"Huh?" Kallista uttered.

"I'm waiting…"

Kallista hesitated as a million questions ran through her head. How did he find out? Who told him?

"Oh? You're being shy now? I'll start then…the signature that the Cheshire care left behind when it hacked into Sterling Black's network left remnants behind that were similar to an old AI that had caused a shit storm years ago," Gabriel began, his lips at the woman's ear and hand splayed across her chest his thumb lazily drew circles as he spoke.

"I did a little more prying and you want to know what I found? Loki, the Norse trickster god, an AI….sound familiar Miss Fata Morgana?" Gabriel questioned.

"…yeah I know about it," Kallista replied, her answer barely above a whisper

"Of course you do. You're an intelligent woman and also you and your friends made it,"

Kallista stiffened against the man, at his words and the hand that began to travel towards her neck, his fingers dragged against her supple skin ever so slow.

"So tell me gatita…why is the Cheshire cat so similar to that very same AI you and your little friends created? Hm?"

Kallista's heart hammered in her chest as the man spoke to her about the secret she held about the Cheshire cat. She had known about the signature since she traveled to the United States to gather information from Black's networks. She made it a point to keep all information about the Cheshire cat to herself and distribute information that she created out to the others. She purposely omitted information about the Cheshire cat's signature.

"I…" Kallista began

"Hm?" He lazily rolled his hips against her as his hand splayed across her neck.

"W-we made the Loki AI but we didn't make the Cheshire cat…" Kallista's breath caught in her throat as she felt the man's arms around her waist tighten.

"T-the design…was stolen and remade into what you see as the Cheshire cat,"

"And your friends didn't do it?" Gabriel asked.

"N-No. They wouldn't," Kallista stuttered.

"How do you know?" the man's question was nothing less of growl.

"Because I have the original designs…given to me by one of them," Kallista replied.

"How did you get them?"

Kallista hesitated again, the man behind her noticed.

"Kallista…"

"They were given to me by one of the people that created it when I traveled to the United States," Kallista blurted out.

"You knew this and you didn't bother to tell me?" Gabriel asked, his voice low, firm and measured as he spoke. She couldn't see his face but she could feel the danger that radiated off of the man as he teased and interrogated her.

"I…needed to make sure…" Kallista trailed off.

"Make sure of what?" Gabriel growled.

"That it wasn't the God Brigade…it's not them I—"a soft pathetic moan slipped from her lips as the man's hand began to tighten around her neck.

"How do I know if you're not lying? How do I know you're telling the truth Kallista?" Gabriel sighed behind her, a sigh of disappointment almost.

"The original design is in Lyuda's office, She—"Another moan slipped from Kallista as the man rolled his hips again.

"Who is behind this…tell me," Gabriel growled. A soft gasp shot from her throat as the man's hand was snuggly around the woman's neck.

"I…I don't know…but I'm working on stopping it. I have a trajectory of where the source is coming from,"

"Where?"

"The United States," Kallista replied.

The hand that was snuggly around her neck released itself as did the arm around her waist, the dangerous heat behind her gone. Kallista sighed heavily and buried her head in her pillow to hide her embarrassment and the fact that she had been found out.

"Just imagine if Overwatch found out about this Kallista," Gabriel began "Have you thought about that?"

"They weren't going to find out…I would have taken care of it before then," Kallista replied as she looked up at the man.

"Apparently not," Gabriel scoffed, Kallista frowned as she brushed her bed hair from her face as she continued to look up at the man. The look he gave her was the same look he had given her all those years ago, stoic, detached.

"If you don't help me Kallista I can't help you," Gabriel said as he crossed his arms.

"What did you expect me to do? Tell you that that AI was made by me but not me?" Kallista shot back.

"Yes. Did you forget where you are? Did you forget what we do? Who we are? And Who I am? Get your head on straight Kallista. You are no longer some run of the mill hacker,"

Kallista sighed heavily as she sat up in her bed.

"Normally…you would be written up for withholding information from a superior and be disciplined…but-" Gabriel suddenly stopped and took out his cell phone.

