Yes, it has been a long time again since my last update. I assure you once again, that I'm not giving up on the story, I've honestly just been crazy busy with my new job, etc. You know how life is.

I had a day off today and also ended up feeling sick, so since I couldn't go out anywhere, I decided it was time to finish the next chapter and update for you. It's pretty crazy that a sick day ends up being the only time I can sit at my computer anymore... I will try harder in the future to create more time for... well... creating. ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter

17

The Swan Headquarters

12:31 PM

"Focus, Mr. Kaito. What do you see when you think of this number?" Dr. Shepherd spoke to the young Japanese man as they sat in the tech lab, still no closer to figuring out what the chip inside Taiki's head was for. The doctor held a flash card with the case file LP627 written on it, waiting for Taiki to register the number to his brain and tell him the specifics of the file, like he'd done numerous times over the past three weeks.

"I'm tired of flashcards, Dr. Shepherd." Taiki groaned from his seat as he glanced away from the card and glared at the holographic image of the chip inside his brain displayed above. "You already know I can name every case file and it's contents in your possession. Can't we try something else?" He pleaded with the doctor.

Dr. Shepherd cleared his throat with a nod as he set the stack of cards down on the counter adjacent to him and folded his arms while addressing his patient. "What did you have in mind, Mr. Kaito?"

"Well… We still haven't discussed the fact that I can locate GPS trackers with my mind, or control audio, like in the tech Casey has. Don't you think we should try another attempt to speak with Agent McDonald?"

"The Swan would love nothing more than to be in contact with their undercover agent; however, it is too much of a risk to have you use your mind like that."

Taiki frowned, "Says who?"

"Your doctor."

"With all due respect, Doctor, you don't control me." The young man shook his head in frustration as he stood to his feet. "I agreed to be a part of this as long as you continued to run experiments on my mind and so far, you've done nothing but show me flashcards and ask me ridiculous questions that have nothing to do with why I'm here. I want to know exactly what this thing in my head can do and why The Collective are so desperate to have it!" He shouted as the doctor took a step back and noticed a flash of electricity shoot out from one of the computer monitors.

"Calm down, Mr. Kaito," Dr. Shepherd spoke with outstretched hands as he backed against a wall and tried to keep his tone neutral. "We need to tread lightly with this tech that has been placed inside your head. It is foreign to us and could be dangerous, if not handled properly."

Taiki shook his head as he advanced on the doctor, pent up anger and frustration now showing in his emotions as he clenched his fists and scowled menacingly while speaking, "You know what I think? I think you're afraid to experiment with the chip. I basically have the world's entire Internet in my head, at my disposal. Not only that, but I can download files, control sound audio, locate freaking tracking devices, and who knows what else? However, I think that you would rather just cut it out of my head and be rid of it, than have to face the ugly facts that such a thing can even exist in the first place. Am I right?"

"Of course not, Mr. Kaito." The Irish man shook his head profusely.

"Then why haven't you pushed me further?" Taiki yelled and another electric spark shot out of the monitors as the lights began to flicker.

"Is everything alright in here?" One of the other scientists poked his head in the door with wide eyes as he took in the scene before him.

The young Japanese man immediately became aware of what he'd done as he unclenched his fists and pushed the anger from his mind. He looked up into the frightened eyes of Dr. Shepherd and couldn't bare the truth that they held.

"I'm a freak." Taiki muttered under his breath. He looked up at the doctor once more with regret in his eyes. "I… I'm sorry… I can't stay here any longer." He said and then bolted for the exit before either scientist could stop him.

"Lock down the building immediately and alert Inez!" Dr. Shepherd shouted to the other man before grabbing a tranquilizer gun from his desk drawer and taking off after his patient before he did something he'd truly regret.

The Swan Headquarters

12:31 PM

Benjamin Blake entered the surveillance room upon Olivia Inez's request a few minutes ago via text message. He and Agent Morvis had been working on figuring out the location of the map Casey was studying before she interrupted, saying it was important that he meet her there immediately. Begrudgingly, he obeyed his superior and left Dominic on his own.

"I came as soon as I could," Ben spoke when he opened the door and stepped inside the medium-sized room where multiple camera screens were displayed across the walls of the room and six security agents sat watching them. Inez was amongst the uniformed men and women, standing behind the chair of one security agent in particular. "What is so important that I had to come down here while in the middle of figuring out the next location The Collective plans to hit?" He asked, trying not to sound too irritated, even though he was.

"Agent Venturi has returned from his mission in Toronto." Olivia said.

"I haven't see him yet, if that's what you're wondering."

