"We're here." Decha stopped and stared at the raggedy-looking apartment building in front of him. Amir pinched his nose and coughed.

"It reeks! These Bracketers sure don't keep their environment clean. This is definitely where they belong."

Decha squinted his eyes and noticed a beam of light shining down from one of the balconies. Decha grabbed onto the ladder that was attached to the wall of the entire building and began climbing. "I'm going up."

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?" Amir grabbed Decha by the leg.

"You can check and make sure no one sees me." Decha hissed and yanked his foot away.

"Do you think that woman's father is here?"

"If he is, then I'll need you to cause a distraction." Decha pulled himself up and over the fence.

"How am I supposed to cause a distraction!?" Amir shouted softly.

"I don't know, cause a ruckus but don't be too loud. Whatever floats your boat." Decha shrugged. He turned around but a pair of ladies' underwear hanging on a low clothesline smacked him in the face. He grumbled and pushed the bra out of his way before making his way toward the window.

He thought it was odd, but it was open. There was just a curtain blocking the view. He nudged it aside with his fingers and peeked. Immediately, he was able to tell that the room belonged to Rory.

There were so many books stacked high on the desk across the room from where Decha was standing. On the walls, there were posters of engineering quotes, and drawings, probably made by her when she was a kid. There was a bed placed in between a nightstand and the desk, full-sized and covered in a purple comforter.

Decha climbed inside but was surprised to see a poster of an Astellian boy band by the closet. It was a pop band he was very familiar with. In fact, one of the members served and trained with him at camp. N9886 was the guy's name.

Decha took one step, but the sound of a voice nearing made him react quickly. He threw himself into the closet and hid behind the clothes. He could hear Rory walking into her room, but he wasn't expecting to see her wrapped in a bath towel.

She hummed as she walked over to her bed, placing the clothes she brought with her on top of the sheet. Decha looked away as Rory got dressed, his face turning redder than a tomato.

"One new message from Dad," POYO announced. "Please take your medication before going to bed. Do not stay up late studying."

"Thank you, POYO," Rory grumbled and loosened the towel around her hair. Her dark coils dropped right under her earlobe and she began fluffing it out. She picked up her phone and began texting her father back to not worry.

"A good night's rest is highly recommended by healthcare professionals for patients with your condition. Exhaustion can cause severe damage to your body."

"I know. I'll go to bed soon, POYO." Rory took the flash disk out of her phone, and the AI went away. Rory connected the disk to her laptop and then began styling her hair. An hour went by before she finally wrapped it and placed a bonnet over her head.

"Shite." Decha groaned. His legs were starting to hurt from standing in the same position for so long. He knew Amir was probably losing his mind while waiting outside.

Rory grabbed a book off her desk, opened it, and began writing something down. Suddenly, a loud crash sound was heard from outside, and Rory looked up and toward her window. She dropped everything there and ran toward her window. She climbed out of it.

Decha took this as a chance. He ran out of the closet and to her desk. He snatched the disk out of her computer and went to throw it on the ground and stomp it to shreds, but he stopped when he caught sight of whatever was written in her notebook.

There was a chart that listed a bunch of medications he'd only heard about from Astell. There was also a long passage with certain letters capitalized. "What... is this?"

Decha grabbed the notebook and read further down. It was a word-for-word copy of a medical analysis done by one of Grandell's old professors. He recognized it because studying various diseases was required for going on Outside. He memorized the source of this material.

But why was Rory studying medical analysis when she was in engineering?

Decha flipped the page, and there was more information about POYO. Programming notes and bug documentation were written there. He flipped again and then saw more information about the medical analysis from before.

The professor had a disease, Decha remembered. At the time, it was untreatable, but as Astell's technology became more advanced, there was a treatment and a high possibility for a cure. Unfortunately, the professor who wrote the textbook passed away from his sickness before he was treated.

Under the statement, Decha noticed that Rory had written some details about her condition. There were references to her project, POYO. Decha soon connected the dots and came to full realization. Rory was sick with the same disease the Grandell professor had.

