The annoying girl in the corner stared at 3. The most intense staredown. 3 sat,waiting for Billy to arrive. Amber just wanted to come. The others hid, scattered throughout the house.

A portal flicked open. Everyone ducked into their hiding spots.

A green toad, wearing a puffy jacket, came out. Billy took a quick glare around the room.

"Wow. Was this renovated? Looks nice…"

3 stood, putting at least 6 or 7 feet between them.

"What was it you wanted to show me, escapist?"

Billy smiled, his hands in the pockets of his reflective jacket. "I didn't say I would show you something, I said I had something for you. And here it is." He pulled out a rusty knife. "You remember who THIS belonged to?"

From the context and the smile on his face, 3 knew exactly what that was.

"That's from… but he was-"

"Absorbed into the fissure, right? Good girl! Now, then. Hypothetically speaking, I should NOT have this. Wasn't he holding this, when he was absorbed?" 3 nodded, solemnly. "Righto! How is this here, I ask?"

Billy set down the knife. "Listen. MVP girl, and listen well."

Simon, from his hiding spot, heard something behind him, but he had noticed it seconds too late for him to move. Someone grabbed him. In seconds, Simon was out cold.

"If I have this knife, but he's supposed to have it…"

Luigi heard the thunk too. He peeped out of his spot to look and felt a dart enter his neck, before falling unconscious.

"Why, it's almost as if he dropped it in the first place. I ask you, now. Do you know where he is?"

The captain looked at the vitals. Two had been knocked asleep… three. Alph fell asleep too? How had that been possible, he wondered. The smell of chloroform did not help. And then it hit him. And the monitor showed four knocked-out agents.

3 shook her head, trying to remain calm.

"Hmm… ok. I suppose I couldn't exactly tell whether or not you're lying, but it's all good here… Oh, and… one more thing… Get her."

3 whirled to catch a swinging fist to her face.

Billy walked over to 3, who sat on the floor. "Hey. Stop resisting. Your friends' lives are at stake here," Mick flaunted around Simon, with a knife to his neck, "and I'm not hesitant, I will make them kill your little friends, one by one."

3 looked and there she realized: she had just given Amber away.

Amber jumped, lunged with the sword held high and it was caught by the leader, who had drawn HIS blades and had caught hers.

Amber collapsed when Mick shot her with the dart.

3 raised her hands. The risk was too big.

Billy turned. "Ah! Little Omega, nice to see you again… guys, we're only taking 2. Grab Squid kid and Brunette. I'll take care of the rest."

3 sighed as they had her hands cuffed and escorted her outside, with Amber, whom they dragged.

? later…

Simon jerked himself awake first. He shook himself awake and looked around. The team- minus 3 and Amber- sat, lined up against a wall. Simon looked around. The wall had something carved in it. In crude writing, it read: "You got off lucky this time."

Simon shook the others awake and turned to the door. "Ah crap… what'll we tell Alpha?"

"We'll get fired," Murmured Luigi, "or worse! We could get fired and then fired AT!"

The captain started walking. "Well, nothing to it but to keep going, right?"

As they departed for their ship, Luigi couldn't help but notice, the ground was wet from rain and there were footsteps… fresh footsteps.

Little did they know, the knife was gone.

?

The Rejected exchanged glances, specifically Arris and Marco, due to Mick wearing a mask and the leader not even being in the room.

Mick leaned forward. "How is it, being an MVP?"

3 turned to Mick, annoyed. "How is it, looking like you just came from a circus?"

"I was being serious, I might switch, I hate my job."

"Maybe you shoulda thought twice before getting it, then."

They turned when they heard a slap. Arris glared at Marco, who was clutching her hand.

Mick sighed, before carrying Amber out of the room.

3 looked at the inside of Billy's base. It was very nice and neat, but not his office, as it was probably the messiest room.

They threw 3 in a cell in Billy's workshop. The cell had no door, just some weird material that only let a person with a keycard in. 3 only knew of one keycard, and Billy had it.

A couple minutes in, Billy started messing around with something. He started taking apart something.

After he left, Marco came inside of the workshop, messing with something of Billy's.

She sat down at the desk at the corner and watched something- something she was told to keep watch over.

Marco turned to see Arris coming in. "Hey. Boss-thingy wants us to go and get the thing to do the thing with the blade thing."

