Alice sat nervously at the edge of her hospital bed until Shun arrived in the hallway. "Over here! Thank you for coming."

"Nice to see you again. You look much better than...three days ago."

The charge nurse then returned to Alice's room with a pen and clipboard. "Good afternoon! This hospital's policy requires all inpatient discharges to have a witness to co-sign. Sir, I will need your name, signature, today's date, and your relationship to the patient."

The raven-haired agent stared confusingly at the redhead, who simply shrugged and mouthed the word 'sorry'. After completing all of his sections on the discharge acknowledgement form, he handed the clipboard to Alice, who completed all of her sections before returning the clipboard to the charge nurse. "Shun, I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position. Your signature wasn't the favor that I was asking for."

"It's okay. I watched the paramedics bring you from the sidewalk to this hospital. I should at least make sure you get discharged safely. So...are you good to go?"

"I am. I need to go somewhere, but..."

Shun watched Alice grip her phone tightly and asked, "You don't have a ride?"

"I don't. I also don't know what ride-share apps you use here or how to call a taxi in—"

"Alice, stop. I'm already here, so I'll help you out. Before you leave, do you have everything you need?

"My phone and purse are all that I brought."

"I see." He led the way outside and then asked, "Do you need to be at your destination immediately?"

"No...not necessarily. Why?"

"Maybe we could talk for a bit before I send you off. Don't you think it's impolite to ask someone for a favor after saving your life? And after indirectly finding your stolen purse?"

Alice's face turned pale, and she dispensed herself a cup of water from the waiting room water dispenser. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I won't ask you for a full statement of your stabbing incident. That perpetrator is wanted for many other things. We will charge him for robbery and attempted murder once we get him. Other than that...where have you been?"

"What do you mean?"

"You attended college overseas. We were sad to see you go, but ultimately respected your choice. You said you'd keep in touch, but the long-distance factor hindered that. Years passed... we stopped waiting... yet we certainly weren't expecting you to return under these circumstances. If you don't mind me asking...what brought you back?"

The redhead's trembling hand crushed her paper cup slightly as she burst into tears. "I'm sorry... College wasn't easy because I committed to an accelerated pathway. Next was graduate school, which was with the same university on the same campus. Then I stayed even longer because I found a stable job."

Alice paused to wipe her face, during which Shun asked, "Seems like everything was going so well for you, but what does that have to you with you coming back? Did something happen?"

"My grandfather passed away recently. I'm his only relative left and came back to close out his accounts, transfer ownership to me, and so on."

The raven-haired agent took a moment to process everything. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. It's been a long time since we last talked. I remember you lived with your grandfather during high school, but didn't he move out of Bayview afterwards?"

"He did. I was surprised. Grandfather made the decision right before I started my new job overseas. I guess he thought I would come return home after graduation, but I didn't. I don't have any family left here either. I honestly don't know what I'm doing."

"Do you at least have a place to stay?"

"I do now. I met with Grandfather's lawyer a few times here since I couldn't leave the hospital. After confirming my identity, he gave me the keys to Grandfather's current residence and said that we'll work on the accounts and assets later when I'm in better condition."

"Do you want me to take you there first?"

"Actually, no. Grandfather has a storage unit at a nearby public storage location where he placed a lot of extra items when he moved out of Bayview. I'm pretty sure some of the items inside belongs to me. I was hoping you could take me there first."

Shun smiled and led the way outside. "No problem at all. After hearing everything you told me, I can't imagine what would've happened if my supervisor didn't tell us to investigate. I know you never expected to be stabbed and robbed after checking out of your hotel, but—"

A swarm of people holding microphones and professional camcorders rushed over to the hospital entrance as everyone yelled over each other. "We heard that you're being discharged today! What's your opinion about the safety and security of Bayview right now?"

"Do you have anything to say to the police regarding your stabbing incident in broad daylight?"

"We also heard that the person who stabbed you is also wanted for other felonies and misconducts. Will you sue the city of Bayview being incompetent in protecting its citizens?"

The raven-haired agent was about answer when Alice interrupted instead. "First of all, my unfortunate stabbing incident wasn't caused by an employee from law enforcement or the city, so what reason could I have for suing the city? Please update your fellow citizens about all the crime that's happening instead of putting negative pressure on the city council and law enforcement. Second of all, I don't know how you all knew that I was being discharged today, but I can sue you all for violating HIPAA because someone clearly would've leaked that information to you and because you're indirectly filming other patients that are in the lobby right now without a proper news story. Thank you, and good-bye."

