Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"--And on to international news." The anchor pitched eloquently from the TV. Lola slowly paused in cleaning the glassy mess, Collins had caused.

"Another spark of protests is ongoing in Area X due to mutant cases uprising in the continent. The joint medical association of the continent has also embarked on an indefinite strike stating Mayor Brooks refusal in accepting their conditions--"

Lola heaved a sigh while the TV lucidly displayed massive protests ongoing in several districts. Her cheery countenance easily dampened as she envisioned the kind of disheartening status Area X would be in for the coming weeks.

The door suddenly opened with the Trainer emerging. His face full of smiles and his uniform not holding it's accustomed weapons. But that bright countenance morphed into a frown as his eyes fell on the TV.

"Service! Play us a nice relaxing movie." He ordered in an overly hoarse voice as he shut the door behind his back. Surprise awe struck her as the Plasma changed to one of Pearl Carson's young adult romance.

"You were given this day to relax, not to bother yourself with Area X's hurdles." He stated as he approached her. She sighed and then relaxed to a couch.

"That's where I work. My friends, my life is literally there and seeing a place I love getting retarded," she paused while he resigned to the couch adjacent hers. "Hurts."

"I know, but there's only so much one person can do." He answered with his gaze purely on her. "Things will get better, with time."

She nodded and then divulged her focus to the plasma.

"I never knew Service was connected to this building."

He wore a tiny smile.

"This TV is the only gadget Service is connected to in this house. Doctor Roberts must have failed to mention it for a reason."

She arched her eyebrows upwards briefly. The Doctor's way never ceases to amaze her.

"Where's Collins?" His gentle voice tousled her thoughts.

"Teleported to goodness knows where."

"Typical Collins." He remarked. She chuckled.

"So why are you here?" She peered at him.

"To see how well you're faring and by the looks of it," he paused his lips for a split second. "You're doing horrible!"

She chuckled for a brief moment. "Thanks for the care but you should be at the training grounds with the others."

"Rita's handling them." He shrugged.

"I don't want to be a burden." She said in a pleading tone. Although, she loved his care towards her but at the same time, she didn't want to hinder the team's progress.

"You're not a burden." He affirmed with so much love as he relaxed fully to the endearing couch. She smiled relaxing too in the same mannerism.

"Popcorn and dim lights would have befitted this moment." He groaned in a jovial manner but her eyes fell on his left wrist. It had an open cut, partially bleeding.

"My goodness, you have an injury." She softly mentioned as a frown dawned on her face but he quickly shielded his injury. Extending his black long sleeves over it.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He assured sternly but she eyed him off dismissively before storming into her room for a first aid box.

"It's nothing, honestly!" He portrayed when she arrived his front with a first aid.

"You should care for your health as much as you did for mine." She avowed and sat beside him unraveling the box. "Can I see your wrist?" She extended her palm but he hesitated.

"It's just a small wound, Doctor Lola." He groaned with discomfort hanging heavily.

She arched her eyebrow.

"No wound is too small for an infection to set in." She responded sternly before grabbing his wrist forcefully.

As she tended to his wound, she could feel his gaze on her. She was certain her cheeks were a blushing red around the tensioned air. But when he groaned she finally mustered courage to gaze into his eyes. Chestnut and clear like a child's. It wasn't expressing it's usual sternness but a look of admiration. One she secretly adored.

"I thought it was a small wound?" She sarcastically toned before pressing on with the plaster.

"You were being too harsh, Doctor." He remarked jovially. She frowned and intently pressed on his wound causing another sharp groan to escape his lips.

"I'd appreciate if you just call me by my name next time." She answered to his questioning face.

"I'd also appreciate if you call me Trevor." He smiled with his warm breaths softly grazing her cheeks.

"Doctor Roberts had said you preferably like to be called, The Trainer." Her voice trailed a soft path. He beamed a smile.

"Did I ask you to call me that?" He returned rhetorically. She studied his countenance for moments.

