Xero laid against the bathroom door in her pink and white pajamas, a look of frustration all along her face. "You know this means no more mess-ups."

"We're going to be fine," Zero said reassuringly through the closed door.

"How can you say that with confidence," she asked, her attitude unchanged.

Zero suddenly opened the door, causing Xero to flop back onto the floor. Before she could get back up Zero laid down beside her, both in the doorway between the hallway and the bathroom. "I have hope…hope that no matter what happens, you and I will always find a way to work things out."

Xero looked at him for a moment, a feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

"But," he continued, "I would be lying if I said I'm not a bit nervous, or even scared," he admitted.

She looked at him again, with so much on her mind that she wanted to tell him.

"Well… how about this, when I'm scared, you'll pretend to be brave. That way when you're scared I'll pretend to be brave," she said as she extended her hand in a mock handshake.

He turned to her and wondered. "Xero," he said as he started to reach out for her hand.

Before he could continue, Mole barged into the room. "Wow, Katz is really upset with you guys this time." He suddenly stopped awkwardly, surprised to see the duo on the floor. "What are you guys-"

"Nothing, nothing," they both said in unison as they both rose from the floor, their faces a matching set of rose.

He looked at them unsure if he should say anything else on the matter. "Well, Katz is requesting that I go with him and former agent Susan Shadows on a personal mission tomorrow, I don't know when I'll be back but hopefully, I will try to cast you two in a better light then what he saw tonight. I leave first thing in the morning. You guys probably won't be up. So please don't screw up while I'm gone."

The duo looked at each other rose-colored faces, both of them feeling sheepish over tonight's events.


Roach was violently thrown onto a chair, the blindfold around his eyes finally removed. "Hey! I have rights you know!"

"That you do," a dreadful voice said in front of him, hidden within the shadows.

Roach looked on in terror, his stomach dropping like a brick in the sea.

As though he were a shadow himself, Baron Vain emerged from the darkness, walking around his chair like a wolf circling a deer. He finally broke his circling only to go to a nearby table.

"Care for some tea," he asked as he shoved a chipped cup into his shaking hands before he could respond.

With ever shaking hands, he took a sip of his tea, only to immediately spit it out.

"Careful, it's hot," Vain said.

"Its sewer water," Roach corrected.

Vein looked at him unfazed. "I'll get to the point."

"I… Just… warning you now," Roach said, his words shaking with fear, "Someone will know I disappeared."

Vein only looked at him confused until it dawned on him, as though it was an afterthought. "Oh don't worry. I didn't bring you here to kill you. If that was the case you would be dead by now. Either by my own hands or one of my henchmen's," he said pointing to the one adorned with a face mask and red electronic eyes. "Remove that helmet Zackery," he demanded the henchman. "Show him what you look like."

He hesitated for a moment but obeyed.

Roach looked in shock of the face underneath; his eyes were milky white with a slight tint of blue from the eyes that used to be; his blonde hair was long yet dry like straw; his face and neck were covered in lightning-shaped scars that looked like they traveled all along his body. The inside of his mask showed needles protruding inward. They would make constant contact with his scarred skin.

"Zackery here has had some unfortunate encounters with a certain Modifyer agent," Vein said, sidestepping details. "But we were able to rebuild him. Without the needles in his suit and mask, he wouldn't be able to move any of his paralyzed muscles."

Without wasting another second Zack returned his mask over his face.

Roach turned back to Vein, "What is it that you want from me?"

Vein was silent for a moment, mowing over how much he should say. "I'm leaving for a while, and I'm gonna need an extra set of hands," he said pointing with his teacup at his multiple appendages.

Roach looked at him skeptically, "and what's in it for me?" he finally asked.

Vein let out a sinister laugh as he laid a heavy-handed grip on Roache's shoulder, "Your life… and a chance to be so much more than you already are."

Roach was silent for a moment as he evaluated his choices. "Where do we begin?"

"With some wonderful genetic manipulation," Vein said, gesturing toward another individual. "This is my primary doctor, Dr. Hyde," Vein said as he tilted his cup to a large, well dressed, gray-skinned man with a large nose covered in warts and a long top hat. "He will help you reach your … full potential."

Lacey watched as Dr. Hyde escorted his new patients away. "Are you sure we can trust him?" she finally asked her father.

"No, I'm not sure, but I know you'll need the extra hands."

"Father, I must again insist that you take Zack or me with you. Wherever it is you are going."

"Rat will be enough backup," he reassured her. "You two just need to make sure to keep those Modifyer agents occupied. The last thing we want is for them, or any of my other rivals, to find out I have left Forgo City."