More Than Meets the Spy

by ssjSega

Loid Forger, codename Twilight, did everything he could to ensure that he and his family appeared as unassuming citizens for the sake of his mission. And like all common families, buying a new car was perfectly normal and expected. Little does he know, however, that there's more to his family's new car than meets the eye.

12. Mission 12: Blackbell Factory Tours

We're back with a pretty long chapter this go around. This time it's mostly the Forgers in the spotlight with only minor bits of Bumblebee here and there, seeing as it's gonna follow their tour of a Blackbell weapons making facility, as stated last chapter.

Now, originally, I was gonna have the entire tour for this chapter but ran into the issue of the chapter getting way too long, and finding a good ending spot, that was similar to the "Yor Driving" chapter which led to me splitting it in two. So, just like that one, this chapter's also getting divided into two halves

Okay, well I saw two halves, but at this rate it feels like... two thirds plus the final third later.

I think the next chapter should be a lot shorter and easier for me to write, so if I keep my head in the game, it (hopefully) won't take long until the next update in that regard.

This go around, however, we're also getting more characters from the Transformers side of the crossover making their appearances and/or getting mentioned. Just a heads up if/when you see familiar faces.

Special thanks to SwapAUAnon and Quantum01 for Beta Reading this chapter.

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Mission 12: Blackbell Factory Tours

As Loid drove him into the parking lot, Bumblebee couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the massive building before him. While nowhere near as large as the weapon factories he'd delivered packages to back home (or the Decepticon ones he'd infiltrated), that didn't detract from how impressive it was. The sights, sounds, and environment of this planet never ceased to amaze him, and it almost made him forget why he was here. Thankfully, as Loid stopped him in front of the Blackbell girl, a brown-haired dog with a red bow on its head, and a gray-haired woman in a suit, he was reminded of his mission.

Gotta scope out the area, see if I can find a way inside, Bumblebee thought as the Forgers and Bond got out, Then I can get my escape pod and get out. Should be simple enough.

"Anya, over here!" Becky waved to Anya, who ran up to meet her despite Loid's protests against running ahead since they were still in a parking lot with cars driving about, even if they were close enough that it didn't really matter.

"Hi Becky!" Anya reached the girl, Bond just beside her as he walked forward and sniffed at the new girl.

"You must be Bond!" Becky laughed as the big white dog licked her face affectionately, "Nice to meet you too!" She turned and gestured to the smaller dog at her side, "This is my little Wiesel. I call him Weezy. Say hi Weezy!"

Rather than bark, the… Terrier? Bumblebee recalled Anya reading a picture book during a drive to a park with a bunch of dogs in it, and Wiesel resembled a Terrier. In any case, the small brown dog just tilted its head to the side, Bond doing the same as the two stared at each other.

"Uh…" Becky blinked and looked apologetically at Anya, "I'm sure they'll get used to each other."

Anya just smiled, "They like each other."

"Really? You sure?" Becky asked, not seeming convinced.

"Yup!" Anya chirped right as her parents walked up to greet everyone.

"Hello again, Miss Becky!" Yor bent down and greeted the Blackbell girl.

"H-Hello, my riva-I mean, Mrs. Forger," Becky face grew red, her eye twitching as she gave a polite, if rigid, curtsy to Yor. She then turned to Loid, her face's red hue growing even more, "H-Hello, Loi-I mean, Sir! I mean, Mr. Forger, Sir!"

Loid, unfazed by Becky's stuttering, gave a polite smile and replied, "Good to see you as well."

Becky suddenly got more red-faced, sputtering like she was about to pass out. The adults present looked a bit concerned in response, though the gray-haired woman seemed rather used to this kind of thing, all while Anya looked very amused by the turn of events. Bumblebee, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why the poor girl was reacting this way. Looking back to his time as a courier, he recalled a few times when bots who'd been his customers had similar reactions when he'd asked about what he was delivering them. 9 times out of 10, it was always about someone they had romantic… inclinations for…

Of course, it all makes sense! Bumblebee realized as he put 2-and-2 together, Becky has a crush on Anya and she's nervous for how Loid and Yor will react! As if to confirm his line of thought, Becky started sputtering gibberish towards Anya, Honestly, with how close those two seem, I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner. Not like Becky has to worry. Loid and Yor seem like they'd be pretty accepting and understanding of that kind of thing.

Suddenly, Anya stared at him with a blank expression and tilted head. He had no idea why she was giving him that look though. Maybe there's something behind me? Bumblebee focused his rear-view mirrors and saw a large delivery truck enter the parking lot from where Loid had drove him into. Oh! Maybe she's curious about that? Bumblebee wondered, though he felt a small tinge of envy just looking at the large carrier. Part of why he'd lost his courier job was due to the push for bots with larger alt-modes that could carry more and still arrive on time, something he couldn't hope to keep pace with. Thought I'd be over that after all these Vorns. Bumblebee shirked off the bad memory, along with the life of poverty and near constant starvation that came after the fact, You're not there anymore, Bee. Focus on the now. On the Forgers.

If he was being honest with himself, it felt… nice, being part of the Forger family, even if indirectly. He had a mission, sure, and he would see it through to the end, but in many ways, the Forgers had sense of normality. It gave him a break from the near-constant onslaught of violence he'd fought in back on Cybertron. No Decepticons, no ruins to hide out in, no conquered cities to infiltrate and report back from. Just an ordinary family and their dog, one that he couldn't be part of, and would have to leave one day once the Autobots had recovered their numbers.

Cross that bridge when you get to it, Bee sighed as Becky got over her sputtering and pointed over to the newly arrived truck, which was having large wooden crates loaded onboard. She practically shot forward like a plasma blast (must've been the nerves) towards the truck and started talking with the workers, who seemed happy to greet her with loud cheers of "Lady Blackbell!", briefly making Bee wonder how noble titles worked on this planet. Though he didn't get to think of that for very long, as upon eyeing the crates, his scanners picked up on something. Wait a nanoklik, He pondered as the Forgers and gray-haired woman made their way towards Becky and the truck, The tech in those crates, it's… it's Cybertronian! Or at least close enough.

The minute he thought that, Anya picked up the pace and practically ran towards Becky at blazing speeds, leaving everyone else to walk. Bumblebee made sure none were looking at him and discreetly drove as close as he could manage, both to get a better look and to listen in. However, right as the worker put the crate down in front of everyone, Loid, Yor, and the gray-haired woman all stood straight and turned in his direction, forcing him to stop and shut off his engines instantly. They all looked at him with curiosity, as if wondering how he got there, and it flared up his worries that he'd be discovered. Thankfully, just as Loid looked ready to walk up to him, and just as he was about to chastise himself for his carelessness, Anya drew her parents' attention as the worker began prying open the crate with a crowbar.

Phew! That was close! Bumblebee thought in relief, and if nothing else, he was at the very least close enough for his audio receptors to pick up any conversation.

"So, to start the tour off, you guys can be the first to see some of the new stuff Blackbell Heavy Industries has been working on!" Becky smirked proudly as the crate's lid popped off, Bumblebee's scanners analyzing the tech as it was pulled out. In the worker's hands was a gunmetal gray rocket that looked to be the size of Bee's rear door windows. Yor and Loid quickly noticed how the worker struggled to hold it, with the former taking and holding it with no strain while the latter inspected it.

"Is this some kind of ballistic missile?" Loid asked as Bee finished scanning it.

Close, but not exactly, Loid, Bumblebee wished he could take part in the conversation, but even if he could, Becky beat him to the punch on explaining it.

"It's actually a new prototype turbo booster the company's been working on!" The Blackbell heiress proudly explained before her posture became sheepish as she poked her index fingers together, "Heh, we uh, haven't really ironed out all the issues yet, though."

What issues is she talking about? Seems pretty solid to me, Bumblebee mused, noting the similarities between the turbo boosters and his escape pod's propulsion systems. It was more than impressive how they'd managed to reverse engineer and compartmentalize the pod's thrusters down to such a small size in a short amount of time. And while he couldn't figure it out exactly, at least not without seeing them in direct action, his scanners were picking up that the turbo boosters were capable of 1/4th his escape pod's maximum potential flight speed. Still…

It's all the more reason why I need to get my pod out of here, Bumblebee had no idea if the Blackbell's hands were the wrong ones or not. Even if they weren't, there was definitely a major risk that Cybertronian technology would fall into the wrong hands and lead to people, innocent or otherwise, getting hurt. Plus, Bee recalled, I'm pretty sure this planet isn't even allowed to have Cybertronian tech in its circulation. At least from what I remember during Elita's lessons.

The Autobot recalled times in between the fighting when Elita, back when she used to go by Ariel, gave him history lessons on Cybertron's past. She'd taken the time to try and teach him alongside "Made To Order" soldiers and other bots that'd been forced into the fighting as part of then Supreme Commander Ultra Magnus' civilian draft to recover Autobot numbers following the Cyber Ninja Corp's sudden destruction. It was all about giving an education to bots like him, who'd never been given a chance to ever have an education by the caste system thanks to being forged so low in the rungs.

Sadly, he wasn't exactly the best student or even a particularly good one, no matter how much he wanted to be. He often dozed off during lessons alongside Hot Rod back when he was R-011: A newly constructed MTO fresh from the Corcapsia Incursion. Others, such as W-459 and MTOs like G-41 (Getaway) and B-50 (Brainstorm), took to such lessons rather well, the latter two especially. Oh, how Bee remembered the teasing he got from those three on how bad he was at learning, but it was always good natured. Well, with W-459, it was good natured by the time they started getting them, at least. Bee often teased back in kind, given how ironic W-459's proficiency in schooling was due to him having been part of a street gang before he volunteered for the war effort. Getaway and Brainstorm, on the other hand, always felt like they were mocking him.

From what little he was able to pay attention to, however, he could recollect Elita teaching them about the Tyrest Accords. Something about it being a law passed by Nominus Prime following the War of the Threefold Spark's conclusion, and how it outlawed the distribution of Cybertronian technology to non-Cybertronian races. She also said (bitterly and angrily) something about Nominus' disdain for any and all non-Cybertronian life, the Nominus Edict and how it led to the War of the Threefold Spark, and something else about isolationism, but Bee had started dozing off at that point. As always, he'd been the worst kind of student.

Guess that's something Anya and I both need to work on, huh? Bumblebee smiled on the inside, remembering all the times during drives where Anya was reading something related to Eden Academy's curriculum and looked like her brain was about to overload. Her parents did try advising her through some of the questions and answers, though she still had a hard time getting it even with their (mostly... okay, entirely Loid's) help. Bee could read some of her lessons during those drives, but he couldn't exactly say anything (even if he wanted to) given his cover. Some of the math parts he understood, and the calculations weren't all that different from the ones he needed to make mid-combat for aiming and counting down how many energy charges he had left in whatever rifle he was using at the time. But if nothing else, whatever help she was getting from her parents seemed to be letting her improve.

