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Fantasy A clash of desires.

It was clear that Kaya was growing more and more agitated by the second. Lucas’ eyes followed her pacing around the room as the male hoped for her calm down. He watched as she placed separate calls to her teammates, none of which procured a response on the other line. He was also not surprised by this either given the nature of what’s occurring at HQ. Lucas could tell that the unknown was eating away at Kaya as her brain fought for answers. Answers that he have.

“Of course of don’t.” Lucas responded plainly. It was a convincing reply, deprived of any nervous ambience in his voice. His expression too was rather neutral and lacking in any significant shifts that would’ve given away the fact that there was something more. Given all these years of profiling and working with criminals, Lucas have learned a thing or two about lying and how to conceal it. He would thought that it would come in handy until today.

Lucas would mirror Kaya by rushing to put on a set of clothes situated nearby. He then rushed up to Kaya, who’d already gotten her hands on his keys. It was a mistake to not have hidden it. “Hey, just wait a minute.” Lucas cried out to Kaya as he ran up to her. “If the Director told you to go on leave, shouldn’t you abide by his wishes?”

Knowing Kaya, it’s already too late to stop her at this point. All he could do was stall for as long as he could. At the same time, Lucas needed to be wary as he cannot make it all too obvious that he’s aware of what’s occurring. “No, he hasn’t contacted me.” Lucas replied back truthfully.

“Just calm down for a moment, ok? If the Committee thinks you’re doing a great job and wants to reward you, shouldn’t you take up on their kindness?“ The male reasoned as he subtly reached for the keys in Kaya’s hands. Still, his language remained passive, like someone who’s simply seeing things on surface level. “You might offend them if you just ignore their offer like this.” Perhaps he was coming off too strong in his attempt to persuade Kaya. However, Lucas have been largely focused on simply stalling her that he wasn’t being mindful of how he was doing so. After all, he’d basically accepted the idea that Kaya would want to head to HQ regardless of what he says. He just has to make sure that she doesn’t get there in time to stop the transfer.

Like Kaya, Lucas is also knowledgeable in the policies of the MIB. He also knows how abnormal and unlikely it was for the MIB to just dish out vacations like this. Especially last minute. It’s also not normal for them to revoke one’s clearance to their facilities. It was a stupid move in Lucas’ mind, especially given that his clearance is still active. It’d only served to make the situation more worrisome. The only reasoning he could think of was that the committee just wanted to prevent Kaya from entering the facility and likely did not think that he would be with her.

“Don’t worry. Thea and them are probably just busy. They did lose the star of their team after all.” Lucas joked half heartedly in an attempt to make light of the eerie situation.“I’m sure the director won’t mind me taking the day off too. It’ll be our chance to just spend more time one another.” Lucas said as he reached for one of Kaya’s hand, holding it tightly in a gentle grasp. “Don’t you think it’ll be nice?”

Truly, the only time the two ever had to spend with one another was after work at night. They’d never really been in one another’s company much in the mornings with the exception of work. This leave would give them a perfect opportunity to do so. Just as he was thinking of all the things they could do, Lucas knew that Kays have to had thought the same. “Let’s just relax, Kay. You deserve it.” He smiled brightly at the female. It was an alluring smile, one whose purpose was to entrance the female into agreeing with him.
 
Kaya didn't give too much thought to Lucas's responses, as she was so caught up in her own head in that moment that she couldn't really see that there was anything wrong with him. Only did she stop when he approached her as she delved into his pocket for his keys. Considering his question for only a moment, Kaya felt her eyebrows pulling together into a frown, something like confusion spreading across her features as Lucas spoke. She had expected him to have a similar reaction to her, to be concerned by this unusual behaviour from the director and to rush to ensure that a mistake hadn't been made. Despite the intention behind his calm demeanour, it was actually doing the exact opposite as Kaya struggled to piece together this sudden turn in events. "Since when do I listen to Lewis Kramer?" She scoffed in response; Lucas knew that Kaya and their director had a somewhat strained relationship. They didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things but the deal that they kept between them, that had been forged the night that Helix had burned down is what ultimately kept their hostility from bubbling over into their work. Many a time had Kaya complained to Luke about orders the team had received from the top and many a time had she worked with him to find ways around those orders. It wasn't breaking the rules as such, but more she had learned to use them to the team's advantage.

In the next moment Kaya felt Lucas's hands over her own as he removed the keys from her grasp. She found it strange that he wasn't behaving with the same urgency as her and she could only stare at him as she tried to process what he was saying. "The committee don't do kindness," she retorted after a moment, "You know better than that. They'd work us into the ground before they'd give away leave for free. Something about this isn't right, I'm telling you." Lucas was right to notice that Kaya was becoming more agitated. For someone who expressed their feelings without choice through their eyes, Kaya's were currently alight like two sizzling bonfires. Her senses were heightened as a result of the tension that was radiating from her and her movements were quick and jerky as her energy seemed to spill over into her actions. This was often how Kaya got when Group X had a call out, as she mentally prepared for some kind of physical exertion or emotional turmoil. Except right now she wasn't sure what it was she was trying to plan for, which made her all the more anxious. "I couldn't give a crap about offending them," she nearly laughed, but her underlying worry stopped her from doing so. For every one of her questions Lucas seemed to have an answer that rebuffed her concern, which is what ultimately stopped Kaya from rushing out without him. He had stalled her, but maybe not in the way that he planned to.

"Don't you think that this is odd?" She asked after a moment, her brown eyes suddenly clouding over with a suspicion that was meant for Lucas and Lucas alone. He was attempting to get her to stay in the apartment, but didn't he have to be at work? Lucas had said so himself, Kramer hadn't contacted him. Something didn't quite add up with what he was saying and Kaya could only pull her hand away from his as he tried to lighten the mood. She was in a difficult position as her mind ran through her options. Her priority right now was to get to HQ; she had to know what was going on and she had to know if Nicholas was okay. It was a worrying thought but a thought all the same. She had been reluctant to let the MIB get their hands on him yesterday and she was even more reluctant for that to happen today. Although her reasons for why were maybe a little skewed. What she couldn't afford to do however, was alienate Lucas as ultimately she needed his help to get her there. Unfortunately for Kaya though, she was currently, once again being ruled by her emotions and although the sensible side of her told her to play it cool, the idea that Lucas may have had something to do with what was happening was currently eating her up inside. If he had betrayed her... well she wasn't sure that they could ever get past something like that.

"You know that's not what we do, Luke," she responded carefully after a moment, choosing not to call him out just yet. Despite the fact that she had held some similar thoughts to him just moments before, Kaya didn't let on as she now felt so far away from their night of passion, it was almost like it hadn't happened. The thought of spending the morning with Lucas had been a nice one, but it also caused her to worry about what he might take from it if she did give into his request. The lines between their relationship were already starting to blur, and she hoped in part that her previous comment had redrawn them somewhat. "No, no I can't relax. They've revoked my MIB clearance Lucas, that isn't normal. And shouldn't you be at work anyway? I don't remember you being gifted any special leave?" Her tone was dripping with an accusation that she couldn't quite keep out of her voice as she reached again for his keys, tugging them from his grasp. Hell, if he wouldn't let her take the car then she'd catch a cab; either way, she was getting to HQ in the next twenty minutes whether Lucas wanted her to or not. On her way out of the apartment, she pulled her jacket from the back of the chair and stopped momentarily when she saw Lucas's access card on the table next to it. As a last minute thought, she reached out her hand to take it, a small wave of guilt washing through her. Kaya wasn't the type to be deceitful but right now she felt as though she had no choice but to be. Plus, if Lucas did choose to come with her, she could simply feign that she was doing him a favour by picking it up. Again, she didn't really care how she had to explain herself to him right now, her main focus was getting to the office, not their relationship.

Kaya didn't wait around to see if Lucas was following her; she presumed he would do, but it wasn't a priority to her as she rode the elevator down to the carpark, finding Lucas's car in just a few short minutes. Kaya herself got into the driving seat, backing out of the space in what felt like record time before pulling out onto the street. She certainly would be using their red light pass on this journey, whether the MIB covered her for it or not.
 
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It’s didn’t take long before Lucas was beginning to realize that his lie was falling apart. There were holes in his statement that contradicted his claims of ignorance. All he could do was deny, deny, and deny. Fortunately for him, Kaya was too busy figuring out what was going on at HQ to really focus on him right now.

A gloomy cloud casted itself upon Lucas’ mind as Kaya simply brushed off his suggestion of a day together. Although she’d never mentioned his name just yet, a part of Lucas wondered if what she’s concerned about most is Nicholas. The fate of a mutant who’d committed a crime as horrendous as him is no different from a normal human. Except for a mutant, their sentencing is often separate from that of the human body. To put it into perspective, they lack the “human rights” to a trial and jury as they are not deemed as being humans. Knowing this, he could see why she was so worried.

At last, Kaya had rushed herself out of the apartment with Lucas’ keys and access card gripped tightly in her eyes. He’d noticed Kaya taking his card on the way out but it was already too late to stop her. Lucas did not follow right away. Instead, he paced around his apartment in frustration and panic. If she gets to HQ at the wrong time, there will be a confrontation. The MIB don’t take people who oppose their directives kindly.

In the end, Lucas decided that he needed to follow Kaya. If he can’t stall her anymore, then he needed to be there for her if something was occur between her and the committee. With that decision in mind, the male would rush out of the apartment while instinctively slamming the door behind him. Given that he remembered where he’d parked, he had some time to spare between now and when Kaya gets to the car. Lucas would race his way down to the parking before finally catching up Kaya right before she prepared to drive off.

He found himself barely even acknowledged by the female as the latter drove off towards HQ. It would take several minutes for them to arrive at the MIB but Lucas still wasn’t sure if it would be late enough. Although he had successfully stalled Kaya for a few minutes, he understood that it would take the committee a good amount of time. Not only do they have to transfer Nicholas from his cell, they also would have to collect all the data and paperwork on him.

Just as the two were nearly at the MIB, Kaya’s phone rang again. Kaya would recognize the number as being from the team’s medic, Lucie. However, when she picks up the phone, Kaya would find the voice on the other side to be someone completely different. “Kaya! Thank god I finally got through to you! Where are you?! You need to get to HQ quick!” An agitated Thea could be heard screaming out. “The MCB is here trying to take Nicholas. They say that the case is out of our hands now. They took all of our phones so we couldn’t contact you.”

The MCB or the Mutant Containment Bureau is directly in charge of the containment of mutant criminals. They are who the MIB reports to after completing every case. The mutants under the MIB are always transferred to the MCB who would take care of the mutants according to whatever orders they were given. However, there are times where the MCB would forcefully assert themselves and take suspects even before the MIB was done with them. Such occasions tend to be when the MIB is dealing with high risk cases or high status mutants.
 
Lucas wasn't incorrect in his assumptions that one of Kaya's main concerns over this whole situation was Nicholas. Much like her partner, she was very aware of what happened when a case was moved over to the MCB and that wasn't something that she was about to let happen. If he was sent that deeply into the system, for the kind of crimes he had committed, she wasn't sure if she would ever see him again. That thought alone seemed to send the brunette into a frenzied panic and although she didn't really want to think about why that was, she couldn't help but drive a little faster, as though that could stop the waves of anxiety that were currently threatening to drown her. The other part of her, the less emotive side, was also very aware of the silence that had fallen between her and Lucas as they made their way to their offices. She hadn't been surprised that he had followed her to the car, and she wondered quietly if he really did have any involvement in what was going on here, or was she simply being overly suspicious. She didn't like the idea that her immediate reaction had been accusatory, but then he had given her reason to not to believe him. The brunette exhaled then as this tumult of thoughts seemed to grow in her mind, it only momentarily being interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Kaya managed to connect the call to the car, answering with a small "Hello?" before Thea's voice seemed to explode into the vehicle.

"Thea? What? What do you mean, finally? They took your phones?" Kaya couldn't help her voice as it seemed to raise by a few octaves. The more detail that was released about this event, the less that it seemed to make sense. It almost screamed to her that there was more to Kramer getting involved in this case than a few reported compliments. It was more like her team were being punished, or at least that's what it looked like to her. "Thea, listen to me. I need you to stall them for as long as you can. Tell them that I'm on my way and they must not let Nicholas go before I get there."
"But Kaya, they won't listen! I've already tried!"
"Thea, please. I need you to try harder. I won't be long, I promise." The brunette could hear the confusion in her friend's voice. There was a clear question in her tone; but why does it matter? But right now Kaya simply didn't have the time to challenge or answer her as she disconnected the call, her lips pressed into a thin line as she continued to speed through the city.

As their headquarters came into view, Kaya didn't bother to park up the car properly. Instead she pulled it up at the front of the building and quickly jumped out, setting off at a light pace towards the cells. There was a panic hammering in her chest as she entered the building that usually felt so familiar to her, but today, she acknowledged, it felt anything but. There were lots of different people around who she didn't recognise and an authoritative air seemed to wrap around the inside of the structure which somehow made the place feel cold. Instinctually, she used Lucas's access card to enter through the barriers and as quickly as she could, she made her way towards the hallway where Nicholas was kept. However, on her way there she came across Thea, Beth and Isaac, who all seemed to look at her with something close to despair in their eyes. Of course, they weren't so bothered about what happened to Nicholas himself, but they couldn't help but feel as though they had let Kaya down as they had watched Nicholas be led away from the building just a few moments before. "What happened?" The brunette breathed, her brown eyes wide with panic as they searched the empty corridor. "We tried Kaya, we really tried. They were having none of it. You might still catch them if--"

She was gone before Isaac could even finish his sentence. Kaya made her way through the corridors to the back of the building, where she knew that they transferred mutants into vans to whisk them away to their next secret facility. As she came to the edge of the staircase, she could see through a large glass window a group of official looking people in suits, who surrounded a single dark haired male as they moved him towards a parked van just outside of a pair of double doors. It was this sight that caused Kaya's chest to skip uncomfortably, as she set off down the stairs as quickly as she could, bursting out of the double doors, somewhat more breathless than she had been before. "Wait!" She called out as she set off towards the group, two men who were considerably taller than her stepping out to stop her from getting any closer. "Don't touch me," she snapped at them as she attempted to step away from their hold. "What the hell is going on here?"
"We're working under Director Kramer's orders," one of the men snarled at her, Kaya's eyes rolling in response at his failed attempt to intimidate her.
"And what orders are they, exactly?"
"We can't tell you that."
"God damn it, yes you can." Kaya pulled her ID badge from her pocket and flashed it at the officer briefly. She knew that she didn't have clearance but she'd be damned if she was going to let that stop her. "What orders has Kramer given?"
"To remove a highly dangerous individual from the custody of Group X and escalate the case to the MCB, as is standard procedure. I would have thought you'd have known that, Miss Reid." Kaya met the man's gaze then, her own eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity.
"Why is Nicholas Britton being removed from our custody when his case hasn't been closed? You know full well that cases aren't to be removed from us until we've completed profiling and the relevant data collection procedures. We haven't even finished the interrogations yet!" She ran a hand through her hair then in frustration. It was a strange sight to see Kaya lose her cool in this way; she was usually fairly collected when it came to work, but much like the day before she was currently being ruled by nothing more than her emotions and a sense of urgency that had been created out of the very real risk of losing somebody, who she had been through the unbearable pain of losing before.
"If you don't like it then you need to take it up with Kramer."
"I will do that. But right now you cannot remove this case, from this facility. Not without my authorisation. You need to take Mr Britton back to his cell and then I'll take it from there. I'll contact Lewis myself, but not until you take the case back inside." Kaya could see the officer hesitating, which only caused her anger to flare further.

"That's an order!"
 
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Lucas could feel anxiety build up within him once he’d recognized the voice behind the call as being Thea. The male wasn’t even sure how he was maintaining his composure at the moment. The exchange had been loud and he’d heard most if not all the details. It would seem that he’d been correct to assume that the MCB wouldn’t have finished the transfer just yet. Which means that his fear will be realized soon enough.

The front part of the MIB building appeared no different from the typical day. This was no surprise as the handover of mutants always occurred in isolated areas where civilians are less at risk. Kaya barely gave the car time to stop as she quickly jumped out and made way towards the front entrance. Lucas had no choice but to follow behind. He needed to match the female’s urgency if there’s any hopes of him keeping up. Kaya’s didn’t even bother to hold the door open for Lucas, which forced the male to sprint with all his might just to make it inside to avoid being locked out.

As the duo made their way towards the cell block, they would encounter none of the MCB members. Lucas wondered if the MCB had gotten their hands on Nicholas yet. They had plenty of time to do so and it would make sense that their priority was to first extract the mutant. His question would soon be answered when the two encountered the rest of their team midway. As expected, Nicholas had already been retrieved from his cell and was now being escorted to one of the vans parked in the back.

Lucas listened attentively as his teammates recalled the events that’s just occurred. But even before Isaac could finish his statement, Kaya was already gone. Once again, Lucas followed close behind as the two rushed to the extraction zone. Lucas would catch sight of Nicholas seconds before Kaya did. At that moment, he knew that a confrontation was inevitable.

