KEYLA

"I'm an excellent cook, and it's effortless to slip Nerium oleander in her soup..."

"I didn't expect such cruelty from you, Alara."

"I didn't expect you to hide secrets of such magnitude from me, Tan."

"Fine. I'll work with you. Please, just don't hurt my mother."

Sweat trickled down her body as the memory of what she accidentally heard haunted her even in the realms of sleep. It had snaked its way into her mind, intruding her usually serene dreams, eating at her conscience bit by bit.

Once upon a time, she had been a good person and was someone who was pure at heart.

Once upon a time, she had met every expectation her family had of her, even sacrificing advantageous opportunities sometimes in the process.

But that was my past. My once upon a time. Now, that time is long gone. Tania will be ruined, and she may even die- Alara's hatred for her proves that. If she knows what I did, what I knew, what I intended to do, I may suffer the same fate as Tania too. And I refuse to be another Tania de Allura.

Unable to return to her sleep, she resolved to start plotting her plan. First, she would start with her father.

___

The surprise in her father's eyes hit her hard. It wasn't the type of a pleasant look of surprise that a normal father would have when his daughter visited; it was a look of unfiltered unpleasantness.

By paying him an impromptu visit, she was breaking all of his rules.

You are never to call me Father in the Ascendancy Agency.

You are never to speak of your family.

You can only visit me if I order you too.

You should not stand out. People's perception of you should be that you're a mere newbie.

You must never outshine him.

She loathed herself for trembling under his fearsome gaze, for showing him how jittery she was. Here was a man who she was biologically related to, but that was the most of their relationship. No other word can be used to define or describe it.

They were strangers, and that was it.

"What is it?"

Even though her visit was an impromptu one, he exuded an air of unruffledness. She decided to mimic him, if not she'll never accomplish her goals today.

"You've denied me everything so that I can be like you." The words came out of her mouth as soon as she opened it. This is it. I am finally standing up for myself. Focusing on her adrenaline rush, she continued, "You put me through Hell, made me live in unspeakable conditions. You've denied me luxury, denied my right to the riches you have, denied me the privileges of a high status in society. If I can't be a lady of society, I must have Alara Berrera dead. I must have Maren Santos."

The rush came to a screeching halt when her father berated her.

"Why? Are you scared that she will know that you have always wanted to steal Maren from her? Are you worried that she will figure out of your true possessive nature? That ever since Rielle, Gabriel, Jonek died, you've been living in constant consternation, in an equally horrific alternate version of Hell?"

Pathetically, she nodded her head. Gone was the fearless girl, in her place was the meek, useless Keyla Stones. He always had a way to reduce me to nothing.

"Pray tell." His sarcastic tone stung her more than a slap would, and her tears started to swell up with tears when she noticed he activated the soundproof button.

"You know why." Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. "I left them for the sake of rescuing myself when Gabriel, Rielle and Alara needed me most. I wanted Alara to die during Operation Ner so that I could later have Maren's heart for myself. I never wanted Gabe or Rielle to perish, but I fled to save myself. I plotted to take Maren from Alara, but even that was a failure, for the wedge I tried to drive between them only made them closer."

"I know what you think of me." She was somewhat surprised herself when she found that her voice was no longer trembling, no longer full of emotion.

Instead, it was hard and cold. Perhaps her father's own coldness towards her was a good thing after all- a stone's true opinion of one never matters. "To you, I am lesser than the poor of Excidium. I know you think that I am not of your blood. You're wrong, for the same core of steel in us is something that I inherited from you. I am demanding you now, that as my father, you must do something in your life for me."

Her father raised an eyebrow, it was obvious that her unexpected assertiveness had impressed him. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Operation Endgame. Hire an Assassin or use the Assassin of the Agency for your own purposes. Hire someone to act as our ally during the mission, and when the Assassin reveals his or her true nature- that the Assassin is a supporter of the Governors and against us, he will start to fight us. However, his main focus would be on Alara and-"

"- kill her."

I've done it. I've pitched my well-plotted plan. I've done it.

She felt a sudden chill in her bones overcome her, and she wondered if this was who she truly was- a cold-hearted, greedy traitor- when she caught a glimpse of the brief flicker of pride in her father's eyes. But she no longer doubted herself when her father asked her a question.

A question that told her all she needed to know to continue with her plan.

"Excellent plan. You will be playing the role of the loyal friend?"

"Of course. For the plan to succeed, Alara must be assured of our friendship. She must only see the meek, dependent girl. A girl will never have the gumption to even think of such a thing."

"You're sure you won't regret this?"