Just wish I could do my part to, Bumblebee thought, seeing a lot of himself in the pink-haired girl: That eager kid who wanted to do better no matter how bad they were.

"So cool!" Anya cheered and jumped, drawing Bee out of it as she tried to climb into the crate. She clearly wanted to get a better look at the other one before Loid picked her up.

"Anya, it's not a good idea to jump into crates like that," Loid said as he gently put his daughter down, "You could get locked inside with no escape."

"Or you could get a splinter stuck in a vein and risk bleeding out!" Yor added, placing the booster back in the crate before she knelt down to make sure Anya didn't have any. From the way the Forger parents talked, it sounded like they were speaking from experience.

Sounds like human kids get stuck in boxes and bleed out lot, Bumblebee worried, hoping something like that never happened to Anya, or any children for that matter.

"Uh…" Becky uttered, sounding weirdly confused by what the Forgers were talking about. Even the gray-haired woman seemed a bit baffled despite hiding it better. Shaking her head, she gestured to the crate as it was sealed up again and placed in the back of the truck, "A-Anyway! These things are gonna be sent to an off-site storage facility for later."

"It's a very impressive accomplishment for your family, Miss Blackbell," Loid complimented, echoing Bumblebee's thoughts.

"I-I-I… t-thank you, Mr. Forger!" Becky's nervous stuttering returned in full, "I can tell you so much more about them!" She cleared her throat and, still crimson faced, began to explain, "We're planning on equipping them to-"

"M'lady," The gray-haired woman interrupted, bending down slightly towards Becky as she spoke, "I apologize, but I must remind you that per your father's instruction, such information regarding this and any new developments of its kind aren't to be shared with those outside the company." She faced the Forgers with a second bow, "Forgive me, but it's to prevent any potential competitors from gaining such information."

"O-Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me, Martha," Becky looked down in disappointment before her dog, Wiesel, nudged at her leg, letting her affectionately pet the Terrier. Now cheered up a bit, Becky looked to the Forgers and asked, "So, who wants to start the inside tour?"

"Me!" Anya jumped and raised her hand with Bond perking up at the idea, Yor chuckling and raising her hand in kind.

"I'd love to see the inside too."

"Well, it is why we're here, after all," Loid added before looking back at Bumblebee, "Just give me a minute to park the car." He walked up to him, mumbling, "No idea how it moved like that though. The parking lot doesn't have any inclines or anything that could've moved it."

Uh oh…

"Don't worry about it my preci-I mean, Mister Forger! I'll have that taken care of for you!" Becky replied, still a bit red in the face as Bumblebee let out another relieved sigh. The Blackbell heiress called for one of the workers, a burly looking, mustached blonde man that looked to be about Yor and Loid's age, still loading the delivery truck, "Sorry for the sudden request, but could you please park the Forger family's car for them while we begin the tour? I'm also going to need you to wait at their car for them to return once you're done. Shouldn't take any longer than two hours."

"Sure, I don't mind," The worker said as Loid walked over and handed the keys to him.

"Make sure to lock up when you're done."

"And make sure Mister Bumblebee's nice and cozy where you park him!" Anya added as she and Bond followed Becky, Martha, and Wiesel inside.

"Uh… okay then," The worker replied, watching as Yor and Loid followed after their daughter and pet. Shaking his head, he entered the car and said muttered about "kids" and "active imaginations" that Bee didn't fully catch. As the worker started him up and began driving him, Bumblebee stared at the factory/testing facility. If he was going to get in later down the road, get the remains of his pod, and get out, he'd have to look from every possible angle for a way inside. He couldn't exactly do that from a parked position, and moving about the lot without a driver would only draw suspicion at this time of day.

Guess there's only one thing I can do right now, Bumblebee thought as he took control away from the human driving him.

"W-Whoah! What the Hell!?"

Sorry about this, He apologized, activating his X-Ray visor to scan the building.

---

Soooo cooool! Anya had a bounce in her step as she skipped ahead of her parents and Bond, looking around at all the factory stuff. There were so many conveyor belts and people putting things together! And all of them waved at Becky and Miss Marriott as they walked by.

Ugh! Okay, first attempt didn't work the way I was hoping, Anya caught on to Becky's thoughts and she looked forward at her friend. From the way she was walking, Becky seemed very frustrated, Didn't really understand what my dad explained about the turbo boosters anyway. Thought I could try wowing Loid with the biggest words I knew, but maybe I can try it here instead? Her body language became a lot more confidant, Yeah! Mrs. Forger makes it very clear that Loid's into classy, intellectual woman. I just gotta show off my smarts and he'll surely fall for me!

Anya… didn't know how to react to that thought. Mama was a lot of things, most of them really cool and really scary. Classy? Intellectual? Nope. Not one bit. Not even the tinsiest, ittiest bit. Speaking of Mama…

Amazing! I haven't been to a Blackbell factory since I was fifteen! Mama looked around, happy and excited as she-wait a minute.

Mama had been here before? Anya looked back at her mother, who was still browsing the place.

Granted, that was to track down and kill criminals who'd broken in to try and steal Blackbell's newest top of the line weapons while the place was closed, so I didn't get the time to explore or see anything.

… Yup. Only Mama, Anya's face went blank as the usual violent images surged through her mother's brain. From her stabbing and killing the bad guys to cleaning up before a single security guard noticed that anything went wrong, Anya saw it all. She also saw some of the research Mama did on the bad guys. Though she didn't understand all of it, apparently, they were from out of country, super far in the West (like, farther than Papa's home country and past the ocean), and were working for someone with a supervillain codename.

What was the name? Anya tried to remember, since the memories went by so fast (thankfully not Papa fast) and all Mama knew about the evil leader was their name. Not even a face or a voice. Salad? Simon? Anya wondered before remembering, Silas! That's the bad guy boss's codename!

Everything and everyone is operating with such precision and diligence to their craft. I'd expect no less from Blackbell Heavy Industries, Papa, meanwhile, was looking around, smiling on the outside, but super focused on the inside. None of WISE's informants within the company have reported anything suggesting that they're planning for war, and Ostania's army hasn't made any large-scale requests for outfitting entire military units, so this is likely just standard production for them. Either that, or their research on the pod remains has invigorated production, Anya saw Papa's memories of Bumblebee's escape pod when he was in disguise, Even if they aren't, we'll need to keep tabs on whatever new developments they make.

Papa looked down at the ID around his neck that Becky and Miss Martha got from the front door people for them. Anya did the same with hers as Papa thought, While an "All Day" Visitor's pass has its uses, I'll need to grab an upper-level pass for Agent Nightfall to complete her mission. He looked over at Becky and Miss Martha's wrists, which had bracelets with bar codes and names on them, The ones they're using would fit that description, but trying to snag one from them is too risky. It's clear from the way the Blackbell's valet carries herself that she's an experienced former soldier. There's no way I'll be able to swipe anything from her or her charge without drawing her suspicions.

As Anya wondered how she could help, Papa started looking around again, For now, I'll focus on mapping the building out. Security for this specific factory was wound a lot tighter thanks to the pod's acquisition. We weren't able to get any informants in before then. It'll be equally important for me to slip the application papers for Nightfall's cover identity into the building's main office. Once I find a way to get an upper-level ID, I can bring it back to Franky, at which point it's a matter of him forging Nightfall's to take the place of the entry level pass her cover occupation would normally receive.

Papa needs to find a pass. How can he find one? Anya put on her thinking face and scratched her cheek, looking down at Becky's wrist. There had to be a place here where those things were made, right? Smiling, Anya realized, If I can get Becky to take us there, Papa can find a way in!

"Hey, Anya, are you okay?" Becky asked, having noticed her staring.

"Uh, yeah!" Anya saved face and pointed at Becky's wrist, "I just think that bracelet's really cool!"

Becky stopped and gave a proud smirk, holding up her wrist, "Glad you think so. It's a Blackbell Heavy Industries patented ID bracelet! My parents commissioned these as a major security measure. Most doors here are protected by bar code scanners, so you'll need one of these to get around. Depending on what your job is, your bracelet can access different security levels."

"That sounds so cool!" Anya whispered, really meaning it. All this security stuff sounded really hard to understand, but it sounded so much like spy stuff that she didn't mind all that much. Becky was so smart to know all of this.

Becky narrowed her eyes as she looked at hers, "Honestly, it's not as fashionable as I was hoping, but my parents always say that practicality and functionality outweighs appearance."

"Correct, m'lady," Miss Martha said with a slight bow of her head, No matter what it is, be it a gun, a blade, or armor, all that matters is it do its job and keep you alive in the heat of combat. Her thoughts became a little sad at the end, Though hopefully, you'll never have experience such a thing in your lifetime.

Becky beamed with pride as Anya heard her parents thoughts, and they sounded similar to Miss Martha's, especially the part about hoping her and Becky never see war. Focusing on Becky, she asked, "So, where do they make these things in the factory?"

"Uh, we don't make them here, Anya. They're commissioned from a vendor outside Berlint and mail ordered directly to our facilities," Becky's words made Anya panic that she was failing Papa's mission, but the next ones calmed her down, "It's part of the company's security measures, kinda like how all IDs are kept safe in the employee locker rooms for when they have to go home. To avoid any potential theft, they aren't allowed to leave factory grounds."

That means Papa just has to swipe one from the locker room! Anya sighed on the inside, glad she made Papa's mission easier.

Aw! It's so sweet watching Anya get along with her friend! The two of them must have a lot of fun discussing building security together at Eden, Mama clasped her hands together as she smiled and looked down at them.

Interesting. This is all very useful intel, and it will make my mission a lot easier, Papa sounded pleased as he looked at Anya and Becky's conversation too. His first thoughts were happy about Anya and Becky's friendship, his second being, It's a little odd that Anya's questions ended up matching with my mission parameters, but at this point, I shouldn't underestimate my daughter's imagination and curiosity.

YES! Loid's looking right at me! Becky's face was super red, and her brain sounded like it was going to explode in happiness, I knew my vast intellect would dazzle him! I just need to lay it on a little more and he's sure to notice how mature I am!

You mustn't commit adultery, my lady, Miss Martha looked at Becky with tired eyes, almost like she knew exactly what Becky was thinking.

Wait, can Becky's butler read minds too!? Anya looked at Miss Martha, trying to read her surface thoughts to see if that was the case. Instead, Martha looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, wondering why Anya was staring at her so much. Just as quickly, Anya looked away and tried to change the subject, "U-Uh, Becky! Can we go see the locker rooms next!" I need to help Papa get an ID for Uncle Scruffie to copy!