Several pairs of eyes turned to the couple as Kaya’s voice rang from above the stairs. Two men in suits moved to stop the female’s advance. One of them had grabbed on to Kaya’s arm, prompting Lucas to rush over. With a leering stare, he gripped on to the hand that was holding on to Kaya. Wkth minimal effort, he was able to squeeze the man’s wrist so hard that he instinctively released his hold. Letting out a painful groan, the male stepped back as he held on to his injured wrist with his other hand. One could see from the man’s expression that he was planning a reprisal but was quickly stopped by his much older colleague.

Lucas paid close attention as Kaya and one of the officers entered into an exchange. Kaya had always been a strong willed woman with a fury as hot as the sun. Her resolute personality is what makes her a good leader and heavily trusted by her teammates. Despite this, the men before them barely gave her a thought. Even when she’d showed them her badge, there was no shift in their tone nor attitude. To these men, it didn’t matter what rank she is, she’ll always be just a lowly mutant to them.

Kaya’s words seems to just be entering through one ear and exiting out the other. These men did not care about where the MIB was in the case. All that’s on their mind is to carry out the orders of the Director, who had already informed them of the possibility of some sort of hindrance.

“We don’t answer to you.” The younger officer responded bluntly in response to Kaya’s order. “The MCB is a separate entity from the MIB. You have no authority over us.” And even if Kaya did, her ranking is far below that if the Director. Which meant that the MCB operatives could still ignore her orders anyways.

“Besides, we have a warrant from the Director sanctioning the transfer of Nicholas Britton, effective immediately.” The young officer said as he presented what appears to be the warrant in question. As he’d claimed, it had been written by Director Kramer himself and includes his signature and the stamp of the approval. “Nicholas Britton is a S level mutant wanted on charges of treason, arson, first degree murder, mass murder, and domestic terrorism. It is within our right to take him into our custody. You’re lucky that we haven’t followed up on your negligence for not reporting his arrest.” The officer said sharply as he rolled the warrant back up into a scroll.

The MIB and the MCB never had good relations to start with. It’s clear as day that these men did not respect Kaya nor her authority. Both sides, (especially the MCB) sees the other as rivals and obstacles. Each organization desires to obtain prestige and recognition from the government. There’s a lack of professionalism as a result of such rivalry. It isn’t uncommon for the MCB to carry out premature or unannounced extractions that may undermine the MIB and their efforts. However, the former couldn’t care less as long as they’re able to complete the mission, even if it means throwing the MIB under the bus.

“If you continue to interfere with our mission, we have no choice but to take you in for obstruction.” Said the more senior officer before glancing behind him.

Nicholas had overheard the heated exchange between Kaya and the officers. He couldn’t help but wonder as to why she remained so vehement on stopping his extraction. The entire time, his gaze was fixated on Kaya, who was too busy speaking to the agents to notice. Nicholas tried his best to read her expression in an effort to deduct the motives for her vehement opposition. If she truly despised him, it would be in her best interest to let them take him. She knows much Nicholas loathed imprisonment to the point that he would rather die than being thrown back into a cell block indefinitely. Allowing the MCB to take him would essentially be a fate worse than death.

As Nicholas pondered over Kaya’s motives, he quickly found himself being ushered toward the van. Knowing his fate if he was to enter, the male naturally objected. Although the leg chain had been removed for transportation, Nicholas was still equipped with the collar and cuffs from earlier. Even so, the male had no plans to go down without a fight. “I’m not going anywhere. Let me go!” He exclaimed in frustration as he’s powerlessly escorted towards the black vehicle.

“What’s wrong? Can do the crime but can’t do the time?” Taunted one of the officers as he continued to push Nicholas towards the back of the van. There, Nicholas soon noticed one of the agents approaching with a familiar object in his hand. Unwilling to be sedated like some animal, Nicholas finally retaliated by knocking the syringe out of the agent’s hand. This essentially caused a violent response from two of the agents who immediately tried to shove Nicholas into the vehicle. And again, Nicholas would resist as he pulled himself in the opposite direction.

Within the ensuring chaos that followed, one of the officers, having grown irritated by the resistance, swung his fist at Nicholas. The strike landed dead center on the side of the male’s face with such force that the mutant was knocked to the ground. Before Nicholas even had the opportunity to get back on to his feet, he would feel a sudden surge of electricity throughout his body. Nicholas’ cries of agony filled the air as his muscles contracted from the electrocution. Losing complete control of his body, the male could only lay on the ground as the surrounding agents chuckled heartlessly. “That’ll show him.“ One of the agents can be heard saying to the others, who responded with further laughters.
 
From their expressions as well as their answers, it soon became clear to Kaya that the MCB officers had absolutely no intention of following her orders. They were correct in that she had no authority over them; despite her rank and despite her best efforts, right now she was pretty much powerless to stop them from completing the extraction. What she still couldn't understand though was why this had been triggered in the first place. She was very aware that the MCB held her team with nothing less than disdain and they often performed random acts of authority in an attempt to assert their power over them, but it was the sudden leave that had been thrust upon her, along with the revocation of her clearance that didn't support the theory that this was altogether a random act of dominance. As the younger of the two officers presented Kaya with a written warrant that clearly held the signature of the director, Kaya pulled it from his grasp and ripped it into pieces, allowing the paper to flutter to the floor around her feet. She was very aware that she was walking a dangerous line with threatening responses such as that, but she simply found that her exasperation was what was driving her behaviour at that moment rather than her sensibility. The only thing that caused the brunette to falter slightly was the officer's threat of reporting her negligence, which only pushed her anger further.

"Negligence? Are you joking?" Kaya's tone darkened. "And if I'd have sent an unfinished case to you, you wouldn't have pulled us up for that too and picked apart the gaps you hadn't given us chance to fill?" Although her reasons for not reporting Nicholas to a higher authority straight away were not altogether innocent, Kaya knew the rules and procedures of the organisations like the back of her hand, which also meant that she was particularly talented at finding loopholes that she could use to her advantage and to the advantage of the team. It was clear from the moment that she had taken up her role as Group X's leader that you couldn't be altogether 'straight' in the job to get what you wanted. Of course, Kaya's actions had never been so extreme that she could be considered criminal, but often she had to work her way around the ridiculous guidelines that were set out by the MCB, simply because they weren't practical.

"Then I suppose you'll have to take me in too," she offered, watching as the two men moved towards her. There was no way she was letting them take Nicholas away without some kind of fight. She didn't care what trouble that might land her in; part of her knew that she would be partly protected by the deal she had with Director Kramer. However, before she could act any further, Kaya noticed movement behind the two men as Nicholas was ushered closer to the van. She read his body language before he began his resistance and instinctively, she called out to him. "Nick, don't!" But it was too late. As the struggle broke out, Kaya was faced with her own as two large sets of hands grabbed the top of her arms in an attempt to restrain her. She acted quickly as she allowed a burst of invisible energy to flash from her, releasing the male's hands from her skin as he was pushed backwards by Kaya's forcefield. The brunette knew that Lucas was with her and hoped he could hold the two off as she ran towards where she could now see Nicholas on the ground. There was a look of horror reflected in her eyes as she took in the evil laughter of the officers and their prior actions of cruelty. She thought she had put a stop to this kind of inhumane behaviour and she suddenly felt a wave of sickness wash through her as she was sent back to Helix in her memories, and all of the times she had been made to watch Nicholas being tortured over and over again.

Quickly, Kaya moved herself in between Nicholas and the officers who taunted him, their expressions of surprise soon melting away into something more sinister. "What the hell is wrong with you all?" She hissed at them, her shield fizzing around her fingertips. "I could report you for behaviour like that. You know that the use of undue force is banned in our organisations."
"What was undue about that?" One of the officers replied nonchalantly. "He resisted. It's no less than what he deserves. Now move. We need to get him into the van." Kaya watched as the group seemed to close in around them, but her stance didn't falter. It was a strange sight to see her defending a criminal so passionately and she knew that there would probably be many more questions for her to deal with later, but right now Kaya's main priority was ensuring that the extraction did not happen. She could deal with everything else when she knew that Nicholas was safe.

Without really thinking about it, Kaya pulsed out her shield to encase the space around both her and Nick, which stopped the group from getting any closer. "Do you know what you're doing?" One of the agents asked her then. "The Director will have your job for this." Kaya simply smirked at that statement, she wasn't about to let the threat of Lewis Kramer bother her. She knew full well that he certainly would not have her job, the MCB had much more to lose if they lost her, than she did. "Are you sure about that? Let's ask him, shall we?" Kaya pulled her mobile from her pocket and quickly pulled up Kramer's number, before pressing the phone to her ear. She could feel the tension that was surging through the air; she had momentarily forgotten that Nicholas was her prisoner and potentially he could have used this opportunity to get the better of her. She was putting her trust in the collar around his neck and the cuffs around his wrists, but at the same time she didn't see him as her captive in that moment. He was simply Nicholas and she needed to ensure that he was safe. After only three rings, the director's languid voice sounded in Kaya's ear, the brunette inhaling momentarily as she tried to consider how she should work her request.

"It's Kaya," she spoke after a moment, glad that her voice sounded much calmer than she felt. After a short pause, she continued. "I've just turned up at MIB and your team are attempting to extract Nicholas Britton from our custody. I have not finished with the case yet, Lewis, you cannot remove him until we have completed our interrogations." Kaya could hear a stifled groan on the end of the line that clearly informed the brunette that Kramer was simply too busy to deal with her now, which ultimately she thought might work in her favour. Although this situation felt bigger to her, to Kramer this was just another rogue mutant in a long line of rogue mutants that he had to deal with. It wasn't really worth his time, his role came into play much further down the line of captivity, when experimentation became more pronounced. "I have been informed that Mr Britton is an S level mutant, Miss Reid, is this not true?"
"Yes that is true, but that doesn't mean you can take him without my consent. If you'd have bothered to follow the correct procedures yourself, you'd know that we can hold a mutant of that power for up to five days, pending interrogation. You have no right to remove him. Our questioning is supposed to make it easier for your team when the time eventually comes for you to transfer him."
Kaya listened to the short silence on the other end of the line. "I haven't got time for this, Miss Reid. Mr Britton will be brought into the MCB today, with or without your consent. He is simply too dangerous to be held anywhere else." At this statement, Kaya felt her heart sink. It would take more than a simple negotiation to change their trajectory, that much was clear.

"I will not, stay in a job, where my actions are constantly undermined by a team of humans." The disgust was evident in Kaya's tone. "I would just like to remind you Kramer, of the deal we struck six years ago. If I quit, that means I no longer have to uphold my part of the bargain, which could prove pretty disastrous for your team, don't you think?"
"Are you threatening me, Miss Reid?"
"That depends, Kramer, on whether you can hear what I'm saying to you. It is in our best interests to keep Mr Britton, here at HQ for a little while longer. You need to trust me on this, I'm making the right call." There was a further pause on the end of the line and Kaya found that despite herself, she was holding her breath, as the eyes of the group watched her intently. Kaya knew that it was a risky move, she couldn't truly go up against the government on her own. But she also knew that she held a lot of secrets that could ultimately undo their many years of hard work to rewrite their public image to both humans and mutants alike. Coming from the Reid family, Kaya had witnessed many secrets and misdemeanours at the hands of the government, so as much as she was of use to them, she was also somewhat of a liability.

"Very well, Miss Reid. Mr Britton may stay in your custody, for three more days and three more days only. That will take you to the five days, as you mentioned. I'll call the order through now." Kaya exhaled with relief as she glanced at Nicholas, before Kramer's voice caught her attention again. "Oh, and Miss Reid? Your closeness to this case hasn't gone unnoticed. I would tread very carefully, if I were you. Your clearance will be reinstated from now, and your leave will be cancelled, but I would maybe take this opportunity to check in with your team, as they seem to have some concerns about your professionalism." And with that Kramer disconnected the call.
 
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The desecration of the warrant was so disrespectful and out of character for Kaya that Lucas wouldn't have believed it had he not witnessed it personally. It was clear that the MCB agents were just as shocked at Kaya's sudden display of insolence. However, it didn't take long for the shock to turn into vexation as the faces of the agents twisted with contempt. Although the MIB and the MCB have always had their differences, Kaya had never before displayed such insubordinate behavior towards them, especially when it involved a direct order from the higher chain of command.

A cold sweat passed down the male's back as he observed the standoff between Kaya and the MCB. Lucas was growing more nervous by the second as he wondered over just how far Kaya was willing to go to stop the prisoner transfer. At this point, it looked as if nothing was off the table. Lucas could tell that the other agents were thinking the same thing as more and more started to congregate around the group. Some could be seen reaching into their suits for what can only be assumed to be their firearms. Of course, Kaya is nowhere as stupid as to use force but it would seem that the MCB wasn't taking any chances.

What surprised Lucas the most was the fact that the MCB had taken over cases prematurely multiple times in the past but never before did Kaya oppose them so strongly. Despite the fact that Kaya was well informed on the rules and loopholes that governed the two bureaus, she'd never bothered to invoke them as she did not want to deteriorate the relationship between the two branches further. For her to throw all that concern away was daunting for Lucas. There's no doubt that Nicholas was the main reason for Kaya's vehement resistance. If Lucas was to ask her later on, Kaya would likely try to justify her action as being for the good of the team as a whole. But Lucas knew better than to fall for that lie like his teammates likely would. It was becoming more and more apparent to Lucas that Nicholas Britton still held a sacred place within Kaya's heart.

Lucas' inner monologue was shattered by disturbance originating from the van. A struggle had broken out between Nicholas and the guards that were escorting him. Lucas watched as Kaya rushed headfirst towards the commotion. Naturally, the agents attempted to stop her but she was able to easily bypass them through the utilization of her shield. Fearing a further escalation of tensions, Lucas moved to stop Kaya from reaching the van. Ironically enough, his path was. blocked by the same agents whose arrivals he had orchestrated. It was clear that they did not get the memo regarding Lucas' cooperation.

"Out of my way!" Lucas exclaimed in an exasperated tone as he easily shoved the agents off of him. Lucas would make it to Kaya's side just in time to witness the grisly sight of a man being shocked to convulsion while his overseers laughed in unison. Lucas couldn't help but feel pity towards Nicholas and disgust against those whose laughter continued to fill the air. Although electrocution was a feature included in all of the power collars, Lucas and his team were taught to use it in moderation. Even during the battle with Nicholas at the Marks' home, there wasn't a single instance where this feature was activated. The lack of restraint or sympathy shown by these MCB agents sent a foreboding chill down Lucas' spine. If these men were committing such heinous acts out in broad daylight, there's no telling what they're capable of in the dark. The thought that the MIB have been sending mutants to these people only disgusted Lucas even more. Although many of those people, such as Nicholas, deserved to be punished for their actions, no one is worthy of being subjected to such inhumanity.

Even with Kaya's criticism, the agents did not stop the electrocution until a few seconds after. The shock had left Nicholas semi-conscious but alive nevertheless, which was all that really mattered to them. "See? He's still breathing. Sometimes you just have to give these people a lesson or two so that they'll learn."

The tension in the air was suffocating, to say the least. The eyes of every MCB agent was now focused on Lucas and Kaya. For a moment, Lucas feared a breakout in violence. There's no telling what the consequences of that would be. He would undoubtedly protect Kaya without a second thought but the true issue lies in the guilt that he would fear in the aftermath. After all, he had just as much to do with what's happening now than Kramer. If Kaya was to be hurt because of it, Lucas would never forgive himself.

"Agent Reid has gone mad!" Declared one of the agents as he drew his firearm. His action was mirrored by all his other colleagues who all turned their guns towards Kaya and Lucas. "Agent Reid, you should know that anyone who attempts to intercept a high-risk transport is subject to the use of deadly force." The same agent warned as he tightened his grip over his gun.

"Stop this right now, agents! Do you know what you are all doing?!" Lucas exclaimed loudly as to marched beside Kaya in protest. If violence was to break out, he would fight by her side just like he'd always done. It would be nothing more than just another mission.

Fortunately for them both, it would not come to that. As Kaya pulled out her phone and dialed the Director, Lucas and the agents stood in anticipation as the two conversed. Lucas could hear the anger radiating from the other line. Director Kramer never liked being challenged on his decisions. That could very well be why he and Kaya never got along so well. He saw all of his words as being executive orders that are not to be challenged. The man may very well be the worse kind of man to have as your superior, but there's no doubt that he's more than qualified for his position. The man is as cunning as he is ruthless and experienced. Ironically enough, he's the exact type of high classed individual that Nicholas and many other mutants sought to overthrow: cruel and heartless.

Which was why Lucas became astonished by how easily Kramer had given in to Kaya's demands. He was a man who likes to make his own rules rather than follow them. A man like him has rarely any fear over any repercussions coming back to him (as long as it's within a reasonable level). Matters regarding "rights" and "codes" are rather insignificant to people like Kramer. Such bylaws were established as more of a front rather than something that they'd intended to follow through. Even so, Kaya was somehow able to persuade the man otherwise. Perhaps it had to do with the "bargain" that she'd mentioned briefly in the conversation. Yet, another thing that Lucas didn't know about.

There was a brief period of uncertain silence following the end of the call. Lucas and Kaya both still had firearms pointed at them and Nicholas was still a prisoner of the MCB. However, that soon changed as a message came through on the agents' headsets. Each of them could be seen listening in to what was likely a follow-up order. One by one, the agents lowered their weapons and scattered for their individual vehicles. As for the two agents that'd spoken to Kaya and Lucas first, each of them would flash the duo an intense glare before disappearing into their vehicles. Those who were in charge of transporting Nicholas had simply left him on the ground with just as little care as before. As for the mutant himself, Nicholas had fallen unconscious as a result of the electrocution. As all of his powers had become suppressed, he'd become rather vulnerable to the intense voltage.

