Decha massaged his forehead. He already had a migraine.

Decha was supposed to meet with the Council. But before he could state a case, the six members all began to argue about handling the petition.

"How many times do I have to repeat it? We need to take action against the Brackets! The only way to get our message across is to take away traveling rights! Then we need to send the refugees back!" Cardinal exclaimed.

"The people want more than that, you fool. Execution is the only solution. We can't ignore our citizen's requests! We need to process the petition!" Chauncey rebuked.

"No, we have to handle it the way we always have. Petitions have come and gone here and there, but we've always provided a date for court. This allows the Agency to complete a thorough investigation. Who knows, the culprit may be more guilty once more evidence is found." Henry frowned.

"Execution is too good for him if you ask me!" Cardinal spat. "Death is too quick of a punishment. That murderer deserves to rot for the rest of his life!"

"Men, settle down, N96 is trying to speak." Lou Stein gestured to Decha. "He has been trying to voice his thoughts and you all have been talking over him. I'm sure he has a reasonable solution. Do allow him to speak."

Decha relaxed his shoulders and leaned against the table. "About that." He mumbled. "In regards to the petition, I don't have a solution for it."

"Well, what do you know." Cardinal scoffed and crossed his arms. "Not even one of our greatest heroes has a clue!"

"So are we just supposed to sit here and act like the petition doesn't exist?" Henry frowned.

Decha cleared his throat, and all of the members quickly piped down. "The signatures on the petition are high numbers, but it isn't official. Nothing the people say can influence the Agency's actions."

Decha crossed his arms. "It'll be impossible to ignore the petition since everyone in Downtown and Midtown knows about it. But it's easier to postpone going over the angry comments. We are still conducting an investigation."

"Why?" Cardinal spat.

"Because I want to make sure this investigation takes into consideration all other options for another possible culprit."

"Are you saying that the Bracketer the Agency arrested isn't the culprit? Don't kid yourself N96! He had all the pieces of evidence!"

"In my line of work, too much evidence against a person is very suspicious." Decha narrowed his eyes at Cardinal. He wasn't tolerant of this particular council member, as he was known for hating Bracketers.

"I'm not going to give any more details about the case until I'm sure."

"Why can't you report to us?"

"I came here to look through the pieces of evidence that the culprit submitted. Handling that petition isn't in my line of work. I can only tell you that nothing will happen without the Agency's approval."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're stalling because of your bias towards Bracketers," Chauncey commented bitterly.

"I have no bias toward them," Decha responded, vexed at the accusations. No doubt, Abigail probably shared with him about her being rejected by Decha.

Decha opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He had just received a text message. He transferred the display from his phone onto his watch, and a holographic screen appeared.

The message was from an unknown number, but Decha knew that it was Antoine. The message came with a tip for the next bombing location.

But he wanted to make sure it was accurate. He tapped his watch and the screen blipped away. Then Decha brought his focus back to the 6 men at the table. "I'll excuse myself now." Decha stood up and left the room.

The moment the doors closed, all of the Council Members began to argue again. He sighed and made his way down the hallway and into the storage compartment. Using his identity chip, he was able to get into the room.

Each shelf was labeled by date and case number. Decha walked over to the shelf with the most recent documents and flipped through the files. When he found Jamison's particular case, he grabbed a little golden key that was attached to the slip.

The key was for the lockers behind him. Decha inserted the golden key into the locker with a matching number and turned the knob.

Inside the locker were Jamison's bag, and his other belongings. He tossed the small things aside and found rusty tools inside, one of the main pieces of evidence.

Decha was searching for the letter Jamison told him about. But instead of a piece of paper, he found a tiny flash drive. A label with the ancient Astellian alphabet was taped onto it.

Decha attached the drive to his phone, and a hologram appeared in front of him. Decha was so startled by it that he placed his hand on his belt, ready to pull out his pistol to shoot at it.