Becky's eyes narrowed and she smirked at her, "Don't think I can't see what you're doing, Anya."

"R-Really?" Does Becky know I'm a spy? Okay, Anya knew she technically wasn't a spy, but she was helping her papa, so she considered herself a spy-in-training. But her worries were cut off when Becky wrapped her in a one-armed hug.

"You want to work for my family's company someday, don't you?" And why wouldn't you? You'll be getting to work with your future stepmother!

"Uh…" But Anya's future mama is right behind her already. Unless her mother did some secret assassin missions for the Blackbells, but she doubted it. Mama probably would've thought about them by now if she did.

"Well worry not! I'm sure I can get you a job here after we graduate Eden," Becky said as she kept her in the one-armed hug, walking ahead of the grownups and dogs that followed after them, "Then you can work your way up the ladder and be my right-hand-woman. Together you and me can conquer the weapon making world!"

Take over the world!? Is Becky's family really planning to take over the world? Are they supervillains!? Anya gasped, her mind now panicking. This was bad, very, very bad! Her best friend was part of a world conquering scheme and didn't even know it. With a determined glint in her eyes, Anya knew there was only one thing she could do. Agent Starlight Anya, She told herself, Your mission is clear…

Anya smirked, You gotta be the bestest friend Becky's ever had and convince her to not take over the world!

"Anya," Becky pulled her out of mission mode, "You said you wanted to see the locker rooms, right?"

"Yeah!" Anya nodded; glad she was able to get back on track with Papa's mission.

"Great! Follow me!" Becky grabbed Anya's hand and started pulling her along. They ran down the factory's super clean halls, Bond and Wiesel running after them as the adults called their names, though Anya didn't pay too much attention.

She was just having so much fun!

---

"And these are our locker rooms!" Becky waved her hand around to show the room off. Anya, her parents, and Bond all looked about, seeing a large room bigger than their whole apartment floor with row after row of lockers, each with a number and colored stripe on top of them.

"What are the colored stripes above each locker number for?" Papa asked before Anya could, then he thought, I already have a solid idea of what they signify, but asking such questions does provide clarification and helps maintain the cover of the average, curious civilian.

Anya snickered a bit, Papa's always so focused.

Becky beamed and put on what she thought was a "mature" sounding voice, "Those are to help distinguish between the different levels of security access each employee has. Blue representing the lowest levels, yellow the middle levels, while red is the upper levels. Employees usually get assigned new lockers when they take on higher security jobs and each are grouped as such."

Hearing that, Anya immediately ran next to the entrances to each locker aisle until she found the red ones, all of them a shiny blue color against the clean whiteness of the floor and ceiling, but plenty having stencils, stickers, pictures, and other decorations on them.

"Anya!" Mama called out. She turned and saw her round the corner and enter the aisle to meet her, "Try not to run too far ahead. We don't want you getting lost." And these lockers feel like a maze.

"Don't worry Mama, I'm fine!" Anya smiled and reassured just as Papa, Miss Martha, Becky, Bond, and Wiesel found them. Papa looked like he was asking Miss Martha and Becky some questions about the factory. He had a lot more questions on his mind, but he was being super careful about which ones he asked. Good spies didn't ask suspicious questions, after all. Becky was over the moon with how she answered them, while Martha was a lot more casual and direct.

Walking through here, I can see a few surveillance cameras in the room. I was able to make out a few blind spots, but none of them would allow me to carry out my mission without notice. It's certainly a level of security expected from Blackbell Heavy Industries, but that'll make swiping an ID from one of these lockers difficult, Papa thought while still engaging with Becky and Miss Martha in asking and answering questions, Although, I was able to see changing rooms here as well. It's more than likely they'll have spare uniforms on hand in case an employee forgets one, and that's understandably one place where there would be no surveillance. If I can use the ventilation system to sneak in there, I can gain a disguise and make my way for the control room.

Anya looked at Papa in awe as he started planning out every step of his mission. He was thinking something about coffee and "laxatives" when she noticed that Mama was looking at the lockers sadly. Tugging at her hand, Anya asked, "Mama, are you okay?"

Almost jumping, Mama looked down at Anya and gave a small smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine." Just looking at these things brings back old memories.

Is it assassin stuff? Anya asked, managing to just barely hide her wonder as Papa, Becky, Martha, and their pets caught up, Papa looking at Mama with the same worry Anya did.

"Yor?" Papa asked, Mama giving him the same smile she gave Anya.

"You all go ahead. I'll catch up," Mama said, sweating just a little bit, "I just… I thought I saw something is all."

Mama's such a bad liar.

"… okay then, but we won't go too far," Papa nodded before continuing along, "Come along, Anya."

"Actually, can I stay with Mama?" Anya asked, drawing looks from both her parents.

"Uh…" Mama stammered, "Sure! You can stay with me." She looked to Papa, "Is that alright, Loid?"

Papa smiled, "Of course. I know Anya will always be safe with you." He knelt down at Bond, "I guess it'll be just us, won't it?"

"Borf!" Bond barked and went to Anya's side, licking her face and drawing giggled out. As Anya petted her dog, they both looked up at him as he stood.

"I guess it'll be just me then," Papa tipped his hat and turned to the Blackbells, "I hope that isn't too much trouble."

"N-Nope! No it isn't M-Mr. Forger!" Becky squeaked, sounding like a tea kettle for some reason, Thank you so much Anya!

"We'll round back here to reconvene so we can continue the tour," Miss Martha said with a slight bow, gesturing for Papa to follow. He, Martha, Becky and Wiesel made their way down the aisle of lockers and around the corner as Anya watched them leave. As soon as they were gone, she looked back up at Mama, who was looking sadly at the locker again. Anya wanted to take a peek into her mind to see what she was thinking about (maybe see a cool assassin memory), but with the look on her mama's face, she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Instead, she asked, "Mama, why are you looking at the lockers like that?"

"I-It's nothing, Anya. It's just…" Mama brushed her palm against the locker door, "These things take me back to when I was around your age." Before I joined the Garden, and before Yuri was born. Honestly, I've been an assassin for so long, it's getting harder and harder to remember what life was like before that.

Anya gasped, visions entering her mind as she saw a much younger version of her mom. She didn't seem any older than six or seven, and she was emptying out a school locker, putting her stuff in a pack. Behind her, there was a bunch of tall shadows that didn't move, just wisp like flames, and voices echoed out from them that sounded a lot like the kids her age at Eden Academy. Their whispering said things like "weirdo", "freaky", "not normal", and other mean comments that made Anya want to punch them.

She almost did, but then she heard a loud creaking sound. Shaking the vision off, she looked at Mama, who seemed lost in the memory as her hand slowly balled into a fist, crumpling the metal of the locker like paper. Bond whimpered, Anya comforting him as she opened her mouth to say something, but her words died when the locker came off its hinges, bending in Mama's hand.

"Uh… M-Mama?"

"Hmm?" Mama blinked and snapped out of the memory, looking down at Anya, "I-I'm sorry. I spaced out for a second. Did something happen?" Anya pointed to where the locker door used to be, at which point Mama saw what she'd done and what she was holding. "O-Oh! I-I uh…" Mama quickly got to work trying to fix things, grabbing the locker by both sides and straightening out the crumpled metal. It still looked super dented, but it seemed flat enough, so she put it back and knelt down to Anya and Bond, "I'm so sorry! Did I scare you two?"

"… Mama, was school… was it not fun for you?" Anya asked, petting Bond to calm herself and him down. She remembered some of her mom's thoughts, how she never got the chance to make friends at her age. Anya was starting to wonder if she really never got the chance, or if she was never given the chance.

Mama opened her mouth and closed it, like she didn't really want to answer. Luckily, she didn't have to, as footsteps were heard, Anya turning to see Papa and the Blackbells return, Martha asking, "Is everything alright? We heard something."

"N-Nothing! We're fine!" Mama stood up super-fast, Becky rubbing her eyes and Martha staring in confusion.

Did… did Mrs. Forger teleport or something? Becky wondered, No, that doesn't sound possible. Gotta be seeing things.

I'm not sure what I just saw or if I saw anything, Martha blinked a couple times and sighed, turning her attention to Mama and Papa, "Well, I suppose we should continue along with the tour. Any further ques-"

CLANG!

A loud crash rang behind Anya, Mama and Bond, everyone turning around to see that the locker door Mama pulled had fallen off its hinges again. It looked like they were too damaged to keep it in place.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Mama snapped around, bowing to the Blackbells and clasping her hands together, "I didn't mean to break it!"

Becky stared at Mama with wide eyes, Wait, Mrs. Forger broke it? How!? How did she break it without a sledgehammer or a jackhammer or-or… or something else that hits really hard!? She started blinking a bit before she had a realization, Unless she's lying to make herself more desirable to Loid! Oh, Mrs. Forger's so devious and cunning! If I don't pick up the slack, she'll outwit me at every turn! That-That… No, no, no! Becky shook her head, You can't think so negatively of Anya's mom! Even if she's a rival in winning your darling Loid's heart.

Anya almost laughed at what Becky was thinking, but her line of thought reminded her just a little too much of that frost lady for comfort. It was nowhere near close to even 2/8ths as bad as the scary spy, but she still couldn't help seeing how similar it was.

To have bent this kind of metal… Miss Martha picked up the locker door. Inspecting it, she thought, This is the same alloy Blackbell Heavy Industries uses in their tank armor. For Mrs. Forger to have torn it from the hinges and dented it like this is… did she truly do this? I find that hard to believe. She narrowed her eyes at the dents around the center where Mama started crumpling it, It certainly looks like a human hand pulled this off, and I've seen people pull such feats off before. With the way Mrs. Forger was carrying herself, perhaps there's more to her than meets the eye.

Is she suspecting Mama!? Anya panicked. Was Martha figuring out that she was an assassin? The only people who could've done what Mama did were other assassins, so did that mean Martha had fought people like that before? If she learned the truth, it would be very, very bad for Mama and Papa and Bumblebee and Anya! She wasn't able to think too much on that, as Papa walked up to Mama and gently spoke to her.

"Yor, it's alright. The hinges were probably just old enough to break easily. It could've happened to anyone," Papa's words made Mama look up at him with shimmering eyes as he got close, making her face go a little red as his was full of concern, "Are you okay? If you aren't, we can stop the tour and head home now."

"N-No!" Mama stammered out, "I-I'm fine. I don't want to ruin the tour for anyone."