Not long after the MCB men had departed, Lucas wasted no time in berating Kaya. "What were you thinking, Kay?! Those men were ready to kill you." What made the male mad more was the reason for her strong defiance in the first place. Lucas himself was bewildered at how prepared the men were in the case of resistance. The fact that they were armed wasn't much of a surprise given their high-security job. The real shock lies in how quickly they were prepared to take a life.

A few moments later, the rest of their team also arrived at the back. "Are you guys ok?" Beth asked in a concerned matter. Although her question was directed towards both Kaya and Lucas, her true target lied in the latter. '

"Those bastards wouldn't let us come back here earlier but they just all of a sudden left."

"Yea, what did you guys say to them?"
 
To say that Kaya was shaken by the event of the attempted extraction was an understatement, as the brunette breathed a sigh of relief when the firearms were lowered from her and Lucas, the agents that had been surrounding them dispersing with nothing less than a threatening glare. She simply returned this with her own look of disgust as they eventually pulled away in their vehicles, leaving her alone momentarily with Lucas and an unconscious Nicholas on the ground. As Lucas yelled at her, she kept her expression steady, her jaw set in stubbornness as she crouched down to ensure that Nicholas was actually still breathing. For a moment she just looked at him and took in his features that were no longer twisted by hatred in the innocence of sleep, before she blinked herself back into the present and stood to face the other male who was next to her. "They wouldn't have killed me." She answered Lucas simply but didn't give him much more of an explanation past that. She wanted to feel his concern in that moment as he looked at her, but she simply found that she couldn't, and where usually she might have felt guilty for putting Lucas in the position that she did, currently she couldn't be sure that he wasn't responsible for what had happened in the first place.

For a long while she simply studied Lucas with brown eyes that were unfathomable, before they were interrupted by the rest of the group joining them. Kaya felt a sadness in her expression as she watched and heard them approaching, something that had been brought on by none other than Kramer's final words to her, before he'd called in the order for his agents to pull back. She was sure that he had told her that one of their group had rang in the request in an attempt to both warn and bother her and she hated to admit that he had succeeded on both counts. The idea that one of her team had undermined her in such a way knocked the brunette towards sickness. At the end of the day they were the people that she considered to be her family and if they didn't trust her then she didn't know what that meant for the future of Group X, which seemed like a dramatic thought but in that moment Kaya was sure that this could damage them beyond repair.

"We're fine," she answered Beth without a smile, her eyes flicking to Lucas briefly before they landed on Thea as she went to answer her question. "They just needed reminding that we have five days to finish our interrogations. I am so sick of the MCB thinking they can undermine us." Kaya voiced her frustration in an attempt to explain what had happened without revealing the true reason for her behaviour, which she wasn't even sure of herself. "I think this could be a really good case for us to learn from," she continued then, this time her offering a small smile to the group. "So it didn't make sense for them to take Nicholas before our time with him is up."

"But why did they turn up to take him now? And the removal of our phones... They've never done that before." Thea's expression was etched with concern; Kaya could see her mind mulling over the possibilities.

"Honestly? I think someone called in a complaint, or some kind of concern report. That's why they came today." A silence seemed to hush around the group then as glances were passed between the five of them that seemed to say a lot without saying anything at all. For the most part, Kaya could see confusion on their faces, all except for Lucas who seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"It doesn't make sense," Isaac frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know. I'd like to find out though." Kaya's voice held a sternness that had an intention of nothing more than masking her hurt. She had always prided herself on leading their group, to the best of her ability and for someone to question that caused her more pain than she cared to admit. The fact that it could have been one of her friends only sought to plunge the knife in further.

With a small sigh then as she could feel another tension headache brewing behind her eyes, Kaya ran a hand through her dark hair and shifted so that Nicholas, who was still laying on the floor came into sight of her teammates. "Isaac, Beth? Would you mind helping Nicholas to the infirmary? He took a pretty nasty shock from those idiots back there." The two simply nodded their heads quietly as they made their way towards the unconscious form, Isaac doing most of the lifting to allow Beth to help him by tugging Nicholas's arm over her shoulders, Isaac then taking the other arm. As they attempted to move him away from the group, Kaya then turned to Thea who was watching her leader with a concerned expression. "You don't look so good," she offered softly, a comment which almost caused Kaya to falter, but instead she managed to breathe through the sudden wave of emotion that was washing through her. "I'm okay, honestly. Talking to Kramer just isn't the nicest way to start a day." She offered a small smile in Thea's direction as she avoided Lucas's gaze completely. "Thea would you mind making sure that the team's phones were left at reception? And that Nicholas's cell is ready for his return?" Thea nodded then as she briefly reached out a hand to squeeze Kaya's arm before making her way back inside, leaving Kaya and Lucas alone together for the first time since they had left his apartment earlier that morning.

"Thank you for your help back there," she said to him quietly, trying to catch his gaze with her own."I... I think we need to talk. Let's go to my office." She didn't wait to hear his response as she turned away from him, making her way inside.

As they wound their way through the corridors and open offices of the building, Kaya thought briefly back to what they had just experienced and tried to repress a shudder at the image of the agent flooring Nicholas with his fist before ramming the electrocution device into his neck. This wasn't the first time that Kaya had experienced watching something like that and if anything she had seen much worse, but what concerned her was the fact that she had thought she had put a stop to behaviour like that when she'd struck the deal with Kramer, six years ago. She thought back to all of the mutants her team had handed over to MCB and she was taken by a wave of nausea at the idea that what her parents had been doing all of those years ago was still active practice today. This wasn't what she had signed up for when she had joined Group X but she wondered if she really did have any power to put a stop to it completely. She could threaten to leave as she had just done and spill the secrets she had agreed to keep, but ultimately, she was no match against the power of the government, she was just one person on her own and a mutant at that. She could probably do more good in her position now than she could if she left. Plus, there was no mistaking that there was a part of Kaya that was absolutely terrified of losing everything that had become familiar to her, for the second time in her life.

As they eventually came to the door of her office, in the basement where their team had been relegated to, Kaya opened the door and stepped inside, clicking it shut once both her and Lucas were inside. Usually she would take a seat at her desk or move around him without much thought, but right now there was too much tension rolling through her for her to be able to do anything other than just stand in front of him, her arms folded as her gaze fixed onto his.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?"
 
It was rather common knowledge that most mutants of the MIB had struck some sort of deal with the government in exchange for their services. These bargains ranged from something as simple as providing the mutant with financial support to deeper leveled agreements such as Kaya’s. However, after what Lucas had just witnessed earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder if Kaya’s assurance was accurate.

Just as Lucas was about voice his concern further, he was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of their team. Lucas felt a surge of anxiety through his body as his teammates began to debate on the event that’d just occurred. Although the MCB had prematurely taken suspects off of the MIB’s hands multiple times, Thea was right when he pointed out the protocols used by the rival bureau today was rather odd.

Lucas’ blood ran cold when he’d heard Kaya voice her suspicions that someone in the team had called it in. His eyes glanced towards Kaya several times. Each time he could see the gears within the female’s head turning as she attempted to piece the clues together. Given the unusual circumstances, her theory was probable. Especially because Kramer had stated it himself in the phone call. Fortunately for Lucas, Kramer had never told Kaya a name nor was there any evidence that what he’d said to her was truthful in the first place. As long as Lucas bite on to his fainted ignorance, there’s no way that any of this could be traced back to him.

At the mentioning of Nicholas, Lucas’ eyes darted to the unconscious body that had been left on the concrete earth by the MCB. Of the two, Isaac would be the one to check Nicholas’ pulse. Given the fact that he had been electrocuted not long ago, his body could very well still be charged. Isaac’s powers over earth allows makes him the best candidate to initiate the first contact.

Placing his fingers by Nicholas‘ neck, Isaac could feel a faint pulse, signaling that he is indeed still alive. With a nod towards Beth, the two would lift Nicholas onto to his feet and help him towards the infirmary. Thea would follow the duo into the building shortly after in accordance to Kaya’s request to check for the team’s phone. Unknown to all three of them, a new wave of tensions was already starting to build up.

Kaya’s request to speak to him privately did not sit right with Lucas at all. The coldness in Kaya’s voice was all that the male needed to know that something had went wrong. As he blindly followed the female towards her office, Lucas was brainstorming every excuse imaginable in preparation for an inevitable questioning. Kaya hasn’t become team leader for nothing. Her detective abilities were second to none and Lucas knew that more than anyone. If he was right and Kaya was indeed suspecting him, then Lucas would have to be more than prepared.

“What?” Lucas replied back in fake disbelief. It wasn’t a necessarily hard start to the questioning and Lucas felt somewhat relieved to the lack of evidence that could tie him to his dealings with the MCB. For all he know, she was simply targeting him because he’d been with her all day. He’ll just have to believe that Kaya’s intentions was to speak to all of her teammates and not just him. “I’ve been with you all morning, Kay. There’s no way that I would know anymore than you do.” The male added on as he took a spot by the wall. Leaning against the hard surface, Lucas crossed his arms in an effort to give off a innocent and calm persona.

“What makes you think that anyone of us was involved anyways? You know how Kramer is. He’ll say anything to make things go his way.” Lucas’ argument was rather logical when viewed from an unbiased standpoint. Kramer had always been manipulative, which was another reason that members of Group X never got along with him. Even Lucas himself often avoided dealing with the Director unless necessary.

Meanwhile, Beth and Isaac had successfully delivered Nicholas to the infirmary. Seconds after placing the mutant on to one of the beds, the two would see a blonde haired female rush over from the other side of the room. Everyone of Group X knew of the blonde well. She’s the nurse that was specifically delegated to Group X and have since become an important member of the team. Although Lucie isn’t officially a member of Group X, everyone always treated her as if she is part of the team already.

“Is this the mutant?” Lucie asked the two with a curious tone. Like most of Reander, Lucie have saw the horrific image of the burning building on the news. As a nurse and someone whose very passion is to help the injured, seeing all those people die helplessly was beyond heartbreaking. One couldn’t imagine how relieved she was when she’d received news that the team had successfully captured Nicholas. Although some had criticized Kaya’s team for allowing him to escape the first time, Lucie was one of the few that was willing to look at it at a more passive point of view.

“Yep, that’s him. Kaya and Lucas wrestled him from those bastards. He’s in pretty bad shape.”

“What happened to him?”

“Not sure. He was already unconscious when me and Beth got there. Kaya said that those suits shocked him pretty good.”

Lucie was bewildered upon hearing of Isaac’s recap on Nicholas’ condition. Although she understood the importance and purpose of the shock feature on the power collars, Lucie (like many) has always been vehemently against their usage. As a nurse, she has a first hand look at just how devastating those electrocutions could do to a person’s body. Most people think that just because they have healers, it meant that they could dish out as much harm as they would like. However, there have been cases in the past where mutants have died from electrocution long before any healers could get to them. Not every mutant have the same durability but that’s rarely taken into account.

As with standard procedure, Lucie would give Nicholas a body wide scan. The results were rather daunting. “He’s lucky to be alive. Most people would’ve died from the level of shock those people gave him.” Lucie couldn’t imagine how long Nicholas had to endure the torture. Had he not been a S classed mutant, there’s no doubt that his heart would’ve stopped beating from the high end voltage.

Wasting no more time, the blonde hovered her hands over Nicholas’ chest. Closing her eyes, she released a faint yellow glow from the palms of her hands as they shined down upon the unconscious mutant’s body. Gradually, Nicholas’ damaged muscles were beginning to heal and his heart was energized once more. The entire process took less than a minute but the toll that it took on Lucie was great.

“Alright, he’ll live.”

“Thank you, you’re the best.” Beth thanked the nurse who responded with a smile before rushing to the next patient.

“Lets get him back in his cell before he wakes up.”
 
As Lucas replied to Kaya, with a tone that clearly suggested he wasn't happy with where Kaya was leading with her question, she simply studied him for a long while, a little like she would do to a criminal in an interrogation. There was no doubting that she had switched into work mode on a surface level, but underneath the front she was putting on, Kaya could feel her heart racing. She wanted nothing more than for Lucas to tell her that her assumptions were incorrect and that he had nothing to do with Kramer calling in the call to take Nicholas in, and for her to actually believe him. Unfortunately however, the latter part of this statement wasn't currently the case and Kaya needed to ensure that she knew the truth so that they could move forwards within the team successfully. She wasn't so sure that the same could be said for their personal arrangement however.

Letting a small sigh escape her lips, Kaya shifted her weight and momentarily turned her back to Lucas as she pinched the bridge of her nose to try and ease the tension that was starting to build both behind her eyes and in the room around them. She listened to him try to explain that he'd been with her all morning and try to convince her that Kramer was probably just mouthing off, but these explanations only seemed to reinforce the idea that Lucas was behind the whole thing. If he hadn't played any part in it, Kaya was sure his initial reaction would probably have been one of hurt that she even suspected him in the first place, rather than him rushing to find some kind of explanation that proved his innocence.

"Kramer might be manipulative, but he wouldn't tell an outright lie." Kaya sighed then as she moved to take a seat behind her desk, finally coming back round to look at Lucas now that there was some distance between them. Kaya knew that this conversation couldn't be as straight forward as it might have been with some of the other members of their team, because Lucas was too invested in them, too invested in her, which only sought to increase her anxiety around the inevitability of the argument that was about to follow. After a long moment, Kaya managed to pull her brown eyes up to meet Lucas's gaze, a coldness reflected there, which acted as a good indicator to the fact that she had closed herself off to the one person who she had learned to become a little more vulnerable around.

"Why are you lying to me?" She asked, her voice soft. At least if Lucas had owned up to his actions she could have battled to find some kind of redemption in what he'd done. But as it stood now, Kaya simply couldn't see past the hurt of his betrayal. "This morning at the apartment, you told me that you hadn't spoken to Kramer. But you were trying to get me to stay there with you. You know that Kramer is the only one who can approve our leave, so how is it that you had the day off today if you hadn't spoken to him? And conveniently, you just so happened to be on leave when I was granted it too?" As she spoke, Kaya could feel her voice growing a little louder the more that she got carried away with the details and she could feel that she was growing closer to losing it with every word that left her mouth. The brunette paused for a moment as she considered this, taking a steady inhale against the heat that she could feel creeping up her neck. She knew that it wouldn't do either of them any good if she didn't remain calm right now and so Kaya attempted to swallow back some of her emotion before continuing.

"It's far too convenient that on the day that the MCB decides to extract Nicholas from our custody, that I'm told not to come into the office, my team's phones are removed so they can't contact me and you suddenly seem desperate not to let me leave your flat." Kaya's eyes held a kind of burning intensity as she threw these accusations Lucas's way. "But what I can't figure out..." She continued again after a moment, her voice a little quieter this time. "Is why? Why would you do that to us Luke? Why would you do that... to me?"

Meanwhile, back in the medical unit, Isaac and Beth moved to support Nicholas's weight so that they could transport him back into his cell before he woke up. It didn't take too long for them to get him there as they gently laid him down on the bed in the corner of the room, checking that his cuffs and collars were still secure after the shock he had received before then locking up the area and leaving him to it. On their way back to the main office, the two bumped into Thea who handed each of them their phones that she had just picked up from reception a few moments ago. "Thanks Thea," Isaac said to her as he slipped the device back into his pocket.
"The receptionist was really reluctant to hand them over," Thea answered him after a second, her silver gaze flicking between her two teammates. "She had to ring the MCB to get it authorised."
"That is just... weird," Beth observed with a frown. "I know that the MCB like to undermine us but nothing about this adds up. Why were they so keen for us not to contact Kaya?" As the three looked between them for some kind of answer, they find that none of them could logically explain it and so a silence ensued briefly before Isaac eventually broke it. "Come on, let's get back to the office."

As the three did make it back into the basement however, what they hadn't been expecting to see was the sight of Lucas and Kaya in her office, seemingly engaged in some kind of heated discussion. Although they couldn't really make out exactly what was being said, it was clear from the pair's body language that whatever it was, wasn't anything positive. "Lover's tiff?" Isaac asked sheepishly after a moment, to which Thea replied to him with a whack on the shoulder. "Come on, we shouldn't just stand and watch. If they need us, they know where we are."
 
It quickly became clear that Kaya’s deductive skills far surpassed the precautions that Lucas had taken. He should’ve expected so given the limited amount of time that he had in the planning of the arrangement with Kramer. He could only listen as Kaya tore his defense apart piece by piece. Lucas had always been transparent with his team and was never the type to lie to them about anything. Unfortunately for him, his accustom to honesty is what’d created all those holes in his story.

Like Kaya, Lucas was trained to mask any anxiety or emotions. This skill helped greatly during situations of extreme pressure. But no amount of training could help him counter against someone who knows him as well as Kaya.

It seemed like Kaya was piecing clues together as she went. The more she spoke, the more convinced she was becoming of Lucas’ guilt. It was only when she’d asked him the question of “why” that Lucas finally broke. He felt a sudden compulsion to explain himself. Not because of guilt but because of the fear of Kaya misunderstanding his intentions. If she’d already made up her mind that Lucas had betrayed her, he needed to let her know exactly why.