"I know you haven't, but you might want to see this." She said as she indicated with her manicured index finger to a group of screens on the wall in front of them. "Show me the feed from cameras two and three again, Agent Reyes."

The middle-aged man seated in front of her clicked a few buttons on the keyboard and the images immediately showed what appeared to be a woman dressed in ripped jeans and a black hoodie; the hood was pulled over her face just enough that the cameras couldn't make out her face. She had a brown backpack hung over her shoulders and appeared to be searching for something.

"I'm guessing you don't know who she is." Ben spoke while inspecting the screen closer as Agent Reyes zoomed in.

"Not yet, but I have my suspicions," Olivia replied. "She's been walking back and forth in front of the hidden passage for a half hour now, as if she knows it's there."

"But that's impossible. Nobody knows we're here. We're in the middle of nowhere for crying out loud. You sure she isn't just lost or stranded?"

"Our agents spotted her pull up in a cab about a mile back. She paid the driver and then walked directly here. She doesn't look lost, just confused."

Ben noticed something peculiar and voiced his thoughts, "She keeps glancing down at her left wrist. What is she looking at? Can we zoom in even more?"

Agent Reyes nodded his head as the screen zeroed in on the mysterious woman's wrist to reveal a smart watch.

"She keeps checking the time. Maybe she's meeting with someone?" Agent Reyes guessed with a shrug.

"No," Ben shook his head. "Look closer, it's not the time being displayed on her watch, it's a tracker."

"She tracked someone here." Olivia's eyes widened in alarm.

"But how could her tracker have gotten through security? Our systems are designed to pick up foreign tech of any kind." Agent Reyes defended immediately. "It's impossible."

"Not if you're also from a covert secret agency that can create fancy gizmos and gadgets as well." Olivia said as she pressed a button on the control panel that paused the screen on camera 2 just as the woman briefly glanced up.

Ben recognized the face frozen on screen immediately and let out a groan as he ran his hands through his short hair in frustration.

"It's Casey's sister: Lizzie." Ben spoke with aggravation in his eyes.

"Indeed it is. Agent Elizabeth McDonald from the R.E.D. must've put a tracker on her stepbrother and followed him here." Olivia nodded solemnly.

"We should notify Derek."

Olivia shook her head, "Agent Venturi assured us that he'd handled the situation; this says otherwise. We must take care of it at once."

"What are you going to do?"

"What we intended to do the moment she realized Casey's identity."

"But don't you think erasing her memory is a bit drastic? She is a fellow agent after all… and Casey's sister. She deserves to know the truth."

"She deserves to know nothing about this case, Agent Blake; are we clear?" Olivia snapped. Ben slowly nodded and she continued to speak. "We can not afford any more mistakes or mishaps to occur. Agent McDonald –Casey- is in too deep now and getting closer to figuring out what The Collective has planned. I want you to apprehend the intruder," she said pointing to Lizzie's face on the screen, "and erase her memory before she escapes and jeopardizes this mission further."

Before Ben could reply, an alarm suddenly sounded throughout the building and Inez's phone began buzzing in her pocket.

"What happened?" Olivia raised her voice as she answered the cell. Her eyes widened immediately as she turned towards the cameras and began scanning every screen located within the building. "We can't let him leave! Locate him now!" She ended the call and turned towards the security agents who were all waiting for instructions on who to search for.

"The building is going into lockdown mode. There was an incident in the research lab and Mr. Kaito has suddenly decided he's done with The Swan and wants to leave. We cannot let that happen under any circumstance! That chip in his head is far more dangerous than we originally perceived and if The Collective gets their hands on it, like they intend on doing, then the whole world is lost as we know it!"

The security agents began searching their screens in a rising panic as Olivia started warning every agent in the building to be on high alert and to shoot him with a tranquilizer dart if he resists.

Ben glanced at a camera screen just as Taiki came into view. He was running through the technology wing, towards the dorms. The poor kid looked terrified; surely he didn't realize what he was doing.

"There he is!" One of the security agents exclaimed, noticing the same screen.

Olivia ordered a group of agents to head in that direction. Three were already there and gaining on the young Japanese man. They watched through the screens as the agents ordered Taiki to stop, but their words had no affect on him; he was determined to flee.

They saw Taiki glance up at the security monitors and suddenly all of the screens went black.

"What just happened?" Agent Reyes shouted.

"The cameras have been disabled!" Another agent exclaimed.

"How is that possible?"

"Get them working again!" Olivia demanded.

Ben decided now would be a good time to leave the surveillance room and quickly slipped out before his presence was missed. He needed to not only make sure Karma was safe, but he needed to warn Derek about Lizzie. He didn't care what Inez thought, Derek needed to know that his stepsister had tracked him and that the agency was planning to obtain her and erase her memory. At least now that everyone's focus was on Taiki, Lizzie might have a chance at leaving this place unharmed.

