By the time Syd and Jack arrived, a small crowd had gathered. Cruger and Kat stood in front of Sky's bed and Z stood beside it. As usual, Z's face was placid with no hint of emotion showing. Though Sky and Z were never best friends, Syd knew Z had to be at least a little bit concerned.
Syd was so happy Sky was ok that she could've hugged him, but she held herself back. After what he'd been through she'd probably end up hurting him by accident.
Sky's skin was pale and he moved with visible effort. He tried to hide his discomfort, but Syd had known him for too long.
The lights in the room were incredibly dim and everyone stood around in silence. Syd wished everyone would leave and let Sky rest, but she knew they needed to hear what happened.
And tell the story he did.
Cruger periodically interrupted him to ask a question or clarify a point, but otherwise they all let Sky talk on. The longer he talked, the more anger that bubbled up inside Syd.
She was no stranger to frustration and irritation, but Syd rarely got flat out angry. But hearing Sky's story made her want to be angry. She wanted to find the people that did this to him. She wanted to find the people that did this to Bridge. She wanted to know why.
When Sky finally finished, his skin, if possible, looked paler than before. His body began to tremble in pain. Syd wanted to stay with him, but she knew it would do more harm than good. Syd pulled Jack and Z away from Sky and into an empty room.
She pulled the door closed and faced Jack and Z.
"What's up?" Jack raised his eyebrows and folded his arms. Syd twirled a strand of hair in her fingers, wondering how to broach the subject.
"You heard what Sky said. They were waiting for him. They knew what he was carrying and they knew where he was…" Syd hoped they knew where she was going with this. He did.
"There's a mole within SPD." Jack finished.
Syd nodded.
"I've been suspecting the same thing for a while now." Z admitted.
She held up her hands when Jack and Syd both gave her a 'why didn't you say something earlier' face.
"I didn't have any solid proof, just suspicions." Z hand up her hand and ticked off on her fingers. "The anonymous tips. No one ever saw a single other person. Someone had to be tipped them off if Bridge was coming or not. If he didn't, they split to avoid being seen.
Z ticked off another finger.
"The cars following Sky. Not any of us, just Sky. Someone had to tell them when he was coming and going from the hospital."
Z ticked off a third finger.
"Sky was attacked with the files on hand about covert operations."
Z dropped her hands.
"It's all too coincidental."
All three fell silent. Where did they even begin with this information? They had no idea who they could trust. Syd felt out of her depth. What happened to the days of just fighting monsters? Now they had to fight themselves? She didn't know if she could do it.
"We need to keep this quiet." Jack spoke. "We need to find this mole before something worse happens."
"How?" Z asked. "We have no idea where to look. The only common link is Bridge, but there's no way he's a mole."
"We have to keep our eyes open for anyone suspicious." Syd cut in. "Anyone and everyone we don't personally know is a suspect."
"We should tell Cruger." Z hissed.
Jack and Syd shook their heads simultaneously.
"We can't." Jack's voice was firm. "Not without a suspect already in mind. Cruger is dealing with the fallout from these other missions and Bridge and Sky and a number of other missing agents…" Jack let the truth of his words sink in.
"So we do this ourselves." Z confirmed. "Watch for anyone suspicious."
The three nodded in resolute certainty. One-by-one they exited the small room and went about their separate ways. Syd headed for the records room as she was loathfully behind on paperwork from the last several weeks.
Her eyes continually jumped from person to person. Any one of the people around her could be the mole. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her how many people worked for SPD. The perpetrator might be someone they've never even seen. The thought chilled Syd to the bone and the air seemed to thicken as people swarmed the hallways on individual missions.
Which one of you has a mission against us? Syd wondered. Her accusatory glance flicked back and forth across the crowds.
Once in the record room, Syd requested any paperwork left for her by the aides. The record-keeper raised an eyebrow and gathered a stack of paper at least a few inches in height. The stack thudded on the counter and drew the attention of several people nearby.
Syd swept the papers into her arms and scurried to a desk in the back of the room. She shoved her ear buds in her ears and cranked up the music.
Her mind took a trip through memory lane as her eyes scanned the documents. The text on the page asked for details pertaining to Bridge's disappearance.
Blue lights flashed and an emotionless Sky sat on the bumper of an ambulance. Jack spoke rapidly with an investigator on the scene. Z looked poised to strike, but without anyone to strike at. Syd's eyes followed an evidence bag that contained a demolished morpher.
The next pages asked about the subsequent search for the missing agent.
Files spewed across various tables and a few scattered across the floor. Dishes piled high in the back of the room. Unkempt hair. Mussed uniforms. Dark circles under the eyes of Syd and her friends.
Bridge's re-appearance.
Syd tried to pry Sky away from the hospital, but he refused. They knew it was a lost cause. Bridge was still unconscious and Sky wanted to be there when he woke up. However, Syd suspected Sky was keeping watch, still guilty over losing Bridge in the first place.
The resources dedicated to creating a containment chamber for Bridge's powers.
Back to the disastrous room with papers strewn everywhere. This time, they carried on with a renewed sense of urgency. Nerves frayed. Friendships strained.
Something nagged at Syd, tugging on her subconscious. Something she needed to remember. Something that would fit all the pieces of the puzzle. Ignoring the rest of the paperwork, she closed her eyes and focused.
An evidence bag. Carried by a red-headed cadet.
Dishes piled high. Cleared away by a red-headed cadet.
They left for the hospital. Watched by a red-headed cadet.
Syd cleaned up files. Aided by a red-headed cadet.
Syd's eyes flew open. Memories flooded back. The red-headed cadet was everywhere in her memories of these events. But to her knowledge, she'd never seen her before Bridge's disappearance. Who was she?
The hair on the back of Syd's neck stood on end. Someone was watching her. Syd looked up from her papers and her eyes found those of the red-headed cadet.