The ECHO agent knew the answer to the question asked almost immediately. Though a part of him warned against it, another was desperate to know more. That part wanted to quell the raging questions he'd been plagued with ever since he'd gotten to live life as an average teenage boy.

"That door," Lucas spoke. He calmly met Raven's gaze. "It was opened long ago."

The woman took a moment before nodding. A nervous chuckle escaped her. "Of course." She ran a hand through her hair. "Trust me when I say, the moment you started down this rabbit trail, Null already knew."

"Sounds like someone with connections everywhere." Lucas cocked his head to the side. "And yet, none know what Null looks like?"

Raven shook her head. "Asking questions will get you killed." She motioned to the door. "Good luck on your journey. I can't say it was pleasant meeting you. But at least I'll remember you before Null ends you." She shook her head, regret flashing through her eyes. "A pity. You're still so young."

Lucas didn't budge. "So, I make Null come to me?" he pressed. "How do I do that?"

Raven dropped her arm. "Null's probably got eyes on you already."

"I need to be certain." Lucas wasn't going anywhere until he heard what he wanted.

An exasperated sigh escaped the woman. "I don't know. Find a way to make Null want to come." She shrugged.

"What does Null want?"

There was no reply as Raven seemed to consider this. "There's another possibility."

The ECHO agent raised his eyebrows.

Raven looked right at him. "Find a way to tick Null off." She paused. "Extremely so. Either way, you're a dead man walking."

"Tick Null off?" Lucas considered this. Both ways require some research. He squashed the flicker of annoyance at realizing this would take more time. However, he had to admit, the latter did sound somewhat...interesting.

"Now then, could you please get out?" Raven waved at the door once more, eyes nervously darting to it. "I really don't want any more unwanted..." she searched for the word, "guests turning up."

Lucas raised both his hands in defense. "Alright." He shot the woman a devilish grin. "You did use please." He spun and went for the door. However, the teen paused a moment before. "What I am curious about." He turned. "Is, if Null is so elusive, how do you know so much in the first place?"

Raven didn't blink. "You found out with a method. I did with mine. Either way. We probably both should have never touched the topic." She leaned against the table. "Let me give you one more warning. Where Null goes, death follows."

"I get it." Lucas waved her off. "Null is skilled and so on." The tips of his lips tugged. "I'm always up for a challenge."

Something in Raven's eyes changed. The hostility from before seemed to drop a notch. Lucas read her body language as she hesitated. He waited, knowing she was deciding on something. Finally, she straightened.

"You think you know what they are?" she asked, her voice almost dropping to a whisper, as though scared someone was listening.

"They?" Lucas tried to picture who she was referring to.

"The ones who own you."

Ah, ECHO.

Raven shook her head. "You may have seen some of the horrors, been responsible for a fraction of it, but you have no idea what lies beyond." She drew her arms around her, a visible shiver passing through her. "But if it's someone on the inside...maybe..." She paused. "Think it through carefully. Because, if you pursue this, it could be the end of anything and everyone you've ever been in contact with." Her eyes flashed. "The truth – it might be what breaks you."

How did we get form Null to ECHO? Lucas' mind worked to put the pieces together. The teen shook his head. "Break me or not, I need to know."

"Then, when you find out," Raven told him, eyes boring into him, "you have no valid reason to regret it."

The ECHO agent shrugged. "I'm prepared."

Raven paused. "A0. If you find him, you'll find your answer."

A0? Lucas froze. That's ECHOs first operative...they said A0 died thirteen years ago. Around the same time ECHO took me in. Realization hit him. "A0's still alive?" he asked.

"Did he ever die?"

The pieces of the puzzle clicked together. "Is...is Null...are Null and A0...are they the same person?" The very thought was groundbreaking. It put the whole situation into another perspective. It made his suspicion that ECHO had a lot to do with everything a whole lot more likely.

Raven didn't answer the question.