"...Please speak normally."

"The 1-up. We have to go and get his gear and the 1-up."

"Then let's go-"

"No, no, he meant the boys. They've already departed, with him. Just you and me and…" Arris gave 3 a glance. "That."

3 felt offended. Highly offended. "Hey, I'm right here!"

Arris turned and gave 3 her full attention. "And what are YOU gonna do about it?" Taunted Arris, fiddling with the keycard.

"Why I'll-" 3 got the best idea. She looked at the keycard. "I'll- hold on, could you pass me that for a second?"

"Sure- OH-" Arris had already tossed the keycard, which hit the guarding material, opening the cell.

Arris grabbed her staff, but 3 had already started running.

"Hey, get back here!"

3 ran. She couldn't bear to trip and fall- And then she tripped and hit the floor.

"Hey!" Whispered someone.

Amber tapped the guarding on her cell. "Hey, calamari! Let me out!"

3 facepalmed. The keycard was back in the room. WHY DID I NOT PICK THAT UP?!

"Well, what a fun surprise, a scamp has escaped!" Called Billy, who stood in the hall nearby. "Aren't we brave?"

3 turned to Billy, a scowl littering her face. "Don't try me, punk! I'm about to show your hired idiots how fast you're going to die."

Arris chuckled from behind 3. "Yeah, right."

Billy smirked. "So… You're aware of my plan? You can't kill me. If you do, you miss out on a lot of things I intend to exploit."

"What do you mean, exploit?"

"Oh, my! She wants to hear my monologue! Airlines, fetch our guest a chair. It's about time for me to explain my cause."

(Arris)Airlines sighed, left, and came back with a metal folding chair.

3 reluctantly sat down and Amber leaned in.

"So, then. I suppose you're gonna listen to my plan, yes? So, the first thing I'm going to do is CUT SOME RUG AND NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING." Billy turned to Marco, who stood directly behind 3. "Could you… you know… recontain her?"

3 turned and ate a fist again.

About 20 minutes later…

3 awoke in the same cell again.

"...Brainwash her, using these stupid glasses I stole from that hideous piece of garbage. How did I get them? Don't ask that, but I'm sure that the Squid Sisters aren't gonna be happy to find an empty snow globe…"

Billy stood in front of 3's cell. "Hi again! Say… did you know that Travis was originally going to kill you?"

"Yes, I could have guessed that one."

Billy chuckled. "Well, did you know that we've met before?"

3 shook her head.

"Well, before we even became buddies and whatnot, I had to go and get him to come into work… he was not happy to see me, but YOU knocked on the door. I had my prototype Photon Switcher, and made myself a handsome purple guy, as a disguise. Remember the name, Billiam? 'Twas an idiotic move, but it worked."

"Weren't you that annoying guy, I thought he was dating?"

"Trust me, I'd never date that skunk. Anyway, away from the niceties, I actually have a great plan. You see, you MultiVerse Piss stole my job, my only source of income, my friends, oh, my friends, my freedom of speech and action, and now, I steal something valuable from you."

3 found it highly difficult to take Billy seriously.

"I'm going to slay that masked fool right in front of the whole corporation! How, you might ask, and I know exactly how! I'm going to lure him out, then… when no one expects it… BANG! And I'll be free of charges, too! Because YOU'RE going to kill him!"

3 snorted, incredulously. "Yeah, right! Maybe you think you can squeeze murderous intent out of me, but you're really pushing it with this plan! Besides, I bet the others are really close to finding where I am!"

Billy smirked. "Uhh… yeah, chess and chasing poison mushrooms aren't searching for you."

3 frowned. "I hope they kick your butt extra hard, just for that statement."

Billy turned. "Blue lady. Hold her still."

Marco unlocked the cell and held 3 by the arms.

Billy twirled a pair of strange glasses around his hand. "So… say… What's your REAL name? I'm sure 3 is just a codename?"

"Like I would tell you th-"

Billy shoved the glasses onto 3's face. "Now, then. What's your purpose, squid?"

3 squirmed as he tightened the glasses. "AAaaaand… you're out."

Meanwhile…

Alpha sighed. "Finally, a moment of silence and-"

The phone went off.

"PEACE."

Alpha denied the call. NOTHING IS STOPPING THIS! I'VE BEEN WORKING FOR EIGHT YEARS, NON-STOP! I'D LIKE A BREAK!'

