Yor could feel the vein on the side of her temple begin to throb as full-fledged annoyance began to set in. They had just gone over her plan to retrieve Twilight's file, but instead of praise for what she thought was a well thought out plan, she was met with…utter disapproval. She sent another irritated look Loid's way as he coughed into his hand, a poor disguise at hiding his obvious discontentment before he spoke again.

"Just to clarify. You want me to…wait? Out here? While you go in, alone? That's your masterplan?"

"You think I can't handle my own brother?"

Loid shook his head. "It's not your brother I'm worried about, you're going into SSS headquarters."

"Yes, but I've been cleared of all charges. I am not the enemy. You are." She pulled out the drawing from her coat pocket, the one he had drawn as a message. "The plan is fool proof. I'll go in, let Yuri know you left this for me, direct him to where your safehouse is, he'll take some agents and then I'll be free to grab the file and get out. Easy."

"Except for the fact that I'm handing over a WISE hideout."

"It's just an apartment. It's not like there's anything special about the place." She swallowed the pain and jut her chin up. What was once an intimate memory she thought she'd always remember, was now something she soon hoped to forget.

"Yor…" Loid reached out but she side-stepped, turning her back towards him. She was already mortified that she had been played for a fool. She wasn't going to allow him any more satisfaction that she was hurting inside.

The wind bristled through the trees, and the silent tension was building between them. When she didn't waver, she heard Loid let out an exasperated sigh in defeat. "Fine, but it's a terrible plan."

"Oh?" She turned halfway and raised a brow curiously. "Enlighten me, Twilight. World's greatest spy, what would you do then?"

Loid crossed his arms. "Well, the blueprints to SSS headquarters was actually one of the very first things I memorized just in case I was ever captured, so I suppose…" He pondered for a minute before nodding triumphantly to himself. He looked back up at her, confidently.

"First, I would disguise myself as an officer to get into headquarters unnoticed, then immediately find the nearest maintenance room. From the maintenance's access, I would remove one of the cooling vents, climb in and crawl through until I've reached the room you were interrogated in. Sneak in, grab the drive you say is behind the cabinet, and exit out the door. I'll still be in disguise, so coming out of an interrogation room would not look suspicious were anyone around. Although at this time of the night, I highly doubt there should be many agents walking about. You mentioned that Yuri seems to be someone of high ranking, which means his desk would be with the other officers on the fourth floor. To access that I'll have to find a custodial closet, change my disguise into a janitor pretending to clean for the night shift. Of course, I'd need to create some type of distraction to get Yuri away from his desk…probably set a small fire down the hall due to a cigarette butt by some agent sneaking a smoke. With him away dealing with the fire, I'd break into the drawer, retrieve the file, hide it amongst my rolling trash bin and simply walk out of headquarters as if I just ended my shift."

She couldn't help but stare at him in awe, did he really just come up with that entire plan directly on the spot? If so, he really was everything Yuri claimed him to be. Their plans couldn't have been any more different, like night and day. As an assassin, she was very direct and to the point…him on the other hand seemed to be a tad more complex with a lot of excruciating tiny details.

Besides, he couldn't actually mean that he truly memorized the entire building, could he? What kind of person remembered ventilation layouts across multiple floors, and god knew how many different rooms and offices? She had to admit, it was fascinating to see how Loid's mind actually worked but she wasn't about to hand him any compliments.

"It's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

Loid's eyes widened with shock. Not the reaction he was expecting. Good. No doubt this was probably the first time someone ever said anything against one of his masterplans.

"Which part do you find disagreeable?"

"All of it. It's over-complicated for no reason. And who actually crawls through air vents? That's something you only see on TV." Yor waved her arm, "We'll stick with my plan."

"This isn't a good idea splitting up. What if something happens—"

"To me?" She scoffed. "As if you care?"

"Can we stop pretending like I'm the bad guy for a second? Weren't we using each other? If I recall, you propositioned me first remember? To protect your own self-interests? And were you not lying this entire time about a secret identity as well? So, tell me, how can you stand there being so self-righteous as if you didn't do the same thing?"