Papa stared deeply at Mama, "Yor, I know for certain that you could never ruin anything for anyone." Mama turned a little redder and looked down, smiling and looking lost in Papa's. Her thoughts were a lot happier too, while Papa's own went, I'm glad she's feeling better. I don't like seeing her so sad… for the mission, of course. On the inside, he started getting nervous, As the dutiful husband, it's my job to ensure my wife is well, and it might have compromised my current objective if I allowed Yor to suffer a panic attack.

Papa's such a bad liar, Anya giggled. For a master spy, he was somehow worse than Mama when it came to lying. Looking up at them, she said, "Papa and Mama are flirting."

"No we are not!" They said back, both of their faces red.

AWW! That's so cute! Becky cheered in her own head until she shook it, Ugh, no wait! You're not supposed to cheer when Yor has a cute moment with Loid! She's your rival! That should be you he's having a moment with!

Such a lovely young couple, these two are, Miss Martha smiled and watched Mama and Papa shake off their embarrassment, It reminds me quite a bit of me and Henry when we were young. Anya saw a brief image in Miss Martha's head, of a younger her and what looked like… wait…

She said his name was Henry. Is that a young Mister Housemaster Hectorson!? Anya blinked, seeing a lot of similarities between the young man in the memory and the much older housemaster. Were he and Martha married? They both wore gloves, so she couldn't see any rings. I gotta ask when I see him at school!

"A-Anyway, I'll help clean up," Mama said as she took the door from Martha and put it back, trying her best to patch up the hinges. Didn't work, as the locker once again fell, Mama catching it this time as Martha and Papa helped put it aside. "Heh, looks like it's broken for good," Mama poked her fingers together, "Sorry."

"I'll call repair crews for later," Martha reassured, "Quite lucky that its owner already left for the day. Also luck that nothing inside was damaged."

Anya looked inside the locker, poking her head around Papa's leg to see a few small shelves with what looked like photo frames with family members on them. There was also a coat hanger holding some bags and a scarf that must've been forgotten. The walls were lined with several stickers, some she even recognized from Spy Wars. But while normally she'd gush over that, the locked safe at the bottom was what got her attention the most.

"What's that?"

"Oh those?" Becky stepped in and answered Anya's question, "Employees are encouraged to use those for protecting personal items, including worker ID bracelets. On the off chance someone accidentally leaves their locker open or lock picks it, the safe makes sure that those kinds of things stay… uh, safe." Becky scratched her cheek and looked up at the adults, "That sounded a lot better in my head."

"I thought it was funny," Anya giggled, getting a smile out of Becky, which only grew wider as the adults chuckled alongside her. For Anya, however, she felt a bit annoyed as she looked at the safe. Papa's gotta find a way inside, She stared at the keypad lock, There's gotta be a code around here some-

Looks like the most worn-out keys are 1, 4, 8, and 9, Papa's thoughts cut in, I'll figure out any and all possible combinations on my way to and from the control room for the camera systems.

Oh… Guess Anya didn't have to find a code after all. That was… kinda boring, actually, but at least Papa's mission was going smoothly.

Huh, it's… odd, Papa started thinking as he adjusted his tie, The broken locker and knowing how to get the ID ahead of schedule has greatly helped my mission, as it reduces the possibility of leaving potential breadcrumbs behind. Anya gasped at that. Mama didn't even know it, but she helped a lot with Papa's mission! That was so cool! But then Papa stared at Mama and his thoughts continued, At the same time, however, Yor was under some form of stress when she broke the locker. This feels like I'm taking advantage of her and… Memories flashed in his head of the time he disguised himself as an SSS officer and interrogated Mama to figure out if she knew about Yuri's true job, And I've already done that once. I don't want to do that again.

He sighed, thoughts turning guilty as he looked between Mama and Anya, Face the facts, Twilight. Operation STRIX requires you to be Loid Forger: Father of Anya Forger and husband of Yor Briar. As part of my civilian cover, they don't know what I really am, and one day I'll be forced to leave them. In a way, I'm always taking advantage of them. Years ago, something like this wouldn't have bothered me so much. Why does it eat away at me now?

Anya felt her own smile slowly fade, both for Papa's sadness and at the thought of losing her family. She tried reminding herself that wouldn't happen, that Bond's vision said it wouldn't happen, but Papa's thoughts were starting to get to her. As she tried to reach out for her father's hand to put him at ease, however, Becky stepped in and asked, "So, ready to see the next part of the factory?"

"Uh…" Anya stammered, her friend unaware of the sadness going through Papa and Anya's minds, but spies needed to be good at hiding their feelings. So, she put on a smile and nodded, "Yeah! Where can we go next?"

"Well, I was thinking-"

---

"-one of our acclaimed metal works facilities! Where we make everything from knives to gun parts!"

"Whoah!" Anya's eyes were looking everywhere again, seeing all the equipment and people moving about. She wanted to run forward and get a better look, but Papa picked her up to stop her.

"No Anya," He gently chided, "This place is a lot more dangerous. Best keep your distance from the workers and equipment." Anya nodded as they followed the Blackbells around the metal working place, watching workers in safety gear forge and shape the super hot liquid metals that came out of the different furnaces. They stayed behind the yellow and black safety lines, with Papa asking, "So, from the looks of it, everyone here seems to be making knives. What are they for?"

Best to try and figure out if they're outfitting anyone. If not just the Ostanian Military, then perhaps customers from out of country. Papa's eyes narrowed, Perhaps even those who dropped the pod your family's company recently acquired. It's a long shot, but maybe I can get a clue from them about what country the pod was made in, and what dealings they may have potentially had.

Anya giggled, Mister Bumblebee's from farther out of country than you think, Papa.

"Well, this iron works specializes in combat knives for the Ostanian Military. I asked my dad why we need to keep making knives when everyone in the military's probably already got one by now. He said something about how we always need to improve designs and provide better versions."

"Indeed madam, and as more volunteer, more must be made," Miss Martha added as she walked right next to Becky, hands behind her back. Anya could hear her thoughts go, Of course, weapons must not only be improved upon, but replaced when they suffer wear and tear, or if they break. She looked at one of the newly made knives a blacksmith was working on, staring at her reflection in it, I'm afraid steel, like flesh, isn't immune to the march of time. Nor is it immune to cruel twists of fate.

Growing old sounds really sad, Anya thought, briefly thinking about Bumblebee and comparing him to the Blackbell servant. He was made of metal like the knives were, and while Anya didn't know the full story, he was apparently REALLY old compared to everything and everyone around her. Did the same thing apply to him?

Seeing how sad Martha looked, Anya wanted to say something to her, but then she noticed that Mama was being really quiet. Papa and Bond noticed it too, and they all turned around to see her frozen in place and standing past the safety line. Mama was looming over one of the workers, who was trying to sharpen a knife that she was staring really hard at.

Sometimes I forget that Mama really likes knives, Anya thought as Papa, still carrying her, wandered back to where Mama was, stopping in front of the safety line as he called out.

"Yor!"

"Huh?" Mama blinked and looked back at them.

"Fascinated by the craftsmanship, I take it?" Papa asked, smiling, It's been quite a while since I've seen this side of Yor.

I wonder if all assassins just really like knives, Anya wondered, the Blackbells making their way back to them right then and there. At that point, the worker finally noticed Mama and jumped up.

"HOLY SH-" She yelled, but stopped herself upon seeing Anya and Becky. Taking off the large gray mask that covered her entire face, revealing a smooth face with blue eyes and long black hair that was tied into a short tail. She looked maybe a bit younger than Mama and Papa. Turning to Becky, she stammered, "O-Oh, Lady Blackbell. Sorry for the outburst. I was just…" She looked up at Mama, "Startled, is all."

Becky waved it off, "It's fine. We're just giving a tour to the Forgers here. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The woman nodded and held out her hand, "Mikaela Banes. Nice to meet you."

Papa shook her hand and introduced himself, "A pleasure. I'm Loid. This is my daughter, Anya." Anya waved from her position in Papa's arms as he looked over to Mama, "And my wife, Yor, and our dog, Bond."

"Hello!" Mama waved as Bond barked.

"Borf!"

"Hi!" Mikaela knelt down and affectionately held Bond's face, "Who's the cutest big guy? Is it you? Yes it's you!" After she rubbed at Bond's head and played a bit with his ears (much to his joy), she had this look of realization on her face and turned to Becky and Martha, briefly looking down at Wiesel, and asking, "Wait, I thought pets weren't allowed to be here?"

"Usually, but I'm bending the rules here. Besides, not like any security people will tell me no," Becky proudly said, hands to her hips before Wiesel barked and jumped into her arms. Anya read her thoughts and she sounded really glad she was able to allow Bond to be here. Anya really wanted to bring her dog here, and if it makes my best friend happy, then that's all I need.

Anya smiled even brighter, but Miss Martha looked down at Becky and gently said, "Madam, while that may be the case, I do urge you not to be so lax when it comes to such privileges. It can be seen as unbecoming to be so boastful about them in the presence of those lacking your advantages." Not to mention it can be quite a slippery slope. Too often does it start small and grow out of control.

Why does that sound like Unkie? Anya remembered reading Papa's thoughts after he came home from Mama's driving lesson (or "Mister Bumblebee's Big Scare" as she called it) and how her unkie used his Secret Police stuff to scare away the cops. While she was happy and grateful that Unkie Yuri kept Mama and Papa from going to jail (meaning she still had her family), Miss Martha's thoughts just now reminded her of that. She wasn't sure why though.

"Heh, right…" Becky blushed before turning to Mikaela, "So, uh… since we're on a tour, maybe tell the Forgers a little about your job?"

"Sure," Mikaela turned around and picked up the knife she was working on. She held it out and showed it (Mama staring intensely again) as she explained, "I mostly specialize in forging, shaping, and sharpening knives like this one alongside the others before they get shipped out."

"Fascinating," Papa hummed, "So, this is what a military knife looks like up close." It seems as though they've made slight adjustments to the previous model. Incremental and unimportant to most, but in combat situations, they can make all the difference. Of course, playing the part of the civilian Psychiatrist means I can't act like I know any of that. "It's very impressive."

So cool! Anya's eyes went wide as she wanted to reach out and grab the knife, but her position in Papa's arms meant she couldn't. That, and she was pretty sure Papa wouldn't let her play with a knife anyway. Maybe Mama would? She wondered, so long as it wasn't her knives. They were covered in enough poison to kill elephants. It actually made her wonder if that same poison would work on giant robots.

Hope not, Anya shuddered at the thought of Bumblebee being poisoned. Papa held her close, thinking she was just cold.

Mikaela smiled, "Thanks! I try my best." She looked over at Mama, who was still staring at the knife, and asked, "Miss, you uh… you doing good?"

