Oxide looked wide eyed back at the monitor. He couldn't believe what he was reading.

"What is it?" Butcher queried, noticing his shock.

"It's from the Director himself. Sanros from the non-aug team and…and Vyara were declared rogue agents." The man sat back in his chair, bringing one hand to his face and shaking his head. "Orders to kill them on sight if they refuse to surrender…my own sister. My own fucking sister." Oxide was clearly distraught even at the notion of having to turn against his own family in a time like this.

"No way, let me see that…" He incredulously spoke in disbelief, making to see for himself.

He swiveled the monitor for Butcher to take a look:

TO: All Ghost Scribe Teams

FROM: Director Dor'Saurom, SIS

SUBJECT: Rogue Agents

Let it be known that Field Agent Eclas'Sanros (Codename: Blaster), Squad Leader of Non-Augmented Team Four and Special Agent Vyara'Kodoros (Codename: Euxine), member of Augmented Team 3 have gone rogue. Both agents have abandoned their posts on Tallum with Sanros reportedly cooperating with the Irken Empire to bring about Tallum's fall in an accelerated manner, foiling contingency plans directed by myself through Overlord.

Both agents are to be considered hostile combatants. If they refuse to surrender when ordered, all teams are to engage and kill on sight. A bonus will be awarded to agents who deliver the killing blow upon confirmation that these rogue agents are dead.

-Dor'Saurom
Director
Secret Intelligence Service

What he thought to be a cruel joke in poor taste was anything but. An official, encrypted, documented missive from the Director himself. Two of their own had turned their backs on the Vortian people and were now labeled in the same category as the Irken aggressors threatening their very livelihoods.

The fact one of them was his subordinate's own flesh-and-blood sibling complicated matters further. Orders were orders…but blood was blood all the same. Family came first above all else to most. Even members of an elite intelligence agency.

"...so is this an announcement or a "go find them" set of orders?" He awkwardly attempted trying to recover from the mental blow himself. "Wouldn't mind getting off this frost-bitten rock and finding those cockroaches who messed things up for a little payback and all…but not if it means hunting our own…did you just get this? Anyone else know yet?"

"...I don't know." Oxide sighed as he slumped down further in his chair. "It read like an announcement to all of us but what are we supposed to do? Just sit here with our hands on our dicks? He hasn't handed us an assignment in forever and…I get the feeling the Director thinks those of us that are here are a gaggle of fuckups that can't do a damn thing right…but I'm not killing my sister. No way, no how. Sooner rather go to the hangman's noose than turn on her."

"Don't be so eager to step into it. You joke about that now, we both know if the Director saw fit, to the gallows you go." Butcher morbidly commented, folding his arms across his chest. "... A lot of stuff going on we're kept in the dark about and that's saying a lot…when was the last time you talked to her? She say or do anything erratic or…suspicious at the time? I know Vort, especially Tallum, was rough on everyone, but to go rogue? What are we missin' here?"

"It was right around the time the plant outside Tallum fell. Said it would be the last time getting to talk to me. That our folks were getting off world in one of the Ohnmatu ships. That she misses me, she'd see me soon. Said…she had to go observe something. Overlord assigned her as overwatch for Seros' team. Something about Ohnmatu's shuttle falling into Irken hands and he wanted to be prepared for a reaction."

A pause and then a sigh.

"Whatever it was she saw, it must've been something if she'd do this. I know how she is…ambitious, determined, willing to prove herself no matter what. Like her prototyping the augmentations they did to us later after refining the process? She's no traitor, that much I do know." He stopped to huff with a shake of his head. "And as usual asked me how my boyfriend was doing. Never lets me live it down even though she knows for a fact we've been on the same team since even before this unit formed."

"I've read her personnel file," Butcher sardonically spoke at Oxide's recounting of his sibling's psychological profile. "...doesn't change facts though. The Director's passed down orders slating both of them for the chopping block."

A long pause followed as his attention drifted elsewhere in the room in thought before speaking again.

"...how do you want to play this? Orders are orders…but family is family. Last thing we need is our own internal strife over this."

"...I don't know." Oxide finally looked to his long time friend, "I'm not killing my sister…I almost don't want any part of this sordid business. I…I'm genuinely at a loss. Out of all the possible scenarios I've thought over in my head, this was never one of them."