"Because unlike you, I wasn't planning on disappearing once the mission was over!" Her words struck him, and for once he was speechless. She stared at the trees around them, the sky, the stars anything but him. "You always intended to leave," her voice was softer now and she couldn't bare to look at him. "You led me to believe that your feelings or…whatever we shared between us was real, that we could be a real family…and that was just..cruel. Because for me, it was real."

She watched his mouth open and close as if he were trying to find the right words to say. She put up a hand. Whatever it was she didn't want to hear it. Another lie, another charm. But it wasn't going to work this time.

"Just stay here. Please?" Her face was red, and he probably thought it was because she was upset, which she was, but that wasn't why she was blushing. She was embarrassed. Did she just admit how much she cared for him? How much she had actually looked forward to having something more than just the killing and the job? Clearing her throat, she started to turn on her heel.

"Don't wander around, who knows if there are agents nearby."

Even with the cover from the trees the park gave them, they were still close enough to headquarters that agents could be passing by. She heard him calling out to her and she quickened her pace. She did not want to hear anything he had to say. Besides, she needed to focus. Everything that happened next depended on how well she could lie to Yuri and for that, she needed to be in the right state of mind.

It was just a short walk down the bike path until she was back on pavement. Walking another ten minutes she was finally standing in front of the State Security building and took in the sight of it all. Against the black of night, it looked daunting. Rows of windows adorned the upper floors divided by long thick columns. Stone and brick, it looked more like a fortress than police headquarters, but she supposed that was the intention. The building portrayed the very image of strength and was a stark reminder of justice to its people.

She opened the door of the main entrance, her heels tapping loudly against the marble flooring as she walked across it, directly to the officer sitting at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" He asked without looking up, focused intently on his paperwork.

She gulped nervously. Here goes. "Yes, I um…I'm looking for my brother? Yuri Briar?"

The officer raised his head then, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "So, you're the reason why our Lieutenant has a busted face. Heh, Yuri sure did a number on him for touching you." He began to tap the pen against the desk as a look of confusion flashed across his features. "Although, I don't see a single bruise on you?"

She smiled nervously, "I heal quickly."

The officer tilted his head, puzzled. "Hasn't it only been a day?"

She shifted uneasily, lying was never her strong suit. "I eat my veggies?" Over her many years as an assassin, her body was used to taking hits. A normal hit in the face would maybe leave a bruise for a few hours at the most. It would take somebody like Nikolai with his brute strength to really leave a mark.

"Riiiiight." The man at the desk smirked, leaning back in his chair. "If you ask me, your brother was just being overly protective. Though, if anyone punched my baby sister, I'd have probably done the same thing. Sure, go on up. He always stays late. You'll find him on the fourth floor."

Tsk. Loid was right about which floor Yuri would be on. How annoying.

She bowed a thanks and made her way towards the elevator. If she remembered correctly, the interrogation room was on the second floor. As soon as she sent her brother off on a wild goose chase, she'd make a quick stop, and grab the drive before heading back to meet Loid.

After arriving on the fourth floor, it wasn't long until she found her brother. He was one of just a few other officers still at their desks. He looked up with surprise when she called his name.

"Yor?" With a speed she was even surprised with, he was suddenly right by her side, grabbing her hands in his. "Are you alright? Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Is it Twilight? If he's done something to you I swear—"

She laughed and gave him a warm hug. Even though he worked for the SSS, he was still her silly little brother. "I'm fine Yuri, see?"

He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I saw you here and jumped to conclusions."

"That's alright, I know it's because you care about me. Here, I wanted to bring you this. You told me to contact you if Loid tried to reach out to me…." She pulled out the folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Yuri. "I tried to get the wrinkles out as best I could but at the time I was upset and crumpled it."

"What am I looking at exactly? A kid's drawing?"

"Anya drew the three of us after an outing one day. Originally, she drew a house, our house but it looked different. This building however is where…" She trailed off. She didn't exactly plan what she was going to say.

"Where what, Yor?"

"Where we…Loid and I…spent our first time together, together." She closed her eyes. How many times tonight was she going to feel embarrassed? "He must have altered the drawing, and this is his way of telling me where he is."