She knows more, Lucas realized. Yet, she had already told him a good bit. He felt that pushing her further wasn't what he should do, least he outstayed his welcome.

"Thank you," the young agent extended his gratitude. He smiled – warmly. "I'll come back for a drink, legally next time." He nodded to Raven. "Join me for a glass then?"

Raven's eyes softened. A chuckle escaped her lips. "I'll keep a bottle waiting."

With a nod, Lucas turned. He didn't pause as he left. Hat pulled low, the boy exited the bar as quietly as he'd come. Though his mind raced with the additional information, he stayed aware of his surroundings.

Not a moment was lost in making it back to the hotel.

A0 and Null the same? It wasn't confirmed, but from what Raven said, it seemed highly likely. Maybe I should spend more time looking internally instead of chasing leads outside? He turned a corner. But...if ECHO catches on... he scowled. Just how are they linked with this?

The thoughts were momentarily placed to the side as Lucas concentrated on getting back to his room. He took the same approach as before, climbing the stairs of the building next to his. Once several floors above his room, he easily picked the lock to an apartment.

From here, he ran and jumped, once more launching himself through the air. The boy was back in his room in no time. A quick glance at a clock on the wall showed him that he had an additional half an hour.

Dropping on his bed, Lucas rolled onto his back. He stared at the ceiling for a moment.

Null, A0, ECHO...the past. The thoughts made their rounds in his mind. Just what is it that I don't know?

Draping an arm over his eyes, he let himself take a quick nap, trusting his internal alarm to wake him.

The nightmares hit in record time.

Lifeless eyes, bloodied faces of countless that had their life extinguished at his hands. He could hear their cries for revenge, feel their cold hands grip him as they tried to drag him down. Lucas clawed for something, anyone that could help.

A light appeared and two familiar faces smiled down at him.

Let's go, son, the warm voice washed over him as a strong hand reached out.

Lucas reached for it, hope rising at the rescue. However, his fingers brushed right through, unable to get a grip.

The hands dragging him to the cold abyss were winning. Seeming to realize he wasn't coming, the two figures simply turned and began to walk toward the light.

"Wait!" Lucas called as he struggled.

They paid no heed.

The hands continued to claw at him, clutching at every part, reaching his neck.

The figures grew further and further and the hands reached Lucas' head, grasping at his mouth and eyes. Vison half obstructed, and finding it hard the breath, Lucas was just able to make out the new presence.

A toddler crouched beside him. Lucha! He giggled in a baby voice. Play!

And then the hands won, obscuring his vison, blocking his ears, and covering his nose and mouth. He couldn't breathe. Panic set in as Lucas struggled, and yet he wasn't about to get free.

The agent's eyes shot open.

The ceiling of his hotel room greeted him. Slowly, he sat up, running a hand down his face and feeling exhausted from the relentless dreams that refused to let him rest.

Lucas stared at the wall across from him. He knew enough to figure out the couple in his dreams were his parents. They were dead. It was one of the reasons he was in ECHO. They only worked with orphans.

Bits and pieces of his returning memory confirmed everything he knew from the organization. His parents had been shot in a robbery gone wrong. However, his brother was still alive. He was sure.

Let me look into it, M18's voice echoed in Lucas' mind. You concentrate on following our main lead.

A glance at the clock made the boy get to his feet. He made sure to have his passport and wallet. Leaving the hat and everything else, he went for the door. ECHO would take care of new clothes at his next location.

A brother, Lucas was still dwelling on the thought as he walked to the elevator. If I find him...do you want to meet him? M18's voice asked.

Lucas wasn't sure what he wanted regarding the situation. Just randomly turning up in his brother's life as a stranger, one who'd taken countless lives at that.

The teen pressed the button for the lift.

I'd be nothing more than a stranger to him. He watched the lights signaling what floor the elevator was on. And if ECHO found out...how would they react?

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

The boy stepped in, only shooting a brief glance at the frazzled looking young couple. The man had a suspicious lipstick mark on the collar of his shirt, not to mention his messy hair.