Decha looked at the old drawings plastered on her wall. They were pictures of a hospital. He could make out the way certain nurses and staff were drawn. He understood that she may have been this way for a long time. There were so many obvious hints, he couldn't believe he missed them.

POYO was somewhat her emotional support. The AI was made to help her with her condition. She was creating it to not only help herself but to help others who were suffering from the same thing. It wasn't just about scanning the bodies of Astellians to get their information. She wanted to contribute what the former professor couldn't.

Decha dropped the notebook back on the desk and looked back at the flash disk in his hands. He wouldn't feel right if he destroyed it.

Rory's situation reminded him of Avon. That's probably by Risor told him to stop looking into Rory. Decha placed the disk back into her computer, deciding to let POYO stay. He turned on his heel, ready to leave, but a plastic bottle smacked against his head.

Rory stood in front of him, in a battle stance and fear in her eyes. Fortunately, Decha's mouth and nose were covered. All she would be able to see were his emotionless eyes.

"What... what are you doing in my room!?"

Decha swore, and went for her. Rory screamed but it was cut short when Decha placed his hands over her mouth, turned her around, and held her in place. "Shush!"

Rory's voice was muffled as she tried squirming out of his hold. "I can't... breathe!" Rory gasped when she tried pulling his arm away. "P-please! Let... me breathe!"

Before Decha could respond, he heard the sound of the front door opening downstairs. It was her father. Decha swore again and quickly turned off Rory's light. It couldn't get any worse, could it?

The sound of stomping made Decha's skin crawl. He needed to hide and quickly. Decha shoved Rory onto the bed and pulled her comforter over the both of them.

He threw himself on top of her and covered her lips with his hand. Decha heard the door to her room open, and then her father speaking.

"Rory, are you awake—Oh." Her father stopped when he saw the bed. The lump was more than enough to tell him that his daughter was sleeping.

Rory on the other hand was stunned. The stranger on top of her was so close. While they were looking into each other's eyes, her heart was racing.

Jamison smiled and closed the door gently.

When Decha heard the footsteps go back downstairs, he sighed and looked at Rory with a warning. Her breathing was softer than before, and Decha wondered why she looked so calm compared to before. "If you scream, I'll—"

Rory shook her head frantically, letting him know she'd keep quiet. Decha pushed the comforter off the two of them and got off of her. Rory huffed and rolled off the bed.

"Don't tell anyone what you saw." Decha spat viciously.

"I won't." Rory nodded. "Asher! Wait! My father is still downstairs, if you leave now, he'll probably see you."

Decha's eyes widened. Did she recognize him? Even with his mask? "H-how did you—?"

"Your eyes." Rory pointed to her own eyes. "They're like obsidian, they glow when light hits them. I knew I recognized them from somewhere. I thought so when you saved me the other night."

Decha stood back in amazement. She recognized him from the other night too! His eyes were black, but people didn't recognize him that easily. Not unless he was in his uniform or looked at people a certain way. His pupils may have been dark in color, but unless someone saw the rest of him, they would've never known.

"I... I..."

"Did you come to check on me because I was gone from school?" Rory smiled at him.

"No." Decha coughed. He didn't want to admit the reason he came was to destroy POYO.

"You're not the type to admit it. But thank you anyway." Rory chuckled. "I'm fine. I'll return tomorrow."

"That's not the reason I came! Don't get any ideas." Decha snapped.

"Okay, okay. I won't embarrass you any further." Rory pushed him toward the window and placed her fingers on her lips. "When you climb down, be careful. There are some trash cans nearby. If you accidentally step on them, it'll wake everyone up."

"You— why are you— get your hands off." Decha slapped her hands away.

"I'm trying to help you escape before my Dad realizes there's a guy in my room. He has sharp ears you know."

Decha groaned and climbed out the window. Before he could turn and look back at Rory, she waved at him happily and closed the curtains. Decha threw himself back down and rolled on the concrete next to the trash cans, carefully avoiding them.