She watched the color from her brother's face drain. "He…you…together, together?" His left eye was twitching, and his lips were having trouble figuring out if they wanted to smile or frown. "His hands…on your…" Yuri's fingers were now also beginning to twitch.

"Yuri...?"

"LOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIID FORGERRRRRRRRRRR! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS FOR RUINING MY SISTER'S INNOCENCE!" She watched with wide eyes as her brother raced to his desk, nostrils flaring as he snatched up the phone.

"THIS IS SPECIAL AGENT YURI BRIAR I NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK! THIS IS A CODE RED! I HAVE TWILIGHT'S LOCATION AND NEED EVERY AGENT AVAILABLE NOW! I REPEAT! I HAVE TWILIGHT'S LOCATION AND NEED EVERY AGENT IN THE BUILDING AND EVERY AGENT WITHIN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS TO MEET ME THERE IMMEDIATELY!" He slammed the phone back on the receiver so hard that Yor thought for a second it would shatter into pieces. She watched with surprise as her brother's chest huffed and wheezed, and she could have sworn that a demon had somehow taken over her sweet brother's body. She could almost envision an aura of black smoke radiating from his body as his hands gripped the desk, his knuckles pure white. Hunched over he looked as if he might actually break the table in half.

She ran over to him quickly and rubbed circles along his back, soothing him. Soon, the demonic aura that seemed to be coming off of him subsided and Yuri's breathing stabled. "I will avenge you Yor."

Avenge? I'm not dead Yuri. She laughed softly. She was lucky to have such a loving brother. Life would have been so lonely growing up were it not for him. Yuri was her life, her only family she had left in this world. Just as he would do anything for her, she would end lives if it meant protecting his.

She wrote down the address and codes necessary to get into the safehouse. Yuri reached for his officer's cap and gently placed it on his head. The sweet smile she had grown to love was back. "You don't have to worry any longer Yor. We're gonna get him for you."

Looking into her younger brother's genuine eyes she felt a stab of guilt but quickly pushed it aside. "I'm sure you will Yuri, thank you." She gave him one more hug before he and the rest of the officers left the room with him. Walking to the window she waited for the sign that she was in the clear. She didn't have to wait long until a parade of police cars came speeding out of the garage. There they go.

She made her way over to her brother's desk and opened his drawer with ease. While distracted with the idea of capturing Twilight, he had forgotten to lock up his station. She pulled out the familiar looking file, skimming through it just to make sure it was Loid's. News articles, classified clippings and photographs of old disguises all in relation to plans he's foiled here in Ostania. This is his alright. She shoved it into her purse as she walked back towards the elevators and stepped inside, pressing for the 2nd floor. I'm sorry Yuri but I need to protect the Garden at any cost.

As the doors closed, a chilling thought suddenly occurred to her. What if Loid was still manipulating her? What if he was only pretending that he didn't know anything about the Garden as a ruse for her to get the drive and his file? He promised to help her find out who was after the Garden but what if it was actually him? Listening to his elaborate plan from earlier, she wouldn't put it past him to be playing the long-game with her. Perhaps it'd be best to give everything to the Shopkeeper instead. There's no reason to ever see him again after tonight.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize she was walking aimlessly down the halls. It was a good thing Yuri took all remaining officers with him other wise she would have walked into one of them already.

Focusing, she walked past a row of doors, Mmm…I think it was this room. She peered into the glass square of the door. Empty. Pulling down on the handle she opened it and snuck inside, directly heading to the filing cabinet at the corner of the room. Dropping to her knees she peaked between the gap of the wall and the cabinet. It's still there!

Smiling triumphantly, she dragged the cabinet a bit so that she could stick her arm far enough to grab it. Once in her hands she inspected it closely. The drive itself was small, rectangular, and on it was labeled, "The Garden: Mission Details."

"You think I just leave my coded mission briefs lying around for anyone to grab?"

Loid's words replayed in the back of her mind. It did seem a bit suspicious to have a thumb-drive labeled with what was on it. Especially given how good Loid is at protecting his identity.

