The Joint Investigation Unit's senior officers are gathered inside the Center of Intelligence at noon the next day, and they observe alarmed the moment when Torment fully visible calmly walks towards the building housing Athena's apartment.
The professional assassin looks up into the surveillance camera placed above the building's main door, as if he knows that they are watching him, and a dark challenging smile plays on his lips before he vanishes in a mist of purple and circumvents the building's security.
"What do you want us to do, Sir?"
Silence.
"We have to do something!"
More silence.
"Sir!?"
"Prowl!"
Prowl stares passively at the screen showing the live recording.
His facial features hardens the next moment.
"Inform me when he leaves."
He turns away from the screen and leaves the Center of Intelligence while he prays, that he has made the right decision.
"SIR! Where are you going?!"
Aurora follows him and he can sense the SIO's confusion.
"What are you doing, Prowl?"
Sacrificing her.
He remains silent and decides to visit the shooting range to get rid of his pent-up frustrations. And when he stands in front of his target he imagines it to be Torment and shoots at it in quick succession until he has emptied the magazine. He inserts a new magazine into his weapon and takes aim again.
An hour later he enters his office and tries to work, but he is filled with doubt and his thoughts constantly wanders to what Torment might be doing to Athena right now.
What he has allowed to happen to her.
Regret fills his spark, and he is on the verge of contacting Aurora to put a stop to it when something suddenly shimmers in the corner of his left optic, and he turns towards it.
Torment deactivates his cloaking device and becomes visible.
"I like how you have decorated your office, Director." He comments with interest and has his back turned to Prowl while he studies a bookcase filled with datapads about law enforcement and the fight against organized crime.
"How long have you been here?" Prowl asks stiffly, aware of the danger he is in.
There is an noncommittal sound from the assassin before Torment turns around to face him.
"Fifteen minutes or so."
Which means that Torment had observed him in his turmoil. And there is something wrong with the assassin's statement, for he had seen Torment enter Athena's building only little over an hour ago.
Not even a teleporter could have travelled the distance between Kalis and Praxus in that time.
Or could he?
Only Skywarp is fully knowledgeable about the maximum range of his outlier ability's hardware, its limits and energy consumption.
"You're wondering how I got here so fast." Torment comments with a knowing smile, "And I can reassure you that no, the warp-gate technology is not so advanced that I can travel that fast. The fact is, I was never in Kalis. This was a test of your willingness to cooperate with me and you passed it, Director. Congratulations."
"And as promised..." Torment steps closer and places a datapad on the desk, "...your reward. Be sure to bring the necessary people with you."
Then Torment is gone and Prowl stares at the datapad.
'Biological Hazardous' blinks ominously on the screen that shows a map with the five locations of the Organization's biological weapons.
He looks up shocked when he has processed the vital information the assassin has provided.
What in Primus' name is going on?
Torment materializes on the roof of the Joint Investigation Unit's headquarter and stares out over Praxus.
He is not in the favor of the use of biological weapons and genocide as a means to reach their political goals, and knew that the biological weapons had to be destroyed as one of the first steps in his plan or an catastrophe would have been unavoidable.
At the same time it is a strong signal to the Director of Intelligence, that shows that he is serious and sincere in his wish to work with the Joint Investigation Unit.
He will do everything he can to destroy the Organization before Torrent can take the control over him back.
"How is she doing?" He contacts Shift.
::Still angry.::
Okay...
...that is actually better than expected.
She is definitely a force to be reckoned with and he will at some point have to talk with her.
Not necessarily to apologize, but to talk about what happened between them, and then decide what he is going to do with her and the complicated feelings she fills him with.
::By the way Switch wants to speak with you.::
As expected.
The undercover agent he has planted within the Joint Investigation Unit's Center of Intelligence would undoubtly have witnessed the chaos his demand and the visual deception created by Shift must have caused amongst the senior officers.
"I'll handle him."
Shift terminates the communication with Torment and turns her attention towards gaining access to Prowl's secure communications line, where she listens to the Director while he resolutely mobilizes the relevant authorities.
Satisfied with his reaction she then focuses her attention on Athena's communications line.
Athena is once again talking with her psychiatrist colleague and it is clear in her voice, that she still is angry and frustrated at Torment for what he has forced her to endure. But Shift also notices how Athena's voice at times quivers with obvious fear.
Her optics softens and she regrets the need to include the female carrier in their plan, but it was necessary. And with Torment's feelings for her, there is no longer a way back.
She reaches out her hand to the screen in front of her and runs it gently along the surface.
"Don't worry, sweet spark. No one will ever hurt you again as long as we are here."
She might be small and look harmless, but no one wishes to antagonize and incur the wrath of the one who has access to the global missile launch codes unless they have a death wish. Even Torrent should have been wise enough to know that, and yet he still tried to turn her into a slave in his insidious plan.
Something she won't soon forget.
She must admit it had been tempting to accept the warp-gate technology.
Someone like her is always curious to learn about new technology, but Torment had made a rational argument when Torrent gave her the offer.
Why did she need it?
She is most useful in front of her computer, not out in the field.
It had ended in a fierce argument between Torrent and Torment until Torment finally had said that her frame most likely not even would be compatible with the technology, and that an conflict between hardware could end up taking her out of commission at a time where her skills would be crucial to their plan. And that had finally caused Torrent to shut his mouth. He had clearly not been pleased, but for once knew when he had lost the argument. She is vital to his plan and there are no one who can take over from her if she ends up suffering from a glitch due to incompatible hardware.
Of course now they know why he so desperately wanted her to accept the warp-gate technology. He obviously wished to take full control over her and her unique abilities.
Just like he did to Torment...
Until recently she had been working freelance for the Organization, had kept the authorities unaware of their preparations to hit critical infrastructure all over the planet, and now that the Organization's plan finally is ready to be set in motion she was meant to have played a bigger role in the execution phase.
She owes Torment her life and his interference on her behalf has only strengthened their friendship. That's the reason why she without questions willingly follows him in his decision to ally with the Joint Investigation Unit. They are both DONE with the Organization, and if their goal to destroy Torrent means that they have to ally themselves with the authorities, then it must be so.
"Who are you talking to, Shift?"
She turns around surprised and sees Celerity stand right behind her with a deep and displeased frown, and she realizes sheepishly how it must have sounded when she murmured softly to Torment's target of affection.
"I-..."
Celerity's frown deepens and suddenly Shift has a horrible image of being rejected from their berthroom in the near future, if she doesn't choose her next words carefully.
But to see Celerity react with possessive aggressiveness is also a major turn-on.
Her usually sweet and gentle little beloved carrier looks as if she is ready to literally kill to protect what's hers.
"I was talking to Torment's future bonded." She finally answers with a soft smile, aware that Torment without hesitation would murder her if he ever heard her call Athena that.
"Oh..."
All aggression bleeds from Celerity in an instant and Shift fills with relief.
Danger averted.
"Who is it?"
Or not...
Carriers and their ingrained interest for gossip.
She groans when she realizes, that she will have to take the fallout when Celerity inevitably begins to ask Torment questions about his future beloved.