At that, Keyla hesitated, biting her lip. "No. I deserve this. She is a broken person; I am whole. Maren was never meant to be hers; he is mine. I deserve every ounce of happiness I can get in this world. I deserve the best for all that I have suffered through."

"Very well. I will grant you this personal request. I may even consider putting your name back on the family register if you succeed."

Keyla's eyes shone brightly at that and she beamed widely. "Thank you! I will make sure I succeed." She headed for the door but paused in her steps suddenly. Her heart beating wildly, she uttered the words she had never sincerely meant. Until now. "Thank you... father."

MAREN

"Maren."

"I have nothing to say to you." Even to his own ears, his voice was bitter and hard. "Why? Why kill my brother? WHY?"

"I- I'm a spy, Maren. I had to do it. For him." Tears flowed out of Illeria's once beautiful eyes, and she ended the sentence as if that was more than sufficient information that would suffice for his brother's demise.

"A spy. Then you must know I'm an Agent." When she nodded, he ran his hands through his hair in vexation. "God, I wished I'd seen through you earlier. Perhaps if I did, my brother would still be alive."

"Maren..."

"Tell me this at least. Why did you kill him?"

His question rattled and caught her off her guard. Illeria swallowed, and finally confessed. "He was getting close to the truth about the other things the Governors were doing. He was also an... an asset for someone important in the Ascendancy Agency."

"WHO? Who is that bastard that is important in the Agency? And what the hell do you mean by asset?" He thundered, grabbing her by the shoulders, his face turning red with fury.

"I can never tell you. He is somebody you will never meet too, so you can never have your revenge. You should beg to never meet him, Maren. He's something else. He's not human."

"All those times when Cedron vanished for years... was he serving that bastard? What did that bastard do to him?" In a fit of fury, he screamed obscenities at her and shook her roughly. "TELL ME WHAT HE WAS ABOUT TO FIND OUT. TELL ME WHO THE BASTARD IS. TELL ME WHAT CEDRON HAD TO SUFFER AS AN 'ASSET'."

Illeria struggled against her chains and spat at him. "Never. If I do, they'll know. My sister is living affluently because of what I am. To keep her sheltered, I will be faithful to the Governors."

Weakened by the weight of knowledge suddenly thrust upon him and also astounded by her words, he let go of her. "Even when you know what they're doing?"

"Yes. And I will die with it."

Before he could even process her words, Illeria spat a glob of saliva at him, causing him to yelp and back away, stumbling into the bed, his head banging against the leg of the bed.

Paralysed by pain and heartbreak, he could only watch in horror when Illeria slit her throat with her hairpin before his very eyes.

___

He smelt something stinky. Scratch that. It wasn't stinky. It was foul, pungent... and it smelt like a...

"HAHAHA! I FARTED!" His long-time friend, Elioenai Seibert, who worked in another remote part of the Agency, roared with laughter. "In your face!"

"Gosh, Eli," he rubbed his eyes, and tried to gather remnants of the dream but the offensive smell forbade him to focus on anything but his dear friend's fart. I must have fallen asleep while waiting for this rascal. He's always late, I swear.

"Why do you think I'm always late when I meet with you? I do it for your health- you love to nap while waiting for me." Eli mussed his hair and Maren groaned.

"Why do I have a friend like you?"

"Let me see... it's because I keep you happy," Eli answered with a toothy grin.

"Yes, that must be it." Maren got up and grabbed a glass of water, and drank it while he assessed Eli's attire. "You're still wearing the other Agency's precinct uniform. What are you doing here anyways?"

"Geez, man. What a warm welcome, I love you too."

Maren rolled his eyes at his friend's sarcasm and pursed his lips to hide a smile. "You idiot. Seriously, why are you here- oh! Man, is Valesque's bringing in the big guns for this Operation?"

Eli returned his while smile when he nodded his head. "He sure is, man. He wants Operation Endgame to be an unprecedented success- even bringing in the bomb squad, the elite weaponry and hacking team into this Operation." Eli's tone softened, and he murmured reverently, "Valesque is a saint, man. A saint. He's doing whatever he can to support us, to give us a fighting chance against the blasted Amorals and Governors."

"It's not just a fighting chance, Eli. It's a guarantee, a promise. Valesque is the best."

"Yes, that he is."

After a few beats, there was a weird tension in the air, and to break it, Maren threw the remaining water in his glass in Eli's face, howling with laughter as Eli sputtered.

"What the-"

"I got you back for farting in my face!"

"Why are you drinking cold water when it's raining? You sociopath! I'm coming after you!"

Raucous laughter and squeals followed by grunts later on ricocheted across the room, and the two agents enveloped themselves in a rare moment of silliness.