Or…perhaps one of the SSS agents decoded what was on here and labeled it for filing purposes. Yor nodded to herself. Makes sense. I file the most mundane things at City Hall all the time. Even so, I should get this to the Shopkeeper. She pushed the cabinet back in place and made her way towards the door when to her surprise it flung open. She gasped, and stumbled backwards, startled. Carefully she slid the drive into her coat pocket and flashed the intruder an awkward smile. She was probably the last person he wanted to see.

"Well…what do we have here?" His voice was low and she could tell it took a bit of effort for him to speak. The man's face was dark with bruises. His right cheek was swollen, almost doubled in size. The scars that ran across his left cheek up past his eye seemed to be more menacing with this battered face of his. Yuri really did a number on him.

"I was here visiting my brother and gave him an update on where the real Twilight will be."

The man closed the door behind him and locked it. "Uh-huh. So I've heard." He stepped forward but Yor stood her ground. "That doesn't explain what you're doing in here. Sneaking around."

I could kill him. Especially with him not at full strength, it would be an easy fight. Although…it might cause Yuri trouble since he almost beat him to death. He would become the obvious suspect. Damn it. "I…er—lost my ring that Loid gave me when we got married. I was hoping to pawn it off and I thought that since I'm here I might as well look to see if I could find it."

"You weren't wearing a ring when we brought you in." He stared right through her, clearly not falling for her lies.

"Hmm. Then it must have slipped off back at the bakery, my mistake. Now, if you'll excuse me I—"

"You're not going anywhere missy. Your brother might have convinced the Boss that your husband is Twilight but I'm not so easily swayed."

"Move. This is ridiculous."

"Is it now?" He raised a scarred brow and his lips curled into a menacing smile. "Back at the bakery, why were you not surprised at your arrest? Most people if they've done nothing wrong are frightened, scared. But you? You were calm, I could see the gears turning in your head as you tried to figure it all out. You're hiding something, and I want to know what."

Yor laughed nervously, hoping it came off as smug more than the fear she was feeling, an incredible unease shook her whole body. Of course, she was hiding something. But on top of that, his eyes made her skin crawl. They were cold, unreadable, and she could feel his hate for her growing with every second. But it wasn't as if she did that to his face. He had no real issue to be upset with her, right?

"I was trying to figure out why I was getting arrested when I was just there to pick up cake."

"Of course, that must be it." He flashed a smile that dripped with sarcasm. "You broke one of my Captain's nose and knocked out one of my men for well over 4 hours. Explain how a civilian, a simple woman who works at City Hall, can do that with complete ease?"

"I've taken self-defense classes. There are dangerous people walking these streets, one can never be too careful." She started to push past him but he continued to block her way. "If you don't get out of my way I'm going to pound your other cheek my brother seemed to miss."

The man practically beamed at the insult, and let out a rip of laughs. "Now that is exactly the kind of banter, I'd expect from someone such as yourself, Twilight. Not this meek little mouse act you put on as Yor Briar, plain civil servant at City Hall. It's a shame however that we're going to have to inflict so much pain on someone with a face as beautiful as yours in interrogation."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. His fingers were rough. Calloused fingers from hard labor, prickled along her skin. "Our methods can be quite extreme, yet they do seem to be quite successful. Once I present my case to the Boss and convince him that Yuri is in denial being that you're his sister, I have no doubt he'll take my side." His brought his other hand up, now cupping both cheeks, forcing her to look directly into those chilling eyes of his. "We're going to have so much time alone together, I can hardly wait, Twilight."

Yor's eyes widened then. No…this cannot actually be happening! She smiled, "I keep telling you, I'm not Twilight…"

Suddenly a hand holding a cloth came out of nowhere covering the Lieutenant's mouth and nose. His eyes rolled to the back of his head until all she could see was white, and he dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. She looked down at the unconscious man with a knowing smile and stuck her thumb out to the man left standing. "…He is."

Loid shoved the handkerchief back into his inner suit's pocket. He didn't plan to interfere, but he had enough of whoever this man was, threatening Yor. Not to mention the way he was holding her so closely rubbed him the wrong way.

"I didn't need your help." Yor huffed, crossing her arms.

"Of course you didn't. I just thought he talked too much."

He watched as she tried to fight a smile before asking how long he was hanging around in the vents.