Speaking of Taiki, they also needed to find him and convince him to stay. Ben wasn't sure what had happened to make him go rogue but the kid needed to know that he could trust them. He trusted Casey; surely he would trust her partners.

[=]

12:31 PM

"What have I missed? Is Casey okay?" Derek immediately said as he hurried through the door of the room where they kept watch over his stepsister/ex-girlfriend through the tech in her eyes being displayed on a silent screen.

"Derek? Didn't your flight just land an hour ago? You must be exhausted." Karma spoke as she stood up to address the obviously tired secret agent.

Derek shook his head, ignoring her questions as he took a seat in front of the screen, already examining the image before him.

"What is that she's looking at?" He asked while gesturing to what seemed to be digital blueprints to a building.

"We haven't quite figured it out yet. Ben and Agent Morvis are looking into it as we speak. She's been staring at it for hours now though. They obviously want her to memorize it."

"But can't the tech in her eyes do that for her?"

"Yes, however they have cameras watching her. If they don't see her studying the map, they will know something is up."

Derek nodded, "Makes sense. I'd have fallen asleep by now if it were me having to study some map."

"That is why it's not you." Karma smirked at him. She then decided to change the subject as she took a seat next to him. "How's your sister… or Casey's sister…?" she shook her head with confusion. "You guys are so complicated."

The former hockey star chuckled, "Tell me about it."

"Did she buy the phone call? I tried to make it sound like Casey as best as I could from what you told me."

Derek let his head drop into his hands as he scratched his scalp in frustration, "To be honest, Kar… I don't know if she actually bought it or not. She seemed to… but this is Lizzie we're talking about. She's Casey's sister. The fact that she made it into the R.E.D. and advanced in her training -just like Casey- says enough. She's bound to figure it out eventually -if she hasn't already."

"Do you think she'll be a problem?"

He gave her a pointed stare, "If she's even half the spy her sister is… Then yes."

"Then why didn't you erase her memory, Derek?"

He shook his head while pulling at his hair with a groan, "I just couldn't, Kar. It didn't feel right."

"But what if she compromises the mission, Derek? What if she – "

"Then I'll deal with it!" Derek suddenly snapped irritably. He regretted raising his voice and let out a sigh as he dropped his hands to his sides and looked back at the screen. "This whole thing has gotten so out of control. If I had just…"

Karma cut him off as she placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look at her, "Like I said before, none of this is your fault, Derek. Casey chose to do this mission and there was nothing you could do or say to convince her otherwise."

"I know," he groaned. "I just hate that I couldn't even… If he hadn't…" He immediately stopped talking when he realized what he'd almost spilled about Colonel Yemchuk kidnapping him. "Never mind." Derek shook his head when he noticed Karma giving him an inquisitive stare.

The young blonde placed a hand on Derek's shoulder and leaned down to speak quietly in his ear, "I know there's something you're not telling us, Derek, and eventually I do expect you to speak about it. It's obvious someone prevented you from saying goodbye to Casey and now you won't tell us whom because they're holding something over you. Am I correct?"

Before Derek could respond, an alarm suddenly sounded within the building and both agents stood to attention immediately.

"What's going on?" Derek shouted over the ringing.

Karma glanced at her phone and saw a message from Inez that had been sent to every agent within the underground compound. She read it out loud when she saw that Derek didn't have his phone on him.

"It says: This is not a drill. The building is going into lockdown mode. Taiki Kaito is trying to escape! Do not let him leave! Tranquillize him if you must!"

"Taiki?" Derek couldn't believe his ears. "Maybe the kid just wants some fresh air? I can't really blame him."

"Derek, he can't leave. If The Collective gets their hands on the chip in his head…"

"I know." Derek cut her off. "I'm just saying that the kid was bound to figure out he's basically being held here against his will."

"We have to help them find him. We need to convince him that we're not the enemy."

"But what if he is?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen the things he can do with his mind. What if that's not even half of it? We could be harboring the most dangerous man on this planet and not even know it."

"Derek, now is not the time to-"

Without warning, the screen that they had been watching through Casey's eyes suddenly went black.

"Where did the image go?" Derek immediately started to panic as he tried turning the monitor back on without any luck. "No, no, no! That thing is our only way of knowing if Casey is alive or not! We can't lose it!"

"We'll figure it out; right now, we have to find Taiki."

"The little freak probably did this!"

Karma glanced down at her phone again, "Ben just texted. He wants to know that we're okay."

