Thirty minutes later, at the Penthouse. Diana was working on her laptop in one of the guest rooms. Then, a knock was heard from outside of her door.

"Come in," she responded.

The door opened, and Sam walked inside, holding two cups of coffee.

"Here to lecture me again?" She asked as she looked up to face him.

"Nah, just wanted us to talk," he replied with a grin.

She closed her laptop and put it aside. He approached her desk and placed the cups on the table. Since there was an extra chair under the table, opposite the direction she sat in, he pulled that chair from underneath the table and sat down. He tucked himself under the table and grabbed his cup.

"Here, have some," he offered.

Gently, she grabbed her cup, and before taking a sip, a strong smoky, nutty, and caramelized aroma seized her nose. She was delighted by the scent. She sniffed it and brought the cup closer to her nose.

"Hmmm, just what I needed."

She took a sip and placed it on the table. She fixated her gaze on him and caressed the tuft of hair that curtained her temple's corners.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier...I know that neither of us knew our parents. Well, except for Gordon and Seth, of course, but the thing is, I've been trying to wrap my head around this whole situation, you know."

"Same here. I'm also trying to adjust to the idea that we are related. So, uh, yeah, since we've addressed our issues, are we still cool?" Sam inquired.

"Honestly, I'm still pissed at you, but I'm willing to let it go," she replied.

Sam held out his fist as the two then shared a fist bump. Then, another knock was heard from outside her door.

"Come in, she responded.

Harrison opened the door and walked inside. The two looked toward the door and gazed at him once he got inside. 

"What's up?"

"Uh ....uh...guys, Dan's blowing a huge casket right now! I feel like he will melt his face off if we don't do something," replied Harrison.

They put their cups aside and rushed out of the room with Harrison. At the lounge, Dan held Gordon by the wall. Gordon was in the air. His face was in the process of turning blue due to the lack of oxygen. Sam and the others rushed inside. 

Dan!!! What the hell are you doing?!!" Sam inquired.

"I'm killing Gordon," Dan replied.

Sam and the others looked at each other in confusion. While they did that, Gordon grabbed Dan by the scruff, using his right hand. He applied pressure to Dan's neck, temporarily incapacitating him. In turn, he released Gordon from his grip. Then, Gordon pulled Dan's head to his and headbutted him. After coming in contact with the Knight of Bloodshed's head, he placed his hand on his forehead and caressed it while Gordon placed his hand around his neck and stroked it.

"Don't ever try something as foolish as that if you know what's good for you," he warned.

"Dan, for crying out loud, have you lost your mind!?" Diana exclaimed.

"Nope...I'm perfectly sane. Maybe you guys are out of your minds," Dan replied as he stared daggers at Gordon.

"What?!" Harrison exasperated.

"That's right. You guys are looking at a traitor. Gordon stabbed Caldor in the back. He was the one that leaked information to the Council about Caldor's experiments!"

The other two, Harrison and Diana, opened their mouths in shock. There were now smoldered with a burning passion of rage.

Dan, then directed his gaze to Sam, who wasn't fazed by such deplorable news.

"I'm guessing you already knew, didn't you?" Dan inquired.

Diana and Harrison looked at Sam intensely.

"Is it true?!!" Diana asked.

Sam was hesitant to reply. Driven by caution, he answered them, "Y-Yes. B-22 told me. "

"Oh yeah, guess what, Sam? I never told you that I wanted to punch you. I guess I have a reason to satisfy myself now," Diana said.

She charged towards him til Harrison stood in her way, now acting as a barrier. She exhaled sharply and stared intensely at the little stud.

"Step aside, Harrison; I don't wanna put you down!"

"Easy! Let's hear what Sam has to say, " Harrison suggested.

Diana and Dan looked at each other, then nodded, approving his suggestion.

"Okay then. We ain't got all day !" Dan said.

"I did find out that it was Gordon who told the council about Caldor's experiments. And not only that...he....he also was the one who delivered....the...he executed our father, " Sam said with watery eyes.

Dan imploded with laughter, "Oh, don't give us the crocodile tears. You're just another traitor. Especially since you never told us that information. A fuckin A.I. did! When were you planning on telling us?"

"I was but wait...How do you even know? You met up with Seth, didn't you?" Sam asked.

Diana and Harrison momentarily looked at him.

"Please tell me what he's insinuating isn't true?" Diana replied.

Dan swallowed a hard lump, and he cleared his throat after that.

"It's true. "

"Are you kidding me?!!!" Sam exasperated.

With his finger pointed at Sam, Dan raised his voice," Hey, don't you dare play the victim here. You lied to us not once but twice!"