"Long enough to hear him threaten you." He grabbed one of the chairs and climbed up, reattaching the vent. It wouldn't do to leave an obvious trail of how he snuck in, just in case they needed to do this again one day. "Alright. Let's go."

He opened the door and peered out into the hallway. Not a soul in sight. "Thanks to your brother, he took every available agent, which means, we'll be able to exit easily."

Grabbing her hand he led them down a maze of corridors until they reached a corner stairwell. "This one exits near the back of the building. From there, I've already called Franky and he's ready with the car."

He felt her pull her hand away in shock, "Franky?!"

"I'll explain in the car." He didn't reach for her hand this time. He knew by the glares she was sending his way that she would not appreciate him touching her. Even if it was strictly platonic.

They made their way down the stairwell, and when he opened the door to the street, true to his word, there was Franky with a getaway car. They rushed over and he was about to open the door for Yor when she swatted at his hand, and opened it herself. Sighing under his breath he reached for his own door, sliding into the passenger seat. He hadn't even fastened his seatbelt before Yor demanded him to explain.

"Franky is an informant of mine."

"Of course he is." She responded dryly. "Add it to the ever growing list of lies you've told me."

Franky's grip on the steering wheel tightened, "Yor, I never enjoyed lying to you. I consider us friends you know."

Loid waited to hear her response but there was nothing but silence. He glanced over at Franky, and the man looked genuinely hurt. "Be easy on him. He doesn't work for WISE, and anytime he lied to you was as a favor to me."

Still, silence.

He leaned back in his seat, from his angle he could see Yor in the rearview mirror. She seemed to be lost in thought and he couldn't help the stirring in his chest. Her admission in the park left him speechless. He should have told her right then and there that despite the job, he felt the same way too. That she brought light to his world. Filled a void that he never thought was possible. But how could he even get a word in if she fought him at every corner? Not to mention she would probably never trust anything he said. All he wanted to do was make things right between them before they went their separate ways. Why wouldn't she just let him do that? Were all women this complicated? Or was it strictly Yor Briar? The assassin that was living with him right under his nose. Assassin…

His thoughts drifted from his emotions to the enigma otherwise known as Yor. Now there was something he would have never thought to be in her resume. Not to mention all the questions that came along with this new knowledge. How long has she been doing this? How did Yuri not find out about his sister even being in the SSS? How many lives has she put an end to?

"If you're going to stare, can you do so more discreetly? It's unnerving."

Loid sat up right away embarrassed, and dumbly began to stare at the window as if he was looking out the entire time. There was no way she could have noticed him looking at her. She wasn't even looking in his direction!

"Where are we going anyway?" She asked, her voice was once again soft.

He was about to respond when Franky answered for him. "Loid gave me coordinates to another safehouse. It's just outside of city limits, about an hour."

"Great. The faster we can see what's on this thumb-drive the faster I can start putting this nightmare behind me."

Nightmare? Was there absolutely no recovering from this then? Loid sighed. He was arrogant to think he could smooth things over by simply apologizing. While he may have been trained in reconnaissance, stealth, martial arts, and an array of skills, he was lacking in the "knowing what went through a woman's mind" department. Constantly working he never had time for girlfriends or relationships. Flings sure, but since he didn't date, he had no experience in how to handle a woman scorned. How long could a woman hold a grudge anyway? Was gaining closure with Yor even obtainable?

He took initiative and forced himself back into the conversation, hoping to earn some favor by showing how much he wanted to assist with her mysterious drive. "Once we get to the farm, there's a basement below with a data processor. We should be able to see what's on that drive once we get there."

"Change of plans." Yor responded, shaking her head. "I'll be the only one looking at what's on the file. Just in case you try anything."

"You don't trust me?"

Her eyes narrowed into slants. If looks could kill… "My apologies. Wrong choice of words."

The sound of Franky clearing his throat caught both his and Yor's attention. "If you don't want to trust him, I don't blame you. I told him from the beginning not to get attached because it never ends well, but he didn't listen did he? But at least don't hate me. Whaddaya say Yor? Please?"