"More like frustrated." Derek growled as he opened the door to the room. "Let's go find that kid and talk some sense into him."

"Remember, Derek, Taiki isn't the enemy." Karma reminded him with a hand on his shoulder.

"How do we know that for sure?"

"Because Casey trusted him."

Derek let out a sigh, knowing Karma was right. "Fine, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt the moment he turns on that screen again. I will not lose our only connection to Casey because he decided to have a little tantrum."

"Fair enough," Karma smiled as she pulled out her tranquilizer gun. "We'll cover more ground if we split up. And, Derek… Try not to shoot him unless it's absolutely necessary. Our only hope is getting Taiki to trust us."

"Yeah, yeah," Derek waved her off as both agents parted ways," but I can't make any promises. If he tries to pull any Jedi mind tricks on me with that chip in his head, he'll be asleep faster than I can say 'goodnight'."

[=]

12:53 PM

"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic…" Taiki repeated the mantra over and over to himself as he ran through a narrow hallway of the secret underground facility.

He really hadn't thought through this plan so well. How was he going to escape when he had no clue where any of the exits to the outside world were? The Agency kept that information to themselves, always assuring him that it was for his safety.

Sure, he'd agreed to stay here in their protective custody and be tested on at the beginning but now he was sick of it. He missed the outside, the bright blue sky, and the noise of busy streets. Besides, he felt like nothing productive was coming out of this deal. The young man was still no closer to learning exactly what that chip inside of his head could do.

"Maybe I should start testing it myself." Taiki decided as he looked up at the security camera on the wall. There was no possible way to escape if they were watching him. The cameras needed to go.

With just one thought, Taiki was able to hack into the security system and turn off every live camera feed connected in the building.

"Let's see how they manage to find me now." He thought with a wry grin.

Footsteps down the next hall alerted him and he quickly ducked inside a room on the left. He made sure to lock the door and remain silent as he listened for any sudden movements on the other side.

There were two agents inspecting the hall. Taiki heard one of them say something in their communication device. They were right outside the door. The handle twisted as they tried to get inside and the young man held his breath, praying they didn't have a key on them. The handle rattled a couple more times before they finally gave up, deciding he couldn't be in there and they quickly moved on down the hall and into the next wing.

Taiki let out the breath he'd been holding as he scanned the small enclosure. The room was basically empty. There was a table in the middle with a laptop set up. It was open, so he decided to take a look at the image on the screen. His eyes widened as the image showed the feed from Casey's tech. She was studying some kind of map or blueprints. Someone else had obviously been watching the agent's mission without the others. He wasn't sure how this feed managed to stay online considering he'd shut every system down but it didn't matter anyway.

The young man sighed as he stared at the screen. He wished Casey were in this building right now. Surely, she wouldn't tolerate their mistreatment of him; she wanted answers just as much as he did. Maybe the woman who rescued him would be able to talk some sense into the people she works with. If only he could find some way of communicating with her…

Taiki closed his eyes and tried to recall how he'd managed to make contact with her before. He spoke quietly, saying, "Agent McDonald… Casey, can you hear me?" but something was interfering with his broadcast.

The young man cursed under his breath, knowing it was no use at the moment and tried to focus on the problem he now faced, trying to escape The Swan Headquarters without being noticed.

He realized that the laptop on the table could hold that exact information he needed. Taiki reached out and began to type into the computer. Suddenly, a map of all the secret exits popped up on the screen. He only had to think about them and they came up instantly.

He quickly absorbed the information with the chip in his head and was about to leave the room when he noticed Casey tapping out something with her fingers. It looked so casual that he almost missed it, but then he noticed there was some kind of pattern to what she was tapping.

She's trying to tell them something! He realized but quickly became aware that nobody could be watching the screen at the moment because of all the commotion he'd caused in the building. No one would see the message she was sending.

He quickly made sure to memorize the pattern and even wrote it out on the computer before deciding that he'd stayed in this room long enough. It was time to leave.

Taiki unlocked the door and peeked out into the hall. The coast was clear. Apparently there was some kind of secret passage leading outside in the dormitory wing, so he followed the map inside his head towards it, hoping not to run into any secret agents along the way.

[=]

12:56 PM

Despite the attempted breakout by the Japanese kid, Benjamin knew his main focus had to be on Casey's sister. If he got to her first, he could somehow convince her to leave the premises. At least that's what he hoped... If she really was anything like Casey, however, this would prove to be much more difficult.

Ben frowned. He knew he couldn't just let The Swan erase the poor girl's memory. It would be wrong; not to mention that both Derek and Casey would murder him for letting it happen.