"You're in luck because you still need to figure this shit out and I expect it to be figured out soon. No more games Kallista, the consequences will be worse next time," Gabriel warned as she turned to the door as he answered his phone.

"Reyes here…"


"There she is...oh?" Magnus commented as Kallista entered the Intel office. Magnus instantly saw the slight pout that the woman had on her face, he had seen it multiple times before and it was usually after she has met Reyes before coming to the office.

"Good Afternoon Director Kaines," Linda greeted the woman.

"Director Kaines…how are you feeling?" Aleks asked as he stood.

"Hey," Kallista sighed as she gave a murmured greeting to her small team.

"Uh-oh…" Magnus began.

"What?"

"Did you get a spanking from Reyes?" Magnus smirked.

"Come off of it you twit," Kallista frowned. Magnus chuckled slightly at the woman's icy insult, he knew that behind that insult that he had hit his mark.

"You are feeling better though? Commander Reyes told us that you were resting…are you sure you should be up and moving?" Aleks began.

"I'll be fine. I can't waste any more time," Kallista sighed. "Alright, give me updates and your extended plan for work for the next two weeks,"

Kallista looked at the three as she stood between the desks and pulled a holographic keyboard from the terminal closest to her. She glanced at the larger desk across the room, it was empty, the desk belonged to Malik who hadn't been seen for several days. Kallista knew that it was the man's time to focus on one of his long-term goals, Talon.

"Hmm…"

"When is Malik coming back?" Magnus questioned.

"At this point, I'm not sure," Kallista replied as she focused on the larger screen, logged into the system and watched as various active dossiers and messages appeared.

"So far everything has been normal in terms of this specific office but there's been an increase of activity around certain Blackwatch outposts," Aleks began.

"I assume those are around the hot spots," Kallista said as she pulled up a small map on the screen to show the Blackwatch outposts. Indeed she could see the increased activity in countries where Overwatch was present and countries where Blackwatch was present.

"How many overnighters have you all pulled?" Kallista asked as she used two fingers to drag and open a dossier next to her.

"I don't know. I found Aleks and Linda dosing off at their desks or even sleeping when I came in," Magnus commented.

"Alright…I'll start to circulate everyone's work to the others…in the meantime, we're short-staffed and I've already begun transfer work for Kallos to join while myself and Malik are out. Also, I'll reach out to a few of our other teams to see if they can parse and filter information,"

"Where are you going this time?" Linda questioned.

"To the United States, again," Kallista replied.

"Why?" Aleks questioned

"To handle the Cheshire cat. Even though Malik isn't here, he's been assisting me locate the origin of the Cheshire cat. I'm going to personally take out the source," Kallista replied.

"How long will you be away?" Linda asked.

"You lot are asking a lot of questions—why is Van Gogh in Med Bay?" Kallista pulled up the man's profile and medical files.

"He was injured during a training session with a new recruit," Magnus sighed. "Not too sure how I feel about the guy,"

"Who? And what do you mean?" Kallista questioned.

"A shi—"Magnus began when the woman's cell phone began to ring. She paused a moment before she answered the phone call.

"Yeah….Now? ok," With just those few words the phone call ended and the phone went back into her back pocket.

"Apparently I have an important meeting with Reyes?" Kallista replied confused.

"Probably about the incident and the new recruits," Aleks commented. Kallista sighed heavily, with the situation that she was in hours ago with the man she was hesitant to see him so soon.

"You look like you don't wanna go," Magnus commented.

"No. I'm fine. I'll get Kallos to come over since I'm heading that way," Kallista began as she closed out the dossiers and screens before she logged out of the administration system.

"I'll be back, carry on,"

Kallista pulled her hair into a ponytail as she exited from the office and walked towards Reyes' office. As she made her way to his office she made a list of things on her phone that she needed to take care of before she even attempted to show the man her proposed plans for her mission to the United States.

