"Later this week I'll be at the General's matchmaking event."

Rory's head began to spin when she heard Decha.

"I'll be pretty busy, so if you need anything, be sure to ask Jessica. Even while I'm away, the same rules apply. Eat your meals, get rest, and drink the tea that my mother gives you. It's going to snow, so don't go outside, unless you have a jacket. You need to continue your medical examinations while I'm away—"

"I thought you said you weren't interested in the program." Rory interrupted him. She stopped listening to him after he mentioned the event.

"I'm not." Decha pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes.

"So... why?" Rory felt heartbroken. Honestly, after he saved her the other night, she felt closer to him. She hadn't felt this way about a guy since she was a kid, and now it felt like he was being taken away from her.

She felt ashamed of herself. She reasoned that she could keep her crush to herself. As long as it didn't hurt Decha, she should be okay. It was just a small crush. She wasn't going to ever act on it.

She'd never. If her father was still out there, he'd be livid to find out that she was thinking of a General in that way.

There was no problem to marry an Astellian because she was aware of the laws that allowed Bracketers and Astellians to do so. But romancing a General was almost like a death sentence.

"Is it a problem for me to work now?" Decha leered at her. Rory felt relieved. He was only going to work.

"No. Not at all."

"Great. Then don't ask about it."

"Are you still going to test the gloves I gave you?"

"I think I can manage them on my own for now. If there's an issue, I'll be sure to let you know." Decha dismissed her. Before he could walk away, Rory asked him another question.

"Can't I at least see if they fit you?"

"They fit."

"I want to make sure."

Decha pulled the gloves out of his pockets and put them on. Then he waved it in front of her face with an annoyed expression. Rory giggled at him and grabbed onto his hands.

"You're wearing them wrong." She grabbed the hem of the glove and turned it around. "The padding is supposed to go where your palms are, and the screen goes on the back of your hand. Remember, it enhances your grip."

Rory fiddled with the fabric a few more times before putting her hand in his. She rolled his fingers around the side of her hand, forming a handshake. "See? Grasp onto mine."

Decha did as he was told.

"If you adjust the settings here, you'll be able to stick to solid walls depending on what material it is. They're magnetic, and I constructed them with materials to grab onto brick too. Brick always cuts the skin but with this, it won't be able to." Rory smiled at him. "I'm going to pull my hand away, try and stop me."

"Are you sure?" Decha smirked at her. Even without using the glove's special perks, he had a very heavy grip.

"Yeah." Rory tried to tug her hand away, but Decha barely budged. She pulled again, and this time Decha relaxed his grip slightly because he didn't want to hurt her. But he still held on and watched as she struggled.

"Wow, these gloves really work!" Rory groaned.

"Don't strain yourself," Decha voiced, amused. He released her, and Rory tumbled away, and Decha quickly latched onto her back before steadying her back on her feet. He yanked her close and looked down to make sure she was standing straight. "Your invention works, no need to prove it."

Decha looked up at her, and Rory's face went completely red. Even with her dark skin, Decha could see her face change another color. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Absolutely!" Rory felt her thoughts going insane because of how close she was to him. She didn't know how to stop herself from thinking so much.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Decha grimaced.

Rory's mind went blank. Finally, all those thoughts went away. "Uh... I'm just so surprised! Because you're warm! Y-you must not get cold easily, right? Maybe that's a General thing—"

"Has anyone ever told you that you ramble in ridiculous amounts?" Decha pulled away from her, and his sentence made her flustered.

"S-sorry!" Rory apologized profusely. "It's a bad habit!"

"It's funny." Decha straightened his shoulders and fixed the hem of the gloves.

"You think so? My father used to think of it as annoying."

"He's not wrong." Decha shrugged, and Rory narrowed her eyes at Decha for agreeing. "But getting used to it, it's amusing."

"I don't know what to say to that. Thank you?"

"I'll be on my way. Remember what I said."

"Uh..."

"About getting rest and eating regularly."

"Oh."