"Clarke, oh, our dear Clarke." The hologram, a silhouette of a man around Decha's height, croaked. "You poor soul. We used to be close. You were such a great Conrad. What did I ever do to deserve your lack of trust?"

Decha remained silent. He studied the silhouette closely. Decha wanted to find a clue as to the hologram's true identity.

"You were never a man of many words." The silhouette chuckled. "I understand your anger. Whatever thoughts about me that you've conjured up in your head are enough to make an entire fleet of soldiers filled with rage."

The hologram leaned forward. It had no face, but Decha could tell that the model for it was smiling devilishly at him. "Rage is a very uncontrolled emotion. It requires the majority of your energy, and your thoughts. You may not be in your right mind, Clarke. But let me remind you,"

The silhouette stood back up straight and looked to Decha's left. "Defiance against Deliverance doesn't end well. You've got guts, and a lot of nerve trying to expose me. But I guess my threat wasn't clear enough."

Decha tapped various buttons on his watch and began to scan the hologram. He would be able to gather information on the model's weight, height, and voice data. Hopefully, the voice was not digitally altered, but knowing that this was someone involved with the bomb case, it most likely was.

"What a beautiful young lady." The model pointed to an image that popped up next to him.

Decha clenched his fists when he saw the picture of Rory. Decha quickly decided to snap a scan of the image before it went away. He would try to find out where the picture was taken later.

"Your daughter seems to be enjoying her time here in Sector A. It would be a shame if Grandell opens back up and she gets into an... accident."

Decha scowled in disgust.

"I want you to turn yourself in. It'll be your punishment for disobeying Deliverance. I'll be watching your every move. Don't you make any mistakes or else Miss Clarke here won't see the light of day again."

The hologram fizzed away, ending abruptly. Decha pulled the flash drive out of his phone. He was going to have to take it to Theodore for further inspection. He decided he'd also let him know about the tip from Antoine.