Yor offered him a smile before leaning forward, "Sure Franky." She gently tapped him on the shoulder, "And I don't hate you. It wasn't you that used my emotions for his own personal gain."

What?! He glared annoyance at Franky who was now beaming a proud smile. That backstabbing little…He leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes. Fine. Maybe if a straight-forward approach didn't work, I'll just have to take a step back and give her space.

The remainder of the car ride they sat in silence with just the sound of light jazz playing from the car radio. He didn't mind the absence of conversation. Everything he said only seemed to make things worse with her, which was the complete opposite of what he intended.

Out the car window, he observed the buildings become less and less visible. Streetlamps and civility disappeared as they got further away from the city. Now all he saw were open fields and trees, stretched as far as the eye could see. They were getting close to their destination. The Farm was codenamed for one of WISE's secret sub-locations here in Ostania. A quaint little cottage with a 200 acre property that housed cows, sheep, goats, a thriving apple orchard, vegetable garden and more. To anyone passing by they would never suspect that underneath it all was a fully equipped underground base, just in case agents needed to lay low or to reach HQ .

"When we get to the Farm, there's a woman that runs the place. Just let me do the talking."

A few minutes later Loid motioned to take a right, heading off the main road and onto a dirt path. Franky followed it until they reached a giant oak tree with a swing hanging from its branches. They pulled up in front of a humble wood and brick, two-story home. Behind it was the roof of a barn, peaking out in the distance.

As he got out of the car an older woman came out to greet them, a giant smile growing on her face as she realized who was visiting so late in the night.

"Twi—" The woman started but quickly caught her tongue when she realized two others were exiting the car after him. "Loid Forger! My, what an unexpected surprise!"

Smiling, he reached out to hug her. "Madelyn, so good to see you again." Madelyn Sommer was in her mid-fifties. Plump figure and so much on the shorter side, that she barely came up to Loid's chest. Her silver hair was gathered together loosely in a bun atop her head, and her emerald green eyes glistened as she looked up at him. She was always in a cheery disposition, and he often enjoyed her company whenever they crossed paths. Until about a decade ago, she was a WISE instructor, training newbies to be ready for field action. When she took a couple bullets for one of Westalis' ambassadors, almost at the cost of her own life, she was given the opportunity to retire. Retirement of course, came with a couple stipulations. In return for living a quiet life on a farm with her husband, she would become the caretaker of one of WISE's main safe-houses or intel point of interest for agents on missions in Ostania.

Breaking from the welcomed embrace, he was about to ask if they may speak in private when Yor suddenly appeared by his side. Madelyn's eyes darted over her and she raised a brow. "And you brought guests, how lovely." Her demeaner still appeared to be calm and pleasant but Loid could tell by the drop in her tone that she was caught off guard. Normally agents never brought civilians when visiting this site. "Uh, Loid here used to grow up on the farm—"

"You don't need to lie to them Madelyn, they both know."

"What do you mean by, they know?"

He didn't know how to answer the question, so he just remained silent until she assumed the obvious. He didn't have to wait long until a gasp of realization escaped her lips. Loid tried to ignore her initial shock and was already trying to decide how to explain everything. Of course, everything about this situation was completely unacceptable. Not only did he bring civilians to a WISE safehouse, but he had also willingly shared that intel with them. That alone was grounds for immediate dismissal from the agency. Could probably even be marked up to treason.

"Could we talk more inside? We've had quite a day."

"Well. By all means, I didn't realize WISE had begun offering public tours to the general population."

Loid smiled and dipped his head. The woman might be old but she was still as sharp tongued as ever. "After you."

Madelyn gave him another stern look over before taking them all into the house. Stepping inside he noticed that the interior hadn't changed since last he'd been here. The cottage itself was quite rustic, the walls were made from strong red cedar wood, and the scent it gave off was like walking through a forest. Earthy, woodsy, and warm. All the furniture inside was hand-made, the tables, chairs… skilled craftsmanship ran throughout the entire house. It was mainly all of Albert's work. He was Madelyn's husband, and still a current agent with WISE. When they found out Madelyn would be the keeper of a safehouse, he had built everything from the ground up for her. He wanted to make sure that when he was away on missions that she would be comfortable alone. When he finished admiring Al's work, he took notice of Madelyn kneeling in front of the massive stone fireplace at the center of the room, where she was busy feeding firewood into.

