Adrian pulled at the tie around his neck, trying to loosen it just a little. He wasn't used to wearing something like that and it felt too constrictive, too tight around his throat, and even though Mr Briar said that it made him look professional and that he should keep it on, he still didn't like how it felt. Maybe he would get used to it in time, but Adrian wasn't so sure.

Stop pulling on it, came Mr Briar's voice, and Adrian obediently stopped.

Adrian glanced quickly at the man sitting next him, upright in his SSS uniform, and gave him an apologetic look, before returning to his notepad to write notes. His pen scratched across the paper, the only sound that he was allowed to make in the small meeting room.

A select number of SSS agents at varying levels sat around the table, Adrian and Yuri included, all wearing too-tight ties and sombre expressions.

"Then it's agreed," said the man at the head of the table. "We will keep the files restricted, and keep monitoring the children from afar. We will continue our search for the missing test subject."

The men shuffled their papers together and began standing, signalling the end of the meeting. Adrian kept his notebook close as he shuffled out of the meeting room close behind Mr Briar.

They walked for a while in silence, until they got to an office labelled Lt Yuri Briar, and Adrian followed him in.

Adrian stood just inside the door as Yuri carried out his usual check for any bugs or listening devices in his office, before he gave the signal to Adrian, and he felt his shoulders relax as he breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like it was the first breath he had been able to take for over three hours.

SSS meetings were long.

"Well?" said Yuri out loud. "What did you get?"

Adrian took a steadying breath. Right. The reason he was there.

He had been working as the assistant of First Lieutenant Yuri Briar since he found him in the alley behind the bakery. Adrian sensed from the first moment that Yuri didn't mean any harm, and it helped that he already knew about Project Apple and the children that were involved in it. All Adrian knew was that he couldn't go back to the lab, even if he wanted to, and he didn't want to go to find Damian Desmond because he felt guilty enough for putting his "not-my-girlfriend" back in the lab, and he couldn't go back to the apartment that they had picked for him in case they found him there and took him back, but Adrian didn't know how to leave Berlint or do anything So he was stuck looking for scraps, and surviving in the only way that he could until something better came along.

And then Mr Briar arrived. He knew about the project, had some inkling of what Adrian had been through, and he was willing to give him a chance. Adrian didn't want to let him down, so he did what he was good at, and he listened to his orders.

Be my assistant. Join meetings with me. Keep an ear out for what the higher ups are really thinking and report back to me afterwards.

Adrian looked down at his notes. "They're frustrated that the children are too young to use. They want to keep them in care so that they know where to find them when they get older, and try to recruit them as SSS agents."

Yuri dragged a tired hand over his face. "I guess I should have expected that. What else?"

"They want to keep the files restricted so that the government doesn't have to make a public apology."

"So they want to cover everything up?"

"Yes," Adrian affirmed, and he jumped back when Yuri thumped his desk with his fist.

Adrian pinched his lips shut, and watched the thoughts in Yuri's head rile into a storm.

Finding out about Project Apple had shaken Yuri completely to his core. How could something so awful happen in his country, the one he was so proud of, the one he was fighting so hard to protect? There was a time when he had honestly thought that the government wanted to amend this atrocity, atone for it, even, but after learning about the brass' true intentions from Adrian, Yuri had come to a terrible conclusion.

The project must have been sanctioned by those at the top. Of the government, of the SSS, he wasn't completely sure, but he needed Adrian's help to get to the bottom of it.

He had joined the SSS so that he could keep his sister safe, so that she wouldn't have to face the evils of the world, but how could he look her in the eyes knowing that his own country was experimenting on children? How could she ever be proud of him if he stood by and let something like that happen?

Adrian watched the evolution of Yuri's mind with interest, and in the month that they had spent together, Adrian decided that he was happiest like this. He liked putting his powers to good use, he liked feeling like he was doing something good, something that he could be proud of. If this was "work", he wanted to do it always. Mr Briar never asked him to do horrible things, never expected him to deliver "results", he only let him tag along, and he asked questions when he needed to. He liked that Mr Briar was kind to him, gave him clothes and a haircut and a bed, and listened to what he had to say, and took him seriously, like what he had to say was important.

"What else?" said Yuri through gritted teeth.

Adrian checked his notes. He didn't know how to say it.

"They are hoping that Test Subject 007 is different, that she… they are old enough to use. They want to prioritise the search for her. Them."

"Adrian," Yuri sighed. "I know you know who they are. Who she is. You grew up together, right? I know that you're trying to protect her, but I can help. I can make sure the high levels don't find her."

Adrian pressed his lips into a tight line. He wasn't sure why he felt that it would be a bad idea to tell Mr Briar, but he felt that he owed it to Anya to keep her secret. After what he did to her, she deserved to be left in peace.

"Fine. Have it your way," Yuri said as he waved a hand in dismissal. "It's a real pain that all her files are missing, but maybe it's for the best."

"They…" Adrian cleared his throat to deliver the final piece. "They also want to restart the project. They thought that having telepathic soldiers would be good for the-"

"You are fucking kidding me," Yuri threw his head back and groaned, and Adrian halted.

Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are fucking kidding me!"

Yuri punched the cabinet door, wood splinters flying everywhere.

"Bastards!" he seethed, but he soon retracted his arm from the ruined furniture, and smoothed down his uniform, thoughts swirling in his mind.

"Not on my watch," he exhaled gruffly, and regained himself once again. If he was going to throw a fit about how the higher-ups ran the service, he couldn't do it in his office. As far as Yuri and Adrian were concerned, they still had to maintain appearances.

He glanced up at Adrian again, perhaps expecting him to have more to say, but after a moment of silence, Yuri turned and grabbed his overcoat.

"I'll get us some lunch from the cafe. You okay to hold the fort?"

Adrian nodded wordlessly, and even though he was overworked and frustrated and angry and tired out of his mind, Yuri did manage a small smile.

"You did good work today," he said. "Keep it up."

Warmth bloomed in Adrian's chest as he watched Mr Briar leave. As soon as the door clicked shut, Adrian crouched over the shredder, and put the pages through it one by one. He couldn't afford for those notes to be seen, but he also found it quite a soothing thing to do. He liked the whirring noise of the machine.

A knock at the door, and Adrian stopped what he was doing. He got up slowly, and went to open it.

"Evidence delivery to First Lieutenant Briar," they said in a monotone voice. "You're his assistant, right? Here," they said gruffly, and handed a large box over to Adrian, before quickly taking their leave.

"Yeah, thanks," he huffed under its weight, and brought it over to the desk. It was sealed with red tape that had the word classified all over it.

Adrian sliced it open, to see stacks of cassettes and videotapes, all labelled. He started to sort them into order of Subject, so he could classify them and return them to evidence later, until he came across a tape that he knew shouldn't have been there.

Test Subject 007.

Adrian knew that Mr Briar would return soon with their lunch, so he took hold of the video, and zipped it up into his bag, vowing to find a way to hide it from Mr Briar at home as well. He did owe her, after all.