“Because of that mutant.” Lucas responded in a sharp tone. His expression grew stern as he lifted himself from against the wall to approach Kaya from across the desk. “Ever since that man appeared, it’s like you’d become a whole another person.” Lucas had many examples to back his argument. These ranged from when Kaya had first allowed Nicholas to escape to her breakdown during the interrogation. And now, by confronting the MCB, she’d only gave Lucas and those that despise her even more ammunition against her.

“I’ve never seen you go against Kramer’s orders before. Sure you’ve disagreed with him in the past...we all did...but you said it yourself that it’s better to just follow orders and ask questions later. Have you forgotten that? Did that man’s appearance suddenly make you decide to throw all of your codes out the window?” It quickly became apparent that Lucas had many grievances built up within him in regards to Nicholas. To him, the renegade mutant’s close proximity to Kaya would only poison her mentally. That could explain why Lucas had made the arrangement with Kramer in the first place. He wholeheartedly believed that by getting rid of Nicholas, Kaya would become free from the fog that was currently clouding her judgement.

“I didn’t do it for for those bastards at MCB or for Kramer. I did it for you, Kay.” It was clear that Lucas had meant what he said. His growing voice underscored the piling of emotions within him. Everything he did up to this point, from making the first phone call to Kramer to trying to stall Kaya, it was all for her. “This case will only hurt you as long as you’re close to it. You said that you’ll remain impartial but that’s obviously not possible. You proved that just minutes ago.” There’s no way that a person could remain unbiased when dealing with the man who’d killed their parents. The same goes for Kaya, whose outburst during the interrogation had shown to both Lucas and Nicholas that her trauma remained ever so fresh.

“He’s a terrorist, Kay! He should be treated like one!” Lucas exclaimed as as he spread his hands around the edges of the desk. It‘s clear from Lucas’ increasing volume that he was allowing his emotions to slowly usurp his mind. Ironically, he’s allowing himself to be consumed in the same way as Kaya. His judgement of Nicholas was also biased and dramatically influenced by his growing distaste for the mutant. Lucas wasn’t completely unaware of his hypocrisy. Except to him, his vision of Nicholas remained accurate despite his personal vendettas towards him. No matter how one sees it, Nicholas Britton is a terrorist, a murderer, and most of all, he’s someone who will never stop hurting people.

The MCB’s very purpose is to house and contain dangerous mutants such as Nicholas. That was the whole reason for its creation two decades ago. So it only seemed logically that they would be called forth if the MIB ever encounters a great threat. “Please, Kaya. Just let this case go. It’s for your own good.” Tightening his grip, Lucas’ eyes ignited with a vehement resolve as he tried his best to persuade Kaya out of her past.”

Normally, both Isaac and Beth would agree with Thea in regards to Lucas and Kaya’s privacy. However, given the current circumstance, it seemed rather odd that the couple would argue right after the team’s unpleasant encounter with the MCB. Beth especially couldn’t help but wonder if their argument may have something to do with what’d just occurred.

“It looks a little too heated for their typical quarrels.” Beth said. As much as she tried, the blonde found it difficult to stray her eyes away from the window of Kaya’s office. She, along with Isaac and Thea, watched as Lucas made his way towards Kaya’s table before the two entered into another heated dispute.

“Do you think it may have to do with the MCB?” Isaac asked curiously.

“Possibly but what do they have to argue over?” Beth responded. Even if Isaac was right about the subject of the argument, it still didn’t make sense as to why it would lead to a squabble. What does the MCB’s appearance have to do with either Kaya or Lucas? Just as Beth’s brain worked to find an answer to her question, she suddenly remembered what Kaya had said to the team earlier in regards to her suspicions. “Wait, you don’t think that it has to do with what Kaya said earlier do you? About the possibility that someone on the team had called the case in?”
 
Kaya watched as Lucas seemed to unravel in front of her, his expression as set as hers was. As she listened to what he had to say, her eyes never left his as they roamed over his features, taking in the setting of his jaw and the burning intensity behind his gaze. For a moment Kaya was surprised at the transformation that was happening in front of her; she had never seen Lucas look so unsettled. Sure, she'd seen him angry, although even that was a rare occurrence, but his anger had never been directed at her before and for a long while Kaya simply watched him as she tried to process what he was saying to her and what his words meant, despite the feeling of betrayal that was churning in her stomach. It was only when she found the volume of Lucas's voice to grow louder did the brunette stand from her desk and turn her back to him, her arms folded across her chest as though she was trying to give herself some kind of momentary comfort. There was a strange concoction of emotions running through Kaya's system and despite her trying to maintain a level of professionalism, she couldn't decide which to process first. The idea of Lucas going behind her back to none other than Kramer made her feel sick and she smacked her lips momentarily to try and get past the wave of nausea that this thought initiated. She had to make a decision on how exactly she was going to deal with this and she had to do it quickly as she heard a pressured silence falling around the office.

After a few moments, Kaya turned to face Lucas again, her features expressionless, all except for her eyes which held all of the hurt she currently felt in her heart. Despite hers and Lucas's arrangement and her insistent claims that there was to be no strings attached to them, Lucas had become the one person that really made Kaya feel anything and if she claimed to have no feelings towards him she would be lying. However, what Kaya had never expected was for Lucas to be the cause of the resentment that was currently trying to overwhelm her. Running a hand through her hair a couple of times, the brunette finally lifted her gaze back up to meet his. "My codes?" She said quietly after a moment, letting those two words hang in the air. "Are you really trying to tell me that my codes have gone out of the window right now?" Kaya's voice was cold as it cut through the silence. "And what about yours, Luke? How can you stand there and question my actions when yours have been questionable at best?"

For a short moment, Kaya continued to try and convince herself that there was no truth in Lucas's words and that she had been acting simply in the best interests of her team. However, deep down, she knew that what Lucas was saying was affecting her so much because there was some truth in them, no matter how much she tried to deny it. "I told you why I went against Kramer today and it had nothing to do with Nicholas himself. How many times have the MCB tried to extract a mutant from our custody without our say so? I am so sick of standing by and letting them walk all over the good work that we do here. It's a matter of principle Lucas, surely you can see that? Today was simply about making a stand against something that's been going on for far too long." Kaya let out a long exhale then as she tried to convince even herself of what she saying. However, it was as Lucas told her that he did it for her that the brunette's expression changed, darkened almost as the walls of the room seemed to close in on them a little more.

"Are you joking?" She asked after a moment, her voice shaking as she could feel a heart creeping up her neck. No matter how much she had tried to keep a lid on her emotions, Kaya could feel that lid slowly being prized upon with each word that left Lucas's mouth. "Are you trying to tell me that you betrayed me... for my own good?" She shook her head then, an incredulous smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Lucas, you are deluded if you thought for even a second that this was the best thing you could have done for me. I have already explained my actions to you and I'm not about to do it again. Everything that I have done here today is for the good of the team. I sacrificed myself, and my own position to ensure that we could finish this case, as we have been employed to do and that's all there is to it. But whilst we're on the topic of letting our emotions get the better of us, let's take a look at a prime example of that shall we?" Kaya moved to stand in front of him so that he had no choice but to look at her as she spoke. "You went behind my back Luke... You betrayed me to Kramer, of all people. He could have taken my job from me, do you know that? Was that a risk you were willing to take?" As she watched Lucas for his reaction, Kaya could feel her own voice growing in volume. "The whole time that we were together last night, you knew, didn't you? You knew what you'd done and yet you chose not to say a word. Why didn't come to me first? If I really mean as much to you as you say I do, then why was your first point of call the MCB and not me? Do you know how that makes me feel? How can I ever trust you again, Lucas? How am I supposed to work with someone who I know could betray me to my boss at the next possible opportunity?"

It was with this question that Kaya started to pace, she couldn't help herself as the tension rolled from her body. In her eyes, this was maybe the worst thing that Lucas could have done to her, to question her professionalism and her leadership, two things that meant more to her than most, which was a sad fact but a fact all the same. "I know better than anyone what Nicholas Britton is and what he's capable of, which means that I am best placed to see that he gets exactly what he deserves. But what doesn't make sense about this whole shitty mess, is why you didn't think I deserved the chance to do that?" Kaya stopped then, once again turning to face the man in front of her, her eyes considering him as though he was a stranger that she didn't quite recognise. "What is it about Nicholas that's getting under your skin so much, Luke? If this was any other mutant, could you stand there and tell me that you'd have done the same?"

As the conversation seemed to grow more heated between the two, even Thea turned her head towards Kaya's office, as did the rest of the mutants around her. It was unusual to see Kaya or Lucas lose their cool, but it was even more unusual to see them lose it at each other. Isaac looked over at Beth as she theorised about why they might be arguing and nodded his head slowly. "You don't think that...?"
"It was Lucas?" Thea cut in then as she rejoined them both, unable to keep the anxiety from her voice as she stood behind them, watching Kaya pace in between the blinds that covered the windows to the room. Thea had never been one for revelling in other people's dramas, but as she had tried to concentrate on her files, the raised voices that seemed to echo around the room had continued to pull her from her concentration.
"No way," Beth shook her head at the two. "Come on you guys, you know as well as I do that Lucas wouldn't do that. Especially not to us... and not to Kaya."
"Well if Lucas didn't, then that means that one of us probably did." The two girls looked at Isaac with surprise. "Who else has been working on this case except for us? Why would anybody else have reason to call in a concern report for a case they had nothing to do with? And I can tell you right now that one thing's for sure, it wasn't me who made the call to Kramer."
"It wasn't me, either," Beth chimed in.
"Or me." Thea nibbled on her bottom lip as she considered what they were saying, before the three of them seemed to fall into a silence again, their gazes turning back to their two teammates in unison with nothing but worried confusion scattered across their features.
 
Kaya’s retort made Lucas pause for a second but the latter was quick to harden his stance again. It was true that he was going against his own code of loyalty for his team. He’d betrayed their trust, especially Kaya’s, by reaching out to Kramer. But in Lucas’ mind, such a betrayal was justified by the very reasons that he’d stated moments earlier. If Kaya continues to work on this case, there’s no telling how much it’ll hurt her in the end. She may be acting strong and willful but Lucas have witnessed first hand regarding just how mentally draining it is for her to work on this case.

“It’s more than just principle at this point, Kaya. Why can’t you just admit that you’ve become emotionally attached to this case?” Lucas had never once blamed Kaya for growing attached to their current case. After hearing of her and Nicholas’ past, Lucas understood as to why Kaya needed to find answers. But that same drive is what’ll ultimately lead to her downfall if she’s allowed to continue on like this. Lucas could see that her connection to this case is slowly eating her inside and it’s only a matter of time before her past completely devours her whole.

“Our job is to investigate and capture criminals. We’ve done that so it’s only right that we hand it over to the MCB now.” Lucas argued as he removed his hand from the desk. Standing stirgsht, he turned to his right to face Kaya, who’d approached him from her position behind the desk. He then proceeded to look into her eyes with a serious glance as his volume rose to match hers. “That mutant’s power is out of our league, Kay. Our whole team almost died trying to take him down.” Although the team did succeed in taking down Nicholas, it had not been easy. One can argue that luck had played a role in their lack of casualties or severe injuries. Next time, they may not be so lucky.

”But you’re right, I wouldn’t have done this had it been anyone else.” He answered strongly while ignoring Kaya’s question regarding his personal vendetta towards Nicholas. The tension in the room was palpable and it was only growing more thick with every exchange. “But he’s not just ‘any other mutant’. Have you forgotten all the people he has killed? Have you forgotten the destruction he has caused?” Lucas’ hands tightened into fists as images of the dead flooded his mind. He remembered seeing a family huddled in the corner of their room. They’d passed out from the smoke and by the time that Lucas got to them, it was already too late to stop the suffocation.

“It’s because of how close you are to him that you can’t work on this. Your emotions have already blinded your judgement many times because of him. And don’t try to deny it. I’ve seen how much his words were affecting you yesterday during interrogation.” Part of Lucas knew that there was more to this then his worries for Kaya. He’d seen first hand of the damages and destruction that Nicholas Britton had caused. A man like him don’t deserve the mercy that Kaya have given him. He needed to be contained at the highest of levels and be put on trial for his crimes.

“No, he wouldn’t. I’ve made sure that he wouldn’t have touched any of our positions.“ That had been one of the terms of agreement with Kramer. At the time, there was no telling whether or not Lucas could properly stall Kaya long enough. This prompted him to make a deal with Kramer to secure the jobs of both Kaya and the team in case any of them tried to oppose the transfer. “I’ve been putting you and the team first this whole time. The question is, have you?” Is Kaya’s actions really for the betterment of her team? Or is it simply to satisfy her own desires? As Lucas had stated, the longer that Nicholas Britton remains at MIB, the more danger the entire facility is in. It‘ll take only one simply malfunction of his collar to ignite chaos.

“You know full well that he’s too dangerous to be kept here.” The MIB had neither the equipment nor the security to hold high classes mutants long term. That’s why the MCB exists in the first place as their sole purpose is to contain mutants whose threat levels surpasses the typical criminals. In Lucas’ mind, it made every sense that Nicholas should be handed over to the MCB.

“I did what I had to do for the team....I did it for you. If that means that you can’t trust me anymore, then so be it.” Lucas’ eyes glistened with perseverance as he defended his stance against Kaya. He truly believed that what he’d done was for everyone’s best interests. If Kaya wasn’t so blinded by her past with Nicholas, perhaps she would’ve seen it too.

“Kay....” Lucas said in a soft tone as he held on to the side of Kaya’s arms. His touch was as gentle as it’d been the night before but the meaning behind it had changed. “Just let this case go, please.” The male gazed into Kaya’s eyes as his hands gently flowed down from her arm to her hands.

Of the three, Beth was most vehement in her disagreement with Thea regarding Lucas’ possible involvement in the matter. “It just doesn’t make sense why he would do that.” Given that neither of them have witnessed what Lucas had regarding Kaya and Nicholas’ interactions, it made sense as to why they were all confused towards this whole event. Everything seemed to had occurred randomly with no reasoning.

“There’s no reason that any of us would do something like that.” Isaac added. He also found it hard to believe that Lucas would stoop so low as to work with Kramer on the matter. Especially given his relationship with Kaya. In fact, he should be the last person they should suspect.

“I would rather believe that Kramer had made the whole thing up than believe that one of us had a role in all of this.” Beth exclaimed as she crossed her arms. She didn’t like how Thea had came out to accuse Lucas of being involved. Out of the entire team, he should be the last person of interest. Beth have witnessed the male’s past devotions to the MIB. He truly loved his job and protecting others. And most of all, he loved his team. There’s no reason why he would ever turn his back on that.

“Then what could they possibility be arguing about?” Thea asked with an arched eyebrow.

The silver haired female’s question was met by silence as all three simultaneously turned to gaze at the couple through the office window. It would appear that their argument had grown even more heated, much to the group’s perplexed minds.

“Should we do something to stop them?” Beth asked.

“You can. I’m not getting into the middle of that.” Isaac resounded.
 
Kaya could feel an intensity burning between herself and Lucas as they stared each other down; with each retort and each accusation, despite their close proximity they seemed to be moving further and further away from each other in terms of their levels of understanding. Despite her anger towards him in that moment, Kaya was surprised that Lucas was putting up such a stubborn front; it was usually her in that position with him relinquishing because he had grown to know her well enough to know that the more someone tried to force her into something, the less chances there were of her changing her mind. Kaya had always had that childish streak, Lucas considered and the more that she felt backed into a corner, the more she would start to lash out, such was the behaviour she was beginning to display now. However, that wasn't enough to stop him, not this time, not when he considered her life to be in danger.

"I am not emotionally attached!" She retorted, her hands dropping to her sides in exasperation. "I want to see the case through, yes. I want Nicholas to be given fair treatment like any other criminal, yes. I want our to team to be given the opportunity to see the whole case through, yes. But that is it. It isn't fair of you to accuse me of anything other than that Lucas. Maybe I did get a little... emotional in the interrogation, but wouldn't you? After you saw what Nicholas had done?" Kaya was trying to put a spin on the little show both her and Lucas had witnessed in the interrogation room, but they both knew full well that her reaction had been much more than just a fallout from the days events. Kaya sighed as she considered her futile attempt to convince Lucas that she wasn't attached to the case in any other way other than those that she had explained; he knew she had history with Nicholas after all. But admitting this to him meant admitting it to herself and Kaya simply wasn't prepared to do that because she didn't feel strong enough to. Seeing Nicholas again had undoubtedly taken it's toll on her, whether she realised that or not and she could feel her mental capacity shortening as she struggled to deal with the onslaught of emotions triggered by the events of the day.

"I'm surprised at you, Luke," Mia continued, this time a kind of scoffing tone to her voice. "We have always been about equality between mutants, no matter what ranking they are. I don't care how dangerous Nicholas is, he still deserves a full interrogation before he's shipped off into the system and we simply haven't given him that yet. If you don't agree with that then maybe you'd be better suited to the MCB than Group X. I'm sure Kramer wouldn't hesitate in rewarding you for your betrayal." Kaya crossed her arms then; even though she would never admit it, something inside of her had snapped. It was as if the realisation of what Lucas had done had finally hit her all at once and now her words held nothing more than an intent to hurt him as much as he had hurt her. "Did you see how the MCB treated Nicholas out there? Is that what you're happy to give mutants over too? Actually, you don't need to answer that Luke, that's probably exactly where you want Nick to be, isn't it?"