Once they entered Shun's vehicle, he complimented the redhead saying, "That was unbelievable. You handled that crowd of reporters so well. I don't even know where they got their information from."

"I forgot to tell you. I worked as a journalist during and after graduate school. My four years on the yearbook and newspaper teams paid off."

"I'm glad that you like what you do." After starting the engine, Shun asked, "Do you want to enter the public storage address into the GPS?"

"Sure."

"Also, the number that you texted me from—is that the best number to reach you at?"

"It's still the same number I've had since high school. Grandfather kept this line active for me, even though I rarely used it. It looks like texting and calling work just fine, but the mobile data wouldn't load for some reason the other day."

"That's unusual. Maybe you encountered a dead spot." After leaving the city streets to enter the freeway, the raven-haired agent asked, "How long have you been away for? Four years at least? Do you still recognize the scenery?"

"Not really...this district is all new to me. Since you haven't been away for as long as I did, you saw all the new changes as time passed. I haven't even come back once, not even to visit Grandfather or during summer break."

"Oh...you weren't kidding. Did you at least keep in touch with him?"

"Of course, mainly through weekly video chats. Even though my passport and citizenship still belong here in this country, but it feels...so weird coming 'home'. Especially since I've never been to Grandfather's current residence after he moved."

"Do you plan to stay then? What did you tell your employer overseas when you asked for time off to fly back here? Are you going back?"

"I resigned already. My employer respected my decision and gave me the business card of a local colleague, in case I want to work here. But right now, my priority is—"

"Your grandfather. I know how you feel. Anyway, here's the public storage facility." Shun parked in the public parking lot, and Alice took a photo of the floor layout on the wall. "Everything okay?"

"There's no receptionist or security guards. Only a series of CCTV cameras. We'll just follow this map." Upon arriving at the desired storage unit, the redhead sighed at the sight of a rusty combination lock. "How does that even happen? Did Grandfather really not open this unit again after moving to a new house?"

"Or maybe this storage facility was cutting corners to save on budget..."

"I wonder if hand sanitizer will loosen the rust."

Meanwhile, Shun stepped to the side the answer an incoming four-way call from Marucho. "I'm online."

Julie answered instead. "Greetings from ballistics! Unfortunately, we weren't able to provide specific results since the guns used are extremely common...and cheap."

"After talking to my peers in other departments, I've confirmed that the injured undercover agent is Billy Gilbert from Wardington police's narcotics team," Marucho informed.

"Runo and I just visited Billy. He's doing much better now," Dan confirmed. "However, Bayview police has him cuffed to the hospital bed to avoid exposing his cover. Billy confirmed that what Rikimaru said about Barodius Meunier having monetary exchanges with some narcotics ring is true. Unfortunately, Rikimaru blew up the place with a bomb."

"Is it the same hospital that Alice was at? There was a swarm of reporters at the front entrance today. And does he recognize his shooter?"

"Not the same hospital, Shun. But now you have me worried. I already sent Billy's statement to Marucho and Julie."

"Let me also specify that the bullet from Billy's gunshot wound barely had any unique striae," Julie clarified. "I couldn't get anything from the bullet, but I can try identifying Billy's shooter instead—"

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed in the storage facility. "What was that?" Alice whispered.

Shun noticed a moving shadow on the ground and grabbed Alice's hand without second thought. They ran and made a few turns before hiding behind a garbage can. "That was a gunshot, no doubt. This is an odd place for any armed person to actively shoot, though."

Then the shooter started talking. "I know you're here somewhere!"

"Shun, are you okay?!" asked all his colleagues.

He pushed his earpiece back after it fell out slightly during sprinting. "Uh...there's an active shooter at the storage facility across from—"

"The shooter sawed off the gun barrel on his rifle," the redhead commented. "See how the barrel is only slightly longer than the forestock."

"Hey Julie, would a sawed-off barrel yield a smooth bullet?" Shun asked.

"It's possible. Less barrel, less scratching, less striae. Why?"

"I have an active shooter holding such a weapon, but I have no idea why here's here."

"Actually, why are you there?" questioned Runo in return.

The raven-haired agent ignored the bluenette and handed his backup Glock to Alice. "Not saying you'll need it, but just in case. Can you distract him for me so that I can run around and get him from behind?"

"I don't think I should be holding this." The redhead stepped forward and exposed her location. "I don't know who you are, but what do you want?"

"There you are! You're the cause of all this!" The shooter turned around and revealed himself to be a young man with teal blue hair wearing a sleeveless green vest. He held his rifle higher with both hands. "Lync messed up, and I need to tie up loose ends."

Shun stared in disbelief. How many moreoccasional associates does Lync have?