According to Antoine, the next target for the bomb was the Council Building. Decha had to move quickly and arrange for the building to be placed on Lockdown.

~~~

"We need to assign a group of Agents at the Council Hall." Decha barged into his father's office abruptly.

Theodore was in the middle of organizing digital documents on the display above him. He was a bit puzzled by Decha's sudden entrance. "And why exactly, do we have to send some of my Agents to the Council Hall, N96?"

"I've gotten word of a bomb threat in that area. I don't want to take any chances, so send some Agents over there and I'll arrange the positions as well as make sure everyone keeps a close eye out for any suspicious activity."

Theodore sighed and stepped away from the screen. Then he turned to look at Decha and studied him apprehensively. "A word from who?"

"It doesn't matter who. Just send the Agents." Decha could sense the change of attitude in Theodore. The two men stared at each other, both waiting for the other to blink. Theodore placed his hands on his waist.

"I can't just act on words I don't know the source of."

"Have I ever steered you wrong, Chen?" Decha narrowed his eyes, offended at the clear lack of trust Theodore was displaying.

"You haven't." Theodore spat in response. Decha wondered what the issue was. If Theodore trusted him, why was he so hesitant? "A couple of my employees have been voicing some concerns regarding you."

"Am I supposed to care about their worries? It doesn't have anything to do with this case." Decha stated.

"As the Director, it's my responsibility to listen to their views." Theodore scoffed.

"It was brought to my attention that you've been acting differently. Even the way you handled the suspect was extremely far from how you'd usually retort. And I'm worried that it may be because of Rory."

"Rory doesn't have anything to do with this. How many times do I have to tell you?" Decha groaned.

"Are you telling me that Miss Clarke didn't have any influence on your decision to handle Jamison the way you did? Everything you said to him was completely by your own will?"

"Not all of it," Decha admitted shamelessly. "Rory wanted me to give Clarke a fair interrogation, and I did. But there's nothing odd about that since it's the law."

"Bracketers are known for playing with words and manipulating others, N96."

It was true. Bracketers were more empathetic, so Astellians often fell victim to their personal obliviousness. But even if that was the case, it didn't change the fact that a bomb threat was received.

"Chen—"

"I want you to be in your right mind, N96. Don't let A Bracket woman control you." Theodore huffed, very annoyed. "I can't dictate whatever you feel. But I can remind you how to process it."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Decha seethed. Why did he keep bringing Rory up?

"I know about your temporary infatuation with Rory."

"What?" Decha scoffed. Temporary Infatuation? Decha knew his father was losing his mind.

"And you're letting her get to your mind. It's okay to have fun with a woman once in a while, N96. But remember, your duty to Astell is more important."

"My duty to Astell is also the same duty I have to the Brackets. Rory is not different from anyone else. Can we please get back to the subject?"

"Denial is the first sign of love, son," Theodore mumbled.

"If it is, it's none of your business." Decha stepped forward. He rolled his eyes and again tried to change the subject. "The source is from a Bracket man who used to work with the culprit I'm searching for."

"So now, there's another culprit?"

"There is." Decha nodded. "That is why I need you to send Agents to the Council Hall."

"And why should I believe what a Bracketer has to say?"

"When I talk with the Bracketers, I don't trust them either," Decha admitted. "I'm putting my full trust in Rory because she hasn't given me a reason not to."

"Yeah, well that's you. And I'm me."

"Put yourself in Rory's shoes for once." Decha voiced intently.

"There's no need."

"Rory is the only Bracketer who hasn't cursed you, berated you, or stereotyped you." Decha continued, not caring about Theodore's lack of acceptance. "At home, you're both able to sit together without disruption. Why won't you admit that?"

"Because I can see right through her."

"Really? Tell me, what evil scheme does Rory have on the top of her head whenever you do see her?" Decha spat sarcastically.

"Cut the bullcrap and be serious. Rory is more focused on her Engineering and Health condition than anything. I'm not defending her. It's the truth. Your pride is in the way of you acknowledging that she's not our enemy."

"Fine, I'll send the Agents." Theodore sneered reluctantly. "I'm not doing this because I trust Rory or those Bracketers. I'm only doing it to make sure the Council is Protected."

"That works too," Decha smirked. "I suggest you look deeper into Rory. You may not want to, but it's a change of mindset when you do try to understand scenarios from her perspective." Decha finished and left the office.

Theodore was annoyed that Decha's words stayed in his mind for the remainder of the workday.

~~~

"Here," Decha tossed a blaster to Jax. Jax caught it but eyed Decha apprehensively.

"What's this for?"

"Everyone in Astell keeps going on about the petition to execute Jamison. But the culprit we're dealing with is not likely to be a Bracketer."

"Really? What makes you think so?"

"Bracketers aren't well coordinated. Their education system is a complete mess. There are the rare few who are very intelligent enough to attend Grandell, but there's no way a Bracketer could roam under our noses with explosives easily."

"What about the one guy you and N95 arrested before? I looked it up in the Agency's database. That guy had a Bracket ID."

"His ID was false. He is Astellian, but a Hybrid. His case was different. He may have been directly involved with placing the explosives, but there is a mastermind behind the scenes." Decha took off his shirt and tossed it aside. It landed on a bench.

He was left with a compression black tank top they usually kept under their uniform shirts for balance.

At Decha's home, there was an extra room upstairs and down the hall from his bedroom. Theodore had the room remodeled for physical training. On occasion, Decha would use it instead of going to the Agency to train.

The Agency's training rooms were often occupied by Minks, the lower ranked Generals.

"So? Where's your gun?" Jax copied Decha's action. He set the blaster down briefly before taking off his shirt too.

"I don't need one." Decha's lip twitched into a faint smirk. "The guy we're looking for is named Deliverance. I've been told he's connected with Kilos and has an organization of people working for him called the Bracks. He's viewed as some savior by the Bracketers."

"And so... the reason you called me here today is...?"

