she knew. The Ren she remembered had the beginnings of smatterings of freckles, a saccharine smile and small brown eyes. He had only been a mere three years old when he was taken from them. The Governors had stolen a decade's worth of joyful memories from them.

Teenagers. Would he even still remember that she was his sister? That he had a sister? That he was Renald Berrera- not whatever name the Governors had given him?

"Renald, where are you?" Hugging her knees, Alara begged for a day where she no longer had to wonder if he was alive or dead, well or terrified; for a day where she did not have to think about him in the past tense.

"There are three headquarters of the Governors' throughout Excidium. We must never estimate the power each stronghold holds. The nearest one is 250km away which is about a lengthy ten hours' drive. Time that we do not have if we want to wrap 'Operation Ner' up."

"Operation Ner?" queried a nonplussed Tania.

"It's a palindrome, darling," Maren flashed his trademark carefree, flirty smirk at her, breaking into a genuine smile when Tania rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "'Ner' is 'Ren' spelled backwards." His lips curved upwards into a heartfelt smile when he surveyed briefly at Alara's stupefied expression.

"Ah, okay." Tania's eyes darted back and forth at the two like a ping-pong match, and suppressed a laugh when she saw Alara's flushed cheeks and how her fine eyebrows furrowed, as if she didn't know what to feel or think.

Maren cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business. We will need a different mode of transport to the nearest headquarters which is a distance away from Tania's hometown. Now, that area is the Masonry town, near the opulent part of Exicidium so we will need proper disguises. We can't dress the way we normally do here."

He caught Tania sizing him up as if she were thinking of different gory ways to butcher his innards. Though her past was as murky as swamp water, she had once revealed to him that she was from the upper-class of Excidium and that was all. However, it was enough for him to gather that she was from the Masonry town. Hopefully, it would not affect her during the mission.

One thing Maren knew for sure was that Valesque certainly knew more about Tania de Allura but even his father-figure did not divulge anything more to him. Tania is opaque as vantablack.

Yet he trusted her innately.

"Well, then. We can always use Transcendence." chimed in Gabriel, breaking the awkward silence hanging in the room ever since Maren revealed the detail of Tania's hometown. Upon taking in the expressions of awe and excitement, he announced, "Rielle and I have done it, guys. Engineered the baby to flawless perfection. It has an invisibility mode that can last up to a maximum of two decades, excellent grip, tire pressure, brakes- hell, you name it, we have it."

Gabriel paused for dramatic effect, and exuded pride as he continued, "Rielle, being the absolute queen that she is, upgraded it so much that it can literally transcend time itself. It's pure speed, man. A nanosecond in it is basically a half-hour gone! And here you were, fretting about time."

"Yeah, thank you, you cocky goof." Maren broke into a broad grin. "That's settled. And since we have to blend in- dress lavishly, and forget your weapons too."

His group of loyal friends nodded, gazing at one another in the room and they all knew what was on their mind.

A mission in the Masonry town, where the upper-class lived.

Where the majority of Governors resided, the very same people who had oppressed them and their families, took away their siblings and children. The fact that they would have to play nice and mingle with them during this mission was like salt on the wound. Maren knew that for most of them- especially Alara- that to resist using her skills of killing would be tough for her.

But he trusted that all of them, not just Alara, were capable of self-disciplining themselves. However, just in case, he could not help but add, "Stay safe. All of you."

He directed his command to Alara, who met his eye, and nodded.