"I don't expect you to and none of us want to, either." Butcher acknowledged, a contemplative palm to his face briefly. "...do you think you could convince her to come quietly and explain herself? Surely there's a reason for it to go off the deep end like this with everything else going on."

"...I can try. I don't know if she'll contact me or not but if she does, maybe I can try. Whatever she's doing I'm certain she's going to find something to clear her name and make it worth it…at least by the gods that's what I'm hoping."

"It's that or the other teams are going to go open season on her and Blaster. Rest of them aren't so sentimental towards her, especially if the Director has her labeled a traitor." Butcher reasoned, shrugging. "Up to you though. Do whatever keeps us out of the Director's sights on this one. He's already livid over losing the Invader as-is."

"Yeah…I could use a stiff drink after this news…and some time to think about this."

Butcher took the hint as he sat up from his leaning position against the table's edge. He said nothing further, moving past Oxide with a clasp of the man's shoulder before leaving the room to check on Numbers and Thermite.

As soon as Butcher left the room Oxide just shook his head before bringing it down to his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. This was the absolute worst news to receive… but yet, not even a minute went by before his monitor pinged and alerted him to an incoming video call. He looked up to the monitor and couldn't believe his eyes.

Euxine…

He quickly accepted the call.

"Please tell me you're alone." The green eyed, blue skinned woman asked of her similar looking brother. "Rather talk to you without your husband-to-be getting involved."

"He's not my boy-"

"Just trying to break you out of that dour mood you're clearly in, Oxaris."

"...A for effort. But, yeah, It's just me. What happened? By the gods the director has a kill order out on both you and Sanros."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, I just read it minutes ago."

"...Fuck." She ran a hand down her face. "That's just fucking great. Last thing I need."

"I know you wouldn't have done what you did without a good reason. What's going on?"

"...There's this most curious bunch of Irken. They look different, they act different…spooks like us. I'm trying to find out more about them, motivations, intentions, why in the ever loving fuck we had Ohnmatu working with them."

"Hold on, hold on, Ohnmatu…and the Irken, working together?"

"Yeah. Saw it on Tallum."

"Ah hell…well what new information do you have?"

"Eclas and I have been listening to radio traffic. We know Invader Zim is on this 'Ee-arth' planet-"

"Wait, Zim? As in the idiot that killed the last two leaders of the Empire…and what's Ee-arth?"

"Some planet on the bumfuck end of known Imperial space based on these charts on this stolen small freighter we acquired. That's not the least of it. There's this rogue Sanitation Drone named Tak apparently going after him. Now…we got one of these same spooks, guy by the name of Kazak, he's going there. Two Irken going to this backwater is a coincidence, three makes no sense. I think he's a clue."

Oxide blinked, processing his sister's revelations. Her motivations to go rogue answered questions and created twice as many in their place. He leaned closer to the monitor, focused.

"Clue or not, you are is some serious shit. This isn't slap-on-the-wrist level of stuff…and all over a bunch of speculation and coincidences? What are you not telling me?"

"What I don't know and what I'm trying to find out. I read the files of all those guys on Ohnmatu. They've got every reason in the world to kill every Irken they see. Why would they ever work with them? That is unless there's something we don't know that we aren't being told."

He sighed, running his hands down his face in exasperation. What to do, what to do…Finally, he arrived at a conclusion.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do or not to do with all of this…but putting distance between you and the rest of us is probably for the best-"

"...Oxaris…there is something you should know though." Vyara interrupted him before shaking her head. "Overlord and Taskmaster…whatever they did…I heard the comms. They were talking and then…the liner carrying the entire civilian government detonated."

What he believed to be a poorly-timed joke from his sibling quickly chilled the blood in his veins to a standstill. She was serious as could be. The notion that their own agency was involved with the complete loss of the Federation Parliament…it was almost too much. He shook his head, gaining clarity once more.

"You and Blaster need to go. Go…wherever those three Irken are going. Go now. Get away from here. Find whatever you're looking for. Butcher's doing what he can to keep us from getting involved in this but he can't work miracles, either. Make yourself scarce."

"That's the intention…pray for me, would you? I'm going to need the luck of the gods to succeed however deep this hole takes me."

"You know I will…love you."

"Love you too."

With that the video call ended, He never thought he'd think this, but the longer they were on ice, the better. Give her all the head start she needed before the Director decided to send them after her as the idle team.