The light of the communicator started to blink again. Dargan asked the two to hide in the bathroom, so they wouldn't be seen.

"Sergeant Dargan, I couldn't find you around the school" Agent X said as soon as he showed up on the hologram.

"The risk was great and there were many Terran soldiers there", the spy replied.

"Did you get anything?" He already knew the answer.

"I got the girl and she's safe. But there's a problem: her grandmother was with her and I had to bring both."

"This is not a problem, it's a solution. You have just captured Merko's wife. One more point for us. Congratulations, Sergeant Dargan. Luck seems to be on our side. We're going to the hotel where you are."

And before he knew how, four men knocked on the door of the hotel room where they were. They were tall and strong, wearing navy blue suits. Agent X was among them. Dargan opened the door:

"How's it going, Sergeant? I see you have everything under control."

"Finally, we meet, Agent X. Who's your leader?"

"I report directly to the command of our mission. I was sent here by the same person who sent you."

"You mean Commander Fizard?"

"No! Colonel Fizard's no longer on our team. He returned and lives with his family. He's retired."

"I don't understand. Who's the boss now?"

"Don't worry. At the right time you'll speak to him, personally. You'll be well rewarded for fulfilling the mission for which you were appointed. Maybe this will give you another promotion."

Lorena and Helen were listening quietly behind the door. They were scared. The grandmother hugged her granddaughter and told her not to leave her side. Before they could even defend themselves, two of the men invaded the bathroom and imprisoned them in their arms.

"This lady seems to be sick. It would be wise to leave her here," Dargan said, pointing to Lorena.

"My granddaughter's not going anywhere without me," the grandmother replied firmly.

She didn't know where the courage came from, but she wouldn't leave Helen for anything in her life.

"We can end this right now. She doesn't have any importance to us", Agent X said.

Lorena hugged her granddaughter again. They both knew these men weren't joking. The spy pretended to agree with everything, but something bothered him more and more. He had been sent to investigate Captain Merko and his life on planet Earth. Now, he had been forced to capture a girl and didn't even know who those men really were.

Helen invaded Dargan's mind and felt his suspicions. She was confused about his real goals and decided to speak telepathically with the alien.

"You're thinking these men aren't what they say."

"Girl from Earth, are you reading my mind? Stop it now. If they really are from my planet, they can notice what you're doing. We need to be careful."

"My grandfather will come back and finish them all. But don't let them hurt my grandmother."

"We'll take the girl and the woman to the base and use them as bait to get Commander Merko," Agent X interrupted the telepathic conversation.

"In this case, I want to go with you. I look forward to seeing the others on the team. It's been a long time since I've been alone and I can't take it anymore", Dargan said.

"The orders are for you to stay here watching the arrival of our target. Let us take them in safety."

"Agent X, I just want to see the staff and meet the new boss. Then, I'll return and continue my mission."

"Ok. We'll tell you all the details of our plan later."

Dargan stared at these men in a suspicious way and payed attention to their every move. They went down to their vehicles and entered. Lorena and Helen entered one of them and sat on the back, with two men in the front. In the other car was a man driving with Dargan in the back seat, while Agent X remained in the seat beside the driver.

"Why didn't these men teleport and why aren't they using a ship?" Thought the spy.

"I can read your thoughts, sergeant. I can explain everything and you'll understand. I'm from planet Life and these three men who accompany me are from Earth. They can't hear us. I took the place of an agent from their alien captures team and they don't even imagine who I am."

Helen listened to the whole conversation and was silent, following Dargan's directions, because she felt something good in him. In the other car, a short distance away, they talked telepathically:

"Where are they taking us?"

"Don't worry, girl from Earth. It's all right."

"Looks like she trusts you, sergeant. That's good for us."

Helen could feel that the other man had overheard their conversation and decided to shut up.

"You'll understand the reason why I use this identity. I killed a Terran agent. His name was Collin Netil. They were preparing an operation to capture you and soon they would also reach the hybrid girl. We're going to an WAEP agency operations' base on the bottom of the sea. We have more people from our planet infiltrated among the Terrans who will help us with the plan to capture Merko. I told them that you're an undercover agent who supported me on this mission and you'll go unnoticed. I managed to neutralize the technology that could recognize us."

"I saw the agent wearing our recognition eyeglasses at the school," said Dargan.

"It was the same one that I was able to deactivate. The Earth's engineers are trying to copy it using reverse engineering. However, they'll take long to achieve it. By then, we'll have achieved our goals."

"Agent X, what's your real name?"

"Soon you'll know everything", answered the man whose identity was an enigma.

Dargan was still suspicious and ready to react at any moment. If it was necessary, he would kill those men, including agent X himself. His wish was to protect the girl at any cost. Helen could see this generosity in Dargan, but, innocently, she didn't know that she was in great danger. The hybrid girl was not among friends.

Although she didn't feel safe among them, she didn't realize that the greatest danger of her life was still waiting for her...

The cars drove them to the pier, where a motorboat awaited them. They embarked on a watercraft that transformed into a kind of submarine, closing itself completely. The cabin was hermetically sealed and they submerged toward the unknown base. The command controls emitted holographic images, like those used on the planet Life. The men touched them to check the coordinates, while Dargan looked at everything, astonished not only with the technology employed, that he knew very well, but with the fact that they had it at that time.