Amir was nowhere to be found. He was thinking of beating Amir to a pulp for leaving him in that situation. He had been caught. His identity wasn't revealed completely, but Rory knew he was a General. She recognized him.

That was going to cause a lot of trouble.

Decha wandered around a few blocks before finally locating Amir, at a food stand. They were serving flaky bread with a yellow dip. Amir was standing nearby, digging into it, as if he wasn't disgusted by anything related to the Brackets.

"You piece of—HEY!" Decha stomped his foot angrily, catching the attention of Amir and the stall owner. Decha felt his eye twitch and he brushed back his hair. "Don't move, I'm going to kill you."

"Decha!" Amir choked on his bread and straightened himself.

"Shut up!" Decha growled. "Why are you here? I told you to keep a look out! You're sitting down enjoying a meal while I was working my behind off!"

"Calm down! I waited for over an hour! You didn't come out. I was on my way back—"

"I'm going to kill you." Decha slipped off his shoe and walked over to Amir, "Stay there!"

"Decha no!" Amir took off running in the opposite direction. Decha bolted after him, screaming a whole list of curses.

~~~

It was late by the time Decha and Amir arrived back at the Agency. Amir was exhausted from running the entire way back, trying his best to avoid Decha's fury. Decha was tired, but he knew he couldn't sleep just yet.

There was still some work he needed to finish before going to Grandell a few hours later. Decha snuck into the director's office and started messing around with the holographic screen. On the keyboard, he began typing the ID number of Lindsey Hillan, the prisoner they caught a few weeks before.

Decha also read through the messages Risor gave him. No matter how hard he tried to connect the dots, nothing was clicking. The bomb threats weren't distinct enough. It was obvious that Lindsey was working with a more organized group, but Decha had no idea how to prove it.

The letters Grandell received were too ominous. Lindsey was proud of his actions. This group he worked with was well hidden.

"Decha?" The light was on and Director Chen walked in without Decha noticing. It alarmed Theodore more than it did Decha. "You seem distracted."

Decha sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was the lack of sleep getting to him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find a source from these letters." Decha leaned back into the chair and sighed. "My lead is no longer reliable. Dean Risor wants me to stop looking into her. So I've been trying to investigate a bit more on Lindsey's side. But these threats are getting me nowhere."

"You're a smart man." Chen tapped Decha on his shoulder. "You'll figure it out."

"Lindsey said that the bomb cases happening all around Astell are going to get worse. There was a pattern before. First, it was the richer parts of town, now it's orphanages? It doesn't make any sense. Who exactly is their real target?"

"Rather than finding out who the target is, start from the beginning," Chen advised. "Look into the technology they're using. By finding the equipment used to build the bombs, we can find out who's supplying them, and where they're being distributed."

"You're right." Decha huffed.

"I assigned you to Grandell, Decha, but your job is to protect all of Astell. Suspicious behavior at Grandell doesn't only mean looking into the students. The staff and the teachers could all be culprits."

"I need to understand how Lindsey lived before we caught him. Do you still have the bag we confiscated?"

"Downstairs in Storage." Chen crossed his arms. "I'll give you access. By later in the day, you should be able to go in and find it."

Later in the morning, Decha disguised himself in the Grandell uniform and went to school. Amir wasn't too far behind.

"Are you sure she recognized you? You could be wrong. Maybe she thought something else." Amir felt uneasy approaching Grandell. It wasn't only because he despised the University since he struggled to graduate, it was more so the fact that he was forced to accompany Decha after learning about Rory.

"She recognized me at the patrol center when I saved her."

"So she knows you're a general?"

"I'm not... sure. Whatever she thinks isn't important. We have to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't snitch."

"Did you tell Director Chen?"

"I didn't."

"Then how are we supposed to handle this? If a General's identity has been compromised on an undercover mission, it's a law that we have to eliminate the target at all costs."

"Amir, Chen told me not to inflict harm on anyone. We're not going to kill Rory."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Rory isn't a target. However, there's nothing much I can do. If she decides to tell, then we will act and scare her. A few threats here and there will keep her quiet." Decha stopped at the gates and turned to face Amir.