As he leaned back to fall asleep again, the phone went off again.

Alpha sighed louder. He called for the assistant to come in.

She arrived, not long after he called. "Yes, sir?"

"Please, PLEASE, take this phone out of here. I am trying to take a nap. GET RID OF IT!"

After the requested absence of the phone, Alpha leaned back. "Good! I can rest!"

A knock on the door shook the superior awake.

"I'm going to commit a freaking homicide if you don't stop-"

"Sir! We have a new problem!"

"If the toilet is blocked again and you're asking me to do it, I'm going to dock your paycheck to $1."

"No, an impostor is loose in this base!"

Alpha yanked the assistant in. "What type of impostor? Is he or she disguised as an agent?"

"Well, he WAS an impostor, but then he stabbed a man, took off and ducked into a vent! He wore some dirty, ragged cloak and a strange mask, I didn't get a good look at him before I ran here-"

Alpha glided to the lockdown button and slammed it. After that, he grabbed the intercom. "All agents! Be careful, a deadly intruder is in the base, I repeat, a deadly intruder is in the base!"

In seconds, the whole facility grew quiet and the lights dimmed.

Alpha held a hand over his assistant's mouth and listened.

Very faintly, footsteps resonated. A voice. "Is he here? You think it's around here somewhere?"

"Yup. He's definitely nearby."

Alpha sighed. Finally, someone takes action-

"AH! BEHIND YOU!"

Alpha darted to his desk and looked at the cameras. He barely ever actually used that panel, but it became helpful in times like these.

Indeed, a dirty cloak and a creepy face masked figure tore apart the agents, staining the hallway in an assortment of colors as they screamed in pain and dropped dead, one by one. After he finished, the figure wiped off his stained hands and started walking forward.

Alpha started walking toward the door. "Listen, whatever your name is, because I call you assistant or Betty sometimes and I REALLY actually do NOT know what your name is, I'm going to go out. You are going to stay here and watch the cameras. Whilst I'm moving, you direct me on the cams, okay? Just… don't lead me right into the jaws of danger. I'm trying to get to the meeting room to call every single agent in the corporation back, and I need the signal from there. Ya got that?"

The assistant weakly nodded.

"Great. Because I'm probably going to die here."

Alpha slowly undid the lockdown on his door and creeped out. Another pained scream and horrid splatter sound shook Alpha to his core.

Urgh. That's gonna get real old real fast, if I don't think fast.

Alpha slowly traversed the halls, only able to see because of the night vision built into the mask he wore.

He halted. "Hey," He whispered, into the comms, "you see anything?" The lack of an answer made Alpha worried. "Hello?"

Over the comms, a whimper and a loud thud occurred.

Oh no…

Alpha moved faster. If he's in there, he's not gonna catch me dead in the middle of the hallway.

He was not wrong, as his trip to the meeting/broadcast room WAS easy.

Shortly after Alpha had hit the broadcast button, he heard something behind him. I'm SO dead.

He whirled around. Much to his surprise, nothing had been there. It was almost too empty for someone NOT to be there.

Alpha sighed. "I know you're standing in the doorway, creep. No reason not to show yourself."

And then it hit him like a train at full speed. Nothing stood in the doorway, and him yelling did only one thing.

Right after he realized his own mistake, Alpha heard fast-paced footsteps and his comms switched on.

"Sir, he's right there. HIDE."

Alpha whirled around and caught sight of something moving down the hall.

Shoot.

He felt around the room until he found something blunt enough to swing and hit someone with. This metal rod should do the tric-

He nearly screamed as he turned and locked eyes with some strangely-glowing, purple eyes and a terrifying facemask.

Alpha pondered, do something, distract them, DO SOMETHING!

"Uhh… Ya like jazz?"

The man stepped forward.

"Woah, woah, you don't want to kill me, you do-"

The man took another step.

"HEY, HEY, stay right there, we can talk this out like normal… creatures!'

The man kept walking until Alpha felt violated. That meant that the man stood VERY close.

In reality, the man stood barely over Alpha's shoulders. He's short-

The man grabbed Alpha and threw him across the room, without any effort. Alpha sighed. "A fight. Never thought physical matters would come into use, but HERE I COME!"

...chapter 4 isn't going to have Alpha in it. Just a heads up.