Mama shook herself out of it, "Sorry. I… guess I'm also fascinated by your handiwork." What do I do? Normal people don't obsess over blades and weapons! Her mind flashed back to all the times she'd done just that, both before and after she'd become a Forger. It'd gone down overtime as she tried to blend in, but never fully went away. Being around all the weapon stuff here was bringing it back. But… Loid's showing interest in them. If my husband is, then, maybe it's okay? At least here. Clearing her throat, she asked, "May I see it please?" Smiling, she held out a hand expectantly, with Mikaela handing it to her as she gave it a better look, "Based on the design and hollow handle for storage, I take it this is a survival knife?"

"You seem to know about these things already," Mikaela gave a playful smirk, "Yeah, we make these either for when soldiers wind up lost in wilderness on reconnaissance or for recreational things, like family camping trips."

"So Blackbell doesn't just make weapons for military? I thought they were a weapons manufacturer," Mama asked, which was when Becky chimed in.

"I mean, yeah, my family makes weapons and it's where they make the most money, but they also make plenty of stuff for the average person too," She put Wiesel down and started counting with her fingers, "Protective gear for the outdoors, cutting tools for cooking, disinfectants for injuries, this new thing called paintball, yada yada yada."

"What's paintball?" Anya asked as Papa put her down next to Bond.

"It's uh… I think it's a game where you use guns to shoot people with… paint, I guess?" Becky shrugged, I don't know. Never played it and only heard my parents talk about it in business meetings about new products.

"Ooooh," Anya had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like fun, "Can we play?"

Miss Martha cleared her throat, getting their attention as the two of them looked up to her, "It's probably best not to, m'lady. From everything I've heard through your parents, it can be rather dangerous and result in injury." And in my personal opinion, I'd rather you not be in anything that simulates warfare. It was barely a second, but Anya saw a few images go through Miss Martha's mind. She couldn't tell what they were except one: A young Martha dressed like a soldier, shooting a rifle in a trench behind lines of barbed wire, terror in her eyes and teeth grit to the point where it looked like they'd break. With a loud sigh, the older, present day Martha said, "Perhaps when you're older, you can look into it and see if it's something you'd like. But you're too young now to be playing with guns."

Then came her last thought, Hopefully, you'll never have to.

"Fiine," Becky huffed, pouting with her arms crossed, thinking, But I want to be an adult now!

I don't, Anya giggled a little bit. Adulting sounded really hard. Good thing she had plenty of time before that ever happened. Turning around and back to her parents, she asked, "Papa, Mama, when I'm older, can I play… uh…"

Looking up, she saw that Mama and Miss Mikaela were engaged in a long, enthusiastic discussion about knives and bladed weapons of all kinds. Well, Mama mostly talked about bladed ones, but Miss Mikaela mentioned everything from guns to tanks, saying she sometimes worked with those here too. Papa, meanwhile, was listening to Mama talk her heart out, almost like he was…

What was that word? Anya tried to think on it, Mesma-no, messmo-nope. Uh… wait, Mesmerize! That's it! Mama mesmerizes Papa!

I don't believe it. I'm talking with someone about weapons and I'm not coming off as a total weirdo! Mama thought as she started going into all the combat techniques someone could do with "combat daggers" and what made the best kind of blades for close-range righting.

Papa kept smiling at all the fun Mama was having with her new friend. Yor's getting along rather well with her new friend. I'm glad for her. Of course, having a close connection to employees of a military contractor such as the Blackbells does have potential to be a good intel source and backdoor for… for… Though Papa kept up the same face, his thoughts went just a little sour at himself, No, maybe it's best to just leave it at that. At least for the time being. Given Anya's friendship with Miss Blackbell and her attempts at befriending Desmond's son, this family should have at least a few connections that don't immediately pertain to any potential spy work. Then his thoughts went, Although, being friends with the average civilian with no ulterior motives beyond that is a useful means for maintaining cover. But at the same time, isn't that an ulterior motive in and of itself? Then again-

Papa's getting really flustrated, Anya stifled a giggle at how her father's thoughts kept going back and forth between "spy mode" and "Family mode". It played out like watching two different Papas (one dressed as a normal dad and husband, the other one dressed like Bondman) aiming silencer pistols at each other arguing about family and missions. After she'd had her fill, she overheard one of Mikaela's thoughts.

God it feels so nice to be able to talk with someone about mechanical work like this, Miss Mikaela smiled and explained some of the stuff she new about maintaining and repairing vehicles. While it was mostly about the military ones they assembled in Blackbell locations, she also said stuff about regular cars too. Not a lot of people I've met like talking about this kind of thing, Her smile grew a bit forced as Anya saw memories of a younger, teen version of her watching police put an older man in cuffs, Then again, not many want to talk with you when they know you're the daughter of a car thief.

Miss Mikaela's Papa's a bad guy? Anya wondered, suddenly getting a bunch of Mikaela's memories, seeing how lonely she was as everyone in school kept their distance from her. And when they weren't doing that, they were making jokes about how she must've wanted steal theirs or their parents cars next. Anya wasn't sure exactly what to say or do, especially since she couldn't go past the safety line, but she wanted to do something to help. But then she started getting Miss Martha's thoughts in the middle of it all.

Interesting, Miss Martha looked at Mama with slightly narrowed eyes, I hadn't expected Mrs. Forger to be such a wellspring of knowledge on bladed weaponry and knife combat. Far too much of a wellspring for the average civilian, for that matter.

Oh no! Anya looked back at the Blackbell bodyguard and gasped. She was starting to suspect again. She couldn't find anything out!

I don't believe it! Becky's thoughts yelled out, Anya finding herself turning to her friend, who was looking up at Mama with jealousy in her eyes, Loid's eyes are all over her. I knew it, he's completely enthralled by her wit and intelligence! I gotta step it up! A sharp look entered her eyes, Alright, Mrs. Forger seems to know a lot about weapons, so I just have to show Loid my own weapon smarts. As daughter and heir to a Military Contractor, that should be simple enough. I listen to a lot of my dad's board meeting about his products, so I just need to repeat what he says. Becky proudly smirked and cleared her throat, walking up to the three adults and getting their attention, "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but I think we should get back on track with the tour."

"Of course," Papa was the first to speak up as he faced Mikaela, "Sorry for distracting you from your work. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all. It was honestly pretty fun just getting to talk," Mikaela answered, making both of Anya's parents smile as Mama held out her hand.

"It was really nice meeting you," She said, Mikaela shaking her hand. Mama had a look like she just realized something and pulled out a slip of paper, "Loid, do you have a pen?" She asked, Papa pulling one out from his pocket. His thoughts showed he knew what Mama was getting at as she wrote down on the sheet and handed it to Mikaela, "Here's the phone number for our apartment. Hope we'll meet again soon!"

Mikaela happily took the paper and pocketed it, "Same here. And have fun with the rest of the tour!"

Mikaela got back to work, leaving the Forgers and Blackbells to continue exploring the rest of the metal works, where Becky tried to show off her own smarts on knives to them (Papa specifically), which… wasn't all that much, though Anya thought it was pretty neat, at least. As they went to see all the different kinds of knives and the processes in making them, however, Mama always chimed in and said some stuff about them, usually in a lot more detail and in ways that Anya didn't understand.

Huh, even I didn't know Yor had this much interest in knives and blades, Papa mused rather happily as Mama engaged in conversation with another metal works employee, who nodded along with a smile as she described all the different ways to shape the metals and the best materials to make hilts with. Perhaps she wanted to work as a knife maker before she decided on city hall? It sounds like she's had designs of her own for a while and never got the chance to explore them. Maybe I can get her a new blade set, or take her on a tour of different knife shops around the city? I feel like she'd love that.

Unfortunately, Miss Martha also understood what Mama was saying, and that was becoming a big problem.

How do I get Mama to stop talking about knives and stuff? Anya looked between Mama, who was happily explaining things, and Miss Martha, who's thoughts were getting even more suspicious. She had to do something before Mama's assassin identity was exposed! Thinking quick, she poked Becky's shoulder and asked, "Can we please go look at army stuff somewhere else?"

Becky happily gasped, "You're right, we totally should!" Great idea Anya! If I can't wow my darling Loid here, then I need to wow him where Mrs. Forger can't wow him with her own wealth of knowledge. Which is a lot! Seriously, who knew city hall workers knew so much about knives.

… yeah, sure, let's go with that, Anya would've sighed at Becky's current train of thought, but she was too desperate to save Mama's secret without revealing her own. At least they were finally heading out of the metal works room. Hopefully she could find a way to make Mama seem less suspicious to Miss Martha in the next place they went.

---

"And this is where we assemble body armor!" Becky introduced them to the very large room, even bigger than the metal work and furnace room, where people were at tables cutting stuff with power saws. Conveyor belts brought in smaller bits and pieces that were put into boxes and brought around other tables, where workers were putting everything together to make the armor.

Anya gasped, once again amazed as Becky started explaining things (Miss Martha providing corrections every now and then) about how they were made and who they were usually sold to. She mentioned something about "Blackbell Combat Suits" that she made in arts and crafts that she tried to pitch to her dad, but the idea sort of fell through. Anya wouldn't know about what Becky was making since she was too busy with Sy-On Boy in making griffons.

She still didn't understand how they won first place.

Keeping her mind on the tour for now, Anya held her dad's hand and kept close as they walked around. Reading their minds, she could see that her parents were already analyzing every inch and detail of the newly made armor for strengths and weaknesses. It took them about half a minute each, right down to being able to identify the exact materials (something called "moron carbon" and "kever") and they were both even thinking the same thing.

I need to know everything I can to keep my family safe.

And then they started wondering on how potential opponents could get their hands on Blackbell equipment, either by stealing shipments, having connections to buy the stuff for them and arm the bad guys, or the buyers are the bad guys themselves. If she hadn't known both her parents for a while now, she'd have assumed that they could read each others minds.

"So, any questions?" Becky said as they all came to a stop in front of one of the tables where the armor was being assembled.

Anya raised a hand, "Can I have a body armor?"

"Uh…" I don't know if my family makes any in kid sizes. Do we? Becky turned to Miss Martha, who shook her head.

"No madam, we make neither body armor nor bulletproof vests for children." Thankfully.

"Oh, okay then…" Anya sulked a bit. She knew that her dad's suits always had the same kind of stuff they were making here lined in the fabric. It would've been so cool if she could have one for herself. Maybe she could've even get it the way Papa did and have a bulletproof dress to match his bulletproof suit.

