Alex sat in the dining commons, staring at her tray of untouched food. She almost felt like she had come a full circle since this had all started. Had it only been a couple weeks ago that she had been sitting in this exact spot, contemplating her future at Division?

And now she felt like she had to constantly look over her shoulder for Amanda and Percy's next move. If there was one thing she was sure of, she knew that Michael had been right: Division would stop at nothing to expose her secret.

As Alex looked up from her food, she caught Jaden staring at her from across the room—the look in her eyes anything but friendly. Alex glared back at her unflinchingly until Jaden looked away.

Alex kept staring at the other recruit for a few moments. Sure, she and Jaden had never really got along…but lately it seemed like Jaden had some kind of personal vendetta against Alex. Sometimes she even wondered if Amanda and Percy had some sort of deal with Jaden. Maybe she had been promised agent-status if she somehow got Alex kicked out of Division? More like cancelled, Alex reminded herself with a scowl.

"Heads up!" a voice called across the commons, and all of the recruits turned around curiously.

One of the guards stood by the staircase, a clipboard in hand. He consulted it briefly before looking up and gesturing at Alex. "You. Amanda has requested your presence in her office. Immediately."

"Ooh, what did you do now, Alex?" Jaden mock-whispered across the room, her eyes glinting maliciously.

Alex stiffened nervously. "Why?" she stalled, hoping to get some more information about why she was being called to Amanda's office—again.

"You're not being trained to ask questions," the guard snapped, "Let's go."

"But—"

"Alex," a voice called from the other side of the room.

She turned around to see Michael standing at the other entrance, frowning at the guard. He turned his gaze back to Alex, his eyes unreadable. "You've been activated for a mission. Amanda needs to debrief you. Come on."

"You've got to be kidding me," Jaden hissed under her breath as Alex passed her, so that Alex could hear her clearly. "There's no way you could be activated for another mission."

"Quit being so jealous," Alex snapped, pausing for a brief moment in front of Jaden. "I never did anything to you!"

"Quit sleeping with Michael, and maybe I won't have a reason to hate you," Jaden snapped back with equal venom.

Alex's eyes widened in shock, "I'm not—"

"ALEX! NOW!" Michael called out, his voice raised with impatience. "This is an important mission; we don't have all day!"

Jaden scowled at Alex knowingly, and Alex muttered under her breath as she hurried towards Michael. He barely glanced at her as he pushed her none too gently out the door and into the hallway.

"Alright, alright!" Alex exclaimed, shoving Michael's hand off of her shoulder. "I'm going! What's the big rush, anyway?"

"Amanda doesn't like to be kept waiting," Michael responded tersely, "And neither do I, for that matter."

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What's with you?" She paused and then added unnecessarily, "Nikita got under your skin again?"

Michael stopped in his tracks, "Why? What have you heard?"

"Nothing," Alex responded quickly, alarmed by Michael's attitude. "What's wrong with you?"

He closed his eyes, and rubbed his hand over his face, suddenly looking exhausted. "I'm sorry, Alex. It's been a long week, and this mission was supposed to be all set. But the agent dropped out at the last minute, and now we need to use you..."

Alex bit her lip, "Whose idea was it to use me? Yours?"

"No," Michael's jaw twitched. "Percy seemed to think you were the next-best candidate for the mission. He requested you personally."

Alex swallowed, her fears confirmed. She grabbed Michael's arm to slow his pace as they walked towards Amanda's office. "Wait a second," she whispered, "What happened to the other agent? The one that dropped out last minute? Where did she go?"

Michael stared back at her, his gaze intense with some emotion that she couldn't quite identify, "Alex, that agent is dead."

"Dead?" Alex hissed, "How? Did Amanda—"

"I'm not authorized to give you that information," Michael suddenly interrupted her, his voice taking on a formal edge. "Now, let's just get to Amanda's office so we can hurry up and debrief you."

"You're not authorized," Alex repeated incredulously, her hand reaching out to grab Michael's arm again. "When has that ever stopped you before? What's going on here?" Alex moved so that she was standing directly in front of him. He gazed down at her, looking slightly annoyed. "There's something going on here that you're not telling me," she said accusingly, "What is it?"

"Don't push me, Alex," he warned in a low voice as he sidestepped her and began walking again. To Alex's surprise, he placed his hand on the small of her back, and gently guided her along. Alex turned her head to look at him, but she was startled when he leaned close to her, his lips by her ear. "The walls have ears," he murmured cryptically, before releasing his hold on her.

Alex kept walking, trying to keep her face blank. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Were they being watched at this very moment? Alex supposed the answer to that question was a resounding yes. This was, after all, Division. It couldn't get more Big Brother than this.

They reached Amanda's office shortly, and she met them at the door with a cool smile. "Ready for your second mission, Alex?"

"Sure," Alex said confidently, feeling Michael standing close behind her. "What do I have to do?"

Amanda's smile grew wider, "You get to experience your first kill. Now, doesn't that sound exciting?"