Loid motioned for Yor and Franky to take a seat and they did so without a word, both looking as uncomfortable and out of place as could be. Madelyn threw in another log before lighting a match, throwing it into the pile.

"Well, him I recognize from somewhere amongst your files because he's been your informant for years. But who's the girl?"

"My wife from the mission, Yor Briar."

"Correction," a voice from behind him called out, the slightest twinge of irritation in her voice. "Soon to be ex-wife."

Loid didn't turn around, afraid to show Yor the cringed look on his face. Of course, Yor would have believed that the papers from their marriage were real, they looked genuine enough. He winced inwardly, perhaps that'd be an argument for another time.

Focusing his attention back to Madelyn he noticed that she had gone completely still as if she had just seen a ghost. Green eyes were suddenly focusing on him intently. "You knowingly brought a woman who has family within the SSS here? Twilight! Have you gone completely mad?! She could be one of them! She could—"

"Please, Madelyn. I assure you she is not one of them." He cocked his head inquisitively, "How did you know she had family within the SSS anyway?"

Madelyn's eyes were now on Yor, eying her up and down as if she was contemplating tackling and taking her down. "Handler called ahead about a day ago to let me know that you were leaving Ostania so if you happened to come by I wouldn't be surprised. She briefly mentioned that your wife was captured in a trap that was meant for you but that her brother would see to her release."

Loid nodded and let out a frustrated sigh. The details of that day still nagged him. How did anyone find out who he was or where he was going to be? Did he really let down his guard somewhere along the way? But how? He was always so careful.

Madelyn crept up beside him, her shoulder rubbing against the side of him, and brought her voice to a low whisper. "You know how much I despise the SSS. I don't want her here."

Suddenly Yor's quiet voice came from the couch, a look of guilt etched across her features. "I'd be glad to take my leave, I never meant to impose, I just need to use your computer."

Madelyn's eyes widened, surprised at being overheard. Her shock quickly subsided however and an unladylike snort huffed from the older woman. "Over my dead body." She stared at her angrily, as if simply looking at her, could wish her away.

"Madelyn, please."

Stunned, the woman now stared up at him. "You…you can't be serious."

Loid took a step forward and grabbed Madelyn's hands in his. Looking deep into her eyes until he was certain that her focus was entirely on him. "Remember that favor I said I would never use? I apologize, but I must call upon it. We need access to the computer downstairs, a place to stay for the night and for you to keep this between us, at least until I'm able to give Handler some answers."

Her eyes were bordering on furious now. "That is a steep ask and you know it."

"Madelyn, please. There are too many loose ends here, I can't leave yet."

"And you think for some reason this woman will help you? Why is she even here? Him, I understand, he has ways of getting intel…but a civilian? She was nothing but a cover, what on Earth could she help you with? Not to mention her known ties to the State Security?"

Without turning he could sense Yor's sudden stiffness to Madelyn's remark about her being nothing more than a cover. All he could do was continue to look forward and hope that his old friend would agree to his terms.

After an awkward silence that felt much longer than it was, Madelyn clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Leaning in so that only he could hear she whispered, "I don't know what's gotten into you to break so many regulations or why you'd risk Sylvia's wrath by disobeying direct orders, but the score is settled after this. You did me a solid and never asked for anything in return but…don't you dare ever come to me for anything again. Not after this."

Loid flashed a grim smile and nodded. "I understand."

The woman dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "Here help me with the clasp." She turned around and pointed at the nape of her neck, where the hook of her necklace lay. Carefully he reached towards it, and gently released the lock.

She turned back to face him, handing him the chain with a single key attached to it. "This opens the bunker. Lock up after you're done you hear?"

He thanked her again but she was already walking away. As she was about to leave the room she stopped and focused her eyes once again on Yor.

"She sleeps out in the barn though. There's a cot and a blanket, which should be more than adequate for an SSS family member. And there is no arguing that, you hear me Twilight?"