"Anya," Mama knelt down and gently held her shoulder, "What's wrong? Did you really want one of these?" Anya nodded, making her mom rub at her chin with her other hand and think, I'm not sure about getting Anya protective armor. I know I never had or needed any, even during my first series of missions. Something like that was more of a hindrance due to hampering mobility. At that, Mama's head filled with instances from when she first started killing bad guys as a kid. They were a lot messier than her later ones. But considering how she'd almost been kidnapped by thugs and terrorists, she could use all the protection she could get, After remembering the kidnappers from the grocery store and the dog bomb monsters (Anya shuddered a bit at the reminder), she stood up and asked, "Would it be possible for us to purchase some ceramic plating and bring it home with us?"

Becky and Martha stared at Mama with blank looks in their eyes. Martha recovered first and asked, "I… I beg your pardon?"

"Yor, I'm not sure I understand," Papa stepped in.

"Well, Anya really seems to want armor of her own, so I figured that while we're here, we should get her some!" Mama happily answered, "There are a lot of dangers that I've fou-I mean, that-that we've run into, and I want to do everything I can for Anya's protection." At that, she gently rubbed at Anya's hair, with Anya jumping into Mama's arms as she was lifted up, "Making sure our daughter's safe and happy is our biggest priority as parents, right?"

"Please Papa!" Anya clasped her hands together, a pleading look entering her eyes. She was getting that armored dress and no one was gonna stop her.

Papa still looked unsure as he put a finger to his chin. I don't know. It would be rather suspicious for Anya to have something like that, and we need to maintain our guise as the average Ostanian family for Operation STRIX to continue, Those same flashes of all the times he'd seen Anya in danger went through his head, Although, Yor has a point. Our daughter's life has been put in danger too many times, so precautions are equally necessary. Not to mention that her simply being an Eden student makes her a high priority target for potential kidnappers.

He briefly thought back to his meeting with Becky's parents, Simply from meeting and interacting with the Blackbells at the parent/teacher conference, I can safely deduce that they'd just as much do anything to protect their daughter. Perhaps not send an entire army after anyone who targets her, but they'd still go above and beyond. If they're just one example of the standard parent of an Eden student, then I doubt Anya would be the only one with similar defenses given should we decide on this.

The look in his eyes became a lot more serious, Perhaps it's for the best to go with it. After all, my daughter is integral to maintaining peace between East and West. Any threat to her would be a threat to the entire world, so she must be protected at all costs.

"Loid?" Mama asked, getting Papa's attention as he smiled.

"No, you're right. It is our greatest responsibility," His answer made Mama and Anya smile as he asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Mama put Anya down and started telling Papa her ideas, mostly by taking the ceramic materials and sewing it into dresses like Anya wanted. She also asked if Loid could handle the sewing part, making Anya remember how her mom almost murdered her Agent Penguinman plushie when trying to fix it. As Mama talked, Papa listened, a brightness in his eyes as he nodded here and there. But then Mama started talking about a bunch of self-defense stuff to make up for where the armor couldn't protect, and she heard Miss Martha's thoughts.

An in-depth understanding of not only military grade combat armor, but combating, compartmentalizing and bypassing it as well. How curious.

Anya looked back and saw Becky staring up at her parents, holding Wiesel in her arms like a comforting doll and looking a little upset. Martha, on the other hand, only looked even more suspicious as Mama kept talking about things only assassins would know about. It made Anya gasp and look back at Mama and Papa (mostly Mama) as she and Becky accidentally shared the same thought.

Oh COME ON!

---

The tour kept going from there, and all of Anya's attempts to turn it away from anything that made Mama seem assassin-like just made Miss Martha suspect her even more. The constant failure to help her mom maintain cover from the only person who could see through it left Anya feeling really bitter about herself. How was she supposed to keep her family together if she couldn't help hide their secrets?

"Ugh…" Becky mumbled, just as grumpy as Anya was, but for completely different reasons.

How does she keep doing this!? Becky quietly fumed, walking far ahead of the adults and dogs alongside Anya, Every time I try to show Loid my amazing business and weapon smarts, Mrs. Forger always one-ups me and gets his attention! Does she know how I feel and did her research before coming here? Or is she just that good and thinks I don't have a chance with him? Which is it!?

Becky, you're challenging Mama in the only thing she's smart at, Anya groaned to herself. Throughout the entire tour, Becky kept having her own daydreams. It took her a while to understand, but somewhere after Mama and Papa ordering the armor did she get that Becky wanted to be Anya's future mother. The daydreams also came with Anya getting to live in castles and eat really fancy, delicious food. But as tempting as they were…

Sorry Becky and fancy chefs, but I already have a future that I want, Anya thought back to the vision Bond showed her, where she got to have a happy future with her parents married for real and Bumblebee got to be open about himself alongside the other giant robots. I want picnics with Papa and Mama and Autoboots, She looked back at her parents, giving them a tired smile and wave, which was returned before she looked back towards her friend, That means you can't be my new mama.

The good news there at least was how every single attempt of Becky's to one-up Mama never succeeded, with Mama always having almost all of Papa's attention (the rest was dedicated towards analyzing each and every detail about the factory for the scary Frost lady's mission) so it wasn't like she had to worry about that. The bad news was that each of those attempts usually involved Mama saying or doing something that made Miss Martha look at her with wary eyes. At this point, it felt like she was so close to putting things together and outing Mama as an assassin. If that happened, everything would fall apart, world peace would be ruined, and Anya would never get her happily ever after with her family and the Autobots!

There's gotta be something to help Mama get off Becky's butler's trail! Anya gained a determined glint as she listened in on Becky's thoughts, hoping that the next place they toured would help Mama seem like a normal mother and ward away any doubts in that.

Okay, last chance to impress Loid before we stop for the factory's cafeteria and have dinner, Becky regained some of her confidence and led everyone to the door at the right in the hallway. It was thick, solid steel, but Anya could hear a lot of what sounded like muffled gunfire coming from behind it. Right next to the door was a table with some bins, Miss Martha walking up to them and grabbing a pair of earmuffs from one and large see-through visor glasses from another. "Before we all enter, I'd suggest you put these on," Becky said, being given hers and doing just that, "It's more than a little loud in there."

"Of course," Papa took his and put them on, Even if the years of experience have helped develop a tolerance for the sound of constant gunfire, it's best to use them for maintaining cover. He made a couple adjustments to the earmuffs to make them more comfortable, Besides, "tolerance" never equates to "immunity". Sometimes I'm impressed that I have yet to lose my hearing after every gunshot and explosion I've been near.

Explosions can make you lose your hearing? Anya had no idea that was possible. Her parents never seemed too physically affected by any of the dangerous stuff they did in either memories or in what little she got to see them do for themselves (Mama getting shot in the butt that one time aside). Heck, Bondman seemed immune to those kinds of things, so she thought her parents were the same. But remembering her visit to the hospital Papa worked at for her research paper, she remembered him talking about disabled war veterans and how they needed help to recover. It really made her think, both about her parents and about Bumblebee.

If her parents weren't immune to losing senses or limbs, did that mean they were just lucky, just that good at what they did, or had yet to meet a bad guy that could do them in. And with Bumblebee…

If explosions can take hearing away, what can take away a voice? Anya wondered, putting on the same serious, thinking face as her papa, How did Mister Bumblebee lose his voice?

"Anya," Mama shook her out of her train of thought. She looked up and saw that she was kneeling down in front of her alongside Bond, both of them wearing the earmuffs and protective visors. Holding out some for Anya, she said, "We're going inside now. Are you coming?"

"Okay!" Anya put on her best smile, deciding to worry about that stuff later. Letting Mama help her put the safety gear on, she walked inside the shooting range with everyone else. Once inside, she asked Papa to pick her up so she could get a better view of what was going on. Now at around his shoulder level and with him holding an extra hand to her ear for protection, she watched in awe as a bunch of different people wearing safety gear were firing a bunch of different guns at metal mannequins wearing similar body plating to before. All of them were in what looked like booths separated by metal walls and supervised by a few people in jackets that read "Range Officer" on the back.

"And here we have the firing range and armor testing facilities!" Becky said as loudly as possible for the Forgers to hear, waving hello to some of the shooters that stopped and noticed them, "This is where we test any firearms Blackbell Heavy Industries produces, as well as test out the stopping power of our body armor!"

"It looks very well put together!" Papa replied just as loudly as they all walked down the row, his thoughts analyzing everything in sight, especially the kinds of guns that were being used just as Becky explained each and every single one of them. Unlike before, Miss Martha didn't correct her anywhere near as much, meaning most of what Becky said was correct. Anya still didn't really understand a lot of it, but she recognized a few pistols since they looked similar to what Bondman and her Papa used. She also learned from her Papa's thoughts about the other types of guns being used, like long guns, machine pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles.

Though her father's thoughts still went by too fast for her to get them all, she did hear him think, I can recognize quite a few people here as personnel and soldiers in the Ostanian Army. Makes sense, given Blackbell Heavy Industries close connections with their country's military. It's likely that they have deals in place for the army to test their products firsthand and provide direct feedback, both for their superiors before purchasing in bulk, and to the Blackbells for instruction on what to improve. It also provides training for combat against stationary and moving targets.

So that's why the mannequins are moving around, Anya looked at the metal, featureless statues were moving back and forth and side to side on steel rods connected by conveyors. Getting good with weapons looked like a lot of work. When she saw bits and pieces of their memories, Papa, Mama, and Bumblebee always made it look so easy. More so her parents than Bumblebee, since he didn't seem to think too much about his fights. It was almost like he didn't like thinking about them, and she couldn't figure out why.

Before she could think too much about that, they stopped at a series of empty booths, the gunfire just far enough to not be so irritating. Becky gestured to them and the racks with guns on display, "Here's some of our top-of-the-line firearms. Usually, these areas are reserved for Blackbell security members who want to keep themselves sharp. It's further away from the main firing range, so it's easier on the ears." She pointed to the earmuffs, "Still a good idea to keep these on though, Any questions?"

I think now might be a good time to ask if the pod from the woods has led to any new advancements in firearms. It doesn't seem to have been used to advance any small munitions so far, but best to be certain. Papa gave a casual smile and asked, "If I may, have there been any recent developments with Blackbell's usual firearms?"

Oh boy! Loid's asking me questions! Finally, I'm getting my darling's attention! Becky blushed and cleared her throat, "Well, according to my dad, all new developments since the previous war between East and West have been pretty incremental. But he is hoping for that to change in the future. D-Do you, uh…" She started stammering and shuffling her feet, "Do you have any interest in weapons? Like, for h-hunting or something?" With how much Mrs. Forger knows, he's gotta be!

