Chapter 35: Chapter 35

"Don't worry Doctor Roberts, she'll be fine." Rita soothed beside him. But his palms clung unto Ariel right palm.  As he relaxed by her bedside, he worriedly glanced at his niece's unconscious status and then to the ---

"I know." He let out those words with an heavy breath.

"But then, Ariel is my niece. My only family left." He pursed his lips while he gently patted her hair. "Even though she chose this path, sometimes I think she's too young for it. I don't want to lose her."

Rita softly stroked her palm against his. Wearing a tiny smile that somewhat allayed his fears.

"The future is filled with uncertainties, but one thing I do know," she pursed her lips too, staring at Ariel with so much care and affection. "Is that you're not going to lose her. She's a brave girl and she would grow to become someone great like you."

A tiny smile appeared on his face as their eyes met. The way she talks and acts never ceases to remind him of his wife.

"We're landing now, Doctor Roberts." Service's voice sonorously sounded throughout the small room brightly lit room.

He cleared his throat briefly while he adjusted the knot of his tie.

"Thank you, Rita." He pronounced in a low tone while her smile deepened. He arose from the seat, adjusting his lab coat even though it was sitting well on his body. It was already an accustomed habit.

"Where's Tara?" He asked as the cream metal door slid open for them to emerge.

"You mean Theodore." Rita chuckled as they both walked to the exit panel. He giggled too.

"Well he's already a she, isn't he?" He stated jovially as the panel floor gently slid open to the ground. She chuckled again.

"Please get him into the apartment, before he paints the whole jet pink."

"Indeed!" She mused with laughter before trailing back into the jet.

As Doctor Roberts stepped outside into the cold, serene night. The Trainer briskly approached him with his usual stern countenance.

"Did you find them?" The Trainer asked and Doctor Roberts looked into the nights. Trying to contain the pain he felt seeing Ariel unconscious and Theodore, unstable.

"She's going to be fine. Theodore has slipped into one of his dissociative identities. A girlish cheerleader character."

"Yikes!"

They both chuckled.

"I presume the rest of the team got the Hexagon." He glanced at The Trainer. Who simply nodded before handing over the silvery orbit. Warm and weighty.

"Michael got the the Hexagon. He and Lola are perfectly in safe conditions." The Trainer stated. "Marcus got temporal paralysis while fighting Jackie. Apparently he exceeded his powers limit."

Doctor Roberts arched an eyebrow upwards as he tucked the Hexagon into his left lab coat pocket.

"I told you they'll succeed and at the same time fail. Although I wonder how Timeron's best mutants, Jackie and Alexa got there."

"We're talking about the Hexagon here, Doctor Roberts." The Trainer replied. "Of course, With the recent circumstances happening, Timeron should already be guessing you're the one behind it. He's simply trying to stop you, by all means."

Doctor Roberts squinted his eyes, still trying to succumb to The Trainer's point of view. He was somewhat suspicious of his failed plan as he didn't expect the two crazy mutants to be around.

"So what's the next step now?" The Trainer's voice tousled his thoughts. "The mission has been completed and the team's contract has automatically ended."

He grinned sinisterly at the agent.

"Phase two." He uttered while Rita strolled alongside Tara into the apartment. Silence dwelled amongst them for minutes.

"Do you think they will succumb?"

Doctor Roberts heaved an heavy sigh as he crossed his arms behind his back.

"Right from the very beginning, I knew." He ascertained while The Trainer frowned.

"You see, in Chess. Sometimes you have to let your opponent think you're weak, to let your opponent see through you, to let your opponent think he's winning. And when the perfect time comes, you strike." He pursed his lips to study The Trainer's confused status.

"If I had informed Lola, Theodore, Marcus, Collins and Michael from the very beginning that they would be permanent agents of The Shining or that the fate of the world depends on them. Before now, most of them would have escaped. Which is why I had to entice them with a sweet catalyst. A temporary six months contract, a life of comfortability and rewarding them with whatever they desire. But let me assure you one thing," he pursed his lips while a cocky smile imprinted.

"After seeing the contents of the Hexagon, They'll have no choice but to become permanent agents of The Shining on their own free will."