She needed to check on Danica's recovery and now Ruben since he was in the Med-bay, she needed to call Natalie to check on her she was due soon. She then needed to make sure she talked with Malik about his current task and how he was felt about the situation, she then needed to talk to Mikael about his departure tomorrow. After she completed those tasks she made for herself, only then would she begin to create her dossier for the United States. As she wrote down her tasks a highly encrypted message appeared on her phone, without a second thought she opened the message.

[C. Tesfaye: What's this about ditching the coop?]

[KC Kaines: What do you mean?]

[C. Tesfaye: I got a message from Ella about mission critical]

[KC Kaines: I assume it from someone who did some prying…]

[C. Tesfaye: Did you mess up Kal?]

[KC Kaines: I didn't]

[D. Yelen: Gabriella and I know what happened…it would be best to call]

[KC Kaines: I think I can be there. Let me know what times best work for you all]

[C. Tesfaye: I'll be there]

[G. Attia: Same…and I probably was a little exaggerated about that…my bad]

[G. Lockman: I'll be half dead but I'll be there]

[KC Kaines: B is in Indonesia right?]

[G. Lockman: Yepp]

[D. Yelen: And Sam is in the Maldives with her husband…so we best not disturb her]

[KC Kaines: No worries]

Kallista closed the group message and shoved the phone into the back pocket of her jeans before she knocked on the office door.

"It's open"

Kallista entered the man's office and headed towards the man's desk, the door closed automatically behind her.

"I'm sure you're already aware of Mikael's departure right?" Gabriel began as he watched the woman sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Yeah. I saw the paperwork and talked to Lyudmila about it," Kallista replied.

"Good," Gabriel nodded.

"How are you feeling about it?" Kallista questioned. "Since he was here with you at the beginning of Blackwatch,"

"It's a little bittersweet but it is his choice for his future," Gabriel began. "Unfortunately…we are never guaranteed a future in this line of work,"

"Yeah…" Kallista trailed off and shifted in her chair.

She knew the risks about their job, their line of work and encountered death more times than she would have liked to. Nor did the thought of her future cross her mind, she always went with the flow and adapted when she needed to but now…

"Have you thought about what you wanted to do after Overwatch?" Kallista asked. Gabriel looked up from the paperwork on his desk and then to the woman across from him.

"It hasn't crossed my mind in some years now…" the man trailed off.

"Has it changed since the first time you thought about it?" Kallista asked.

"I was younger back then…but…you know the simple things. Retire back to LA, a nice and quiet home in a secluded area maybe start a family," Gabriel started. "You know, what soldiers normally want after putting their lives on the line for so long,"

Kallista smiled slightly, his plans for the future were indeed simple but spoke volumes about what he wanted.

"What about you?" Gabriel asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I've never really thought about it…I don't know maybe see if any of my relatives are still alive? Reconnect with them? Become that one relative that's too snobbish to be bothered to go to family events? I don't know," Kallista replied avoiding the thought that nagged her as she spoke about her façade of a future.

Gabriel chuckled as he shook his head at the woman's antics, he knew that if the woman didn't take the deal that he and Jack offered her years ago, she would be in prison for life. In a way he was glad that she took the deal, she was an invaluable member to his already small team, he had various teams all integral to Blackwatch's operation but the Intel crew at the Swiss base was important to him.

She was important to him and was curious about what she had planned for her future.

"I didn't think I could retire from this," Kallista laughed.

"We'll consider if you can retire and go free," Gabriel smirked.

"Oh wow, thanks," Kallista replied sarcastically, the man chuckled.

"Now…I didn't call you here to just talk about the future we can have those types of conversations over coffee…" Gabriel trailed off. As soon as the words came from the man's mouth he could see the woman light up with controlled excitement.

"Are you asking me out on a coffee date Gabriel?" Kallista smirked, the man smirked as well.

"After you handle that situation you got yourself into," Gabriel replied, Kallista huffed.

"Recently, I had some agents make contact with an agent from the Philippines," Gabriel began and handed the woman a datapad.

"Oh?" Kallista took the pad and began to review the information on the new recruit. "Rodel Dimaguiba…interesting…I'm sure you saw the riots that took place in Malaysia and Indonesia right?"