It was when Lucas started to reassure her that their jobs were safe that Kaya shook her head; he really had thought this whole thing through, hadn't he? It made her feel sick to think of him as that calculating, but his next words changed her thought trajectory completely. Brown eyes that had suddenly become unfathomable lifted to meet his then, Kaya's brow furrowing with creases. She could feel the sting of tears threatening to escape her as she thought through how her team had been hurt at the hands of Nicholas, over and over again. Was that really her fault? Was she responsible for their injuries because she had acted selfishly, and on impulse rather than as the leader that she had worked so hard to become? These were all too real considerations in her mind as she could feel panic rising in her throat, that she so desperately tried to contain by looking away from Lucas and back down at the floor. For a moment, she simply closed her eyes as she tried to get past the guilt that was threatening to swallow her up. She told herself over and over again that her actions had no other intent than to capture Nicholas and stop him from causing any further harm. Unfortunately for Kaya though there was a small part of her that knew this wasn't 100% true and it was this that was currently starting to eat her up inside.

Pulling her out of her sudden spiral though was the feeling of Lucas's hands on the top of her arms, that she now instinctively flinched away from. Kaya could already feel that her barrier had gone up as an instinctual reaction to try and protect herself from anymore hurt. Maybe at one point Lucas could have been considered as someone inside of that barrier, but this time he was firmly on the outside and she had no intention of letting him back in again. As she took a step back, away from his hold, the brunette met his gaze, all traces of hurt now gone from her eyes to be replaced with a stony resolve that she often took on when in the midst of a dangerous mission. "I think you should go, Luke. We're done here," she said to him softly. She didn't say anything more than that, simply because she didn't think that she needed to. If Lucas thought she was acting for her own emotional gain and couldn't lead their team safely anymore, then what else was there to say?

Beth hesitated as Isaac rounded the responsibility back on her, her pale gaze flickering back up to the office. She knew as well as the others did that it wasn't their place to get involved with whatever was going on between Lucas and Kaya, unless they really were arguing about the team. It was almost impossible to tell if this was the case however, as the walls did a good job of muffling the conversation, despite them being able to hear raised voices.

Whenever Kaya and Lucas had finished their conversation, the three quickly looked away as they heard the door swing open, hitting against the wall with a harsh slamming sound that caused most of the mutants in the room to look up from their desks. Again, the three seemed to pass glances between them, Beth immediately moving to her feet and giving chase to Lucas, Thea moving in the opposite direction towards Kaya's office. Isaac remained fairly happy sat exactly where he was for the time being.

Approaching with some kind of trepidation, Thea glanced into Kaya's office and gave a small knock on the door before she entered. Kaya herself was sat behind her desk again, staring at her computer but not really seeing it. Her vision was marred by tears but she continued to look at the screen as though she was reading what was there. "Are you okay?" Thea asked softly as she came to a stop in front of the desk. For a long while Kaya didn't say anything as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Eventually though, she did manage to flicker her gaze to the silver haired girl, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Not really," she answered with a small, sad smile.
"Can I ask what that was all about?" Slowly, Kaya nodded; she didn't know if it was best to tell the team about what Lucas had done right now but in that moment she simply needed to voice it out loud to ease the burden of what had just transpired. "It was him," the brunette answered her friend. "It was Lucas who spoke to Kramer."
 
Kaya was simply too preoccupied with worries over that mutant to leave room for Lucas’ logic. No matter what she claimed her motives to be, Lucas knew the truth. He left no room in his head for any of Kaya’s countering statements. He could see it in her eyes that all there was in her words were lies and denial. She’d allowed Nicholas and her emotions to take over her senses of judgement. Lucas even wondered if she had become so embroiled in her own delusions that she’d successfully convinced herself of her own lies. But one thing is for certain: The Kaya that he’s talking to is not the one that he’d fell in love with.

Kaya’s next statement made Lucas pause in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that she was genuinely telling him to join the MCB. After all that he and her had been through, she was willing to let such words escape her lips without so much as a second thought. Unlike Kaya, Lucas was more willing to vividly express his emotions and thought during their argument. His eyes widened briefly in response to her comment while his face twisted with exasperation and pain. Was what they had so fragile that it only took a simple mistake to shatter everything?

Lucas’ hands balled up into fists as he stared at Kaya blankly. At this point, it seemed like every thought that crossed her mind had something to do with that mutant. So much so that she was willing to go against both the MCB, Kramer, and Lucas to protect him. “You know damn well that I would never work for the MCB. This is where I belong. Everything I’ve done is for the team. I just wish that you‘re not too blinded to see that.”

Lucas just can’t seem to understand why that mutant held such a sacred place in her heart. He’d killed, destroyed, and ruined everything in his path. Even Kaya had fallen victim to his terror. So why? Why is Kaya still so hung up on him? Her arguments was that she wants to bring Nicholas to justice through the proper methods and channels, but Lucas knew that there’s more to that. There was just something about the way she acts in front of him that irks Lucas’ nerves. It wasn’t only hate that he could sense between the two. There was soemthing more. Much more.

“Is that the man you think I am, Kay?” Kaya’s suggestive remarks regarding Lucas’ hidden vendettas against Nicholas didn’t sit right with the male. His fists subconsciously tightened their grip in response to the insinuating accusations. He’d wanted the MCB to take Nicholas so that the latter wouldn’t have the chance to harm anyone again. Lucas have stated as such. But he could see in Kaya’s eyes that that’s not how she perceived it. She’s claiming that Lucas had orchestrated this entire event with Kramer out of some personal grievances against Nicholas. Such absurdity only made Lucas grow even more angry. “You should know better than anyone that I’m not like that.”

Lucas was too busy in his own thoughts to notice any hints of self loathe or guilt within Kaya. It’s likely that he didn’t even notice any emotional shifts within the female. That alone spoke volumes given that he and Group X have been trained relentlessly to detect such instances. Instead, all that he saw from her was dissent. When the brunette pulled away from his hold, the male did nothing to stop her. He simply stated at her with an aching heart before turning his back to her. Without a word, Lucas exited the room as requested before slamming the door behind him.

Lucas’ exit was witnessed by his team and many others in the vicinity. The male paid neither of them any heed as he rushed his way towards the main exit. The first to react was Beth who instinctly chased after the male while the other two partners simply stared in utter confusion.

“Lucas wait!” Beth cried out as she finally caught up to the male. Both were only a few feet away from the front doors but the female was able to stop Lucas in his tracks. However, she knew that this was only temporary as she could tell that the male was only moments away from barging out.

“What do you want?” Lucas asked in a low and mumbling voice. He did not turn to face Beth. He didn’t want the female to see that pain that he was struggling to hide. All that ran through the male’s mind was none other than his beloved partner and the words she’d said to him moments earlier.

“What happened in there?” The blonde asked as she gradually circled her way in front of the male.

“It’s better that you don’t ask.”

“Why? If something’s going on, you can tell me....”

“It was me ok? I was the one who called in the MCB.....”

Beth stood silent in response to Lucas’ statement. It took her a few seconds to fully process the significance of his confession. At the same time, there was also a million questions brewing through the female’s mind. Beth thought back to her conversation with Isaac and Thea minutes earlier. Even if it had been one of them, there’s still the question of why.

“Why?....”

Although Thea was the first to suspect Lucas’ involvement, that did not minimize the shock that coursed through the female’s body. The silver haired mutant held in a gasp as she tried her best to control her reaction. Seeing Kaya’s current state of mind, Thea figured that it would be best to not provoke her with any significant reactions.

“Are.....are you sure? Why would he do that?”
 
Kaya knew from Lucas's reaction that she had struck a nerve with what she'd said about the MCB. Part of her felt guilty as she stared at her computer screen, blindly scanning its contents as though this simple act could distract her from what had just happened. Maybe she had taken it a step too far with her suggestion, but then surely Lucas had drawn the line when he'd gone behind her back to Kramer? “You should know better than anyone that I’m not like that.” His words replayed over and over to her in her mind, taunting her with the suggestion that she had been wrong to believe that Lucas's motives had been anything but good. The more she thought about it, the more confused that she became; Kaya thought she had known Lucas - he was the loyal father figure to the team, the one they could all depend on; he was a genuinely good and kind person. Or so she had thought. Maybe this whole time she hadn't really known him at all. Lucas knew how much Kaya despised the MCB and everything that they and Kramer stood for and in this way he was maybe the worst person that Lucas could have gone to for help. This whole mess was just acting as reassurance to Kaya as to why she had chosen to switch off her heart to people in the first place and why getting involved with anybody was nothing less than dangerous. Right now, she wished she could take it all back to alleviate some of the heaviness in her heart. What worried her the most though was Lucas's belief that she was acting in her own self-interests; if he thought that, did the rest of the team think it too? A part of Kaya truly believed that she was doing the right thing and standing up against an authority who continually walked all over them. Plus, if she considered how they had treated Nicholas just moments before, that only reinforced to her that the MCB was not the organisation it claimed itself to be. This was something else that the brunette planned to take up with Kramer, but she knew that to do it now would be futile and she had to be wise about picking her battles.

It was Thea's question however that eventually brought Kaya back out of her thoughts, brown eyes blinking a couple of times as if she was trying to register what it was her silver haired friend was saying to her. "I'm sure," she answered, glad that she managed to keep her voice steady as she met Thea's gaze. "I think he thought it was the best thing for the team. That Nicholas is too dangerous for us to keep here." The brunette watched Thea's reaction as it changed from shock, to confusion, and then to anger.
"Did he think we couldn't handle it?"
"I think he thought that I couldn't." Thea's pale eyes studied Kaya for a long moment. She was surprised that her boss was giving her this information at all, she was usually pretty closed off to everyone despite their closeness and for Kaya to be speaking openly about the conversation her and Lucas had just had, well, it must have been bad if she needed to talk about it, Thea thought.
"Why would Lucas ever think that about you?" Kaya exhaled then as she reached up to wipe at her eyes. She didn't really know how much Thea knew and she wasn't altogether sure in that moment how much she should tell her. She was already concerned about the dynamic of the group, she didn't want to harm it any further. But as Kaya looked at her friend, she also knew keeping secrets could be more destructive than the truth itself, her and Lucas being a case in point.
"I knew Nicholas once. Lucas thinks that I'm too close to the case."
"You... You knew him?"
"It's a long story Thea and not one for today. But yes I knew him... A long time ago. I know how dangerous he is and that is why I want us to keep him here, so we can finish what it is we set out to do. Lucas just thinks differently, I suppose."

Back in the corridor, a very similar conversation was happening between Lucas and Beth. Beth looked at the man who stood in front of her, his shoulders slumped in defeat and she noticed how the usual sparkle in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. She so desperately wanted to reach out to him in that moment and provide some level of comfort but she knew that she couldn't. It wasn't her place, after all. As he made his confession however, Beth's eyes widened in something close to horror. Thea had been right in her assumption but Beth simply didn't want to believe it. "I was just... I was worried about her," Lucas explained, his tone dull.
"About Kaya? Why would you be worried about Kaya?"
"She knows Nicholas."
"What?"
"Look Beth, maybe you should speak to Kaya about this. I just... I really need to be alone right now." Lucas pushed past her then after he'd dropped the bombshell, leaving the blonde stood, dumbfounded and with more questions than when the conversation had started. Hesitantly, she made her way back to where Isaac still sat, the dark haired male straightening up when he clocked eyes on the pale appearance of his teammate. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he examined as he sat forwards in his seat. "It was more than just a lover's tiff then?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across the other side of the city, in a location unknown by most, stood an abandoned building in one of Reander's more unpleasant suburbs. The structure didn't look out of place in amongst decrepit apartment blocks and abandoned or boarded up shops, but to the few that knew, the building was very different to the others around it. The dilapidated nature of it simply acted as a mask to disguise what was really hidden behind its walls.

Evelyn.jpgEvelyn 1.gif
​
If one looked closely enough, a shock of red hair could be seen entering the side door to the building, the flash of brightness being in contrast to the black coat which covered a petite frame and therefore allowed it to blend in against the shadows of the neighbourhood. Evelyn ensured that she wasn't being followed, as she always did whilst she was letting herself into their base, before clicking the door shut behind her. The redhead moved quickly and gracefully against a nipping breeze that rustled some of the debris on the ground beneath her feet. Her light footsteps echoed around the structure, the odd drip drop sound splashing in unison with her movement. There was no mistaking that she moved with purpose as she pulled open another door and started to descend the stairs to where the rest of her team were situated. She could hear the low mumblings of voices coming from behind the door that she yanked open, her cheeks flushed against the usual paleness of her skin. "Hello boys," she greeted them with a smirk, as the group looked up to acknowledge her presence, Evelyn swiftly shrugging out of her coat and hanging it on the stand that stood next to the door. "Did you miss me?" A low murmur echoed through the group then as rolled their eyes at their teammate, but it was only Tommy who voiced his response.
"You ask that pretty much every time you get back and the answer will always be no," he retorted with a shake of his head.
"Oh come on Tommy, you don't need to pretend. We're all friends here. You know you were all excited for my return," Evelyn scoffed at them all, before she came to stand still in front of the three, arms folded across her chest. Evelyn watched the way that the men looked over to her, their heads tilting slightly in her direction. There was no mistaking that she could command a room as all attention turned to her almost immediately upon her entrance. This was what Evelyn liked to think about herself anyway, but why the males actually turned to her was to hear the latest news on their estranged leader, who had been captured by Group X only the day before.

"Has Nicholas broken free and killed them all yet?" Tommy asked, a sly smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as Evelyn rolled her eyes at the younger male. Although, she had to admit, had she not just gathered the intel that she was about to share with them all, she would have predicted the same outcome, Nicholas had told her as much. It both surprised and concerned Evelyn that he was still being held captive - he had assured her that he would be okay and she had expected him to have returned to her by now. Nicholas had never failed a mission in all the time that Eve had known him.
"Not quite," she answered, her eyes glistening with a mischievousness that wasn't an altogether alien trait for Evelyn to be portraying. She was well known in the group for her fun-loving, yet hot-headed nature and as glances were past between the three men, they could already predict what was about to come out of her mouth next. Evelyn had a plan. "It's reached my attention that Nicholas was nearly apprehended by the MCB earlier today." A hush seemed to fall across the group then.
"What?"
"It would seem that his plan isn't exactly following the trajectory that he predicted." Despite Evelyn's confident entrance however, for those that knew her, there was no mistaking the anxiety that hid behind the childishness of her eyes. Hearing of Nicholas's near extraction had worried the redhead to the point that her thoughts had immediately gone into overdrive, planning the best way to get him out of there, despite his advice to the team to stay put. They couldn't risk losing him to the system. She couldn't risk losing him to the system, which was a thought that had now turned into the cunning expression that was dancing upon her features. Despite the worry that Evelyn felt as she thought about Nicholas locked up in an anti-mutant cell somewhere, Eve wasn't one to sit on her laurels and let the anxiety eat away at her. She had already formulated a plan on her way back to their base; now all she had to do was convince the others to go along with it. Tommy, she knew would be on board with any kind of mission, he always was. The others though, may need some more persuading.

"And that's why we're going to help him."
 
“I understand.” The statement was more comforting than it was truthful. In reality, Thea was just as confused now as she was at the start of the conversation. Kaya’s responses were filled with vital gaps and without those missing components, it was difficult for anyone to really understand the severity of the situation. However, Thea wasn’t focused on getting answers right now. Kaya may try to hide it but Thea could see from the redness in her eyes that the female had either cried or was at least closed to. What she wanted to do now was to comfort her friend and now ask more questions.

Approaching the brunette’s side, Thea placed her arm over her shoulders and pulled Kaya into a small embrace. “It’s ok. You don’t have to explain it right now if you don’t want to.” Thea said in a soft voice as she eyed Isaac on the opposite side of the window. The male was watching the entire time, his face filled with reasonable confusion. At the same time, Thea noticed that Beth had yet to return, suggesting that she was likely still going after Lucas or was in the process of talking to him. Hopefully, she’ll be able to talk some sense into the male.

“You should go home and get some rest, Kaya. Lucas will come around eventually. I’m sure of it.” The girl said with a bright smile. Within Group X, Kaya and Lucas are like the parents who watches over everyone. As for Thea, she’s like the light that shines upon the team. The female is rarely seen in a despairing mood and one can always trust her to provide a cheery smile on a cloudy day.

This was the first time that such a severe division had occurred within Group X. Arguments in general was a rarity in the group due to the team’s cohesion and trust in one another. The group had quarrels before in the past but they were always small and were resolved rather quickly. When they do have arguments, it was usually over how they should approach a case or mission. This was the first conflict that centralized around the breaking of trust. Even so, Thea knew that it would take more than this one incident to break the bond that the team spent years forming.

Thea’s eyes glanced across the window at Isaac. This time, she spotted Beth by his side. Unsurprisingly, Lucas was still nowhere to be seen. It would seem that she’d failed to convince him to come back to talk things out. But then again, now’s probably not the best time anyways. It may be better to give everyone some time and let cooler heads prevail.