The Trainer heaved a sigh while Rita joined them.

"Well, we better hope the Hexagon comprehends with your theory."

"Oh it will!" He chirped. "But in the meantime, watch over them for me. Rita and I have some urgent business deals to attention in Utopia." He flashed his agent a grin. "I'll be back before tomorrow's sun sets. Goodnight." He added and strolled back into The Capsule which gradually roared to life. The Trainer gave one final nod as the exit floor panels retracted into the body and the jet slowly gaining potential in the air.

############

As he entered into the pilot room alongside Rita, he slipped the Hexagon out of his pocket and placed it on the dashboard. He double tapped on the orbit and the object slowly unravelled. Bringing a USB device into limelight. They both peered at it suspiciously before he connected it into The Capsule's system dashboard.

"Service, I need you to run secure scan analysis on this device for virus or any other harmful bugs that can compromise The Capsule's status." He ordered and instantly, 3D holograms visualized on the  wind shields.

"Have you been able to locate Collins yet?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, No sir." Service answered while Doctor Roberts exchanged confused glances at each other.

"According to my analysis," Another Hologram displayed, this time in front of Rita. "his tracker doesn't seem to be effective."

"When was his last seen?" Rita queried. And the Hologram displayed, 11 : 05pm.

"At one of Timeron's branch industries." It answered.

"That was during the mission." Rita muttered as she stared at him. "And what happened next?"

The Hologram visualized another image. One were multiple locations shot up at once and suddenly nothing.

"That can't be..." Doctor Roberts gasped with his eyes exclaiming.

"He went off the radar sir." Service proclaimed.

"The same way The EMP vanished." Rita stated in a fearful manner. Doctor Roberts head inadvertently nodded in agreement. He dearly hoped it wasn't what he was thinking.

"Doctor Roberts," Rita called. "Do you think--" Her voice trailed off while his eyes twitched.

"Sir, I've ran complete analysis on the device and it's totally harm free. May I unravel the content?" Service's voice tousled their burdensome thoughts.

Doctor Roberts gulped down his saliva before nodding in agreement.

The next visuals that appeared on the hologram, sent shock ripples across his spines.

"What. The. Hell." Rita exhaled in oblivion.

"This is bad." Doctor Roberts remarked too in an awe stricken tone.

###########

The hallway was engulfed in darkness, neither could he deny the coldness and creepy feeling that crept inside of him. Bewildered was an understatement to what he was coursing through at the moment.  Every time he teleported with someone, he usually landed in endangered places but this time, it was worse. The serenity of this environment alone commanded more fear in him than being chased by hungry lions or landing in an ocean.

He tried to teleport but his veins only glowed a dull shade of orange before it relapse back to normal.

"Darn it!!" He yelled as he stomped his feet against the metal floor which echoed. After several deliberation, he decided to follow where this path lead to. He took stealthy steps to save himself from the unknown. Who knows, it could be a government secret lab.

His thoughts tousled as he noticed lights by the metal walls metres away. He trotted towards the light and when he had reached, Collins mouth went agape.

"Oh. My. God!" He gasped whilst his body started shivering as the sight he was viewing. He could swear he had never seen these technologically advanced weapons in his life. Far more complex and advanced than even Doctor Roberts invention. Drones, ammo tanks, Android armies, amidst several other weapons.

Still in his ocean of bewilderment, he heard voices metres away. His brows arched upwards in curiosity and soon his legs took control till he arrived at a metal door which gently slid open.

He stood behind the door cautiously, peering at the large room dominated by a wired orange light. There was a glassy office held in the air by metal pillars. Several scientists, dressed in pure white lab coats. Busy with one work or the other.

What picked his attention, was the blue light emanating from the glassy office. He squinted his eyes for a clearer picture and then they exclaimed.

The Orange light wasn't emanating from an object but it came from something else. It came from a man's body. The man's entirety glowed a bright orange. Collins jaw once again dropped. The aura the man exhibited afar off alone was intimidating. He could almost pee on his body. Still in shock, his eyes inadvertently darted to the object this mutant worked on. And behold!

"The EMP!"