His initial plan had been to find Derek and tell him about his sister, but Karma texted him a few minutes ago to say that the two of them were scouring the halls in search of Taiki. They wanted to show him that they could be trusted before any of the other agents got their hands on him. Besides, Ben figured it might be best that Derek didn't know about Olivia's plans for his youngest stepsister. The man had enough stress on his plate already and would be furious if he found out. If Ben managed to deter the younger McDonald woman away from the secret Headquarters, then neither Derek, nor Olivia would have to worry.

A couple agents ran past with their tranquilizer guns ready. They were still scouring the building in search of Mr. Kaito. Ben wasn't sure what had suddenly come over the young man to suddenly try and escape a government facility, not to mention the people trying to protect him, but at the same time he felt sorry for him. Being locked up underground for two months would drive anyone mad. They had no other choice though. Ben had seen what that chip could do -or at least a minimal part of it. If it were in the hands of their enemies, the rest of the world wouldn't stand a chance. He hoped Karma and Derek found him before it was too late.

Just as he rounded the corner that led to the elevator, Ben crashed into someone hurrying in the opposite direction.

"Dude, watch it!" The familiar voice growled.

"Derek." Ben replied. He was a little surprised to see him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm trying to find Taiki and talk some sense into the kid before they catch him and lock him up, not to mention the fact that he messed up the video surveillance of Casey."

"And you think he'll listen to you?"

"Probably not but I know it's what Casey would want. She cared for this kid. I have to try."

Ben felt his phone buzz and pulled it out of his pocket to read the text.

"Is that something about Taiki's whereabouts?" Derek asked and snatched it from Ben's hand before he had a chance to stop him.

"No, Derek, wait-" he started to say but was too late. He'd read the message from Olivia Inez.

"It says for you to go retrieve Agent McDonald from the upper entrance before she discovers it herself. What... What is Inez talking about, Ben?" Derek frowned at him inquisitively.

"I... Uh..."

"She couldn't be talking about Casey because I was just watching her on the screen and she's still stuck wherever she is with The Collective, being forced to read some map."

Ben hated lying to his friends. He could lie for his job easily, but when it came to a close friend or family, he failed at it.

"Look, Derek..." He began but before he could finish, Derek's eyes widened with realization.

"Lizzie followed me here and she's been spotted outside, hasn't she?!"

Ben nodded slowly and looked Derek in the eyes, "Inez wants me to bring her in and erase her memory before she blows Casey's secret."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" He was angry as he glared at Ben menacingly.

"Inez basically said you lost your chance and now she was going to do it her way."

"That bitch! This is my family she's talking about; Casey's sister!"

"I know, Derek."

The former hockey star narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "Were you even going to tell me?"

"I wanted to, but I-"

"No," Derek shook his head. "No need to explain, Agent Blake." He spit out sarcastically.

"Derek-"

"You can tell Director Inez that I'm finished with this place and that I will deal with Lizzie myself. If anyone even comes near my sister, they'll have to go through me!"

"What about the mission, Derek? You're not just going to abandon Casey again and then get mysteriously locked up in a cell, are you?" Ben snapped at him in outrage.

"I never abandoned her!" Derek suddenly yelled as he grabbed the other agent by the scruff of his shirt and backed him into the cement wall behind. He was fuming as he glared at his now former teammate and friend. "I love Casey, and all I've ever cared about is her safety! I came back for her! It was because I love her so much that I was locked up! It wasn't my fault!"

Ben grabbed Derek's hand that was tightly gripping his shirt and held it as he looked fiercely into his eyes, "Derek, tell me who locked you up."

The former hockey star immediately shook his head as he let go and backed up, "No. That doesn't matter anymore. What does matter is that I can't trust anyone in this damn building anymore." He said as he began to head in the direction that one of the elevators was hidden in the next hall.

"Derek, don't do this." Ben said as he went to grab for his gun but realized it was gone. He looked up to see Derek pointing his own tranq gun at him.

"Were you actually going to shoot me, Agent Blake?"

"No, Derek, I-"

"I'm sorry, Ben, but I can't risk you telling Inez on me and them taking Liz into custody." He said before he pulled the trigger and Ben felt the impact of the tranquilizer dart hit his chest and immediately take affect.

"Der-" he said before falling to the floor unconscious.

I hope you liked it -sorry there wasn't much Casey in this one. I can't make any promises that the next chapter will be done in the next couple weeks, but I will do my best.

I really do appreciate those that have still be reading my story and letting me know their thoughts. You guys are seriously awesome. Please keep up with the encouragement. Sometimes it's what a writer needs to carry on with ideas. Have a good week!

Thanks!