(After returning back from the coffee shop both Kyle and Jacob waited for their said meeting with Terrence)

"Around 7 a.m. this morning 5 bodies where discovered at Dodge Island" Terrence told Kyle. Kyle and Jacob both sitting across him at the kitchen counter.

"There were 5 uniformed personnel on that Coast Guard boat," Kyle replied.

"We've done a background check. They are Coast Guard members," Terrence said while pushing the pictures towards Kyle.

"These aren't them," Kyle said inspecting the faces of the 5 dead bodies while a slight crease started to form on his brow.

"It seems they were killed for their uniforms," Jacob said pointing out the state of the victims in their undergarments.

"That's not all! Authorities found 3 uniformed bodies in a Coast Guard boat drifting near the port boulevard bridge somewhere around 4 a.m.," Terrence said while pushing another set of pictures towards Kyle.

At least these three are dead! "I confirm these 3 were the ones on board," Kyle said, eyes darting from one picture to the next. He didn't seem to be bothered while looking at the dead faces.

"There were 5 uniformed personnel in that boat of which 3 were confirmed to be the culprits," Jacob said summarizing the recent body count.

"We're still searching for the other 2," Terrence replied to Jacob's deduction.

"The other 2 might've killed their 3 accomplices or are running from the people who killed them," Jacob added.

"Agreed! So far the remaining 2 accomplices bodies were not spotted near the boat's location. It's possible for them to be alive and hiding somewhere. The 5 dead found in Dodge Island were the real Coast Guard personnel. They've been shot dead and stripped of their uniforms and badges," Terrence said.

"Whoever planned this didn't intend leaving any loose ends. Silencing the killers by killing them! It seems we are up against cautious people," Jacob said.

Where are they hiding? "This investigation will take awhile," Kyle said with a furrowed look while the two looked at him in agreement.

"You know the faces of the remaining two. Tomorrow I'll show you a list of potential suspects, perhaps you could identify one of them," Terrence said to Kyle.

"I might not be able to identify the other two easily. They wore sunglasses and a cap," Kyle said.

"Just give it a try. It would be great to narrow down our suspect list," Terrence replied.

"I agree with Terrence. But let us move onto the next topic that we need to discuss tonight. How should we approach Mark?"Jacob asked Terrence on how to reach out William's brother.

"You should meet up with him privately since he contacted you. Try to find out the reason for him being curious all of a sudden regarding the old case. From there on we will know how to respond" Terrence replied.

"Ok, I'll try to set up a meeting in the next few days. The sooner the better!" Jacob said.

Terrence gathered the pictures and stuffed them back into a brown envelope then told Kyle, "You'll be working for me secretly on solving the investigation. I am sure you can handle any situation given the skills that you have."

"Fine with me!" Kyle shrugged.

"His skills are reliable, he might not realize it at the moment but when he encounters a situation he will be able to deal with it as appropriately as possible," Jacob said with a proud tone in his voice.

"He better be! Or else his life and the lives of others would be at risk," Terrence said standing up from the stool.

"I'll update you on how it goes with Mark," Jacob said while he stood up.

"I'm counting on you!" Terrence said then turned to Kyle, "For now get familiar with your skills and capabilities. I'll be contacting you in a few days for instructions."

"I will," Kyle replied while pocketing his ID and drivers license then stood up.

"Wait for me in the lab where we will continue with the tests," Jacob told Kyle as he exited the kitchen.

Terrence sighed to himself while sitting in his car that he parked across Jacob's house. He had been anxious of the meeting with Kyle and was relieved that it was over without Kyle having objected of being able to attend his and his family's funeral and that there wasn't too much left of their bodies. Alternatively, Terrence would not have allowed him to go as Kyle since he was going to be an undercover agent working with him. Terrence himself wouldn't be able to attend the funeral due to the nature of his job that entailed secrecy. Being an undercover agent has its consequences and Terrence dreaded it when it came to losing an agent.

Jacob took a few moments to himself after locking the door behind Terrence, gathering his thoughts on how to approach Kyle. He was bothered by the lack of emotions Kyle displayed when Terrence raised the matter of not attending his family's funeral, no protest was made. He was amused on how willing Kyle was to work for Terrence given that he would be risking his life.

Jacob was not good with words so he ended up fumbling around with the lab equipment while he found the right words to say to Kyle.

"What kind of tests should I expect from Charlotte tomorrow?" Kyle asked in the hope of not being taken by surprise again, making Jacob wince a little.

"Tomorrow it will be cognitive skills. She will be focusing on how well you absorbed and retained all the sensory data that we put into your brain," Jacob answered.

"She'll be here at noon?!" Kyle asked.

"Yup, while you are waiting go explore the city and get a haircut," Jacob suggested, still thinking of the right words to say to Kyle.

"Sure, why not!" Kyle replied.