"Of course. With Doubek and the others coming back poisoned it's just a start I'm sure," Gabriel began.

"The Supreme and Honorable Society of the Sons of the Nation…" Kallista began. "An insider to an Anti-Omnic group?" Kallista looked at the man with an arched eyebrow.

"We need to take it down from the inside. Get into the minds of those are against Omnics free rights to learn what the most effective ways to bring them down. The information that we have on that group violates the laws set by the UN and I'm sure you know the rest," Gabriel explained.

"They are more violent than the others, to be honest," Kallista commented.

"He'll be mostly on the field station in Asia but he'll be here until he completed the training," Gabriel shifted in his seat.

"I see," Kallista placed the datapad back on the man's desk. "What else do you have?"

Gabriel chuckled a bit at the woman's eagerness and the smug look she gave him as she leaned back in the chair and crossed a leg over the other.

"You heard about Ruben?" Gabriel began.

"No. I just found out that he was in Med Bay this afternoon, what happened?" Kallista questioned.

"An incident during a training session with a new recruit," Gabriel replied.

"A new recruit injured one of your lead recon agents and you didn't chew them out?" Kallista looked at the man surprised.

"Surprising right? This one is different though…" Gabriel trailed off, Kallista arched an eyebrow.

"Remember Japan—"

"It's that project isn't it?" Kallista interrupted.

"Yeah…"

"Is he ready?" Kallista asked.

"You are the nosiest person I've met, you know that right? No one besides myself, Jack and a few others were supposed to know. And here you are talking about it like you were involved," Gabriel sighed

"You also forget it's also my job to know everything, and I'm clearly doing my job," Kallista tilted her head and smiled.

"Too well…are you going to tell me willingly or do I have to force it out of you?" Gabriel questioned.

"…All you have to do is ask," Kallista replied hesitantly.

"I assume you saw his injuries, will he recover? Ruben?" Kallista asked in an attempt to change back to the subject at hand.

"Yeah…Angela and Dr. Hasibuan was there and got him emergency surgery," the man sighed as he took off his beanie and tossed it on his desk.

"Was it bad?" Kallista asked cautiously.

"Unfortunately…no one expected him to react the way that he did…but Ruben is going to make it. Don't expect him to be readily available," Gabriel replied

"Alright then…and your newest recruit?" Kallista said as she intertwined her fingers together.

Gabriel pushed his chair back and stood, Kallista watched as the man walked over to the door and opened it. Moments later, Jesse and an unknown entered the room.

"Afternoon Kalli," Jesse greeted the woman as the other remained silent.

Kallista quickly looked over the man and took note of the cybernetic, prosthetic legs, the tubes that partially peeked from the man's hoodie, the metallic jaw, the red cybernetic eyes, and grumpy stare. Gabriel closed the door behind the two men and went back to his desk and sat on the edge,

"You're—"Kallista began.

"Kallista meet our newest recruit… Genji Shimada,"

Genji's crimson stare focused on her as she did him, there was a moment of silence before Kallista stood and extended a hand.

"Nice to finally meet you…Genji," Kallista said as she looked at the man. Genji remained silent as his crimson cybernetic eyes examined the woman before he looked at the woman's hand.

"Wakarimasuka?" Kallista asked

"...Yes. I understand. Nice to meet you," Genji replied as he gingerly took the woman's hand and gave it a gentle shake. He quickly withdrew his hand and shoved it back into this hoodie.

"Kalli, I didn't know you speak Japanese," Jesse commented.

"It's been a while…welcome to the team Genji," Kallista took note of how shy and reserved the man was, opposite of how the man was previously.

Kallista knew of the restoration project, she didn't know all of the details about the project but she did know that the man was a target of the organization. She didn't have full access to the project but she was given some information from Seraphina, who was the main doctor on the reconstruction phase of the project. She didn't dive too much into the project due to her own time restraints and responsibilities.

Kallista turned to the man at the desk to see if there was something else he needed to tell her, and that's when it clicked.