"Trevor." She whispered, secretly enjoying the comfort from pronouncing the name alone. "Your injury has been successfully treated." Her eyes trailed to his bandaged wrist before packing her equipments into the box.

"Thank you." He mentioned solemnly. She opted to tour into her room but abruptly halted.

"A crazy idea just popped into my head." She muttered while he skeptically eyed her. "Since you want to spend some quality time with me, you should as well do it."

"Something tells me, I'm not gonna like the outcome." He chuckled nervously.

"Trust me, it would be fun!" She teased and then bit her lower lip in anticipation.

##########

"The Kitchen?!" Trevor exclaimed while she burst into laughter. Admiring the priceless look on his face. "Seriously Lola, let's do something else."

"Service!" She yelled enough for the TV to brighten up in the Parlor. "Please play us a relaxing music." She ordered while the TV instantly opted for Harry Styles - Adore you.

"Now let's get you an apron, shall we?" She muttered while she approached him with an apron donning a darker shade of yellow.

"How do you wear these?" He said, his face clearly written in confusion. She exhaled with her eyes exclaiming from surprise.

"Don't you cook?" She queried.

"Nope." He affirmed. "I haven't in the last five months or so."

"Are you kidding me?!" She squeaked while he laughed.

"Is it bad?"

"Terrible!" She outrightly declared while she inched closer to him. Wearing the apron carefully around his perfectly built body. "Now that's how you wear one." She gestured while he reviewed the clothing in skepticism.

"So what are we making?" He asked.

"Meat pie?" She finally decided after ranging through the assortments of ingredients.

"This should be fun." He rolled his eyes with a chuckle before joining her.

"I thought you were bad at cooking?" She toned confusingly as he kneaded the dough expertly. He beamed an innocent grin.

"My mother thought me how to make this when I was young." He mumbled but she eyed him. "Well, amidst other things but only this manages to stick in my head." He laughed but stopped abruptly.

"Look what mess you've done to yourself!" He chirped while he inched closer for their breaths to bond. Her heart started to pace whilst wondering what was scaling his mind.

As he softly wiped the flour that had plastered across her cheek, all she could do was stare into those beautiful eyes and notice those enticing lips of his. The sudden blare that protruded from the TV broke their tensioned moment. She heaved a light sigh before pursuing after him to the Parlour.

"Service, what's wrong?" Trevor asked on a concerned note. She viewed the TV that suddenly visualized a blue mail.

"Doctor Roberts has an important message to tell agents of The Shining." The AI answered in it's programmed soothing voice. She exchanged confused gazes with Trevor.

"Call the team." He ordered after several minutes lingered.

###########

"So what is this important issue about?" Collins asked as he joined the others in the parlour. He glanced at The Trainer and Rita who stood with sternness imprinted on their faces. But instead of answering, The TV suddenly brightened.

"Good afternoon agents of The Shining." Collins frowned as Service's voice protruded from the TV. "Doctor Roberts has a message for agents of The Shining and without waste, I shall play the recording."

He adjusted his body on the couch as the TV visualized an empty notebook that displayed,

have, I, Eyes, and, and, created, need, Ears, a, Vacuum,

whilst the Doctor's voice sounded in the background.

"I'm sure you all must be doing great." He started while the notes shuffled the same words differently. "I have been nominated for an award at the famous Metz Gala awards which is happening this Friday. So I cordially invite you all to the party and please do attend. Thank you very much."

The Video ended but it only doused Collins into confusion. One thing he had learnt over time was that the Doctor's actions always had some importance. Hence, he wondered why Doctor Roberts played that notebook displaying incoherent words.

"Since when does our TV talk?!" Michael suddenly blared amidst the silence.

"Every device that works under The Shining is connected to Service." Rita answered sternly.

"Great!" Collins pitched sarcastically with a light sigh coming forth. "So we had a talking TV that had been watching our activities in this house all along."