"At least her AI pal is no more." Amir sighed in relief. "It's a shame that your identity had to be compromised."

Decha went stiff and he balled his fists. Amir noticed how quiet Decha went. Of course, Decha was USUALLY quiet, but there was a huge difference in the way his expression just changed. "Decha, you DID destroy her toy, right?"

"Not... exactly."

"You didn't destroy her AI!?" Amir placed his hand on Decha's forehead. "Are you okay? Are you suffering from Fever, or are you just losing your mind?" Amir growled.

"I changed my mind. I haven't lost it. I found some value in her project, so I decided not to get rid of it."

"Value!? Do you hear yourself? Nothing a Bracketer makes is worth any value! She can use that AI against Astellians! You're going to let her?!"

"Amir, you're an accountability partner on this mission. You should know that leads and sources change when you're investigating. You've done enough missions. Rory was a lead, but she's not anymore."

"Decha, she still has her AI AND she knows who you are! Do you understand how dangerous this is!?"

"I don't have to answer you!" Decha raised his voice, loud and clear in the tone he'd use for missions outside of the walls. The dark tone put Amir back in his place, and he quickly realized who was in front of him.

Decha knew very well the caution he needed to take when proceeding on this case. But he also knew Rory's situation. The AI was a tool to help keep Rory going. To keep her alive. And not only that, she was using it to help other people, not just Bracketers, but she was continuing the research that the former Astellian professor couldn't. She wanted to help support everyone from both the Brackets and Astell.

Decha made a firm decision not to take that away from her. It wouldn't be right to. And he wasn't going to allow a general with a lower rank than him to berate him about it. "Let's get back to why you're here. I need you to place these hidden cameras and listening devices in all of the classrooms, offices, and dining hall."

Amir took the small square devices out of Decha's hands and glanced at them closely. "These are for?"

"I'm going to monitor every conversation closely from now on. Later today, when we get back to the Agency, we'll look through the bomb bag that the hybrid had when he bombed the building across the street. But I also want to make sure that we're not overlooking any of the people who work here. We don't know if there are other hybrids at this school working under the same organization as Lindsey."

"Got it." Amir nodded and walked toward the main office doors. "Decha, don't do anything stupid. Use that intelligent brain of yours to the best of your ability."

"Don't worry about me. Focus on your job." Decha snickered, and the two generals walked in the opposite direction of each other. Decha placed his hands in his pockets and strolled causally toward the statue of Grandells founder. In her usual spot, Rory was standing in front of it, looking for him.

When she spotted Decha, she smiled at him. The lack of resentment or hostility in her eyes almost made his heart flutter. What the heck was she thinking? There was never a Bracketer he's encountered that smiled the way she did at him. Avon didn't count, as he was still a child and was now being raised by Astellian standards.

"I told you I'd come back today! Did I miss anything?" Rory teased him.

"I have a headache, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut for the rest of the morning." Decha snapped at her. Rory didn't take his words to heart. She only nodded and continued their usual routine, following close behind him so no other student would harass her.

The two got to class and carried on like usual. Except for this time, Decha tried his best to keep his eyes open. He was unfamiliar with this feeling, but something was telling him if he fell asleep, Rory would have the chance to tell everyone his true identity. But the lack of sleep was getting to him.

Rory noticed him nodding off several times. She wondered why he was forcing himself to stay awake. After 30 minutes, she was starting to get annoyed with his grunts and groans. "Are you okay?" She whispered to him, but Decha began massaging his head. Instead of answering, he leaned back and took a deep breath.

"Does my class bother you, student?" Professor Mass cleared his throat and placed his hands on his waist. Some of the students turned their heads to look at Decha.

"A little, yeah," Decha replied with a smirk.

"Oh. Well in that case. Keep your heavy breathing to yourself. We don't need any disruptions." Mass spat and turned to look at the screen, continuing his lecture.

Decha shook his head and blinked several times. It was unbearable for him. Eventually, slumber took over, and Decha fell asleep.