"No, not much at all, being honest," Papa shook his head, thinking, So, they have yet to truly weaponize and compartmentalize the pod's capabilities. The turbo boosters from before were likely their first lucky break. At this point, they likely know about as much as WISE does, if not at least a bit more, but given that they have more of the pod and a better means of researching it, that's bound to change soon. Best get everything Agent Nightfall needs ASAP. "I'm more so asking in regard to my own work at Berlint General Hospital. I hope that's alright."

Papa's being really sneaky, Anya giggled, reading her father's thoughts about sprinkling in just a tiny bit of the truth, since his cover job would require knowing that kind of stuff for how they hurt people and how he could treat them. He was just leaving out how he knew EVERYTHING about all kinds of guns already.

"That's quite alright. Such questions are understandable, given your occupation," Miss Marriott said with a small, polite bow, And your dedication to such a job is admirable. Even if neither I or Lady Blackbell can answer all your questions, I cannot fault you for having them.

"…" Anya could only give Miss Martha a flat look. Not that she was going to complain about it, but how did the Blackbell bodyguard suspect Mama so much but not Papa? But then she remembered how that question answered itself.

Mama's really bad at hiding, She thought, remembering how her mother opened up a lot about what she knew on weapons, how to use them, armor, getting around it, and lots of other stuff. Her father had been mostly quiet, observing and memorizing details for later. She really wanted to help her mom blend in, but they were in a weapons factory, surrounded by weapons and things that killed.

And if Anya knew one thing for sure about Yor Forger, it's that she was the absolute smartest person alive when it came to killing.

So Loid has no interest in weapons? Then why does he stare at Mrs. Forger like she's the only person around when she's talking about them? Becky wondered, her thoughts somehow louder than the gunfire as she walked up to the rack and pointed, Miss Marriott taking a pistol down, loading it, and holding it out to the Forger parents, "Either way, would you like to try one on the shooting range before we head out?" Even if he doesn't like them, letting him use one could entice him. It's like the classic move from that one episode of Berlint in Love, only replace getting to drive a car with getting to use a gun! She blushed and looked like she was about to swoon, I bet Loid would look like an awesome action hero with a gun!

Becky, you have no idea, Anya stifled another giggle, getting a look from Papa as she calmed down.

Still holding her, Papa politely said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I must decline." Anya was about to ask why he didn't want to, especially since she wanted to see him in action, but then she picked up his thoughts, Given how the Blackbell attendant carries herself, it's clear that she's an experienced former soldier. Testing a Blackbell firearm with someone like that around would run the risk of her suspecting something, especially since she's an Ostanian soldier and would likely recognize techniques from the West. Even if I were to just throw myself off and underperform my capabilities, it's just as likely that she'd see through that. If she can recognize how a former soldier carries themselves in combat, she can just as much recognize when one is doing poorly on purpose.

He looked down at the gun one more time, It's an admitted shame. Aside from the quality of the firearm, directly testing it would allow me to gain direct intel on Blackbell's production. Perhaps even assess how much of a threat potential buyers would be if they have ill intent for the peace between East and West.

… Oh, Anya guessed that made sense. It also meant that Mama couldn't show off her own skills either. Miss Martha already thought she was fishy as is.

Besides, I feel like Anya would be excited to see something like that in action. She always loves it when Bondman shoots down "bad guys", as she puts it, Papa thought with a slight smile on his face, a brightness in his eyes. Anya felt a rush of happiness go through her, knowing that her dad considered doing so just to make her happy. As she was lost in that feeling, she heard Papa ask Mama, "What about you, Yor? If you want to give it a try-"

"NO!" Mama yelled, startling everyone before she stammered, "I mean, thank you, but no. I'd rather not."

Does Mama not like guns? Anya squirmed a bit in her father's arms, letting him know she wanted to be put down. As her feet touched the shiny white floor, she walked up to her mom and saw the worry on her face as she looked away from the group. Tilting her head, Anya began to pick up on Mama's thoughts.

Oh, just being in this room's making me nervous. I've never been good with guns, Mama's thoughts confused Anya. She fought and beat up people with guns all the time, so how was this- Every time I try to use one, I always mess it up. Memories swelled up from her earliest experiences using guns, with each time being a complete failure, It's always been so much easier for me to get into a rhythm with close-quarters weapons. Shopkeeper taught me to see them as extensions of myself. But with guns and ranged weaponry, it's just so much harder to do that. Too many moving components to keep in mind.

Huh, I thought Mama would be good with all weapons, Anya was surprised to learn that there were weapons that her mother either didn't know how to use or just plain couldn't use. Normally, you'd expect an assassin to understand every possible weapon so they could be good at every possible method of killing the bad guys, but now she knew-wait a minute…

That's it! Anya's eyes went wide with inspiration as she looked between Mama and Miss Martha, who looked at the Forger woman with confusion. If Mama showed just how bad she was with guns, maybe it would be enough to ward away the Blackbell butler's suspicions. After all, no one would ever expect an assassin to be bad with guns. And if she did that, then the family and their future would be saved! With that in mind, she tugged at her mom's leg and asked, "Mama, I wanna see you shoot the targets!"

"W-What!?" Mama gasped and looked away from everyone, "I-I really shouldn't. I'd be terrible at it."

"Please Mama. I think you'll be really cool!" And it'll save you and our family from losing cover.

"I-I…" Mama looked between her and everyone else, Anya focusing solely on her mother and giving her the biggest pleading face she could. Even more pleading than what she used on Papa earlier today. There was a bunch of conflict in Mama's head for several seconds, but she finally caved in and said, "Alright, I'll do it." If my daughter thinks I can do it, then I'll try my best! She walked up to Miss Martha and held out her hand, "Give me the gun."

Miss Martha, wide eyed in surprise, gave Mama the gun and stepped back as she took a position in a firing booth. Unlike the moving mannequins from before, there were already a few of them out and about, all staying still, fully armored in bulletproof vests, and standing in a sideways line close to the far end of the room. They didn't seem to have anything holding them up that'd help them move around anyway.

Anya, Papa, and Bond joined with Martha, Becky, and Wiesel in stepping back to give Mama some room. Mama took a deep breath and held up the gun, but…

"Uh, Mama, that's not…" Anya didn't know how to word it. She didn't know much about using real pistols, but she was pretty sure they weren't supposed to be that close to the face. Even Bond barked, like he was warning her not to do it.

"That's way too close!" Becky voiced what Anya was thinking, holding Wiesel tight and worrying that Mama was gonna hurt herself.

"Mrs. Forger, I highly advise you put the gun down!" Miss Martha said in a stern, but concerned tone, not wanting anyone to get hurt.

"Yor, you should probably move the gun away from your face if you're going to shoot," Papa added, as he tried to walk up, hands held in a calming manner.

"No no, I-I can do this!" Mama's voice cracked a bit and her grip tightened, though she did take everyone's advice into account, moving the gun further away from her face as she pulled the trigger. A few loud bangs rang out, bullets flying for the end of the room, hitting the angled metal plated wall at the end and falling to the floor. Smoke poured out of the gun barrel, but Mama bowed her head in shame, hands drooping to her sides along with the gun.

She didn't hit a single target.

"Mama, are you okay?" Anya ran up to her mother, who looked down at her with tears on the verge of falling.

"I'm fine, but I'm sorry I couldn't hit anything."

Anya hugged her mom's leg, "It's okay. You're still cool!"

"We're just glad you didn't get hurt," Papa said, gently holding Mama's shoulder as she smiled at him.

"Thanks, but I still wish I'd managed to hit something." At this rate, I'm never going to get used to these things.

Strange, Anya looked back at Miss Martha, who was staring at Mama and the gun in her hands, Though her form and aim were rather awful, the pistol didn't show even the slightest signs of recoil. That shouldn't be possible.

Uh oh…

"Uh, hey! Cheer up Mrs. Forger, I'm sure you'll get it right next time," Becky threw her two pents in, Even if you're my rival for Loid's heart, I don't like the idea of you being sad. She tugged at Miss Martha's pant leg and pointed to a different gun, this time some sort of bolt-action rifle. "Here, try something that's made for long range targets," Becky encouraged, "You'll definitely hit them with this!"

Mama didn't look entirely convinced, her eyes shifting between everyone, dogs included, as they all gave her encouraging nods. Anya, meanwhile, looked between her and Miss Martha, being pretty sure that all the older woman needed was just a bit more convincing to see that Mama was just an ordinary mother and most certainly not a secret assassin. Silently, she apologized to her mother, the discomfort easy to see on her face. She hated doing this, but couldn't think of anything else to protect their family.

It's what Papa would do, even though he'd hate it too.

Thankfully, Mama regained that determination from earlier and nodded, Miss Martha handing her the rifle and a clip with bullets. Her thoughts said something about the bullets being 8-millimeter, which reminded her of the times she tried to use the bullet sizes of Bondman's guns for math class. It helped her score just a little bit higher, but the way Papa tried to teach her using that was boring.

"Uh… how do I…" Mama sounded really nervous as she tried to figure out how to put the bullets into the gun. Anya remembered a Spy Wars episode where Bondman used this type of gun and was about to suggest she pull the lever back, but Martha beat her to the punch, politely telling her mom what she needed to do. After opening it up, she tried to fit the bullets in, but they slipped from her hand and scattered on the floor.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Mama got to her knees and started picking them up, Papa and Martha joining her.

As they did so, Martha thought, I've only seen this kind of nervousness with firearms from new recruits or first-time gunners. It's nothing to be ashamed of though. Anya saw a memory of a young Martha in soldier gear struggling to put bullets into a rifle, each of them slipping from her hands as the mud and dirt above her shook, I know I fumbled in my earliest experiences more times than I dare to count, but with what I've seen of Mrs. Forger, it's baffling that she's this inept.

YES! It's working! Anya smiled with delight. Everything was going just as planned and her family would be safe again!

"Yor, you missed one," Papa reached out for the last bullet right as Mama did the same, their hands touching before they looked back up at each other. Their eyes had this shimmer to them, and Anya couldn't pick up on any thoughts in their heads anymore. They were so focused on each other in that moment.

GAH! Why do Mr. and Mrs. Forger have to be so perfect together? Becky's cheeks puffed in jealousy, hugging Wiesel again as he licked her cheek to help her feel better. Miss Martha just smiled and sighed, watching the clearly in love couple share a tender moment together and being whisked back to happier times in the process. It was such a sweet moment as their hands held, one on top of the other as they continued to stare deeper into each other, lost in their own little world…

But now it was going on too long. Something had to give or they'd be here forever.

Anya decided to be that something.

"Papa and Mama are flirting."

"NO WE ARE NOT!" Her parents fired back, Anya snickering as Mama quickly picked up the last bullet and tried to figure out how to get them in the gun.