Lorena, on the other hand, was sweating and feeling a lot of pain. Afraid of being killed by those strangers, so as not to disturb or cause problems, she beared the suffering in silence. She was anguished, and her reactions were reflected in her granddaughter, who was aware of her grandmother's state. To help her, the girl touched her forehead with the back of her hand, feeling the fever. Helen looked at Dargan, who discreetly took a blue substance and a liquid from his bag, mixed them, and placed them in a silver syringe, filled with flashing lights in its cylinder. Then, he walked toward the lady, saying:

"Let me apply something on you that'll make you not feel any pain for a few hours."

"God forbid me to accept anything coming from you." She stared at those lights in the tube, scared.

Helen knew of Dargan's good intentions and therefore tried to help him:

"Don't worry, Grandma. This remedy will do you good", the girl assured her.

Even a little reluctant, convinced by her granddaughter, she let the man apply the medicine. So, he programmed the code in the syringe and pressed it to Lorena's neck. Within seconds, the medicine entered her bloodstream, making her feel fine. The pain disappeared almost instantly, and she changed her countenance, more relaxed.

The other men observed Dargan's movements.

"She has a slight headache. I got this equipment with the staff that takes care of the technology of the Agency."

"I already knew this artifact, Dargan. I also have one of those", after commenting, the agent looked at the others. "If you want one like this, I can get it."

"No doubt I want one, too", said one of the men, sitting next to Agent X.

The others were silent, staring at them. After a while, they finally arrived at the underwater cave that led to the dome, where the headquarters of the WAEP, the agency responsible for the capture of extraterrestrial forms, was located.

The girl was astonished by the great technology that was unfolding before her eyes. Lorena also approached the hatch and, impressed, admired the illuminated place, surrounded by many marine creatures.

"My God, this looks like a movie thing", she told her granddaughter.

"I've only seen things like this in science fiction series," Helen said, holding her grandmother's hand firmly.

Dargan observed everything, without blinking.

"Whoever built this base isn't from this planet! It seems that they have merged our technology with that of the humans."

"Where are we going?" Helen broke the silence.

"I don't know for sure... But don't worry, I'll protect you."

Helen looked at everything around her and tried to understand what was happening.

"Will I find my parents in this place?"

But no one could answer her. After some time traveling, they arrived at the destination. The vehicle entered a cylindrical chamber and went up in a vertical direction until it reached a large circular area. The motorboat lifted over the water and the cabin opened around them, allowing them to catch a breath of fresh air. Dargan, Lorena and Helen looked ahead and three more men appeared after a door opened. They wore a black uniform, like an armored suit, rifles, and masks on their faces so they wouldn't be identified. Without a word, they indicated the door through which the visitors should enter.

Dargan examined every inch of the people who had come to receive them armed, thinking of a possible escape, but before he took any action, Agent X stared at him and telepathically contacted him:

"Don't think about it!"

"I can eliminate them with tranquility."

"I know that, but you'll understand my reasons soon enough. Wait just a little longer. Reacting would ruin my disguise and put our plans in danger."

"They're not listening to us... Why don't you tell me what's this damn plan?"

"We're arriving at the command of the headquarters. I want you to meet the Director-General, Mr. Ronald Steighem. We'll talk later."

Dargan decided to follow the man, the only person there that he knew to be from his planet, because of the telepathic conversation and contact through his communication systems. Another important factor: he also couldn't react near his protégés, putting them at risk. If that man tried to do them any harm, Dargan would finish him as fast as possible. Covertly, he checked a grenade that he brought in his pocket, a mini laser pistol at his waist and a dagger at his ankle.

They reached the end of a corridor, with a white floor and silvery walls. In front of them, a door opened, revealing a large room with thick glass walls that allowed one to see the deep ocean. In the center, a man was watching the seascape, sitting in a chair. Suddenly, he turned to greet the guests.

He had wrinkled skin, which revealed his age, gray hair and mustaches, and a cold stare. Next to him, a woman looked at them with contempt. Dargan immediately recognized her, his eyes widening. She was the agent he'd confronted at Helen's school. At the same moment, he stepped back, as if expecting to be attacked, but he remembered that he had transmuted himself again and she wouldn't recognize him. She found the movement strange for a moment, but soon forgot the subject.

"But this isn't the ET, I saw at school, that bastard who blew my hand!" Ann looked at her hand, closing her fingers with the bionic strength that was beginning to manifest.

Little did she know how close she was to the truth.

"Of course, it isn't him. This is the spy who works for the agency, about whom we spoke this morning. Agent Netil went to pick him up in Los Angeles. He has precious information about our main alien target, and he also brought this child who was at the school where you infiltrated. She's responsible for the supernatural phenomena you went to investigate there. I present you Helen," Ronald Steighem said with pride.

"I thought the alien I had faced at school had taken the girl along with her grandmother. Hadn't you finally captured him? As for the girl, leave her to me for I'll make her speak." Ann approached, excited by the opportunity to find out more about the extraterrestrials, as the girl cringed. "Maybe I can get my hands on that damn ET!"

Dargan looked at her wishing for a rematch, but he would leave it for later. Now, he needed to help Helen and Lorena.

_____________________