After a brief moment to process, Alice replied irately. "Is this about him stabbing me for no reason? Tell him to clean up his own mess like a man. Did you send those fake reporters to stalk every hospital in hopes of finding me when I get discharged? Are you that scared of a girl like me? I might as well shoot you right now in self-defense."

"Oh no, you don't!"

The moment that the shooter ejected the empty she'll from his rifle was when Shun took a shot from the garbage can at the former's shin. "That is what I call self-defense." He pressed his earpiece again and spoke. "I need an ambulance. Turns out this active shooter has connections with Lync."

"I just sent one out now," Marucho confirmed. "Local police are also on your way."

"Dan and I are nearby and will be there soon as well," Runo added.

"Thanks." In the meantime, the raven-haired agent cuffed the shooter's hands to a door handle. Alice then ran over and gave him a tight hug. "Alice, are you okay?"

"You saved my life...again."

Shun gently pulled the redhead's hands off and took his Glock back. "Saving innocent people is a part of my job. In fact, I should thank you for talking to the shooter first. Now I know that he's somehow connected to the guy who stabbed you."

"You mean...Lync?"

"Yeah. Wait—we never told you his name?"

"No... I remember Dan said that the description of my perpetrator matches the guy you were chasing from another incident... So Lync is connected to a lot of things."

"Then I need to find out what else this shooter is connected to as well. Nobody works for free without anything in return. I'm sorry that you didn't get to open your grandfather's storage unit."

"That's not your fault at all. The shooter came for me. Right now, I need to talk to my grandfather's lawyer. I'll return here another time."

"I can give you a ride after this."

"That would be nice. Thank you again, Shun."

Although he wasn't sure why, hearing her say his name again made him feel just a bit more at ease after everything that happened.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Shun projected all his findings on the screen and explained. "The perpetrator that shot Billy and followed Alice and me to the storage facility is Casey Mortimer. You can read his list of priors yourself. Julie confirmed that Casey's sawed-off barrel gun was the weapon in question. When Dan and I interrogated him, Casey admitted to shooting Billy because he thought Billy was going to turn himself in to the police during crossfire. Simple as that."

"You didn't expose Billy's identity as undercover, right?" Marucho asked.

The brunet answered instead. "Of course not. We asked under the pretense that the weapon he almost shot Alice with is 'coincidentally' the same weapon that shot at one of his colleagues, which was Billy's disguise. But Casey is boring. The most that we can tie him to is just this narcotic ring that's not even making narcotics."

"He still took a huge risk of following Alice to clean up 'loose ends' for Lync," Runo noted. "How come he didn't realize that Alice was with Shun, who works for DSP? And why were you two together in the first place?"

"Alice got discharged from the hospital, but didn't have a ride to her destination," he explained.

Marucho snapped his fingers multiple times. "Everybody, stop! I spoke with Bayview and Wardington's police departments already. We will help them with their case. I have copies of all their—"

"Sorry, I need to take this call." Shun stepped aside to answer his phone. "Alice, I'm at work right—"

"I don't mean to bother you, but I just finished meeting with the lawyer and was about to go home when I saw the same group of reporters at the front entrance downstairs."

The raven-haired agent lowered his phone and faced the blond director. "The same reporters that rushed at Alice after discharge are following her again. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet. Is there anything that can be done about this?"

Marucho sighed and pushed his glasses up. "I'll make this exception for a high school classmate. Runo, please pick up Alice because the reporters have seen Shun already. Enter and leave from a back or side door, if you can. Have her stay in the interrogation lobby in the meantime."

"I'll tell Alice to text Runo instead. Thanks, Marucho."

Shun and Dan waited in the interrogation lobby until Runo returned with Alice. "That crowd was so bad," the bluenette complained. "I don't think Alice should be left alone at home."

"What about witness protection?" the raven-haired agent suggested.

"That's reserved for serious stuff. Alice didn't witness anything. These perpetrators are just brainless idiots."

The brunet changed the topic. "Alice, how did you know that Casey Mortimer was carrying a gun with a sawed-off barrel?"

"It's easy to tell if the rifle has a forestock to compare it to. Honestly, I was so scared that I only noticed the gun. His back was facing me. Nothing memorable to see there."

"Definitely saved us some time by knowing ahead of time what to ask Casey during interrogation," Shun complimented. "But where will you stay tonight?"

"My house has an extra room, if you're interested," the bluenette offered. "Let me call my—"

"Ahem!" Marucho suddenly entered the lobby, and all eyes faced him. "Alice, long time no see!"

