"That's a serious accusation," Tommy Palmer fixed his rimmed glasses. He was usually the silent type that valued his privacy and rarely socialised with other agents, but Aleks heard he was one of the most dependable agents. His eyes were fixed on her, his aura flashing with a rosy suspicion. "Maybe that's what Rioters want us to think. To sow the seed of discord among us."

"It may be so," Zeleke noticed. "But it's not something we can ignore. The fact remains that somehow Rioters knows far more about our agents and gifted identified by us than should be possible. I'll get our cybersecurity teams to look into possible data breaches."

"And we should keep our eyes open for anything that seems out of the ordinary here in GSO headquarters," Regan added solemnly.

"Agreed. But there is no point breaking our heads over this without enough information." Stephen nodded. "It's late already. I say we should call it a day. Zeleke, update us when you have reports from our IT guys." He turned to Aleks and Toni, giving them a small smile. "As you two might suspect already because you were exposed for the top secret information, we want you to join our team on the gifted kidnapping case."

Toni puffed out his chest. "It's an honour, sir."

Stephen laughed. "Don't get all flustered, young man. I bet it won't be as glamorous as you imagined. Here are the case files I need you to read." He pushed two encyclopedic-thick folders toward Aleks and Toni. "It's quite possible you will find something we missed there. A fresh set of eyes is always appreciated." He turned back to the people at the table. "Everyone has their tasks, so let's finish for today and let's get back to it on Monday. Hopefully, our young friends here will be all caught up on the case then."

Aleks and Toni nodded eagerly, and chairs scraped the floor as everyone slowly shuffled towards the door. Stephen stopped on his way to the door to put his hand on Toni's shoulder. "Good work today, lad. I'll be expecting great things from you."

"I won't let you down, sir!" he replied, not hiding his grin.

When everyone else left the room, Regan said, "Don't let all the praise get into your head, Toni. You still have much work to do to keep up with your new teammates. Starting with studying those case files."

Toni took a heavy folder with apprehension. "That's a lot to read."

"Then you better start now. Off you go. I want to have a word with Aleks."

A cold crept up Aleks' spine. She had a bad feeling about this. Whatever Regan wanted to discuss with her was probably nothing good.

Toni patted her shoulder encouragingly. "I'll save you some dinner before all the best bits are gone."

"Thanks, Toni."

When the door closed, Regan's heavy gaze stopped on her. "Come now, Aleks. You might want to sit down."

Aleks reluctantly walked up to the table and sat two chairs down from her supervisor. "Is it something bad?"

"Not as such. Depends on how you decide to take it."

"That's... not encouraging."

Regun rubbed his jaw covered in stiff dark stubble and looked at a report in front of him. "I've got a confirmation from our R&D department that the latest tests of our gifted detectors yielded promising results. They should be fully functional by next week with some minor tweaking."

Aleks' stomach clenched. She knew they were working on those devices but hoped it wouldn't work. So far, she has been an invaluable asset for GSO, first and foremost, because of her ability to recognise the gifted auras. But with those intelligent devices, every agent could do that with a simple scanning gadget. She didn't like the implications this improvement held for her.

"That's good news, I guess..." she said reluctantly.

"It is. It means we wouldn't have to endanger your life in the field more than necessary."

"I can hold myself just fine in the field."

Regan put down the report and looked at her. "Aleks, I want to make one thing clear. You will join the main team working on the kidnapping case as back office support, not a field agent."

Aleks breath hitched in her throat, and her mouth got suddenly dry. "But, sir! It's hardly fair. I've been on top of every combat training since I started here. I got the highest scores in all exams. You can't possibly put me into desk work!"

"I'm aware of your records, Aleks. And you are a fine agent, but unfortunately, that's not enough to go against deviants. Your gift is not for fighting, and there is no point in pretending otherwise."

A fury bubbled inside Aleks. "My father had no gift at all. That never stopped him from going to the field to protect people."

"And that's what got him killed."

Leks deflated momentarily and turned her face away. It was a low blow.

"Look, Aleks, I'm sorry." Rgan's stoic navy aura flashed with the pale blue of regret. "It was an insensitive thing to say, but my point stands. I will not send you to the field to face a deviant because I'll send you to death."

Aleks crossed her arms. "I held just fine today."

"Only because Toni arrive just on time. You know you wouldn't be sitting here and talking to me if he wasn't there. And don't think that your pretending to be fine fooled me. I got a report from the medical team, and I know exactly how many burns you sustained."

An uncomfortable silence fell, and Aleks only pursed her lips. She knew Regan was right, but it didn't make admitting it any easier.

"I think you need to take a step back and think about what you want to do," Regan said with unexpected gentleness. "If you insist on working as a field agent, we can move you to regular police forces. You will hold yourself just fine there."

"But... I'm gifted...." Aleks protested weakly.

"Yes. And that's why I would hate to see you go. Your gift is special, Aleks, just as any other gift here. But some talents are suited for fighting, while others are meant for supporting our organisation in other ways. You could be a great counsellor with your insight into people's emotions. God knows we need those for all the new troubled gifted popping out like mushrooms."

"It's not the same," Aleks whispered. "All my life, I aspired to be like my father. To help people that could not protect themselves. I... I put everything I had into the training. I can't just give that up, and stay behind, while Toni gets out there to risk his life."

"If you keep insisting on that, you will become a liability to him."

"What?"

"This case, Aleks... It's no longer a play in the park but a serious business. The deviants are dangerous people with powers far beyond imagination. I can't send someone without any means to face them. If you went with Toni out there, he would constantly worry about protecting you instead of doing his job. And such a distraction can cost him his life. Do you understand that?"

Aleks hung her head, fighting the tears. "I understand."

"Good. Think about it. You can work on this case as on-site support, or I will relegate you back to running first-contact missions. The choice is yours."