"He's the one-?" Kallista began, Gabriel nodded.

"I see…"

"Jesse take Genji back to see Dr. Hasibuan. I'll come to find the both of your later," Gabriel nodded to the man.

"You got it," Jesse nodded.

Kallista watched the two men leave the man's office and close the door before she turned back to the man.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Kallista questioned.

"Yes. We've been trying to break down the Shimada Clan for years…the way he came to us wasn't the most conventional—"Gabriel began.

"You mean he was nearly assassinated you mean?" Kallista spoke up. Gabriel hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"I won't lie," Gabriel replied.

"Mmm…"Kallista crossed her arms as she looked at the man. Gabriel sighed as he looked at the woman.

"Don't give me that look. You're not off the hook yet Kallista," Gabriel said.

"I didn't say anything," Kallista replied. "There's a lot of things happening at once. I need coffee and a moment's time to catch up on everything,"

"Get your coffee and get your ass in gear Kallista. Time is not on your side,"

Gabriel watched the woman wave off his warning but he knew that time wasn't on their side in general. There were so many moving pieces that moved together, in tangent, separately to the point that it was nearly difficult for the man himself to keep his mind focused on world events let alone everyone within Blackwatch.

There was something or someone behind the scenes that pulled the strings that move everyone like puppets. Gabriel sighed heavily and moved behind his desk, his attention focused on the view outside his office.

Left to his thoughts for a few minutes, there was a knock on his door. He glanced at the small holographic notification that stood out from his computer screen. His next meeting.

Knock Knock

"It's open," Gabriel said, his back to the door. The person entered the office, closed the door and promptly sat down.

"Lyuda," Gabriel began.

"Long time no see Reyes," Lyudmila replied, Gabriel turned towards the woman and nodded.

"You make it seem like we haven't seen each other in months," Gabriel chuckled as he sat down.

"It feels like it but you know that's what happens when you're on the field non-stop, you lose track of time," the woman replied.

"You're right about that," Gabriel sighed.

There was a short pause between the two before Lyudmila spoke.

"You're feeling better…I assume?" Lyudmila questioned.

"What makes you think I was ill?"

"When you're at the base for the time that you've been here I assume you're really sick or injured or there's something you want to handle yourself," she replied.

"Oh?" Is that so?" Gabriel replied cheekily.

"Gabriel—"

"My health is fine…as for something big…you already know what's going on," Gabriel waved off the woman's concern.

He could see her hazel brown eyes as they quickly looked over him and followed by a sigh. She was a very perceptive woman, she saw things he may have not seen and more.

"Whatever you say, Reyes," the woman shrugged. "Just know I'll be there to help you up if you fall,"

"Ouch Lyuda," Gabriel chuckled. Again the woman shrugged but with a small smirk on her lips.

"Well now, I feel backstabbed,"

"I told you, Reyes, you would see me coming if I were to do that," Lyudmila said as she crossed a leg over the other. Gabriel chuckled again.

"We've got lots to talk about," He began, the woman across from him nodded.

"I've checked up on Bradley. She's completed therapy and just moved into the lower basics training sessions, for the most part, she's doing well," Lyudmila began.

"I heard which leads me to the next point that we need to discuss…we lost a few squad leaders for the team here at HQ," Gabriel began as he pulled up profiles of the agents that lost their lives on the field.

"Unfortunately, they were good people," Lyudmila trailed off as her gaze dropped from the profiles and to her hands.

"We need to send another team to that location….New Zealand. There's something obviously wrong and doesn't want to be found," Gabriel continued.

"I can only assume it is Talon related. I've read the reports from that recon operation…and the enemies were a bit overkill," Lyudmila commented. Gabriel nodded and sighed.

"Most of our agents are spread out and working at full capacity…" she continued as she looked at the small device that projected a small hologram screen with a map with their agent's placements around the world.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gabriel arched an eyebrow, her shoulders dropped with a sigh.

"I finally decided that I needed to use one of these things. I got Magnus and the Intel crew to help me out with it," Lyudmila replied.