Decha nodded and walked away. It wasn't until Decha left the room and went down the hall that Jessica came inside and eyed Rory with a questioning gaze.

From then on, Jessica tried everything to stop Decha from attending. She tried scheduling other appointments at the same time, locking him in certain rooms, and even nagging him about things he should be doing.

She knew it was immature, but she really did feel that Decha was going to find a woman.

Decha on the other hand was getting irritated by his mother's persistence. At a certain point, he wondered if there was a reason why she was angry with him. But he wasn't able to tell.

Her attempts all failed. Decha successfully ignored her and avoided her the best he could for 2 days.

"Antoine has a high probability of showing up to the event. If anyone sees him, stop him and direct him to the lobby on the left of the venue. There's a separate building full of Generals waiting to arrest and take him into custody." Decha commanded the few generals lined up outside of his home.

The day before, he had already advised the council on how to handle the arrival of the unwanted guest. They planned on going in 4 groups. 2 of them were stationed at the venue already. One group was at the Agency prepping to leave, and the last group was at his home ready to go to midtown.

"Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." All the generals saluted.

"Look at my boy." Jessica opened the front door and smiled at all of the men out front. "You're so handsome when focused on work."

"Mom," Decha grumbled as she approached him.

Jessica had a small bag in her hand full of snacks. "Don't eat anything while you're there. Some women will lace the food with a drug to lure high achieved generals to their rooms. I know. Because I did the same to your father."

"I'm not going there to eat."

"I know, I know," Jessica pulled him closer and pointed at his cap. "Take off your hat for a moment."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Decha groaned and pulled his hat off. Immediately, Jessica roughened his hair. "What's wrong with you!?" Decha jerked away from her and brushed his hair neatly back.

"I'm just making sure you don't have dandruff, sweetie. I want you to look... your best." Jessica smiled, but Decha could tell it was fake. She was hinting at something, but he couldn't tell what.

"I'm leaving, okay?" Decha stepped away from her and commanded all the men to get on the shuttle. Decha glanced at his mother one last time. She still had a fake smile on her face.

Decha let out a huff before closing the shuttle doors behind him. In the bag filled with snacks, was a note. He skimmed over it. There was something about Rory written on it, but he tossed the bag aside and decided to read the rest later.

When the group arrived, the first thing Decha did was scout the area. Jax was also assigned to help him. Jax saluted Decha as he walked up to the entrance.

"Updates?"

"For your plan? None. We have about 30 men placed on guard in the other lobby and 50 more are set around the perimeter. All the Generals participating are armed. That guy won't be able to get through easily."

"You'd be surprised. He may walk in disguised. Don't check identification, only those with chips in their wrist will be able to come inside. Make sure they scan everyone's chip and it'll link to profiles registered in the system."

"Got it."

"You and I will go inside. We'll observe quietly. Look out for any suspicious behavior." Decha gestured, and Jax followed him up the stairs and into the building.

The venue was large. The main room had tables with appetizers and expensive dishes. Long red Curtains covered the windows, and the large chandeliers brightened up the floor. People were standing in different spots all around, chattering up a storm.

The women who were participating wore extravagant gowns. Some with long sleeves to cover their arms and others to reveal their cleavage. The men were either dressed in traditional Astellian robes or their uniforms.

Decha and Jax were also wearing their uniforms, so it made them blend in with the crowd.

The women would examine the generals around them cautiously, searching for the ones that had many star pins on their cap or their shirts.

Unfortunately, women began to stare hungrily at Decha the moment he walked down the stairs. Decha was completely oblivious to it and gestured for Jax to go to the other side of the room.

The women were nervous to approach Decha. They continued to watch from afar. On the way down, Decha bumped into someone. He caught onto the railing to balance himself.

"Sorry—"

"I apologize." A man, none other than Stephen Windsor, and professor at Grandell University stood before him. He recognized the dark brown hair and gray eyes immediately. "Oh. You're a General. I appreciate your work."

"Thank you."

"You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"I don't think so." Decha lied. "Enjoy the event."