Beth‘s mind felt heavy during her entire walk back to the rest of her team. Lucas’ words continued to replay in her mind. The pain in his voice continued to resonant within Beth. Even though the male had betrayed the team to Kramer, Beth simply couldn’t find it within herself to blame him. If anything, she agreed with his perspective. Like him, Beth too have seen first hand as to what the mutant known as Nicholas can do. MIB wasn’t built to house someone with such levels of power. Lucas was simply looking after everyone. It wasn’t his fault.

“You have no idea.” Beth said with a deep sigh as she looked through the office windows to see Thea and Kaya in the middle of their conversation. Although there was a good distance everyone them, Beth felt as if Kaya wasn’t displaying the same level of anguish as Lucas. That made Beth feel uneasy, especially since she was the one that’d caused Lucas’ pain in the first place. And yet, there was no signs of guilt whatsoever.

“Yo Beth.” Isaac said abruptly.

The male’s comment snapped Beth out of her internal monologue as the female turned back to Isaac.

“Are you going to tell me what it’s all about or are you just going to keep staring into space?”

“Oh, yea......“ The explanation took less than a minute to relay to Isaac. Lucas provided Beth with less information than Kaya did to Thea. All that Beth really could tell Isaac was of Lucas’ own confession and the guilt that the male felt.

“That’s it?” Isaac said disappointedly as he leaned back against his seat. Crossing his arms, the male stared at the blonde with a worn out glance. “I was hoping for more than that.”

“We’ll Just have to see what Thea gets out of her.”

“What a week.....”

Thea couldn’t agree more with Isaac’s statement. The two both sighed in unison as they glanced back into the office in wonder of how the conversation between Thea and Kaya was going.

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Aside from Tommy, there were two other sets of eyes that immediately locked on to the redhead as she entered the room. They were even more attentive as she relayed the updates on their leader’s status. There was a brief period of silence among everyone upon hearing of Nicholas’ lack of success in escaping the MIB’s custody. This was shocking given that their leader rarely fails in his missions. Something must’ve went wrong.....something that even Nicholas couldn’t had predicted.

Both of them remained quiet as Tommy and Evelyn discussed about Nicholas’ current situation. There were moments where the two glanced at one another but other than that, their attentions were strictly focused on the boy and the woman. Eyes widened at the news of the incident with the MCB. There was silence as everyone tried to process the news. Every mutant knew about what goes on in that place. Everyone except Group X apparently. It was the equivalent of Hell itself but strictly for mutants. Worse of all, it’s a place designed specifically to contain mutants of their caliber. Even Nicholas may not be able to escape easily if he was to be transferred there.

Excitement grew within the youngest of the team as Evelyn announced her intended agenda. Nothing excites Tommy more than violence and destruction. Like the rest of his team, Tommy is someone who doesn’t shy away from the taking of a human life. However, killing is not what excites Tommy but the thrill of causing utter havoc and destruction. The male’s exhilaration was only elevated further by the fact that the team will be causing chaos for the sake of saving their leader, who is also the equivalent of a mentor and role model for Tommy. “Ah sweet. I’ve been waiting for you to say that.” The boy responded exuberantly with a mischievous grin. “You got a plan?”

But before Evelyn would have a chance to answer his question, a voice would intercept in protest. “Don’t do anything irrational, Evelyn” The voice originated from the blonde haired male sitting on the opposite end of the room. His tone conveyed a level of confidence and authority that challenged the commanding facade created by Evelyn.

“Come on, Collins. Why do you always have to rain on the parade?” Tommy joked half heartedly as he crossed his arms as a disapproving gesture.

Collins turned to Tommy, his cold and callous blue stare was enough to cause the boy to pause. “Our orders were to stay put and await further instructions.” The male responded before turning to Evelyn. As expected, he was met by a challenging gaze from his female colleague. But when it comes to the coldness of one’s stare, none could match that of Collins’. It’s practically in his genes......actually, it is.

“What if something went wrong in the boss’ plan and he needs our help?” Despite his young age and somewhat of a trigger happy nature, Tommy is no fool. He’s able to think and deduct just like the rest of his team. Just like Evelyn, Tommy was certain that Nicholas would’ve returned to them by now had his plan went the way that it was suppose to. But given that they never even received an update as of yet, it can be safe to say that things didn’t go as planned.

“The boss can handle himself, kid. We just have to do what we are told.” Collins assured Tommy. His response was centralized on his own confidence in their leader’s abilities. Collins knows Nicholas as well as the other members of his team. Their leader is someone who has never gotten himself into a situation that he couldn’t get out of, no matter how dire it may seem. If Nicholas wasn’t a master in what he do, then Collins and the others wouldn’t had followed him loyally for so long.

“I told you to stop calling me that!” Tommy exclaimed as he glared at Collins with a vexed expression.

“I’ll stop calling you a kid when you stop acting like one.” The male responded unfazed by Tommy’s expression.

Speechless, the boy looked over Collins’ shoulders at the large man leaning against the wall. When it was clear that he had no intentions of making a comment just yet, Tommy turned back to Evelyn in hopes of finding support there.
 
Offering Thea a small sad smile as she told her that she understood, Kaya dropped her gaze back to her desk. She knew that Thea was only trying to comfort her, but she also knew that it was an impossible situation to understand, especially when she didn't even understand it herself. Despite this thought though, Kaya was grateful that her friend hadn't turned her back on her, she hadn't judged her or told her that she was wrong, she was simply there and offering support if Kaya needed it, it was just a shame that she didn't really know how to accept that. She had never truly been supported in emotional matters; not when she was younger, not as she grew up and certainly not now, which is why Kaya had simply come to rely on herself so much when it came to matters of the heart. Maybe once upon a time, Nicholas would have been the one she would have turned to and more recently it would have probably been Lucas, but even then Kaya still closed herself off to him whenever she could in order to protect herself. Nick was the only one person that had truly known her at one point in her life and he was the one person who could probably see past her pretences. Although considering how much time had past since they had held that kind of relationship, Kaya considered the idea that he probably didn't know her at all anymore, which left only herself. She was completely alone.

"Thank you Thea," she said gently to the female as she pulled away from her friend's hug. "I appreciate it. I think I'm gonna stay here for now though and catch up on some work. I-I need to keep myself occupied." Thea considered this for a moment and with a small nod of her head gave Kaya's shoulder a squeeze. "You know where we are if you need us." Kaya watched the silver haired girl leave and relaxed back against her chair for a moment now that there was a contemplative silence filling the office. She was sure that the team would have a lot of questions after her and Lucas's outburst, but she simply didn't have the energy right now to explain it to them properly. So instead, Kaya blinked away the remaining tears from her eyes and sat up a little straighter as she tried to pull herself together. Over the years she had become somewhat skilled at letting the numbness take over and that was exactly what she intended to do now, despite the jadedness that was threatening to cloud her mind. One by one, Kaya could feel herself starting to shut down each emotion and each little faction of hurt, which would allow her to refocus on whatever task was at hand. In a lot of ways, this ability was maybe a more impressive power than her powers themselves.

After she had left Kaya's office, Thea made her way over to where Beth and Isaac were sat, shaking her head softly as she plopped down next to the both of them and let a long drawn out exhale escape her lips. She could feel their expectant gazes looking at her, to which she rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you're looking at me like that," she quipped. "You know what Kaya's like. I don't think she's ready to talk just yet." This time it was Beth's turn to roll her eyes as she listened to her teammate.
"She can't just leave us in the dark. This affects all of us doesn't it?" The blonde girl could feel irritation creeping up her neck but she was trying her best to hide it from the two who sat beside her. She had been hoping that Thea would be able to glean some kind of information that would allow her to support Lucas whilst he was hurting, but it seemed that Thea knew only as much as she did.
"So did either of you manage to find out anything?" Isaac asked, flickering his gaze between the two girls.
"Just that Kaya knew Nicholas at some point," Beth explained, watching as his eyes widened for a moment. "But that's it."
"That's all I got too," Thea confirmed.
"So do we know how Kaya knows him? What's their connection?"
"I don't know," Thea replied again. "I don't think she's ready to talk about it. We should just give her and Lucas some space for now, I'm sure if it's important they'll tell us at some point." Or at least Thea hoped that they would.

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Evelyn's expression turned into a smirk at Tommy's comment about her plan, but this was quickly washed away by the languid drawl of Collins's tone which simply caused Eve to roll her pale gaze up to the ceiling. Sure, she had assumed the group might need some kind of persuading to go against Nicholas's orders for them to stay put but she hadn't thought that Collins would pipe up this early in the negotiations. But then she wasn't sure why she had assumed differently either. Maybe she had held some kind of blind optimism that just once he would agree with her without it blowing up into some kind of argument. Evelyn simply wasn't in the mood for him right now, especially when she was so anxious about the safety and whereabouts of their leader. She listened to the interchange between the two males briefly, long slender fingers rapidly tapping against the table that she had now placed herself on top of, one leg crossed over the other.

As Tommy cast his gaze over at her, the redhead narrowed her eyes at Collins who sat back against his seat, arms crossed over his chest and a look of smugness in his expression. "You're the only one acting like a child Collins," she smirked back at him, her eyes alight with something close to determination. "Are you too scared to go against Nick's orders? Too scared to take up the opportunity to get one over on Group X? It's okay to be scared Collins, but you know you don't need to worry. Me and Tommy here will protect you."
"You won't need to protect me, because we're not going anywhere." Collins's expression was passive, but his jaw was set with a stubborn resolve. "You know exactly what Nicholas told us to do. Do you think he'll appreciate it if we storm his mission?" His icy gaze flickered around the group. "What if we mess up his plans, huh? Have you thought about that?"
"What, so you think Nicholas intended to get caught up with the MCB?" At this question Collins fell into silence momentarily. Although he wanted to argue against Evelyn's hotheaded attitude, she did make a good point. Once a mutant got caught up with the MCB it was near impossible to get out again, so whatever Nicholas's original plan had been, even Collins struggled to argue against the idea that something, somewhere along the line had gone wrong, if the result was their leader getting himself embroiled with one of the most dangerous authorities in the city. Collins, through his logicality, considered that if Nicholas had intended to target the MCB he probably wouldn't have done it alone.

"Evelyn makes a fair point," a deeper voice came from across the room then, as Gregor pushed himself off from against the wall. Evelyn herself could feel a more prominent smile pulling at her features then as she began to realise that she was winning this fight, Tommy's facial expression mirroring her own. "Collins, I know that Nicholas told us to stay put but he also knows that we would act if we thought for a second he was in any kind of real danger. He might actually need our help with this one." It was clear by Collins's expression that he was weighing up his options in his own mind, but he had to admit that what they were saying made sense. He turned to Evelyn then with a sigh. "So, let's just say if we were to go ahead with your plan, what would it involve?" Evelyn herself allowed a triumphant grin to spread across her features then as she hopped down from the table, clapping her hands together for a moment in childlike excitement. "Well, it's pretty simple really. I was thinking something along the lines of... infiltrate and destroy?"
"I like the sound of that!" Tommy nodded in agreement. Collins's simply rolled his eyes at the two.
"You know full well that we can't just go waltzing into the MIB and destroy it. There aren't enough of us. Plus, don't you think if Nicholas wanted to destroy Group X he'd have already done it by now?"
"Are you doubting our abilities?" Evelyn asked the lighter haired male then, her head tilted slightly to the side.
"You know that's not what I meant," Collins retorted. "But we need a more sound plan than just showing up outside and hoping for the best. I presume you intend to shift to gain us access?"
"That's exactly it. I've been watching the MIB for a while; I know when the guards swap their shifts which should allow me to sneak you all in. I also happen to know where Group X keep their prisoners so it shouldn't take more than a little destruction to get us to where we need to be. We can attack tomorrow morning, just before Group X start their shift, so there shouldn't be any major complications. How does that sound?"
 
There are very few things in this word that Collins is fearful of. The biggest is the thought of failing Nicholas. Like the rest of his team, Collins greatly respects Nicholas as a leader and always tries to stand out and illuminate himself as a valued member. He likes to think of himself as Nicholas’ number 2, but that role is often contested by another member of the team. Collins’ thirst for recognition ultimately contributed to his fanatic stance in regards to any order given by Nicholas. In his mind, the best way to display himself as being competent is to always follow his leader’s orders to the tee. By doing that, there’s no way that he could ever fail him.

The biggest competition to Collins’ ambitions is none other than Evelyn. The only real thing that the two had in common aside from their goals is their devotion to Nicholas. Other than that, they are vastly different from one another due to their disagreements on how missions should be run. Collins believes in following commands unwaveringly while Evelyn is more willing to diverge on her own path when given the chance.

Despite his vehement opposition, it would appear that the majority was against him. The male’s gaze darted behind him. His glare met that of the man behind him who’d also voiced his agreement towards Evelyn’s argument. Of all the members in the team, Collins possesses the closest relationship to Gregor. Collins essentially functions as the brain while Gregor acts as the muscle. The two balance one another out and augment each other’s strengths. The fact that even Gregor was in agreement with Evelyn forced Collins to reconsider his stance.

The voices of support ultimately left Collins as the sole member who disagreed with Evelyn’s plan of action. As much as Collins did not want to admit it, there was a high chance that Evelyn may be right. Nicholas had given the team a short briefing of his plan prior to his departure. He’d essentially stated that the mission would only take a day to complete. But yet, here they are, days later and without any news. Not to mention that being captured wasn’t part of the original plan to begin with. But Nicholas was one who’s skillful in adapting to volatile situations. Collins is confident that he wouldn't let a simple jail cell wouldn’t fully undermine his plans.

“Fine then. But I’m not taking any responsibilities if something goes wrong.” The male said in a scornful tone. As he said this, a memory suddenly rushed into Collins’ mind. The entire team had watched the live broadcast of the first standoff between Nicholas and Group X. Everyone’s eyes were practically glued to the TV screen as they anxiously waited to see how events would unfold. Collins remembered how shock everyone was to see Nicholas emerge from the debris with a member of Group X in his arms. Collins initially thought that Nicholas had taken a prisoner but he was even more astonished to see his leader gently return the unconscious mutant back to her team. Thinking back to that image, Collins wondered as to what Nicholas was thinking at that time.

Collins quickly pushed those excess thoughts aside to focus on Evelyn’s recitation of her plan. The blonde haired male took a moment to contemplate the details as he created dozens of different scenarios in his head in hopes of predicting its rate of success. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. “Well that’s an awfully fine plan for you but what about us? What if someone recognizes us as people that don’t belong? Not everyone can just change their appearance at will you know.” The male responded as he lifted up his gaze back at Evelyn. Collins’ comments were rather logical in the sense that it potinted out many holes in Evelyn’s plan. Even if Evelyn can successfully sneak her team in, there’s still the risk that they may stand out and be recognized as intruders. What made the MIB so troublesome is it’s members’ tightnit relations. Any foreign presence may very well be noticed.

“And let’s say that everybody in the MIB just so happens to be blind, how are we going to get the boss out of his maximized security cell? Not to mention sneaking him out of the building.” Although Collins had never seen the cells of the MIB in person, it doesn’t take a genius to guess that it’s likely fortified specifically for mutant containment. Fortunately for them at least, their cells are still a mile away from those in the MCB.

“Let’s just fight our way out. I’m sure that won’t be hard if the boss is fighting with us.” Said Tommy in an enthusiastic manner. Given the fact that Nicholas is a Class S mutant, the young male’s statement isn’t completely without sense. He alone would be able able to tank a whole squadron of mutants. Which also begs the question of how he’d gotten captured in the first place. But that’s a thought for later.

“He’s right. I’ll crush everybody who stands in our way!” Gregor said as he pounded a fist into his palm. Similar to Tommy’s exhilaration, Gregor’s hazel eyes also ignited with anticipation and fervor at the thought of a battle.

“Calm down, both of you.” Announced Collins as he brought his hand over his chin in a contemplative manner. “We don’t even know much about the mutants in that place. If they were able to capture the boss then that means that they’re no amateurs. We can’t just go in there guns and blazing without knowing what we’re up against.” Given the fact that the team had only arrived at Reander less than a week ago, they never had much time to study members of the MIB in great detail. They were aware of the formidable reputation that Group X had created for themselves. Being all Class E mutants, there’s no wonder why they’re so valued by the government.

“I suggest we do some reconnaissance before we make our move.” Given the fact that Collins is often considered to be the brain of the team, it made sense that he would make such a suggestion. Seeing that they know little about the enemy and their targeted location, it only seems logical for them to do some recon prior to making a move. The only downside to this is that it may take some time. Time that their leader may not have.
 
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For a long while, Evelyn considered Collins's reaction, a small satisfied smirk tugging at her lips as she appreciated that she had managed to get under his skin, if only briefly. Similarly to how Collins himself was thinking, Eve knew that the two of them worked very differently but what they did have in common was a fierce loyalty to their leader, as did the whole group really. Each one of them held Nicholas in such a high regard, mostly because he had saved their lives in more way than one. If it wasn't for him, they would all of them have fallen victim to the power of the government and goodness knows where they would be now. With a small shudder, Evelyn thought about this for a moment; she knew exactly where she would be now come to think of it, probably in some experimentation lab somewhere, waiting to be prodded and poked to the point of death. Needless to say the whole group felt this way, but there was no mistaking that Evelyn's feelings ran somewhat deeper than this. Her and Nicholas held a connection that he didn't have with any other member of his team and she had truly made it her mission to help him realise this. They had had something special once and Eve was determined for them to have this again and to prove to Nick that they could have more than just life within the team.