"I'm proud of you," Gabriel chuckled.

He knew that the woman was not technological savvy at all, she struggled with the more advanced devices that were used in Blackwatch. She usually delegated using any technology to anyone else in the team and if she could avoid it she would. He couldn't help but chuckle at the woman, it was a big step for her.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't laugh at me. I already feel and look like a grandma," Lyudmila scoffed.

"Right. Right. My bad," Gabriel replied with a smirk plastered on his lips.

"…with the loss of the two field officers and senior agents, Doubek and Van Gogh out on medical leave, Natalie still out, and Bradley is recovering…and a few others…" Lyudmila began.

"We need to make some changes and quick…we're losing too many agents. Gabriel sighed.

"What are you thinking?" Lyudmila looked up at the man.

"We already have replacements for HQ but we also have agents that are already qualified for a promotion," Gabriel began. "We also have two support agents joining us, Asuka and Dimaguiba, and then there's Genji—"

"How did Kallista handle that? Knowing that he took out one of her agents?" Lyudmila questioned.

"She was a bit hesitant but she didn't really have much to say about the matter…she has other things to worry about," Gabriel replied.

"Naturally," Lyudmila replied. "I assume you're going to suggest someone?"

"Bradley for sure. After she's been checked out by Angie and Mikami she should be all set," Gabriel explained.

"I agree…she already has the qualifications and experience," Lyudmila nodded. "Do we know when Natalie is due?"

"I think next month or so?" Gabriel replied and scratched the back of his head.

"Has it really been that long?" Lyudmila sighed as she looked at her cellphone. "Did she tell you what she was having?"

"Oh definitely, he going to lose his mind…whenever he finds out," Gabriel chuckled.

"That's exciting to hear. You feel like a grandfather yet?" Lyudmila chuckled.

"Grandfather? Out Lyuda am I graying or something?"

"Not that I am aware of, but half of the agents call you dad so…" She trailed off. Gabriel sighed and waved off the woman's comment.

It was already near the end of August, Natalie was transferred to Canada in late December, early January it had been nearly nine months had passed and so much had happened since then.

"We've got to be prepared for whatever is thrown at us…right now whoever is pulling the strings is trying to overwhelm Overwatch and us… so we need to be able to strike back efficiently and effectively," Gabriel began, a clear shift in subjects.

"Of course," Lyudmila nodded. "I haven't checked in on the new recruit, Moira was it?"

"I'm not sure of all of the details, but I think she is already in her training with the other Overwatch agents," Gabriel replied.

"Any idea when she will be joining?"

"No clue, I think that's a bit ahead of the game at the moment. She needs to get all settled with Overwatch before she's introduced to our band of misfits," Gabriel sighed.

"Sounds like a plan," Lyudmila nodded.

"And besides…we need everyone that we have here to be on the same page,"

"Everyone? That includes Kallista and her team too, correct?" Lyudmila questioned. The man closed out all of the screens that hovered above his desk and turned his attention back to the woman.

"Yes. Even her,"

"Our little Intel Director is a house of secrets," Lyudmila began. Gabriel leaned back in his chair and sighed, he knew what the woman eluded to.

"Too many secrets. I don't know if they are well-intentioned or not. The only way we find out is when the shit hits the fan or it's too late," Gabriel sighed. He noticed she looked at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Nothing," Lyudmila replied and stood.

"It sounds like you have something to say Lyuda," Gabriel said as he watched the woman head towards the door and stop.

"I'll go check on Bradley and see where she stands…also…Spiros is leaving soon right?" She turned to look at the man at his desk.

"Either today or tomorrow," Gabriel replied.

"Ah. I see…are you ready?" Lyudmila asked.

"For?" Gabriel asked.

"For Malik…you do know that Mikael literally told no one else that he's leaving besides us and Kallista right?" Lyudmila began. Gabriel sighed as he finally realized what the woman referred to.

