Rayo and Liam had been on their feet since the morning. It'd been a horrible day so far, just like any other day in the Phoenix. But it felt exceptionally dreadful than most others. Being a Corporal came with its own pot of shizzle. While the paper works were astonishingly low, the tasks were excruciatingly long and it felt like each project was a disaster waiting to happen. Seeing all these, they wondered how the hell the earth was still spinning on its own orbit without losing half a chunk of it from nukes and wars. Not to mention the alien appearance inside the heart of the facility pressing at the back of their mind wasn't doing them any favor.

It wasn't till 5 of the evening that they could manage some minutes aside for subduing their gnawing hunger. But it seemed the stars had absolutely no intention of being in their favor that day.

The cafeteria pantry was staring at them, bare from the mob attack during lunchtime. Liam groaned like a banshee while Rayo was thinking of how much would she have to count from her paycheck and badges if she blew this place into dust. She found it hard to believe that it was unintentional on the part of an organization counterfeiting world-ending perils to have this poor an arrangement for fighting a basic need.

Sadist lot

This was that part of the day when all the food stalls were out of food, either awaiting a refill or from calling it a day. Liam started slagging towards the vending machine while Rayo had blown half of her fuse off.

It wasn't till they both decided to settle with energy drinks and Skittles for the moment that their phone pinged in unison. Their nonchalance evaporated soon enough and got replaced with a frown as they both opened their text box. It was innocent-looking text reading the registry of an entry card dialed just then to enter their house. Rayo and Liam got this notification numerous times in their life upon retiring for the day every day. Only this time it wasn't them.

Before they knew it, Liam was already behind the wheels of his black land Rover and Rayo riding shotgun, darting down the road in full throttle. All the way wondering if this week could get any crazier.

First, the headquarter, now this. Though nothing beat breaking into the Nix facility, the security of their house was nothing no joke either. It was like anything available out there. Protected by six layers of defense from 60 feet away, the house gave very limited access to its passerby in the vicinity. It was completely accessible by only four retinas and fingerprints on the planet, them being their own and their mentors'.

Five if you add General Kawasaki.

One of the clauses Tori and Jacob signed while cracking this staying-out-of-sight deal was all-time access to the house rightful only to the General of Phoenix. And in the years that followed never did the occasion arrive for his intrusion.

Rayo jumped off her seat just as soon as Liam pulled over in front of their house and brought out her service pistol. Outside classified missions, they were not allowed to use their chi in front of any other living soul though she was pretty sure she'd have full authority of using it in the next five seconds.

As Liam and Rayo took their position in front of the door, Liam nodded and slid his card. The card slid silently as the door swashed to one side making their mind go can this week get any crazier for the umpteenth time.

Inside, three souls stood motionless with the same petrified look slapped across all of them. It seemed they were equally surprised as they were but Rayo doubted it was anything near the same. These three persons were not only out of the most impossible place to be out of, unharmed and in one piece but also dared to get back in this region, in their day clothes, in this house. Rayo scoffed internally.

Are they teasing us or something?

It was Derek who showed the first sign of any motion amidst the three. He threw his hands in the air, revealing a familiar red card on his palm. The other two followed suit revealing two more of those.

Rayo and Liam stepped forward commanding them to throw those cards on the table in front and turn against the wall. They carried out without any fuss. They lowered their guns and searched their bodies. Rayo searched Clara's as Liam searched the boys but not one of them had anything on them other than their clothes and Xen's fresh-of-the-box nicotine patch which Liam pulled off his arm.

They ordered the trio to seat on the sofa in front of them as they stood by the kitchen bar. They put their guns away in the holster realizing their limbs will be more than enough in this encounter.

Rayo crossed her arms and Liam sat on the nearest tool, more at ease than before. Knowing where the reply would come from, they both turned at Derek to which Derek responded instantly, " We're dropped here, Sir."

"You're WHAT?" both Rayo and Liam snapped in unison with the same incredulous look plastered on their face.

Derek replied again, only this time with a lot of stammering and gulping, " We were... um.. picked half an hour bbbb... ack by thrrrr... three people in a bbbbbl ... ack SUV and dropped here."

Rayo was still glaring with the same expression, clearly not believing a single word he just uttered while Liam was now inspecting one of the cards from the table. He twisted and turned and examined it from every single angle possible. It was as real as it could get. It even carried the authentic magnetic tape that was impossible to replicate outside of counted few authorized printers.

"Where did you get those?" Rayo probed.

"They...um...yeah, they... handed those to us," it was Claire who replied this time, her eyes getting soggy.

Instantly Liam snapped in her direction, the harshness of his eyes replaced with a beaming glee. " They? Handed you guys these cards? Are you kidding me? Do you know the clearance you gotta have to come in possession of one of these?" he said like it was the funniest thing he ever heard.

Clearly, they didn't know. So they kept quiet. They could feel the situation spiraling down to a disaster with each passing second. They were still having a hard time getting why send them and the lieutenants all the way here when they could have easily interrogated them wherever they were before.

And they aren't lieutenants anymore

Claire noticed, seeing another medallion on their chevrons which was standing way apart from the rest of its kind.

Just then the doorbell dinged suddenly breaking the impending silence amidst them. Rayo broke her posture and answered the door. It was a big box couriered from the facility with a signed decree enveloped in a crimson paper. Rayo squinted.

Crimson paper? No frigging way

She quickly signed the things off and tore open the envelope. She couldn't believe what she's holding. She couldn't believe her eyes.

They are what???

She read the whole letter again. And again. Till she was sure she wasn't seeing wrong. And suddenly it all started making sense to her now.

Sending both of them on a ridiculously easy mission for one, the coronation to the Corporal post, the excess work on the very first day, restricting them from meeting these jerks today...everything. It was happening right before her and she couldn't believe she didn't notice.
She crunched the paper, putting painstaking effort in subduing the anger coursing through her veins.

That bastard!!!!

She couldn't believe he could stoop this low just to get back at them.

For what? Exposing his caricatures?

Liam stared at the door from there. He could see Rayo had already received the courier and was reading something but wasn't turning towards him. He eyed the three in front and got up. It was awfully long for a speed reader like Rayo to complete reading a letter coming in that small an envelope. But as soon as he neared her he could sense something wasn't right. Rayo looked at him, her jaws clenched and hands fisted.

She handed him the envelope and whispered, "I'll be back in few hours." Liam looked into her eyes. He'd knew this tone too well for all the wrong reasons. And the aftermaths were never pleasant. He contemplated accompanying her but knowing Rayo, he just nodded.

Rayo left, too calmly for her own good.

He wished whoever it was she's going to see may have the odds in his favor and lifted the box.

His brows knitted as he dived deeper into the letter, more surprised than angry. He didn't know it was possible, for any of the laws to have provision for this, let alone pass as one.

Liam read the letter for the third time as he placed the box on the coffee table with a thud which caused the three to wince. Exhaling sharply, he started unboxing the contents on the coffee table plummeting on the sofa behind him. It contained three large boxes as expected with the royal seal of the Phoenix on them each with the name of its owner.

"Surprise surprise! Looks like you will be staying here for a while," he said crossing his arm, sounding more like he was informing himself than them.

He waited for their facial expressions to change a bit slightly, maybe show a tint of elation but to his dismay, they still wore the same aghast look which added a pinch in his theory of them having a role in all these a bit.

Exhaling sharply, he got up and asked them to follow him as he led them upstairs, marking the beginning of the most bizzare chapter of their lives.

So...any juicy theory people? (✯ᴗ✯) Would love to hear your thoughts (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)