To Collins' agreement, Evelyn cast a grin Tommy's way as he mirrored her expression, the younger male sitting a little straighter in his seat as he enjoyed the momentary feeling of importance that winning the argument had allowed him. Given that he was the group's youngest member, Tommy often felt that he had a point to prove, especially to members such as Collins. He had a desire to impress them whenever the chance arose and he took any kind of approval as a confidence boost that would propel him forwards into a mission with an almost childlike excitement that was often infectious to members like Evelyn.

As Collins's agreement with Evelyn's plan soon turned to a criticism however, the redhead's smile soon fell away and was replaced with a groan and an eye roll; his meticulous planning bored Eve, simply because she preferred to act upon instinct whenever possible. This was maybe a somewhat mercenary approach but she truly believed that sometimes over-planning could do as much harm as it could good. Or at least this is what she liked to tell herself. If Evelyn was completely honest, sometimes she just liked to disagree with Collins for the sake of it, even though on this occasion she knew that he had a point. The redhead carefully listened to Gregor and Tommy, a chiming bell laugh emanating from her throat at their excitement before again the blonde male seemed to throw a bucket of water over the team's ignited fire. "Collins, do you have to plan everything so meticulously?" Evelyn asked him then as she folded her arms across her chest. Although, considering what was actually at stake here, despite her desire for the group to get going with their mission, Eve knew that what Collins was suggesting was sensible. She could conceal her own identity, but she couldn't do that for the others so they had to be prepared.

"But I do agree, that a little bit of research wouldn't go amiss." She muttered this statement quietly, as though the agreement caused her physical discomfort. "If we can act before Group X get to the MIB then that should give us a fighting chance but if we know exactly what we're up against in the event that they get to work early or something, at least we'll know how to counteract their powers." The idea of fighting Group X caused another smirk to grace Evelyn's dainty features. She hated them almost as much as she believed that Nicholas did. The idea that there was a group of mutants acting on behalf of the government made her feel sick. They were nothing but traitors who deserved to rot for all of the damage that they were doing to their own kind. It was this thought however, that pulled Evelyn's thoughts back to the news report they had watched yesterday. Their team hadn't known the exact details of Nicholas's mission and they had all watched with great interest as Group X had arrived at the scene of the burning building. They had all wondered what Nicholas had in store for the group, but what they had seen had both shocked and surprised them. The main image that flickered through Evelyn's consciousness was that of Nicholas carrying a dark haired girl through the smoke. She had felt her own eyebrows knit together in a frown as she had considered this as well as the confused silence that had fallen over the group. Nobody had said anything, but she could feel sideways glances being cast her way. Who was this girl, and why was Nicholas holding her so tenderly? The thought made Evelyn's stomach flip over as an uncomfortable feeling settled into her chest. Was she a part of Group X or a civilian? And if she was either of those things, then why was Nicholas not leaving her to die in amongst the ashes? Why had he saved her? As well as the unmistakable concern that Eve had for Nicholas's current whereabouts, there was also an eagerness within her to gain answers to some of these questions, so she could at least put her uneasiness to rest a little and start to focus again on the important tasks at hand once again.

"Once I've gained us access into the MIB, Gregor and Tommy are right, we can fight our way through from there. If we have some research behind us as Collins suggests, then we can prepare for the kinds of things we might come up against. Although I have no doubts that a few security guards won't be able to stop us. We've encountered worse than those toy soldiers. Tommy, Gregor, why don't you guys see if you can find some basic security information? Myself and Collins can gather some intel on Group X themselves."

With this suggestion, Evelyn watched as the other two men grabbed one of the computers to the back of the room, Evelyn moving to pick up one of their laptops from the table in front of her. She took a seat beside Collins and opened it up, pushing it in his direction. For any other mutant group, it may have been difficult to gather any kind of information that related to any government authority, but Nicholas's team were trained in skills such as computer hacking and it wouldn't take them long to create the profiles that they needed. They had hacked the databases of the MIB many times before, and although they had to be limited in the amount of times that they did this so as not to out themselves as a security risk, they at least knew that they could use it to aid missions such as these.

Evelyn let Collins himself work his magic as she sat idly back in her chair, pale eyes watching the computer screen until she saw a flash of dark hair that she immediately recognised. "Wait, stop," she said suddenly. "Go back to that profile you just had up."
"Which one?" Collins asked, one of his eyebrows raised inquisitively.
"The one with the dark haired woman. No not that one. No. No. Wait, yes, that's the one." Collins pulled up the profile so that the information was a little bigger. "She looks familiar," he commented. "Kaya Reid. The name's familiar too, but I can't quite place it. Do you know her?" Evelyn fell silent for a long moment as she considered how to answer Collins' question. Although she hadn't been able to see Kaya's features clearly from the news report yesterday, she just knew that this was the person that had been held in Nicholas's arms. There was no mistaking the waves of dark hair and the petite frame. "I have seen her before," she answered a little rigidly. "I think she might be the one from yesterday... the one that we saw Nicholas with, do you remember?" Collins nodded in response to this. He, like Evelyn had noticed the unusual imagine but also like her, he had chosen not to comment upon it, thinking he must have been mistaken. Clearly though, from Evelyn's reaction, he hadn't been. The two fell into a silence for a moment as they glanced over the profile, their eyes seemingly falling upon the same piece of information at the same time.

"She's... Group X's leader?"
 
For a moment, Collins was expecting some sort of criticizing retort from Evelyn. After all, she’d never been fond of his way of doing things. Evelyn is more of a “shoot first ask questions later” type of girl while Collins have always focused more on strategic planning and research prior to a mission. He always asks questions while simultaneously seeking an answer for them. Collins’ methods are rather unique compared to everyone else’s but also most similar to Nicholas’. That’s also why Nicholas tends to put him in charge of planning or organizing certain missions. He’s no doubt the most careful and calculating of them all. That alone, makes him a dangerous foe.

A smile coursed Collins’ face as Evelyn recognized the flaws in her own plan. He wasn’t a fan of her seemingly taking up the leadership role in their leader’s absence. In Collins’ mind, he should be the one assigning roles and directing the team instead. He sees himself as being a more capable leader than Evelyn due to him being the most similar to Nicholas. Nevertheless, Collins remained silent as Evelyn delegated the roles to the other members. He understood that now isn’t the time to ignite internal strife. Any grievances he may have with her can be dealt with after the safe return of their leader.

Without missing a beat, Collins opened up his computer and proceeded to access the files of the MIB operatives. He would focus on the members of Group X first, but he does have the intentions to go through as many mutant agents in the facility as he can prior to the mission tomorrow. On top of being tactical and resourceful, Collins had also taught himself into becoming a killed hacker. Technologies have always been a hobby of his since his teens and that interest have proven useful more than once.

It didn’t take long before the male breached the firewalls of the MIB systems. Pulling up the data of Group X, him and Evelyn began the tedious process of studying each and everyone of them. The first to appear was a man named Lucas Carter. His file quickly caught Collins’ attention due to him possessing a similar power as to Gregor. If a battle was to occur, Collins now knows which one of them should fight him.

But Collins didn’t stop there. He continued forward as he glanced over the male’s history. He could feel Evelyn growing annoyed at the speed at which he was going but Collins cared little. Unlike some who only focuses on powers and abilities, Collins would always read the file from top to bottom as he believes that every detail of a person’s life have the potential to be used against them. Unfortunately, not every one of them would be as transparent.

At Evelyn’s request, Collins paused on the file of a familiar dark haired female. It took several additional glances but Collins was also quick to recognize her as being the woman in Nicholas’ arms. There was no doubt that Evelyn had noticed the similarities as well.

“Apparently so.....” Collins replied in a somewhat dazed tone as he scanned through the female’s profile. His eyes grew wide as he realized that Nicholas had essentially saved the leader of their enemy. Unfortunately for him, the more he read, the more confused he became. “This doesn’t make sense. Why would the boss save someone like her?” Asked the male as he gave Evelyn a quick glance. Being the closest to Nicholas, he was hoping that she would have some insight into what this Kaya Reid’s connection to their leader was. But it was clear from their shared bafflement that neither of them knew.

“Hell if I know....” The redhead replied in a perplexed tone. Evelyn took what felt like an eternity studying the picture. She looked at it again and again hoping that she’d made a mistake. She wanted to believe that she’d been wrong in seeing the similarities but the fact that Collins did too made it almost undeniable. The more she stared at this woman, the more Evelyn’s led to believe that her and the female in her former lover’s arms were no doubt one in the same. “Look into her background.” Evelyn said to Collins with a sense of urgency.

Naturally, Collins attempted to search for answers in the background portion of Kaya’s file. The male scrolled straight to her biography and background, only to find the information to be redacted. This woman’s past had been completed wiped clean from the system. There were more questions forming than there were answers. Kaya was the only one out of her team to have her past completed erased from the databanks. Just why is that so is something that Collins is dying to find out. But not as much as the question of her relationship with their leader. “There’s nothing on her past. I can’t even get so much as a birthdate.” All that Collins could find was the age: 21, and the typical details regarding her powers and piston within the organization. Anything that the team could use to find out more about her was non-existent. Which also meant that there’s no way to find a connection between their leader and her.

“None of this make sense. Why would Nick save her not to mention just hand her back?” Evelyn asked as she leaned back against her chair. Her minds worked as hard as it could to make sense of it all but she doesn’t necessarily have much to go on. She tried her best to believe that Nicholas’ act was all part of his plan but part of Evelyn knew that wasn’t the case

Nicholas have always talked about how much he detested the members of the MIB, as well as every single mutant who is willingly working as pawns for the government. There’s no doubt that he would kill anyone of those traitors if they had the chance. So why. Why did he not only spare Kaya Reid but also save her? The fact that she’s the leader of Group X only adds to the confusion. The logical move would’ve been to use her as an hostage but Nicholas appeared to had just handed her back willingly. Evelyn herself had saw his expression at the time. There wasn’t a single ounce of hesitation. It just doesn’t make sense.

“Pull up that video.” Evelyn said to her teammate who quickly complied. As Collins pulled up the news broadcast of the other day’s fire, the female waited anxiously as the male skipped to that vital scene. “Pause right there.” Evelyn’s eyes quickly widened as she stared at the paused frame of Nicholas and the woman in his arms. “Press play.” As the recorded broadcast continued, the two would watch for several more minutes before they arrived at the shot of the female rising up from the embrace of her male teammate. That was when all sense of doubt were extinguished. That was her.

“Give me that.” Collin barely had time to react as the redhead reached for his laptop and pulled it towards her. Collins could tell that the lack of answers and growing confusion was eating Evelyn up inside. He watched as the redhead skipped from one shot to the next. There wasn’t much more that the two could get from the broadcast but it seemed like Evelyn wasn’t willing to settle with just what they got.

Finally, the female arrived back at the scene where Nicholas emerged from the ashes with the woman in his arms. With a malaise mind, Evelyn watched intensely as her leader placed the woman on to the ground. She could tell that Nicholas was trying to hide his true emotions but Evelyn have know him long enough to be able to see through his facades. She studied his every move, from the gentle and tenderness in the way he held the girl to the subtle degree of concern that he’d tried so hard to suppress. There was no doubt in Evelyn’s mind now. What she had just saw was the moment that Nicholas’ plan diverged from its original path.

“Hey, what’s gotten into you?” Asked a voice sitting beside her. Glancing at its origins, Evelyn saw a perplexed Collins staring straight at her.
 
Even Collins's question didn't bring Evelyn out of her trance at first, as pale eyes were ignited with something like a furious confusion as they darted across the screen again and again at the image that was replaying in front of them. It was Nicholas's softness that really bothered the redhead and the way in which he tried to hide it. Once upon a time he might have looked that way at Evelyn but it was something Nicholas hadn't allowed her for a very long time, ever since he had called off their relationship in the first place. This only seemed to grow her dislike of that dark haired woman further as she considered that a complete stranger seemed to have won over Nick's affections when she had been trying to do so for much longer, or so she thought. Although she knew she was jumping to a quick conclusion, Evelyn had always been one to act upon her emotions and this occasion was no different. It was almost as if the very video itself on the computer screen had begun to unravel the many months of good that Eve had been attempting to plant in Nick's mind; the idea that they could be happy together one day, away from all the chaos and destruction of their daily lives. Evelyn knew how much his cause meant to him, and it meant a lot to her too but she spent a lot of her time trying to get Nick to see that one day there would be life beyond changing Reander for the better and she so desperately wanted to be a part of that with him.

"Evelyn? Hello?" Collins waved his fingers in front of the redhead's eyes then as she blinked a few times before batting his hand away. "Are you gonna elaborate on what it is you think you've just seen?" Evelyn gave Collins another eye roll then as she sat back against her chair, arms folded in front of her with nothing but a pout upon her expression. "Shut up Collins," she muttered under her breath, to which the lighter haired male simply smirked at the childishness of her response, one eyebrow raised as he waited for the inevitable outpouring of emotion that was coming his way. Despite their difference and inability to agree on pretty much anything, Collins knew exactly what Evelyn was like and how she let her feelings get the better of her. It wouldn't take her very long to divulge to him what was bothering her, simply because right now he was the only one around. Not that he really cared much for Evelyn herself, but he certainly wanted to know if she had thoughts about the video that might affect Nicholas, the team, or their cause itself. "I just can't understand why Nicholas would save the leader of Group X. Can you? None of this makes any sense to me. And why has her background been wiped from her profile?" Collins considered Evelyn's questions for a moment. She was right, it was very odd that Nicholas wouldn't let the leader of that group perish in his fire, but unlike Evelyn, Collins had a much better hold over his emotions and he could think clearly and logically about what Nicholas's reasoning might be for his actions.

"Maybe he plans to use her in a different way?" The male suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe he has a bigger plan for her? She is their leader, after all. I can imagine that she holds a lot of information that the other members don't, information that could be useful to us. It wouldn't make sense to kill her straight away." Evelyn considered Collins's suggestions carefully as her eyes roamed over the still on the computer screen. Collins was right of course, these were very viable options as to why Nicholas may have chosen not to end Kaya Reid's life. But what he was missing, and where Evelyn made up for her lack of logical thinking was the emotional reaction that Nicholas had given to carrying the brunette from the burning rubble. Collins would have missed this because he didn't know Nicholas like Evelyn did. So yes, he may have rescued her, only to use and kill her further down the line but this didn't explain the unmistakable element of care in which he handled her with. The very thought made the redhead feel nauseous and she reached out to exit the video and flicker onto the next profile. "Hey, I hadn't finished!" Collins explained with contempt. "I wanted to see if I could find the missing information to her background. That might give us some more clues." As he reached for the laptop though, Evelyn pulled it away from his grasp, much to Collins's clear disapproval. "Evelyn I--"
"We haven't got time to dwell on Kaya Reid," she snapped at him. "For every second that we're sat here looking at that screen, Nicholas is getting closer to be dragged into the MCB, is that what you want?"
"Well no--"
"So let's get on with your little research task and then we can finally get moving." Collins watched as Evelyn fixated her gaze on the screen once more, her usual pale cheeks glowing pink with frustration. He knew he could push back, but he also knew when was best to pick his battles and right now he was sure a reaction from him would only push Evelyn into further stubbornness, to the point she might refuse to allow his part of the plan at all. There was no mistaking that it annoyed Collins that the redhead assumed such authority over the group in Nicholas's absence; he was just as capable of leading them after all. But Evelyn truly believed that she was the right one for the job, simply because she had been Nicholas's first choice for the team and she was the closest to him and so could carry out missions as though he would. Or at least that's what she told herself.

There was a certain amount of relief that washed through Evelyn as her and Collins examined the three more profiles of the members of Group X, taking note of their names and their abilities, and therefore who was best placed to tackle each member should they need to. If Evelyn's plan went well, they wouldn't even need to think about Group X during their mission because they'd get Nick out before the team even turned up for work. Although there was a small part of Evelyn's mind that was growing by the second, that relished the idea of bumping into Kaya Reid. Her eyes twinkled at the thought of how much damage she could do, an idea which made her all the more feverish for their team to kickstart into action. It was with this thought that Evelyn eventually pulled back her chair and stood, Collins glancing at her briefly over his shoulder. He simply watched as she moved over to where the other two members sat, coming to a stop just behind Gregor and Tommy.

"Any advances on the MIB's security systems?" She asked the two, hands on her hips this time as her foot tapped impatiently. Tommy cast a glance over at Gregor then and tried to hide a smirk; having worked closely with Evelyn since joining the team, he recognised these traits in the redhead all too well. She was growing impatient, which meant she was also growing more angry and more snappy and so all of them were suddenly at risk of coming under fire from her hostile temper.
"They have the usual in place, CCTV, lock down operations should anyone infiltrate the building, regular patrols. You know the stuff."
"Could we cut off their CCTV?"
"Well sure, but we risk putting the whole site into lockdown if we do. That might make it more tricky to get to Nicholas's cell." Evelyn considered this for a moment.
"You'll be able to knock through any reinforced structures won't you Gregor? I think concealing our identities will be important for the longevity of our cause."
 
“Leave it to me.” Gregor replied back confidently. “We’ve looked into the materials that they’d used to make their walls. Nothing that I can’t handle.”