When Malik first arrived at Blackwatch they were already attached to Jin Mikami, but as time passed he could see Malik had turned their attention away from Jin and began to focus more on Mikael and avoid Jin as much as possible. Gabriel was sure that the Mikael didn't tell Malik, and he wouldn't have been able to Malik had been away on Talon focused missions for the past two weeks.

"Also…" she began as she stood in front of the door, she looked over her shoulder.

"I mean this in no ill will…Reyes…but do you think she didn't tell you because she didn't trust you to believe her?" Lyudmila began.

"What are you getting at Lyudmila?" Gabriel questioned.

"The reason why someone would hold back information like that is either out of fear, lack of trust or for the protection of the person or themselves," Lyudmila said. Gabriel stared silently at the woman.

"Or it could be nothing," the woman added with a slight shrug.

"You're full of cryptic messages today Lyuda. What's going on?" Gabriel asked. Lyudmila waved off the man's concern with a smug look.

"It's nothing. I'll let you know what is going on with Danica later today," Lyudmila replied and exited the man's office.

Gabriel leaned back into his chair and thought about what the woman had said just moments before. He had gifted the entire Cheshire cat situation to Kallista and her Intel crew but didn't even bother to check in on her and her team about it, he trusted her to handle the situation before it escalated to something worse. But the thought of the woman not trusting him to even mention that she had the original designs of the Cheshire cat, to even mention that she had been in contact with her old team bothered him.

"What are you doing Kallista," Gabriel sighed.


Kallista sat on the outdoor patio of one of the cafés near Overwatch HQ on a phone call, there weren't many days where she was able to steal time to herself and outside of the walls of HQ or indulge in the freshly made espresso drinks.

{So…after doing a bunch of digging…Gabriella and I found out who was prying} Diana began.

"Who?" Kallista questioned before she took a sip of her coffee.

{An organization called the Frost Network…I will say they are a bit interesting and tenacious} Diana continued.

"I assume they were looking for things about the cat?" Kallista whispered. She knew that she had to be careful of what she said in general, especially in public. The phone call consisted of some of the God Brigade, an old group of elite hackers that Kallista used to be a member of. They had all gathered to discuss the events of the Cheshire cat, find out who had pried into their old designs and who had essentially exposed Kallista.

"The Frost Network…hmph," Kallista commented as she adjusted her sunglasses. The Frost Network was the organization that Moira was recruited from. Kallista assumed that Gabriel must have asked them to look into the Cheshire cat because she purposely omitted information from her reports and worked on the case herself without the help of her team.

{They went through every piece of information that and looked under every orifice, nook and cranny they could until they found what they were looking for…or at least some of it} Gabriella spoke up

Currently, two women, Diana and Gabriella, were the main speakers as Kallista and two others listened as they gave them the information on what they had.

{They're good…they even went so far as to look at even older AIs and compare…kudos to them} Gabriella scoffed.

{Any idea what they wanted with this information? This is very specific and there's really no need to look into this the Cheshire cat hasn't-} Camille spoke up.

{Before you finish that statement Milly, have you checked the forums as of late? Or the news for that matter?} Gabriella cut off the woman before she could continue.

Kallista looked at the holopad that she carried with her and looked pulled up various reputable news sites and saw that the headlines featured the Cheshire cat.

- Copy the copycat! Governments are growing concerned about the Cheshire cat's next attack -

- Cheshire cat induced violence within the Omnic community in Bhutan -

- Government vs the Cheshire cat, what are governments doing to protect the networks -

- What is the Cheshire cat's main goal? -

- Where will the Cheshire cat strike next?! -

"Bloody Hell," Kallista sighed.

{Yeah, it's getting pretty bad…like real bad} Gabriella sighed

{Ok, but it's not our problem it's not our AI…actually…} Gwen who had been silent until this moment spoke up.

{I wouldn't even consider it an just a simple AI anymore…Diana and I were trying to look at how it affects the programming, the internal systems of omnics and what it actually does…and it's more like a virus…a virus that knows what it's doing} Gabriella began again.

{Ella…are you telling me this is a sentient virus?} Camille began.

{Unfortunately, I think so}