Dan flopped face down on his bed. He had been stuck in Stella's house for the entire day, dodging things, hitting things, and trying to clean up the mess that was caused by one lively kitten and 7 panicking, yelling people. Which he now knew was not a good combination. At least not all of the house had gone up in flames. But it would be repaired by the time Stella and Frank got back from their honeymoon in Ohio, America. Hopefully.
There was a soft knock on the door and his mother came in. "Hey, Danny," she murmured. Looking at her, he knew he'd never get tired of seeing her kind face, so different to the one he knew back at KORPS. It was all he ever wanted - and all he ever needed. "Sorry about today... You didn't get to hang out with your friends..."
"It's OK," Dan mumbled, scooting over to make space for his mum. "I've got school tomorrow. I'll see them then... and Keri was with me anyway."
"Yes. It feels nice just not to worry about anything, don't you think? And did Keri get contacts? Her eyes are different."
Dan shot up, hand over his mouth. "Oh sh - damn! I forgot!" How did he forget?! The Mastermind was the biggest threat to the world, and he forgot to warn MI9, an agency he was part of, that he was back?! "No, Mum, the Mastermind is back! Keri collapsed on the playing field today and when she woke up her eyes were back to normal. Tom thinks that the Mastermind found a way to leave her body and go back to KORPS."
"Horatio!" Rosa immediately called her boyfriend, who was at the door in an instant. "We need to head to MI9 headquarters, right NOW!"
Half an hour later, everyone was gathered together. As Stella and Frank were on holiday, Rosa was heading up MI9 and Horatio the MI HIGH team. "We need to raise the terror alert again!" Keri said, alarmed. "We need to warn people! I've seen inside the Mastermind's head - it's not pretty! He could strike at any moment!"
"I'll call my father," Dan suggested, and when Rosa was about to protest, he continued, "We need all the help we can get!" He took out his phone and started dialling. Horatio, watching, felt a little pang of hurt. Dan didn't know his number...
"I'm going to contact the armed forces," Tom said, and he ran out. Aneisha frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. It was unusual for Tom to run so fast, but there was an emergency.
"Aneisha? Can you grab the UN? We need an international message sent out," Rosa requested, taking something from Minnie. "Thanks, Minnie, get Mark and start upgrading the cyber-security systems. Horatio, Zoe, find England's best scientists, technicians and - well, basically anyone with skills that will be beneficial to us - and get them to start assessing the risks and putting out safety measures."
"Aren't we gonna tell Stella and Frank?" Dan asked, waiting for his biological father to pick up. Rosa shook her head firmly.
"Absolutely not! This is the last thing they need. Let them enjoy their honeymoon in peace. They'll find out when they find out."
Aneisha typed in the MI9 password, waiting for the files to decode to let her in. She typed in the number for the UN, waiting for the moderator to answer. While she was waiting there was a small 'ping' on the side of her noticeboard to show that someone else was also online in the MI9 systems. She clicked on the link.
Tom? Tom was on the MI9 systems? Why? He was meant to be calling the armed forces - Oh. Aneisha suddenly understood, when Tom cursed angrily, stabbing a key on the keyboard. Trust Tom to be playing Blade Quest when there was a national crisis. She smiled at her boyfriend's foolery.
Little did she know, she was actually the fool as underneath his desk, Tom was downloading information on the latest cyber-security upgrades onto his spypod...
Dan watched his best friend Tom sprint past, yelling at the top of his voice. He dodged out of the way, watching him disappear around the corner. "Jesus! What's so urgent?" There was a click at the other end. "Hello, Adam."
"Dan. Is this about Faray?"
"No, actually, the Mastermind is back. We need the CIA to back us up."
"Dan, look I'm telling you, just keep an eye out for your best friend, Tilly-"
"Tom-"
"-Tom then. Faray always targets the weakest. If there's anything suspicious about him at all, tell me, please. It's important."
"My best friend is fine, and if this is another attempt to get me to join you in America, then no! I'm happy here! Just... Just talk the head of the CIA, OK? Get back to me." He hung up, sighing. He wished he was on better relations with his father, but the man just infuriated him every time they spoke!
He did keep mentioning Faray, though, and now that he thought about it, Tom did seem to be running extremely fast with no apparent purpose. That wasn't like Tom. Usually he would put all his efforts into staying away from exercise. He would keep his father's advice in mind, but he wouldn't look into it too much... There was nothing to worry about.
"Danny!" his mother called, and Dan set off in her direction.
Keri couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She hadn't been given a job, but she was going around, generally helping everyone else out, and doing bits and bobs now and then. But when her mind was free, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched - maliciously. Maybe I'd better go and find Dan... She thought. I'll feel better after talking to him. She entered a corridor, her footsteps echoing off the walls.
She stopped. Something was very wrong. Her footsteps were echoing yes, and so were someone else's. She took another step and this time, she could hear that the echo went on for too long. She took another - and a millisecond later someone did as well. She whipped around, ready to fight, but no one was there! The corridor was completely empty. Slowly, she began backing up, still hearing the footsteps. She looked around wildly.
Invisibility? Was that how they were doing it? She didn't know. A hand suddenly clamped over her mouth, and she gave a muffled scream, slamming her attacker against the wall, but he didn't let go, he was cutting off her air supply. She tried again, and this time he cursed and let go, and without looking back, Keri fled, blood pounding in her ears.