"Here, let me," Papa said, taking one of the bullets he'd picked up and putting it in. He did this a couple more times to demonstrate before letting Mama do it.

"Thanks Loid. How'd you get so good at this?" Mama asked, managing to put the bullets in as she followed her husband's example.

Loading a bolt-action rifle is rather trivial, but Mr. Forger does seem to display some familiarity with such weapons, Miss Martha thought, not sounding suspicious just yet, but it made Anya's heart stop for a second.

Thankfully, Papa smiled, calmly and easily answering, "When I was in my late teens, I used to go on hunting trips with my friends all the time. They were never really much fun for me, admittedly."

As he said that, Anya picked up some memories going through his head, seeing him and others in uniforms and helmets. It looked like they were sneaking around, about to shoot a wild dear. Their mouths moved, but she couldn't hear many words, only picking up things like "low on food", "shoot now" and "starving". The memory ended with a loud gunshot (louder than any of the shooting still going on) that made Anya jump, Becky looking at her in concern before she smiled at her friend and waved it off. She saw her Papa's face, and though he smiled, it didn't feel like a real one

Her father had these memories sometimes, where things just felt really sad or bitter and she just couldn't figure out why.

She wished she could understand though.

"Okay, it's fully loaded now. Thanks again, Loid," Mama stood up with the rifle at the ready, pushing the handle in and arming it. The adults all stood up, Papa and Martha joining her, Becky, Bond, and Wiesel as Mama got into her original position and aimed the gun. Anya wasn't sure if she was holding it right, since the back end was under her arm pit and everyone else here using a similar gun didn't hold it like that. Heck, not even Bondman or Papa (in memories) used rifles like that. It wasn't like anyone had the time to correct her, as she fired it and was way off the mark, the bullet hitting the end of the room again. She tried firing it again, but it didn't do anything.

Sighing, Mama slumped against the booth wall, I'm never going to be comfortable with guns. They just don't feel right in my hands.

Maybe this is enough? Anya looked back at Miss Martha, who was still questioning things, but it looked like she was more worried for Mama than anything else. Even Becky looked worried for her. Turning to Bond, he had that look on his face that made her feel guilty.

This was a bad idea, Anya sighed, the guilt getting to her. She got ready to tell her mom that it was okay and they should all probably go now. But before she could even move, Papa stepped forward and got next to Mama.

"Yor, would it be okay if I helped?" He asked, Mama perking up and thinking about it before nodding. From there, Papa got really close and helped Mama reload, showing that she needed to pull the crank back and push it forward again. He then helped her get into position, this time the end of the rifle at her shoulder and resting her head in front of the… the…

The butt stock? Anya almost laughed out loud learning that from Papa's thoughts. She was about to fail and burst, but thankfully Bond caught her and licked her cheek, letting the laughter erupt, but making everyone think he caused it instead. Thanks Bond! She hugged her dog and looked back to Mama, Papa standing next to her. She appeared to be in a proper shooting position this time, at least according to Papa and Martha's minds, but she didn't move at all. Head tilted, Anya stared at her mother and wondered, Why isn't she shooting anything?

Oh, I can't do this! I'll just make a fool of myself, and Anya will think I'm a terrible mother, Loid will think I'm a terrible wife, and the Blackbells will want to break off their friendship with Anya and everything's going so wrong! Mama's thoughts immediately answered. Even though she was standing perfectly still, she was panicking like crazy. Anya couldn't remember a time outside of when she was in danger that she'd seen Mama's thoughts flip out like this, and it just made the guilt from before even worse. She almost lost control, almost ran forward to hug her mom and apologize for things the older woman didn't know about.

But once again, Papa stepped in before she got the chance to mess things up.

"Yor?" At his word, Mama snapped out of her spiral and faced him, "Yor, it's okay! Just breathe." She took his advice to heart and started breathing deeply, in and out, before she went quiet and looked down at the gun. Yor doesn't seem comfortable with guns at all. She's been rather on edge ever since we entered this room, He mused, thinking back to his own first time shooting a gun. In the aftermath, it looked like he was vomiting behind a bunch of rocks, Not that I can blame her. Even for someone with experience such as myself, the sheer power behind any weapon is terrifying to behold. The ability to take a life is never something to be treated lightly.

Anya wasn't sure what he meant by that.

"Loid, I think I need help holding it steady," Mama said, just loud enough to be heard even with the shooting (which had been dying down a bit) and earmuffs, "Every time, I feel like my grip's too loose or too tight or I'll mess up some other way or-"

"Yor, it's okay," Papa said, gently holding her shoulders, "You got me. I'm right here." For as long as this family needs me, I'll be here. Mama's eyes had a shimmer, cheeks red as she nodded and Papa helped her get into position. This time, he stayed right behind her, his own hands with hers, helping her hold the rifle steady, both of them taking aim. "Ready Yor?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm ready." Mama gulped, some strength returning to her voice and posture as she pulled the trigger. A loud shot rang out, louder than all the others, as the bullet flew across the room and hit the metal mannequin right in its bulletproof vest. The force of impact shook the statue while Mama and Papa remained perfectly still.

"You did it Mama!" Anya was the first to break out into a cheer, Bond, Becky, and Wiesel joining her as they all jumped up. Miss Martha even had a bright, cheery grin on her face as she clapped her hands.

"I… I-I did it," Mama began in slow awe, "I actually did it!"

"Yes, you did it. Great job Yo-OOF!" Papa suddenly found himself in a strong hug, Mama still holding the gun in one arm as she picked her husband up and spun him around.

"Thank you so much!" Mama was so full of joy that it was infectious, that same joy now slowly running through Papa as the initial pain from the hug wore away. Anya smiled as Mama snuggled her face against Papa's chest, whispering and thinking happy thank yous. Papa was caught off-guard at first, but he ended up melting and returning the hug too, eyes closed and smiling as bright as Mama.

"How lovely," Miss Martha said, still grinning bright even as her claps slowed down.

"Sooo adorable!" Becky swooned out loud, I wish I was the one in Loid's arms though. I guess I'll try to be happy for Mrs. Forger, at least for now.

Becky, you're already happy for Mama, Anya couldn't tell if her friend was in denial about something or not. Feelings were confusing sometimes.

Still, Becky's loud excitement did make Mama and Papa aware of their current position. The two took a step back, turned red, and took an even larger step away from each other with a lot of stammering and stuttering. Papa gave an awkward cough and asked, "So, how are you feeling, Yor?"

"Much better, thanks again," Mama answered, scratching her cheek before holding the gun out, "Admittedly, I still don't feel very comfortable with these things."

"That's quite alright, Mrs. Forger," Martha walked up, ready to return the gun to the racks, "Not many people truly are. And those that find comfort with them often wish they didn't." Papa nodded in agreement, the Blackbell servant continuing, "Now, if you'd like, we can head for the dining hall. I believe the children and their pets are quite famished."

"Yeah, after all that touring, I'm starving!" Becky groaned, clutching at her stomach while Anya's own rumbled.

"Hungry," She muttered under her breath.

"Okay, we can go, but…" Mama looked over at the mannequins again before looking at her gun, "I'd like to be able to hit at least one more target. Even if I'll never really be comfortable with these things, I at least wish I could've done more like Anya would've wanted me to." She gasped, like a light bulb went off in her head, "And I know just how to do it!"

Papa nodded, "I understand. Do you need any-" Mama tossed the gun into the air and hoisted it over her shoulder like a spear, "-help?"

Faster than any of them could blink, Mama cut loose and chucked the rifle barrel first at the mannequin. It flew so fast it was a bullet in and of itself, impaling the statue right through the vest before knocking it off the hinges. The whole thing went flying at such speeds that even the other two mannequins were knocked over just from the backlash. The gun impacted the wall, impaling itself despite the downward angle while the mannequin made it hang limp before falling to the ground. As the metal clattered against the floor, there was complete silence, all gunfire having stopped entirely, Anya looking over and seeing that everyone's eyes were now their way.

"…" Anya stared blankly at the display, jaw dropping as Mama stood straight, realizing that was probably a bad idea. She slowly turned back to see that everyone's eyes were on her.

"Uh… Yor?" Papa muttered, staring just as blankly at Mama with the same expression as Anya, his eyes looking like they'd shrunk at her actions, all while Mama started stammering out excuses for how she was able to do that, saying stuff about how she used to apprentice for a "spear thrower" or something like that.

"That was…" Martha breathed out, her thoughts having way more energy, What in the hell was that!?

"W-Wow…" Mrs. Forger's crazy strong, Becky's own blank stare gave way to a gasp, her gaze shifting to Papa, And the way Loid's staring at her! There's so much love and adoration in his eyes! Did I miscalculate? Is he attracted to Mrs. Forger's winning combination of intelligence, class, beauty, and indomitable strength? How am I supposed to compete with someone like that!?

You can't Becky, Anya thought, her blank stare slowly replaced with a small grin, No one can compete with my mama.

---

And that's a wrap for now!

So yeah, got a few surprise appearances that may or may not become important later (nudge nudge wink wink), and one of them became Yor's friend.

Unfortunately, I'm also confirming the existence of more... unpleasant factions. Don't expect them to really get involved in the ongoing plot for a long, LONG ass time. Part of why is because none of my plans involving the current story involve them. The other reason is because they're largely situated in the Spy X Family world's equivalent of the United States, and since we have absolutely no idea what that's called or really anything about it, I'd rather wait until something gets revealed by the anime/manga. So for now, their existence if foreshadowed, but not relevant.

Now, if any details regarding the weapons and body armor produced by Blackbell are inaccurate to real life, I apologize. I am not a weapon expert and trying to figure out how to write/articulate that, coupled with trying to look things up, kinda took me out of it. I ultimately settled on being as vague as I could, which was a lot easier to manage since this is Anya's POV.

Psychic powers or not, a five-year-old girl isn't gonna have any clue (or really retain) what the grownups are talking about here. Whether that be weapons, or reflections on the horrors of war that the two veterans in the room underwent years prior. Just your friendly reminder that almost everyone in Spy X Family and Transformers is traumatized and/or sad inside.

The part with Yor being shit with guns comes from the official Fanbook Guide: Eyes Only. Though it only states that she's not proficient, we're not given a whole lot of detail as to why that is, so I added a few of my own and admittedly exaggerated a bit for comedic effect. Hey, it led to another tender moment for Twilight Princess, so I'm perfectly fine with what I wrote.

It's also why I'm trying not to describe too much of the factory/facility's interior or exterior since, while I tried looking up what 1960s-70s factories looked like inside and out, describing architecture was never really my strong point. So, keeping it vague there.

I'll get back to working on what would've been the next half of this chapter but is now the next chapter. Hope to see you all soon!