"Deliverance threatened to go to Council Hall. But you and I need to train in case the culprit shows up himself. Keep in mind that he may be Astellian. That means somehow he knows how Generals operate. As high ranks, we have to train the Minks to be unexpected." Decha walked over to the wall and a holographic display appeared all around him.

He began to type in some information and the training room completely changed the setting.

"So basically, you want me to operate without the training we received?" Jax inquired nervously. He was a great marksman, but he wasn't used to firing without being given the okay to do so.

"I want you to operate thinking outside of the box. This is a mass murderer that we're talking about. We have to be unpredictable."

"So why... here?" Jax kicked the sand at his feet. The training room's new setting looked and felt so real.

"I'm sure you've been on the Outside before, just a few times. But I've practically lived out there for a little over a year. This is the Hanahas dessert. There are often severe sandstorms, and the dust is as thick as smoke."

"Like smoke from an explosive?"

"Precisely." Decha nodded. "I'll pretend to be Deliverance. You have to take me down."

"I have to go against you!?" Jax panicked. No one could top Decha in a spar. Decha was called a War hero for a reason. He was known for commencing executions. Sparing with him meant a chance of losing one of your star pins.

Although Jax had one less star pin than Decha, Jax was 4 years Decha's junior. He didn't want to take a risk with someone trained to kill.

"Relax, I'll go easy on you." Decha brushed his bangs back and tied them into a short high ponytail.

"That does not make it any better." Jax swallowed hard and picked up the blaster.

"Just catch me off guard, N9899."

"I don't want to hurt you." Jax frowned.

"Then I'll hurt you, and Deliverance will win. Cut it out, stop whining." Decha groaned. He wanted Jax to focus. This wasn't a real spar, it was just a way to prevent Deliverance from hurting the Council.

Decha waved his hand and the display fizzed away, starting the simulation.

A cloud of sand formed in front of Jax, blocking his vision. Decha was completely lost in the dust. "Aw come on!" Jax swore under his breath and raised the blaster. He turned the dial on the side, raising the beam's energy.

He needed to focus. Decha could be anywhere. All he needed was a sound.

Jax moved the gun back and forth slowly.

Decha was able to see Jax because he was used to the sandstorms. The simulation wasn't as intense as they usually were in the desert.

He sprinted at Jax and kicked his legs. Jax's body was knocked off the ground, and he was sent onto the sand. He coughed and pushed himself back up.

Decha hopped in the air and kicked Jax back down before disappearing back into the storm.

"I thought you said you were going easy!" Jax spluttered.

"Focus!" Decha voiced in the distance.

Jax calculated in his mind. He couldn't rely on sound to find Decha because the whirring noise made it hard for him to figure out where Decha was. Neither could he rely on just his sight.

Jax had to rely on feeling. The sand would move wherever Decha stepped.

Based on that reasoning, he was able to tell where Decha would attack from. Jax stalked forward slowly before suddenly turning around 180 and firing into the cloud. The beam hit Decha in his arm, and he tumbled back.

"I got you, dastard!" Jax smirked. Within seconds, the simulated environment quickly changed and they were suddenly in a jungle. "W-what the?"

"We're in Namfiku now. A small country far southwest of here." Decha's voice rang from behind Jax. Jax looked over his shoulder and shrieked when Decha knocked the Blaster out of Jax's hand.

"Hey! Not fair—" Jax's air was cut when Decha punched him in the torso. Some tears welled up in his eyes.

He didn't stop there. Decha threw more punches at Jax and even knocked him down. Jax hit the dirt, but he rolled out of the way before Decha could punch him again.

"I'm not good at close combat!" Jax muttered, ducking away from another one of Decha's punches. The two continued in battle. Jax held his arms up to block the blows while delivering a few hits to Decha's torso.

But Decha remained firm and solid in his stance. Decha grabbed Jax by the arm and flipped him over his shoulder. The move was so sudden that Jax lost the position of his structure.