"Interacting with others will be good for you, you need to get used to your new body," Jacob said while remembering Kyle's irritation at the coffee shop.

Kyle understood what he meant, "ok," after a short pause he spoke again, "The brain is androgynous!" Kyle was staring at the far end of the lab, lost in his thoughts.

Jacob waited for Kyle to say more but he just stared at nothing in particular, he sat across him at the counter.

"If you're wondering how you seem to smoothly adjust to your male body other than the fact of the brain being androgynous, we've done some data input that assisted the process" Jacob said.

"What kind of data?" Kyle asked.

"I'd like to refer to it as male orientation data that tackled male mannerisms and etiquette" Kyle could see the sparkle in Jacob's eyes as he continued explaining.

"Subconsciously your body would be replicating male traits that your brain retained from the input process, although there are instances you get confused that would be given, due to your consciousness having been in a female body previously," Jacob said as he got the gist of what Kyle was struggling to figure out.

"To clarify of what you've observed today with your own body's reaction towards women as you have said your mind might find it odd however your body welcomed it" Jacob added.

"You seem to know what's running through my mind," Kyle slowly nodded in response.

"Of course I do! I've been observing you up close for more than two decades. I had plenty of time to think of how you would react and what questions you would be asking," Jacob said enthusiastically.

"What would you do if your project 'ME' didn't work out?" Kyle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I would've kept trying since I enjoy what I do" Jacob shrugged.

"You sound like a mad scientist!" Kyle said as he shook his head slightly.

"I am and your existence is the proof!" Jacob grinned widely.

Now that Jacob was comfortable with how the discussion was going, he felt a bit of confidence to talk to Kyle about his lack of display of emotions.

"As a crazy scientist the last 36 hours was the breakthrough of my entire career," the wide grin had turned to a serious look on Jacob's face. After a slight pause, "however it was a catastrophic turn of events for you, a nightmare!" Sighs, "I've never been good with words, I-I'm sorry for what happened to your family and what I-I've done to you. It was selfish of me, of us. We've violated your rights in so many ways as to accomplish our own goals. You've the right to be angry at us, especially since you're not allowed to say goodbye to your family."Bead of sweat ran down Jacob's temple, even though the lab was maintained at cool temperature.

Kyle looked straight into Jacob's eyes the entire time, his gaze so intense yet so cold and void. He hadn't responded to Jacob, causing an awkward silence between them.

Jacob swallowed then said, "You- you look so composed! I'd e-expected the opposite after all you've been through!" He waited for a response but he got none, except the intense gaze. He felt his throat dry, he doubted if he could handle more of that intense gaze, he wanted to look away but he knew what he did after, he deserved every intensity of it. He swallowed again, "there are 7 stages of grief," he stopped as Kyle's head lowered and his gaze was now at his legs and the floor between them, awkward silence was in the air again.

As Jacob doubted his decision and choice of words, blaming himself on how he made the situation worse than it had been, Kyle lifted his head and gazed back to Jacob with new intensity that showed another layer of personality that Kyle was hiding, it made Jacob tense as his heart beat faster with the uneasiness he felt.

Cold vengeful look that lacked remorse, Kyle's eyes betrayed. The rest of his facial expression was relaxed which gave a terrifying aura.

"I guess I'm in the process of moving to the 3rd stage of grief if I am not there already," Kyle said with a calm voice. "I was angry at you and the others, when I was alone in my room, however my attention turned to who blew up the boat and I find myself wanting revenge. I want to take revenge with my own hand, if working for Terrence will achieve this then I won't mind risking my life and taking advantage of my skills and abilities. However, your decision to transfer my consciousness I still haven't accepted completely," Kyle paused then a slight crease on his brow formed, "perhaps after I achieve my goal I might forgive you and the others."

It seems for now, both sides will benefit from this understanding.
Jacob nodded, "Fair enough," He was silent for awhile; impressed by Kyle's reasoning. "If there might be a chance of being forgiven then I'll do what I can to help you with your goal. You being here, interacting and talking to me calmly is beyond what I-we deserve. Your full trust shall be earned not demanded."

"I'm glad you think so," Kyle said with a calm gaze. Jacob lightened up in response.

"It's late now, we will continue with the tests tomorrow," Jacob said feeling drained from the conversation but relieved of Kyle's stance.

Kyle stood up from his seat, "good night professor."

Jacob hesitated but then said, "Kyle, this might not mean anything to you now, but I consider you like the son I never had. You're family to me!"

Kyle stopped at the bottom of the landing as he looked back at Jacob, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment.

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Author's notes:

Imagine the amount of control Kyle need to muster for him not to show his feelings to others. （＾＿＾ｖ）

Will they find the other two suspects?

Thank you for reading! Pls point out any typos, punctuations and plot holes. Your feedback would help improve my story.

And if you did vote my big smile and thanks to your support （╹◡╹）