Pierce gave me a charming smile before walking upstairs to take a shower based on the quick directions I gave him. I shook my head at nothing in particular and took a seat on the couch with my laptop pulled out. Just had the feeling that thing's were a bit odd all of a sudden, but I couldn't pinpoint what exactly.

89 new messages

My eyes widened at my phone screen and I let out a flabbergasted gasp before flipping my laptop on and punching in the keys to wake it up. "Come on, come on..." I muttered a series of low chants that was really just me stressing over how to make it up to my team regarding how utterly late I was for the meeting. And the wet folder that was supposedly super important and not meant to be bathed in cloud pee.

Group Chat Name:
We're missing two fucks
Time:
1 3 : 0 0 pm

— Venus entered the chatroom —

Pooh: :D

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: OMG.

M&M: This girl taking forever to orbit back. Come on, we planned this meeting!

LO1: The hell?? Did she really just come on?

Venus: ... I can explain.

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: Well then, any day now.

_TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul_ changed the chatroom name to "We're missing a fuck"

Venus: I took a little detour and received the next mission. It was raining hard so I had a bit difficulty getting home. Also there was a...

LO1: a what?

[ I hesitated and played with my round night glasses. Should I really tell them about... I glanced at the stairs and heard the shower turning on. Forming a thin line on my lips, I turned back to my laptop and resumed typing. ]

Venus: —a new government official. The one that gave me the confidential files. Never seen him before. I wondered where K2 went?

M&M: A new one? When I contacted the president's ambassadors the other day they said K2 just returned to service.

LO1: ... for now, let's see the folder.

— Venus attached a file copy to the chatroom —

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: Why didn't you just take pictures? The files disappear after some time if you send it like that.

[ I scratched my head and blindly cursed at the screen. Because it's completely soaked, you dimbo. ]

Venus: Oh just shut up. There was a USB so I used it.

Pooh: :D

M&M: Pooh's right... Human trafficking. That's our next target.

[ I leaned forward and propped my elbows on my knees as I inspected my own copy of the opened files. 'Human trafficking' was typed smudgily at the top next to 'Mission Name.' Under that the 'suspected aggressor' was part of a criminal organization online. A hidden backstreet social site that lured in mainly the female and children population. Elderly and men weren't too far off as target victims either. ]

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: There. The second article down... reasons for the kidnappings and missing persons cases.

LOI: They appealed to poverty-stricken areas. Squatter settlements. Places where renovation and higher education, if any at all, hasn't been passed as a concerning issue to the authorities yet.

M&M: This area's not physically located in my country. Then again I'm not in charge of being involved in the dirty action anyways.

[ My eyes widened as I suddenly realized something was wrong. The name of the chatroom. It was 'missing two' when I entered, and then Arsomis changed it to 'missing a.' I squinted at the screen in thought and began slowing scrolling upwards to check our earlier messages. My suspicion was eventually confirmed. ]

Venus: Speaking of being involved in the action, where... is Beta?

Pooh: :D

Venus: ... Are you serious?

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: ... yeah, we thought you would know where Beta was...

Venus: How the fuck would I know? This isn't a joke, right? None of you know where our leader is?

M&M: ... No Venus, he didn't show up for the meeting.

LO1: Maybe something came up?

Venus: For this long? I had something come up and I still managed to get on here. This is important.

Pooh: :D

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: Pooh my pal, I like where you're going with this, but we can't contact him personally. That gives away our voices.

Venus: Messaging?

LO1: Doesn't pick up. I've been trying ever since the first of us got on.

[ Little did I know the shower had turned off for a while now upstairs. I rubbed my chin and racked my brain for something. A moment of silence persisted before I got it. I almost didn't hear the deep voice through my ears as he sent me a message. "... Gone."

My eyes narrowed as I eyed the folder and began flipping through the files, past all the articles, all the photographs, and all the press notes on the matter. There. At the very back inside-flap of the folder, it says... —I can't read it.

"The rain," I grunted at myself for being so careless, "Ink's all messed up."

If I strained my eyes, I could make out a few letters of the jumble of ink stain. And based on those letters and their spacing, I made out two words for certain: ... Where... Blind...

Where? Blind? What does this all mean... Where was Beta? Were these instructions for the mission... or was it for both? ]

Venus: When you read the words, 'where' and 'blind,' what comes to mind?

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: That was so random.

M&M: Why, girl? You found something?

Venus: I did. At the back of the folder, there were a few words explaining something. I just can't read it.

LO1: Why can't you read it? Is it in English?

Venus: Well, yes. Just the ink's all messed up.

M&M: And why would the government send us messed-up ink messages?

Pooh: :D

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: ... the rain.

LO1: I forgot about that, wow.

M&M: Venus, you let the folder get wet??

[ I groaned out loud and smacked the folder down on the glass table. Yes, I wetted it. If I hadn't maybe we would get more out of the situation. ]

Venus: 01111001 01100101 01110011

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: M&M, discipline your child. The audacity to go binary on us. Pooh, what does it say, it hurts my eyes.

Pooh: :D

LO1: so she did. Well, the damage's done. No point sitting around moping about it.

"That looks pretty wet."

Venus: Yes, I know. You don't have to keep repeatin-

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Wait... what?

I jerked my head behind and my eyes widened at the sight of the man standing behind the couch, peering over at the table. Luckily, the screen of the laptop was bent down earlier from my outburst and he couldn't have possibly seen the chatroom.

"I..." I gasped, reaching for the folder and tossing it inside the laptop, calmly closing my whole portable computer, "was doing homework."

Pierce raised his eyebrows as he watched me with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I didn't ask," he shrugged simply, "You sure sticking that folder in your laptop is the best place to put your homework?"

I can't put it anywhere else because you're here, genius. I let out a small sigh and straightened out my gown a bit before wrapping the coat around my body. "Did you see anything?" I frowned a bit at him. The man brushed a hand through his partly dried hair and tilted his head to the side. "No," he replied.

I brought out my hands and gestured to the small couch diagonal from me. "Sit. Let's talk about why you're here." As he settled himself down, I sat directly in front of him and opened my laptop, about to close the chatroom before a strange thought made its way to my mind.

I looked at Pierce. He returned my stare curiously and calmly, as if there was nothing he was hiding, therefore there was no reason for him to feel inferior or even a little anxious at the odd situation we were in tonight.

We didn't even know if Beta had really gone missing, or if he just didn't show up because something came up in his personal life. We had no idea. However, if I pieced the small details together...

My lips parted slightly as I gazed at Pierce in questioning. "Gone"... Beta not showing up... random dead man shows up at my apartment... a fit, healthy man, with wounds as if he involves himself in fights often... eyes peering over at the folder...

"... You're—" I began, standing up from the couch. Pierce widened his eyes as he saw me stand up and stare at him intensely, tilting his head a bit with a frown.

Suddenly, a small noise from my laptop went off and I glanced down at the chatroom conversation real quick. So quick, that I would've missed the crucial detail if not for the importance of the person on my mind.

— Beta entered the chatroom —

"What are you doing?" Pierce asked, searching my eyes for an answer. In his eyes, I was the one acting strange this time.

I retreated my body a bit and my eyes met his. "Not... Beta."

Pierce frowned in concern. "I'm not who?"

"You're not.. him." I let out hesitantly, sitting back down cautiously with a distant gaze at the laptop.

For a quick moment, I thought I had found our teammate. But I was wrong. So deadly wrong.

How could he be Beta... if Beta just entered the chatroom?

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