"Doctor Roberts needs to stop giving this kind of surprises." Lola sighed.

"It's his ways, you can't blame him." Marcus interjected dryly.

"You guys heard him," the Trainer pronounced with his arms crossed. "Doctor Roberts needs us."

"It's just a stupid award show for his greatness and as far as I'm concerned," Theodore retorted in his accustomed icy tone. "It's none of my business."

"That's not the message Doctor Roberts intended to pass." Rita clarified, posing her hand at the TV again. "Service, play the video again."

As Collins stared into the Plasma, he focused more on the writing that changed rather than the Doctor's voice.

have, I, Eyes, and, and, created, need, Ears, a, Vacuum.

His eyes suddenly exclaimed after several replays.

"I got the message!" He pitched and the others stared in his direction.

"His voice note is just a camouflage. The real message is that notebook," he pointed to the plasma.

"Although it looks like incoherent words but if you arrange the words together in the right pattern, you'll get," he paused as he glanced across their faces.

"I have created a Vacuum and I need eyes and ears."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lola quizzically sputtered.

"It means Operation Stealth." Rita voiced.

Collins frowned yet again.

"Operation Stealth?"

"Yes, it's a coded programme created for agents of The Shining. So in layman terms, we're going on a spy mission to the Metz Gala."

He gasped as well as the others who ingested the shock message in their own ways.

"Doctor Roberts wants us to be spies?!" Lola queried in disbelief. "Why and who are we spying on?!"

"We're gonna be spies!, Awesome!" Michael yelled excitedly on his couch.

"Hold your horses man!" Marcus briskly interjected. "This is not the movies where you see actors playing your fantasies! We are inexperienced. Just a bunch of amateurish people Doctor Roberts picked from different places." Marcus explained.

"I hate to agree with them but they're right." Theodore calmly clarified. "We're not the right people for a spy mission."

"Trust me, this mission is as easy as learning alphabets." The Trainer avowed. "You guys didn't get the entirety of the message."

"We're talking about a spy mission here, Trevor!" Lola protested.

"I have created a Vacuum and I need eyes and ears." Collins mumbled to himself trying to decipher what Doctor Roberts truly meant. At the same time, he could feel their gazes on him.

"The Metz Gala is the Vacuum and we're the eyes and ears."

"Yes we know that already!" Marcus groaned beside him. He wavered not regardless, choosing to delve into his thinking.

"Anyone who's watched the past Metz Gala would know it has three important components." He muttered with his gaze still fixated to the floor. "The People, The Music and The Security." He avowed as he glanced across their faces. "Doctor Roberts has created a Vacuum in these aspects. Marcus would fill a position in the orchestra, one of us would act as a guest and another person would be in the security department." He explained to their awed faces.

"Isn't that the message, Trainer?"

The Trainer smiled. "Indeed you're correct but not entirely." He pointed. "There are other positions, we're all required to fill."

"Marcus would be in the orchestra playing at the Metz Gala. Theodore would be in the security department. Michael and I will be Servers" Rita chirped.

"Lola and I will act as a couple." The Trainer interjected. "And you, Collins. Will be the host of the show."

"No no no!" Collins pitched against him. "I don't know why he's making us do this but I have a date with Pearl Carson on Friday."

"You have a date with Pearl Carson?!" Marcus uttered in surprise awe.

"Unbelievable!" Theodore scoffed.

"You don't believe me ask Lola then!" He retorted while Lola sighed.

"Sadly, it is true." She avowed.

"Oh my God!" Michael voiced with a wide smile of disbelief.

"Whether or not you have a date with Pearl Carson, I believe you know what is more important." Rita stated.

"Pearl Carson."

"The Shining."

They both declared at the same time.

"Today is Monday!" The Trainer pronounced. "Meaning we only have less than four days to prepare. You all should take this operation seriously."

"And you might as well consider it to be a starters for the coming mission."