With a deep breath, Lucas pushed the raging thoughts from his mind. He turned to face the closing doors, thoughts on more pressing matter at hand. A new mission? He debated the possibilities.

A taxi was followed by a nine-hour flight across the ocean. Lucas didn't sleep a wink. Instead, he watched one movie after the other, trying to distract his mind. The screens on the plane didn't make for the best viewing, nor the headset for good sound. To top it all off, as he was flying economy, Lucas somehow ended up in a row with a snoring larger man and a woman who kept needing to get up every half an hour. She apologized profusely, to which Lucas only returned a patient smile as he undid his seatbelt, got up, and waited for her return.

Though he was far from rested upon arrival, the boy brushed it off. The moment he stepped from the plane, a flight attendant handed him a backpack.

"Thank you for flying with us, sir," she gushed.

Lucas smiled, taking the bag that had some logo of a school on it. He went straight for customs, checking through without an issue. When he exited, a woman with a sign was waiting for him.

Kris, his new name was spelled out on it.

Lucas approached, returning the smile and large hug his welcome party of one gave. Both made a great show of greeting each other, looking very much like a young couple.

"I missed you," the woman gushed.

They exited, walking to the car she'd brought – a Ferrari.

"We're going for headquarters," the woman informed Lucas as she sped out of the parking lot. The tires on the sports car squealed as she whipped it around a corner. "You'll be briefed. If you need to rest, now's the time to catch a nap."

"Noted." Lucas leaned back, opening his window as he did so. He let the wind slap his face, hoping that the feeling would remind him he was dreaming if the nightmares came.

Stretching his long legs out in front, the teen let his eyelids flutter closed. His attempt worked, and for the first time in a while, he managed to sleep somewhat peacefully. The hands still appeared, as did the cries of unfairness from the dead, however, they succeeded in no more than grasping his legs.

The next thing the young operative knew, the car was pulling into a familiar tunnel. He sat up, adjusting his seat back to its original position. No sooner did the vehicle pull to a halt than he pushed the door open.

He left the backpack, not needing to put on an act any longer. Here he wasn't some high schooler. Here he was an operative of ECHO, a weapon to be dispatched on missions and used accordingly.

Upon passing through numerous doors, a waiting man motioned for him to follow. Lucas did so without a word, letting the other take the lead to show him to one of the many rooms that would be used for briefing.

When they arrived at a door, identical to all the others they had passed, the man stepped to the side. Lucas didn't bat an eyelid as he walked by. Pushing the door open, he pressed forward.

The room waiting for him was set up the same as most of the others.

Clean, no decoration, a large metal table sat in the middle. An office chair was turned so that the back faced him. It swiveled, revealing the pearly whites belonging to Stanly, the man in charge of Lucas' deployment.

The man motioned to the chair across from him. "Sit," he demanded.

Lucas did so, eyes not even flickering to where Conner stood, as always, near Stanly.

"I hear there was a slight miscommunication in the last job?' Stanly dove right into business.

"I wasn't informed that one of ours had been stationed," Lucas leaned back as he spoke.

"It wasn't part of your job to be," came the reply.

Lucas didn't flinch at the rebuke.

"You went around your partner's preferred method of completing the mission."

"I don't work well with partners." Lucas traced a finger on the desk. "The job was completed. Perhaps not quite the way she envisioned, but does that matter to the client?"

Stanly eyed him. Behind, Conner coughed.

Reaching out a hand, Stanly let his assistant hand a file to him. As soon as he had it, the man flung it across the table.

Lucas reached out and brought it to a stop as it slid before him. With a simple flick of a finger, he turned to the cover.

The interior made him freeze. Slowly, he sat up, eyes glued to the page before him. Bold letters spelled out a name he knew all too well: Ellison High.

"You've specially been requested," Stanly portrayed no emotion in his voice.