"Marucho...is that you?" The redhead stood up and approached the DSP director slowly. "You're taller now, but otherwise, you haven't changed. I still remember giving my speech during the newspaper team's year-end banquet and formally designating you as the new president after I graduate."

"Definitely a bittersweet moment. Anyway, I'm here because I have a proposal for—"

An incoming call from Julie interrupted the conversation. "Where did all four of you go?! Anyway, Billy just got discharged from the hospital. Local police is escorting him to DSP under the pretense of being interrogated to avoid blowing his cover. But turn on the TV and watch the news!"

Marucho pressed the power button on the remote. "Wardington's superior court just announced that the trial of Barodius Meunier, CEO of BM Pharmaceuticals, is being delayed after new evidence suggests that he might also be connected to a narcotic ring that Wardington police is actively investigating."

"Marucho, does that mean Billy is jobless for now because the warehouse exploded and that the trial is delayed?" Dan wondered.

"I have to ask Billy himself. This new information isn't a valid reason to delay trial. The evidence we found plus the statements we obtained has nothing to do with why he was arrested in the first place."

Alice pointed to the TV. "Who is Barodius, and why was he arrested?"

"It's complicated and technically not originally our case. I was informed that he was arrested for embezzlement. We only recently discovered that he's connected to a narcotic ring that DSP inadvertently discovered and arrested, but there's no solid evidence aside from suspects blaming each other."

"So his company researches, designs, and creates medications..." The redhead searched BM Pharmaceuticals on her phone's browser. "They sell a lot of expensive, brand-name-only specialty medications. Their newest products include 'abuse-deterrent and tamper-resistant' formulations of opioid painkillers. If he's able to embezzle money through his company, then he must be cutting corners somewhere. And if he's also involved with the narcotic ring that you speak of, then I think it has to do with this new series of opioid painkillers. Now you have to wonder if the integrity of any of those medications have been tampered with and whether any patients have experienced adverse or subtherapeutic effects."

Marucho began typing furiously on his tablet. "I need to speak with Billy and Wardington police later. Anyway, about your stalking reporters—I'll personally look into it because you can't stay at Runo's house forever. I'm sure you have personal obligations to tend to as well."

Alice nodded. "I'm grateful that you're among the first few people that I encounter upon returning after being away for so long, but I feel bad for causing this unnecessary burden to you all."

"And that is where my proposal comes in. Shun told me that you worked as a journalist overseas. As director of Division of Special Projects, I can offer you a consultant position, in which you'll have limited access our resources here, but it's the safest place to stay in the time being, second to Runo's house. Based on your analysis of the Barodious-narcotics case, we could use your expertise and extra set of eyes. What do you think?"

The redhead gasped and looked at the other three agents in the area, who then stared at their director in confusion. "But why? There's no need to go above and beyond for me, Marucho. I understand that you have the most authority here, but I don't want you to break any rules of violate any policies with your offer. And how much time and effort will I have to commit if I accept? I'm hoping that being followed by unknown reporters is only temporary."

"There won't be much commitment to this position. All I ask is for is fingerprinting, background check, and signing a confidentiality agreement. You'll be compensated for your contributions. Once everything has settled down, I can convert your profile to 'inactive' status so that you can you can go back to doing what you prefer."

Alice sighed deeply. "Alright, since you insist. Considering that the person who stabbed me is connected to many other suspects, I want him brought to justice as soon as possible too."

"Glad to hear! In that case, follow me."

As Marucho led the redhead out of the interrogation lobby, the remaining three agents at each other in confusion. "That escalated way too quickly," Dan commented. "I get that we're all friends with Alice from high school, but to get her involved is not the answer to a temporary problem."

"And I don't think it'll actually help with finding Lync because the only 'crime' he committed is stabbing Alice," Runo added. "There's nothing that ties him to Gus and Volt's hacking ring, Rikimaru's narcotics ring, or Barodius's embezzlement. But you know how Marucho is. Once he decides, he sticks with it until something drives his plan off-course. Oh look, Julie needs me help in the lab. See you later!"

The brunet then faced Shun, who simply shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. I briefly mentioned to Marucho that Alice worked as a journalist while overseas, only because they both were in the newspaper team during high school. Alice didn't tell me the degree or extent of work that she actually did. This brief conversation where we mentioned Billy by name already violated protocol...although I don't think Billy should work undercover for this case again because everything's a mess now."

"So are acknowledging Marucho's decision or not?"

"I just want to solve this case first. Alice brought up multiple good points about how BM Pharmaceuticals might be earning more revenue than projected, so I'm going to look into that. Text me if you need anything."