For a moment, Sam was hesitant to respond. Once he found the courage to speak, he lashed out at them, "You know what, I can't believe I was such an idiot to think that finding you guys would fill the void in me!"

He beat his chest proudly with his right hand and continued, "Clearly, I was wrong. Forget everything that happened to us for the past couple of days. You're all...."

He cleared his throat while he spoke... "Let's face it; we don't trust each other. So please, leave me alone and return to your pathetic lives!"

Diana's eyes were slightly drenched with tears, her brows slanted. Meanwhile, Harrison raked his face and sighed. He looked down and was at a loss for words. Dan shook his head with an ingratiating smile. At that moment, the atmosphere between them drastically changed. It was intense, and Sam felt it. He just realized that what he said changed everything for the worst.

Dan took his cowboy hat off his head and said, "That's all I needed to hear. Everyone else, farewell."

He placed the hat back on his head and walked away.

Diana approached Sam; her throat was searing with pain. It was difficult for her to articulate her thoughts without whimpering as her heart was bleeding with anguish. It's as if the one person she trusted with her heart took a knife and stabbed it there.

Slowly she began, "Thanks a lot, Sam. Thanks for nothing."

She walked away while Sam turned to face Harrison, whose back was against him. He stretched his hand toward the young lad.

"Harrison..." He called out to him.

"Sorry, Mr. Austin, but I'm also not needed here."

From the living room, Gordon crossed his arms and legs. He stroked his chin and inquired, "Tell me, why didn't you tell them about our bargain?"

"Cause it wasn't the right time!!!" He replied as he tucked his hands in his pockets and walked away.

"At least you still remember..." Gordon said with a smirk.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face his back. Gordon's selfish ambitions aggravated him. However, it shouldn't be much of a shock, especially since he has no conscious, much less the ability to read the room. Giving him such credit was an understatement, though. Compassion wasn't one of Gordon's traits.

"Deal? There's no deal! Don't you get it? The others left. That means that our deal is off!"

Gordon's eyes twitched in anger, and his voice deepened, "You can't alter the...."

"Well, I just did! So get out of my house, or I'll throw you out!"

Gordon arose from his seat and approached him. The two locked eyes with each other. It was a prolonged gaze; their nostrils flared while their lips tightened.

"What are you gonna do about it, big guy? I'm not afraid of you!" Sam sternly said.

Gordon spoke, his voice growing more timid and profound, "Don't ever talk to me like that, you little insect. You will keep your mouth sealed if you know what's good for you."

Sam's brows furrowed even more, and so did Gordon's. Then, Gordon walked away and used the elevator.

**********

Outer space is a dark void presumed to begin from one hundred kilometers above Earth's sea level. It stretched far to the furthest end and held celestial bodies in its cold soul.

Seth's mothership was lodged on the moon, not far from the Earth's atmosphere. His ship was serviced, as the maintenance staff was working vigorously to reconstruct the damaged windscreen, which was located in the control room. 

Meanwhile, Seth was in the virtual room and had a meeting with Akatsuki. As usual, she appeared before him in holographic form.

"Well, Akatsuki, I'm still trying to find a way to convince my siblings to join me on this crusade," Seth said with his arms crossed behind his back.

"Your work ethic is rather disappointing. They should be on their way to H.Q. with you by now," she replied.

With a smirk, Seth responded to her statement. There was also a playful tone in his voice, "I apologize, sub-commander. I didn't account for my sibling's stubbornness. They remind me a lot about me. "

"That's not an excuse... Why do I get the feeling that you are trying to buy time? Maybe to spend time with them, than to do your job?"

He laughed hysterically and said, "Aah, Akastuki, you are delusional. Did you know that? And you are very uptight. You need to loosen up a little bit."

A scowl then filled her face. A jutted chin also accompanied it.

"Does this matter amuse you? To think that you've matured when you still think like a child."

Immediately, he shot a glare at her and huffed. The crease in his eyes narrowed while he clenched his lips and jaws.

"That's better," she commented as soon as his expression changed. Deep down, she knew he had worked him to a boil, but she didn't care.

"Know your place Akatsuki," he sternly said.

"And you should learn to take things more seriously, especially important subjects. Anyways, I won't spend any more time arguing with you."

She continued speaking as there was a hint of urgency in her voice, "He wants results Seth, and his patience is hanging by a thread! You're an elite warrior. A couple of weak Codexians shouldn't be too much of a hassle, right?"

Rather than responding, he continued to look at her, deciding not to agree with her.

"If you expect me to say yes like a subservient servant, you're mistaken. But you are right about one thing. I am stronger and superior to them!"

"I'm happy to hear that because if you don't do your job, the great one will take matters into his own hands."

Seth smirked, "Don't worry, Akatsuki, I know what I'm doing."