Lucas let his eyes dart to him, questions running through his mind. Requested? "Have they linked us?" he asked the most pressing.

Stanly raised his eyebrows.

"No." It was Conner that answered. "They put a request through LOW."

LOW. A sub division of ECHO. It's used to disguise the identity of the parent organization, the information lashed through Lucas' mind along with relief. If they knew about ECHO, he would be next to dead. "What gave them the idea to go to LOW?"

"They've been shopping around," Conner replied again.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "The government is shopping around for a third party?" His gaze flickered back to the folder. "Why Ellison?"

Stanly folded his hands before him. He leaned forward. "I believe they think having someone they've faced before will make them more able to...handle the situation." He motioned to Conner.

The man lifted a remote, turning on a screen to the side.

Lucas swiveled his attention that way. Several images greeted him, each of a young adult with fatal wounds. Though graphic, Lucas didn't recoil. Instead, he leaned closer, fascinated at the precision which each wound seemed to have been inflicted. Everyr body looked to have only one, with little blood. Professional.

"Someone is killing off their agents in training. Right in their school location," Conner took over.

"Inside job," Lucas spoke the words any ECHO agent would have guessed at this point. At the same time, he scanned the pictures of the victim's once more. To his relief, none looked familiar.

Stanly nodded. "Unfortunately, for them, they don't have a clue who. And the situation is getting out of their control."

Lucas couldn't avoid his lips twitching at that. "I'd say it was out of control as soon as they lost the first agent." He turned back to the two men. "So, they want me to come in a find who?"

Conner cleared his throat. "Since you've been a student there before, it would work perfectly."

Go back to Ellison? Lucas expertly hid the excitement that rose within at the thought of going back to the place that had forever changed him. He turned his attention to the folder and flipped through the information. There were many things he all already knew from his previous time there. Upon reaching a page with his own picture, he paused.

"You'll be using the name Lucas again," Conner spoke as Lucas read the name. "It's what they know you as." He nodded to the folder. "They assume they have figured out that you belong with LOW, so for this mission you'll communicate with them directly."

Again, Lucas hid the triumph that flashed through him at getting to reclaim his name for a brief period. He turned another page, scanning the info before he looked up in question. "Am I catching the pest or protecting the targets?"

"Neither."

Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"They are assuming both," Stanly jumped in. "However, while they believe you'll be working closely with them, you're going in as bait."

Lucas caught on immediately. "Are they aware we're sending a second person?"

Stanly shook his head.

"So," Lucas mused. "I'm to become the primary target?" Bait didn't sound too bad. More time to look into Null.

Stanly nodded.

"Who's the hunter?" Lucas hid the distaste. ECHO knew he didn't like partners.

"That isn't something you need to concern yourself with," Conner jumped in.

"Yet, we're working the same mission?" Lucas challenged as he hid the twinge of annoyance.

"This is your secondary assignment," Conner revealed.

That caught Lucas by surprise.

"You're currently our most effective operative," Conner continued. "There are other jobs that will require your attention."

"Multitasking?" Lucas wasn't so sure he liked the idea.

"When we need you, we will pull you for a job," Stanly took over. "They specially requested you. We're loaning you on the condition that you're available to us anytime." He watched Lucas closely, as though trying to guage the reaction.

Lucas nodded. It was annoying but made sense. Looks like I'll be swamped at this rate. He considered this. Figuring things out about Null might be a bit trickier.

"What's the time limit?" he requested.

"The sooner the better," Conner replied. "The absolute latest, graduation."

Graduation? The thought that he might get a diploma almost made the teen smile. Instead, Lucas calmly nodded. "My cover for suddenly coming back in for the last half of senior year?"

"Family issues."

It had worked once, so perhaps it was doable. "The ruckus caused at the end of last time?" Lucas wasn't about to leave a stone unturned.

"They took care of it on their end." Conner nodded to the file. "Everything is in there. Look it over, get rid of it. We'll be in contact through LOW."