“Perhaps we could try a lightning attack. Charge in there full force, rescue the boss and get out. We already know where he’s located so that should make things easier.” Tommy suggested.

“I disagree.” A familiar voice responded. Collins had listened attentively as his teammates have them a brief elaboration of the MIB’s security systems. As he’d expected, the facility is heavily secure and surveyed. Gregor and Tommy had also taken the time to study the building layout of the MIB. After some careful observations, they were able to determine the area that their boss is likely held in. The only thing that they couldn’t find was the exact cell that Nicholas was contained in.

Hearing this, Collins’ mind immediately begin conducting scenarios based off of different ideas. A fast strike like one suggested by Tommy poses too much risks as it’ll expose them to too many unforeseen variables. What the team needs to do is stick with the element of surprise. “I suggest a two front approach. It’ll be too high of a risk for us to all be at one place. So I think that we should split into two groups. Me and Evelyn will head to the cell block in search of Nicholas. As for you two...” The male said with a short pause as he redirected his gaze towards the other two male members of his team. “Gregor, you and Tommy will keep a watch out for any unwelcoming visitors. If it looks like our cover is going to be blown, then all of your focuses should shift towards causing as big of a distraction as possible for the other team. The same goes vice versa.” That way, the risk of being caught would be drastically decreased. If one team is discovered and enters into battle, the other team would be able to exploit the chaos and continue on with the mission.

“Why do we have to be the ones on watch duty?” Tommy’s face twsited into a contemptuous expression as he crossed his arms in protest, The male had already imagined the amount of praise he would receive from Nicholas for saving him from the grasps of the MIB. However, Collins’ plan essentially puts a dent in that fantasy of his as it’ll downgrade him and Gregor into secondary characters within the plan.

“Because you and Gregor have the most destructive powers out of us four. You’ll be best suited for causing distractions.” Collins replied in a vexed tone. He gave Tommy a stern look which was the equivalent of him saying “Deal with It”. He knew that Tommy’s personality meant that he wouldn’t be satisfied with such a role but that doesn’t extinguish the fact that it’s best suited for someone like him.

“You just want to take all the credit.” Tommy said scornfully before turning his gaze to Gregor. “Do you not have anything to say about this?” Surely, his male partner would also be displeased at being backup characters to Collins’ plan. Everyone here wants recognition from Nicholas and this mission is one of the best ways to obtain it.

But to the young blond’s surprise, Gregor was satisfied with the assignment. “I don’t. Who saves the boss doesn’t matter to me as long as he’s saved.” Tommy was left speechless but at the same time, persuaded by Gregor’s response. How could he argue with such logic? The whole point of the mission is to rescue their boss from the clenched of the MIB traitors. If Tommy and Gregor bring watch outs would help the plan succeed better than that’s how it should be. “Besides, that means we’ll have first dibs on those MIB bastards. Isn’t that what you want?” The giant continued on with a mischievous smile.

As expected, Gregor’s last comment reignited the excitement within Tommy again. The thought of being able to lay waste to anyone that tries to stop that was enough to fully convince Tommy to follow Collins’ plan. “I guess you’re right. Fine then, I have no complaints.”

“Good.” A light smirk crested Collins’ face as the two male’s reached an agreement towards his plan. He flashed a subtle glance at Gregor, having been grateful in his reinforcement. Now, all that’s left is Evelyn, whose input had yet to be heard from. “And how about you?”
 
Listening to the boys discuss their plans, Evelyn zoned in an out of the conversation, her pale eyes flickering from each face as a different voice began to speak. To say that her concentration was a little lapse in amongst the suggestions would have been an understatement and although it looked as though she was listening to the plan, Eve's mind was still half on the image of Nicholas holding Kaya in his arms. She could feel a churning anxiety starting in her chest that she assumed was down to the uncertainty of what could have caused such a reaction in a man whom she thought she knew so well. The redhead had convinced herself that Nick told her everything, yet there he had been in plain sight, quite clearly concealing some kind of secret from her. Although hurt was the predominant emotion in Evelyn's mind, this hurt was also concealed by anger and an eagerness to get Nicholas home, both so that she knew he was safe but also because she had a lot of questions that she needed to ask him for her own sanity as well as anybody else's. It was Collins's cool voice that eventually pulled her out of her reverie though as Eve blinked a few times, her gaze now flickering around the group whose eyes had all turned to her expectantly. For a moment she stayed silent as she tried to let her mind catch up with what they had been discussing.

"Well you should know by now that I can't agree with you completely Collins," she teased him in an attempt to hide whatever else was going on in her mind at that moment. "I think splitting up could work," she continued, her tone becoming a little more serious as her mind ticked through the plan that he had laid out before them all previously. She knew that what he was offering was the most logical option, Collins always delivered on that front but sometimes Evelyn liked to bring emotion into the equation too, whether that was right or wrong. Although she would never admit to to the rest of them, Evelyn cared about their team, they had almost become like a little family unit in the short amount of time that they had spent together and even though maybe she was the only one that thought that, it occurred to Evelyn that she felt this way because she had never really known what a truly family felt like. If this was the closest she could get then she was willing to protect it no matter the cost.

"But we also need to remember that if Group X do happen to turn up in the middle of our rescue, if we're in two separate groups we have much less of a chance of us all getting out of that godforsaken place. I think we need to consider how to get back to each other if anything goes wrong."
"We can handle them," Tommy reassured her, a grin pulling across his features. "Gregor will crush them like ants, you don't need to worry."
"Tommy, you can't underestimate them," Evelyn warned, watching as his expression seemed to wain momentary. She enjoyed Tommy's enthusiasm but she also knew that he was still young and maybe a little naive when it came to his own abilities. Group X had been in their business much longer than their group had and although they probably matched them in terms of strength, if Group X were to come across just two of their team alone, it might not end so well for their side.
"As a group, we could take them down yes. But as a two? I'm not sure. We need to have something in place, just in case." The group seemed to fall into silence then as the four considered their options but to everybody's surprise it was Tommy who spoke up first.

"I'll send out a shockwave," he suggested, watching the reactions of the group carefully. "If reinforcements interrupt us, I'll send out a wave as a warning and then you'll know what's going on and we can try to regroup."
"But how will we know specifically when that wave comes?" Asked Gregor. "If you're fighting the MIB, you'll be sending out wave manipulations anyway."
"Trust me, you'll know," Tommy reassured him. "If they turn up I'll send out something that will rattle the building. There won't be any room for mistakes." Again he looked to Evelyn and Collins then who both in turn looked at each other. It was Evelyn who reacted first though, her eyes twinkling with the anticipation of what was to come.
"Well, it looks like we have ourselves a plan."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Evelyn and her team were up before dawn broke, an excitement buzzing around the group as they prepared themselves for the mission ahead. All four of them dressed in dark clothing to allow themselves to become inconspicuous against their surroundings and once again they trawled through their plan to ensure that everybody was leaving their base on the same page. As they poured out of their building and into one of their cars, an idle chattering passed between them all as Gregor gunned the engine of their vehicle to life and set off towards the MCB headquarters, just as the sun was beginning to streak through the sky. For most of the journey Evelyn, unusually, stayed fairly quiet. Her heart was already hammering at the prospect of being reunited with Nicholas again, despite the fact it hadn't been long since he had left them at all. Seeing what she had seen yesterday though had only ignited a need in Evelyn that had always been there but somewhat more dormant; now that she felt threatened, it made the redhead want to protect what she believed to be hers even more than usual. There was no mistaking that there was a part of her that wanted Group X to show their faces, simply because she would love to take out some of her pent up frustration on the brunette she had seen cradled in Nicholas's arms. Her fingers twitched at the thought, but Evelyn knew that right now she couldn't afford to let her emotions get the better of her because her sole focus had to be on the task at hand and getting Nicholas back to their base, where he belonged.

Once Gregor had pulled their vehicle close enough to HQ without them being seen, the group silently made their way to the front gates where stood two security guards, who were just at the beginnings of a shift change, as was happening in line with the group's plan. Evelyn gave a small nod to Tommy, who sent out a small tremor through the ground, momentarily distracting the two guards which then allowed Gregor to round on the both of them, his fists knocking them both out cold in next to no time at all. This allowed Evelyn to draw closer to the guards as she chose one of them to study carefully, her eyes taking in every last inch of their appearance before allowing herself to shift into that same form. Eve didn't need long to initiate this power, especially when the shift was so simple and once it was done she gestured for Gregor to remove the two bodies to save their infiltration from being discovered. Then, without looking back she used her knew found appearance to overwrite the security system with pupil recognition and opened the gates to allow the other members access into the compound. It was almost laughable really, how easy the four of them were able to gain access, but thanks to Collins's careful planning they knew exactly which route to take to get them closest to the cell blocks without being interrupted by any other MCB drones.

"This way," Evelyn gestured to the others, all the while her eyes moving from side to side as she looked out for anything that might cause them any trouble. Only once did they happen across another guard who again, Gregor took out with one small movement of his arm, tossing the man aside like a paper doll. Eventually, the group successfully made their way towards what they hoped was the correct cell block, Eve leading them to a side door that had a fingerprint reader on the left part of the wall. It took next to no effort at all for the redhead to press her thumb against the pad and initiate the lock release which finally allowed them access to the building.
"It's like taking candy from a baby," Tommy chuckled as he and Gregor took up position on either side of the door. "I sure hope you guys are gonna get more action than what we've just had. It's like the MIB want us to break out their prisoners." Evelyn felt herself smirk at his words. Tommy was right of course, but the redhead couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about just how easily they had managed to gain entry to an institution that was supposed to be one of the most secure in the city. It was as though they were missing something but she wasn't sure what. "It's not over yet," Collins warned the group. "This first bit may have been easy but I'm sure once we get inside things might change. Don't let your guard down, kid."
"Hey! Quit it! I'm not a kid."
"Enough," Evelyn interrupted them then, her expression stern as she looked at Tommy and then at back Collins. "Now is not the time. Tommy, Gregor, you guys keep watch out here now alright? Collins and I are going in. Remember the shockwave if you need us."
 
The isolation of his cell made it near impossible for Nicholas to tell whether it was day or night. It was only thanks to his body's circadian rhythm that Nicholas was able to wake himself up shortly before dawn. As the male stood up from his bed, a soft grunt escaped his lips as he hovered a hand over his hand in response to a sharp pain in his head. It has been a long time since he'd experienced a migraine of this sort. It was just like how it was back when he was in Helix with the constant electrocutions and the blood aching pain that follows.

Suddenly, images of yesterday morning surged through his mind. Despite the painful electrocution that he'd endured, Nicholas' memories were very much intact. The lack of distortions allowed him to perfectly recall the heated debate between Kaya and the MCB agents. Nicholas still recalled every word and expression from Kaya that day. He had spent a great deal amount of time yesterday trying to analyze and break down the meaning of Kaya actions. If Kaya truly wanted him to suffer for his crimes, it only made sense for her to allow him to be detained by the MCB. So why did Kaya oppose it so vehemently? The only explanation Nicholas thought of was that Kaya had simply wanted to make him suffer by her own hands in order to properly avenge her parents. After all, very few people can resist the temptations of dealing out vengenace themselves.

Nevertheless, Nicholas did not have much time to allow himself to be lost in yesterday's thoughts. If yesterday had proved anything, it was that he can't allow himself to be a prisoner any longer. He'd allowed his carelessness and personal thoughts to curtail his plans, so he must now set them back on track. His thoughts immediately went to his team, who he knew for certain, are pondering over what had happened to him. Surely, they'd seen the news of his capture and were likely startled by the development. Although he'd given them all specific instructions to stand by and not take action without his orders, Nicholas knew that there's a few that would likely try to take matters into their own hands. By a "few", Nicholas was really thinking about one person in specific.

Knowing this, Nicholas knew that he needed to escape his imprisonment as soon as possible. Fortunately, Nicholas had already planted all the seeds needed for his salvation. All he had to do now was to wait for them to sprout.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day was more cool than cold with a slightly chilly breeze and clear skies. As usual for Reander, many people were already up and on their way to work before the sun had even risen from the horizon. The agents of the MIB were no different.

Within the MIB, many people had already began their work for the day, whether it be filing paperwork or being briefed on certain cases. The agents tend to be so busy that they rarely pay attention to who enters or exits the building. That was the job of the multiple security guards and cameras scattered across the facility. There were two guards who would always be positioned at the front door. These two men have become so accustomed to the MIB's workers that they could basically tell who do or do not belong there. As any other day, the two guards were having a small chat when the front doors opened to reveal two familiar individuals.

"Good morning, Thea."

"Good morning, Beth."

The two guards greeted the females, who quickly replied back with the same level of familiarity and warmth as they always would.

"Not use to seeing you two here so early?" One of the guards commented casually.

"Ah...yea. We have a lot of paperwork to do....You know how we tend to push things to the last minute...." Thea replied back in a joking manner.

"Ha, I hear that. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." The other guard replied before waving the two agents goodbye.

Thea and Beth would encounter several other familiar faces as they walked through the MIB building. As always, the two girls radiated a bright and energetic smile to everyone they saw. However, the minute that they were absent from the sight of others, the warmth of their expressions quickly evaporated. It was like a cool breeze had ran through their faces as their smiles fell flat and their expressions ran cold. Furthermore, rather than head towards their offices like usual, both Thea and Beth had diverted their paths elsewhere.

Seperating near the main hallway, Thea turned towards the direction of Kaya's office while Beth made her way down towards the containment area. Having worked with Kaya for so long, Thea knew that she have at least an hour before her teammate usually arrives at work. Even so, she cannot risk losing any time. Upon arriving at Kaya's office, Thea found the doors unsurprisingly locked. Being a member of Team X, it wasn't that hard for Thea to get her hands on a spare key for Kaya's door. All she had to do was lie about the original key being lost and that she was picking it up in Kaya's stead.

With the key in her hand, Thea was able to gain access to her leader's office with no trouble. Shutting the door behind her, the female moved to lock it before quickly shutting all the blinds. She couldn't risk anybody seeing her before she finds what she'd came for.

While Thea frantically searched through Kaya office, Beth had successfully bypassed the guards patrolling the entrance to the containment area. Avoiding the multitude of cells, Beth made her way directly towards the control room. The room itself was responsible for the security of the containment area. It oversaw the cameras, cells, and communication, making it a very heavily guarded location. Using her credentials, Beth was able to gain access to the control room with little issue. There was only two other officers present, both of which recognized Beth but were confused as to why she was here.

Shutting the door behind her, the girl approached one of the officers with a passive smile.

"Beth...can we help......" The guard's sentence were cut off by a loud groan as a blade was thrusted into his chest. The man's eyes widened with shock as he searched frantically for an explanation in Beth's eyes. But all that he saw was an empty stare, one that frightened him even more than the blade.

The second guard had been frozen with shock and bewilderment at the sudden act of aggression by someone he'd been familiar with. However, the male quickly composed himself and reached with the alarm button. Unfortunately, right before he was able to reach it, a sharp pain ran up his back as Beth had thrusted her blade into his spine, causing the male to fall on to the ground. Beth stood over the two guards with emotionless eyes as she dropped her blade on to the puddle of blood forming on the ground. Paying the dying guards no heed, Beth quickly made her way towards the control panel of the facility and scanned it until she came across the controls for a specific cell. A malevent smile formed on the female's face as she initiated the release process, but not before shutting down all cameras in the area.

The entire process had caused blood to splatter over Beth's clothing. Having expected this, Beth had worse a jacket and all she had to do was take it off to avoid the crimson stains. With the first phase of his plan completed, Beth rushed out of the control room, leaving two behind two bodies and a puddle of blood. Passing the same guards as before, Beth quickly made her way towards one of the cells by the isolation block. She arrived just as the doors to the cell opened, revealing a most wanted criminal within.

------------------------------------

Having activated his sleeper agents, all Nicholas had to do was sit and wait for his plan to go into effect. There was a soft beep as Nicholas felt the force around his neck loosen. Reaching for his unlocked collar, the male easily retrieved it from his neck and proceeded to toss it to the ground. It didn't take long before Nicholas could feel his body slowly resurge in power as he shattered the chains binding him. Before he even had the chance to open the door himself, someone had already did so for him. As the doors to his cell slid open, Nicholas could see a familiar female on the otherside awaiting him.

"Good job. You're just in time." Nicholas said to Beth, who appeared almost enchanted by him.

"Of course, sir. Now, lets get you out of here."

"Yes, lets....."

"FREEZE!" A loud voice rang from behind just as Nicholas and Beth were prepared to depart. Turning towards the origins of the sound, the duo found three security officers with a firearms locked at them. "Nicholas Britton, return to your cell now or we will have to use force." It was then that the officer noticed the absence of Nicholas' collar. The man could feel his body slowly overcome with dread as he realized that he was facing a S classed mutant with nothing but a gun.

Nicholas only chuckled at the officers' threats. He could tell the exact moment that trepidation took over the officer. Normally, he would entertain them with some taunts but the two of them were short of time. As the officers refused to break eye contact on Nicholas, they found themselves slowly losing sense of their self. Before long, darkness had overtaken them as they all fell to the ground into a deep sleep.

"Did you kill them?" Asked Beth, who'd selflessly placed herself in front of Nicholas in response to the guns pointed at them.

"No, they're just going to be asleep for a while." Nicholas replied back in a monotone voice before both of them made their way towards the exit.
 
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