Why was a professor attending a program for Generals to meet their pairs? The question piqued Decha's interest. He walked away from Windsor, but still kept an eye on him.

"Are you... N96?" A woman with long ginger hair and green eyes stopped him before he could walk further. She wore a red strapless gown that hugged her small waist.

"Yes?" Decha narrowed his eyes.

"Abigail, N926." She extended her hand for him to take. Decha shook it, but his reaction was slow and awkward. "My father told me you were going to be here. I must say, it's an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about your accomplishments."

"Your father is...?"

"Chauncey Alan. One of the council members."

"Oh. Interesting." Decha nodded. "I hope you enjoy the event."

"Of course. I look forward to seeing your role up there." Abigail nodded to the stage with a smile. Decha eyed the platform in disgust.

"Actually I—"

"Are you nervous?"

"Huh?"

"If you're nervous, don't be. Do you see all those girls over there?" Abigail gestured to the women who were glancing at Decha like he was fresh meat, but too afraid to step up to him. Only Abigail was one with enough courage to speak with him. "They're all going to place their bids on you."

"You're mistaken," Decha cleared his throat. "I'm not participating. I'm on duty."

"Even so, that won't stop them." Abigail grabbed two glasses of wine off a servers tray as they walked by. She handed one to Decha, but he refused it.

"I'm not allowed to drink while I work."

"You take your work seriously, and I admire that about you." Abigail took a long sip, running her eyes up and down his body. "You're quite handsome, you know."

"Uh, thanks." Decha needed to get to a secluded area to observe everyone. Abigail was distracting him.

"You're very welcome. So tell me, if you were participating, what kind of woman would you be interested in? What do you look for?"

"As of now, nothing."

"You're not picky." Abigail grinned. "I bet you're quick to make up your mind on serious issues."

"Extremely. That's a requirement. Quick thinking is necessary for survival."

"Oh, I like the way you talk. I agree. Quick thinking and reflexes are very useful in a battle. I've heard you've faced bizarre fights on the Outside. What's one of the craziest battles you've fought in?"

"As grateful as I am to have you ask me these kinds of questions, I really do have to leave N926. We can continue this conversation another time."

"Wait! How about we connect? What's your number?" Abigail grabbed him by the arm, but she paused when she felt his muscle tense from her touch. She examined it with a small smile, impressed by his physical attributes.

"You can request it from the Agency." Decha pulled his arm away and left her to stand alone in the middle of the room. The other women grinned in satisfaction and sent competitive looks to each other.

Decha walked around the entire set of tables and the crowd to get to Jax. Jax was flirting with a woman who approached him. The two were having a deep conversation, and Jax hadn't noticed Decha approach him. The woman slipped a small metallic card into Jax's uniform pocket and batted her eyes at him before walking away.

"I told you to keep an eye out," Decha grumbled. "Keep focused, we're not here for the event."

"Lighten up, N96. You can't tell me you don't see the beautiful ladies around us." Jax tapped Decha's shoulder gently. "They're circling us like vultures. Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"They're interested in us. These star pins are working their magic. Women like strong men. The more achievements we have, the stronger we seem to them. So why not enjoy the attention?"

Decha twisted his lips and tensed up upon hearing Jax's words. He didn't like attention. He didn't have to. He was more intelligent than everyone here combined. Attention came to him when he didn't want it.

He noticed all the stares but assumed it was because they feared him. "Women like strong men, huh?"

"Of course."

"I don't see how that is a key to a good relationship."

"Eh, well you know. You're looking at it from a direct perspective. The ladies dig it when a man protects them. We hold all of Sector A on our shoulders."

"Do women like it when a guy protects them?" Briefly, he thought of Rory. She didn't express appreciation for his persistence to keep her out of danger. She always whined about it. "If that's what these women are looking for then their plans are flawed. As Generals, we should all be able to protect ourselves. There are more important things to worry about than a man's strength."

"This is coming from a guy who's never looked at a woman with a heart."