Lucas pulled the file from the table. He knew it was time to leave. He was about to turn when Stanly stopped him.

"Kris." The man called him by the new name ECHO referred to him as.

The ECHO agent looked up.

"You look tired." Stanly's eyes were boring into him. "Trouble sleeping?"

Lucas's muscles didn't move an inch to show his thoughts. Stanly had been making him take the psychological tests a lot more often lately. The man seemed to feel that something was going on, and yet, up to now, Lucas had managed to successfully pass any test thrown his way.

"A few nightmares," he admitted honestly.

Stanly nodded. "To be expected." He tapped a finger on the metal table. "After this job, I'll recommend you for a selective memory scrub."

The words swept over Lucas like a bucket of ice water. Memory scrubs weren't uncommon among the ECHO operatives, especially the younger ones. Some jobs could really get to one, or if the client wanted absolutely no trace, even the perpetrator had to have his memory adjusted. It didn't mean losing his memory, it just meant losing selective ones. As far as he knew, Lucas had never needed one before. It was not often used due to the possible side effects.

"I look forward to it," the agent replied emotionlessly. However, in the back of his mind he knew it was the last thing he needed. If everything he'd learned so far was somehow removed, if he lost his reason for living...He didn't let himself dwell on it. Raising the file in farewell, he left two men behind.

The woman who had picked him up was waiting for him. She took him back down the hallway. The two got in a car and drove to a different airport than the previous one.

Lucas was dropped off. With another new passport, he heeded right for his next flight. This one was only four hours, enough time to put on an eye mask, pop in headphones, and fall asleep to the sound of the thunderstorm he had playing.

Sightless eyes and screams of death greeted him. The boy pulled himself from darkness, waking to turn his attention to memorizing the folder instead.

At the airport, he checked through and went right for the carpool area. A smoky grey Audi stood there, its window rolled down. A familiar face popped out, arm leaning on the door.

"What's up champ?" M18 asked, black shades hiding his eyes.

Of course. Lucas walked to the passenger side. "Did they request you too?" he asked as he slid into the seat. A glance into the review mirror showed him the waiting duffle bag in the back.

"You don't sound so happy to see me," M18, aka uncle Zack, teased as he accelerated.

"Ecstatic," Lucas replied.

Zack grinned.

They went some distance before Zack broke the silence. "Any more leads?" he asked.

"Another name," Lucas replied, watching the scenery pass by. "This one, might be the final one."

M18 nodded. If ECHO found out the two were working together on something, both would suffer consequences. Something that Lucas still hadn't been able to figure out was, why exactly the other man was helping him.

He snuck a glance at the other agent as he mulled over the thought.

"Well, since we're both working for LOW now, we'll be able to exchange information more often. Maybe speed things up?" Zack whipped the car into the other lane, passing by a slower vehicle.

"We have until graduation," Lucas murmured.

"For this mission," Zack agreed.

"For both."

Zack shot a glance at the younger agent.

"Stanly wants me to go through selective memory scrub," Lucas shared.

Zack let out a whistle. He turned his full attention back to the road, flying by another car. "That's not good. It would certainly complicate things. How much does he know?"

Lucas shook his head. "I think he suspects something. But, by the lack of movement, he's not gotten further than that."

Zack nodded. "Looks like we'll have to step things up." He reached next to him and pulled out something.

The man handed Lucas a memory stick. The boy took it, shooting Zack a questioning look.

"I found your brother." M18 shot him another glance.

Lucas couldn't explain the emotion that flashed through him at the information. It felt like a mixture of butterflies and legitimate fear mixed with something he hadn't really felt before. He swallowed.

"Now, the question is," they zoomed by another car, "do you want to meet him or not?"

The next chapter has been posted and so options are now invalid.    

Options:

a) Go find his brother and meet him.

b) No need. He probably has his own life and doesn't need Lucas to turn up.

c) Go to see his brother, but no contact as not to get him involved with Lucas' reckless life.