Madelyn huffed before disappearing around the corner. Loid turned to Yor and Franky who were both still sitting quietly on the sofa. They looked like children who were put on time-out, waiting patiently for their punishment to be over. He walked over towards them and it was Franky who spoke up first, "I think that went over well, don't you?"

Yor stood up then and held out her hand. "If you will direct me to where this computer is, I'll be on my way."

"It's in the basement of the barn, I'll go—."

"No."

"Yor, please. You have to—"

"What? Trust you? Believe you? What makes you think I would ever believe another word you say to me? Everything has been a lie from the very beginning."

"Now this isn't fair I—"

She cut him off. "When you held my hand at dinner, looked me in the eyes and told me about your dead wife and how difficult things were for you and Anya, was that not a lie? Oh! Oh! Or how about when you said you wanted to give being a family a real chance, right after you took my virgi—"

"Okay!" Loid scratched the back of his neck and let out an awkward chuckle as he glanced a look towards Franky. "Maybe we need to finish this conversation somewhere else?"

Yor shoved past him, "This conversation is over," she declared right as she knocked her shoulder into his, causing him to stagger a few steps backwards.

"Yor, please. I don't want to fight. Besides, that night I did try to stop—"

Immediately he regretted the words. Yor turned around slowly, and red eyes burned into him.

"OH. So that night was my fault?"

"No, I mean…" He fumbled over the right words to say. "Of course not, I just meant—" He looked over at Franky who was busy pretending as if he wasn't listening to a single word of the entire conversation. "Can we please have this discussion somewhere more private?"

"I told you. There is nothing more that needs to be said. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there is a cot and a blanket with my name on it."

Loid watched as Yor stormed out of the house. Her figure blurred by the small stain glassed windows on the side of the cottage. What was happening? How was it possible that he stumbled this much whenever she was around? In past missions, he had turned the tides of dozens of heated political debates, coaxing and smoothing out adversaries on opposing sides with ease. Once, he even had to calm an heiress who was intent on throwing a tantrum that could have resulted in a nuclear missile launch by her trigger-happy father. So what was the problem here? Why was he having such a difficult time when it came to handling Yor Briar?

He heard Franky busily shuffling through some nearby magazines on the table and slowly turned to face his friend. Rubbing the bridge of his nose he tried to defend himself. "The mission always comes first. You know that. I had to do what I needed to."

"Yes…of course, whatever you say Boss man."

Loid sighed, maybe this was hopeless. Perhaps his want for making things right between him and Yor was an impossible feat. She clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and any attempt to apologize was met with hate and disdain. "Fine. At least I can see to it that she's warm enough with just the single blanket. Out here in the country it can get pretty brisk at night. As long as I have this I won't have to worry about—" He reached for the key in his pocket when he realized it was missing.

The image of Yor knocking into him as she left burst into mind. She must have swiped the key from him without him knowing. Oh. She's good. "Franky. Guest bedroom is down the hall. I'll see you in the morning."

Franky shrugged, shaking his head with a look of concern, "He is in so deep and he doesn't even know it."

Anya let out a series of coughs, her eyes slowly opening against the whirling dust storm around her. What happened? She tried to remember but she could barely think against the loud piercing shrill in her head. Looking around she could see that she was in a car and it was on it's side. She did recall that they were driving to St. Anne's but she had fallen asleep…Were they in an accident? Why couldn't she remember? Tears filled her eyes as she touched the side of her head, and her fingers were suddenly wet with a coppery dark red. Her eyesight blurred from the tears until they were too much, and they flooded down her cheeks.

I need help…please…

She looked around, the shellshock sound in her head was slowly fading. She looked around and spotted that the only way out was through the window which was now directly above her. Mustering up her strength, she sat up and was immediately met with pain and she let out a little cry. Blood trickled down the side of her head in little rivulets. She could hear a soft grunt from one of the agents in the front seat. He was alive but badly injured by the sound of it.

Slowly she began to climb, using the fallen head rest from the car seat to help reach the top. On the tips of her toes, she stretched towards the opening, her head barely peeking through when a figure loomed over her. The morning sun was directly behind him, making it impossible to see anything other than his silhouette.

"We have been looking everywhere for you, Number Seven. Are you ready to come back home?"