"That's not true." Decha rebuked, thinking of Chai. The two weren't exactly courting, but there was something between them that the entire camp knew about. He loved Chai but wasn't always great at expressing it. Chai understood that about him.

After losing her, he decided to focus primarily on making up for his failures. Working to protect the people he cared about more than ever. Because of his determination, he came across as insensitive, but he wasn't. He was just very focused on solving rather than whining.

"Whatever." Jax yawned. "The event is about to start." He pointed at the stage.

Lieutenant Jarvis Strout, the council member, walked up to the microphone and cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. "Good Evening everyone. Welcome to our monthly pairing event. There are lots of beautiful young women and handsome young men who made it tonight. And on behalf of the council, I want to give you commendation for your hard work in the Sectors."

The crowd clapped.

"We understand that your efforts are often used to the extreme. For that, we are grateful. So we hope you can enjoy tonight and let loose. All drinks are on the house, and there are some tables on the side of the room with delectables for any of you who came hungry. Our chefs worked hard on the menu, so I want to thank them as well."

The crowd cheered, and Jax nudged Decha's shoulder. "The old man sure knows how to party. Free drinks and food? I'll have to register for next month." Jax snickered.

"Before we start, I want to give a shout-out to our sponsor for this event. Give it up for Dr. Stephen Windsor, a great engineering Professor at Grandell University and an amazing man." Strout stepped aside, allowing Stephen to take the microphone.

"Thank you for your kind words, Lieutenant Strout. I can't take all the credit. You all are the reason for my success. If it hadn't been for Astell's great eye for technology, I wouldn't be here. I do my best to serve our communities, and I'm grateful for the privilege you've given me to be in charge of improving Astell for the better of our people."

Those words didn't sit right with Decha. Wasn't he Rory's teacher? Not once did he mention anything about the Brackets or bringing great inventions there.

If he remembered correctly, he was taking a personal interest in Rory. Decha shook his head. Maybe it was for the better. There was too much tension in both Sectors. It wasn't appropriate to bring Bracketers up at an Astellian event.

"I'm only giving back to you guys. Enjoy the food, enjoy the music. And I hope to see a few weddings in the upcoming year. Don't move too fast though."

The crowd laughed, including Jax. Decha kept a straight face the entire time.

"Anyways, thank you!" Stephen waved, and the applause roared as he left the stage and Strout took back over.

"For those of you who want to start, there are surveys on the stage. Fill them in and you will get a match on your phones. Then be sure to talk and get to know each other before making the final decision to start courting. Have fun." Strout nodded and left the stage.

Music began the moment he left. Jax had been so into the show that he didn't notice Decha walk away.

The crowd in the center began to take turns on the stage. Decha made his way through. Everything seemed to be going fine, but Decha knew better than to let his guard down. The event was boring him out of his mind though.

He realized soon enough that women weren't the only ones looking at him. The men participating were too, but out of anger and resentment. They were infuriated that he was getting so much of the women's attention.

Decha refused multiple women who asked him for his connections. He was growing more irritated by their persistence. How hard was it for them to understand he wasn't interested?

"N96," Theodore caught Decha's attention.

"What are you doing here, Chen?" Decha was surprised to see his father at the event. Why did he follow him there?

"It's... a long story," Theodore remembered the threat his wife gave him days before.

"Go back. I can handle this on my own. You need to be at the Agency in case we request backup."

"... Any women out there that catch your eye?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm here for the case."

"That makes a lot more sense now. Did you read the note your mother gave you?"

"I didn't have the time. If all goes well, I'll look at it on my way home." Decha ended his conversation with Theodore there and continued to observe the event in silence. An hour had passed before Decha decided to take a quick whiff of fresh air.

He walked out of the building, letting the cool air graze his skin. It was snowing outside, but it was light. He was a bit uncomfortable because his uniform didn't fit the weather but he knew he would manage well.

Decha stretched his arms, earning giggles from a few passerby women. But his stretching and yawning ceased when he noticed a strange figure across the street waving his hand at him.