I'm SO sorry for the late chapter! Life officially punched me in the face this week. Thank you for your patience, I really appreciate it! :)

- Sian

Morlen's face resembled a fed up toddler for most of the journey, though Koda detected hints of his determination as Morlen sped down the streets. College came into view too quickly for Morlen and too slow for Koda. Morlen wasn't sure what they were getting themselves into, and Koda could only think about Alfie.

"Don't rush because you'll make it look suspicious," Molly said, taking the lead and storming through the car park with Koda on her heels.

Morlen was about to set off too, but a hand held his elbow.

"I wouldn't mind your assistance. I'm not familiar with the layout of the college," Connor said and unfolded his cane.

"Hey!" Morlen yelled and his son and Molly turned. "Let's go in together."

Connor was surprised when Morlen didn't shrug him off, and they started moving in the direction of the entrance. As soon as they entered the college, Koda picked up the pace, keeping his head down so he didn't meet the eyes of other students watching him hurry past.

He didn't stop moving until they were standing outside the principal's office. Koda stalled and Molly barged her way in, wanting answers and wanting action to be taken.

As soon as Morlen saw Ronnie, he squared up to him, moving close with a face drenched in anger. Ronnie jumped back with hands in the air.

"You know who I am now. Calm down," Ronnie said, staring Morlen directly in the eyes. "You're angry, and I understand, but don't act out on your anger alone."

"Is my son safe?" Molly questioned before Morlen could start yelling.

"He's with Tom, and Tom's the best agent I've ever worked with. He's in safe hands."

"Agent," Molly whispered. How could she have not known? "Was I kept in the dark about all of this because you wanted to protect me?"

"Tom wanted to protect you. He would never have forgiven himself if his job put your life in danger."

"And now here we are." Molly understood the lies, but she was in no frame of mind to accept them. Tom had lied to her for years, and a big part of her felt betrayed. "My son might be with his father, but what about the other people who wanted to take him?"

"Your son would have been taken, regardless of whether Tom and I came up with this plan or not. It was safer this way, to bring him in, without any interference at your home. They would have taken him from his bed if that's what they wanted. Tom was protecting you." Ronnie had known Tom for a long time. He had never met the woman he loved.

While Molly yelled at Ronnie about the safety of her son, Koda walked to the trophy cabinet. He reached out and traced a finger down the crack in the wall where the cabinet opened. Sudden anger sizzled through him like a surge of lightning and he turned, glaring at Ronnie.

Morlen watched in shock as his son travelled to Ronnie, grabbed his collar and forced him to walk backwards until Ronnie's back hit the wall.

"We're here to get Alfie back. Open the cabinet," Koda demanded in a low tone.

Ronnie stared while the darkness swarmed him and in the pit of his stomach, he felt a cold rush of emptiness like someone was touching his soul. Connor felt the darkness too, thick in the air. Morlen swallowed when he found it hard to breathe. The longer he watched, the more it felt like someone else's fear was injected into him. He felt the darkness too. The only person whose senses didn't acknowledge it was Molly.

Ronnie, in all his years, had never met anyone so closely associated with the Grim Reaper. He was sensitive to the world of the paranormal, though he had never felt it as strongly as he did when looking into Koda's eyes.

"Okay," he spoke calmly, knowing that the Grim Reaper took the souls of those who interfered with the job of their sidekicks. Also, Morlen had squared up to him again and together, the Oaks' men were intimidating. "But the reaper is close. I sense it. If you go to these scientists, you're giving them exactly what they want."

"Who's stupid enough to mess with the Grim Reaper?" Morlen scoffed. "It's suicide."

Ronnie nodded with agreement and before he could respond, a voice came through on his radio. Tom's voice.

"To base."

Molly flinched from such a familiar voice.

"Go ahead," Ronnie said with Koda still holding him against the wall.

"The plan is compromised. They know who the subject really is. They're preparing to find Koda, but this has to end quickly. They know that the reaper will come if the subject's life is in danger. Over."

"Is the subject my son?" Molly asked. Her voice trembling with emotion.

"I'll send backup. Over." Ronnie let go of his radio and looked back into Koda's eyes. The darkness was growing. "I'll probably get fired for this but move aside so I can open the cabinet." Morlen was right. Messing with the Grim Reaper was like dancing with the devil.

* * * * *

Alfie could no longer lie about who he was, and he was foolish to hold onto any hope that the 'shy' woman wouldn't tell the other scientists. She ran straight to Ursula and Fran and leaked the truth. They returned to the room as Tom was radioing Ronnie. More scientists arrived and they had agreed to act on impulse.

"Chain Alfie to the wall," a man demanded, turning to Salix. "You knew who he really was. Correct?"

Tom shoved Fran out of the way when she grabbed Alfie. "Nobody touches him! Ronnie's orders!" he yelled, holding his son close.

"We're fed up of orders," a woman who Alfie hadn't seen before said, looking around to find others who agreed.

In one swift movement, Alfie was separated from his dad. They were outnumbered in a room full of rogue scientists who were prepared to kill to get their answers. Enya was a prime example.

When Tom was dragged back, he used his training and fought against the monsters who would beat a teenager.

Alfie was pulled to the wall and chained to bolts. The metal was like ice against his skin. He tried to fight as his father struggled towards him. Alfie lifted a hand and hit Fran in the face with the chains. She cursed and stumbled. Alfie lifted his hand to do it again but a sharp pain in his ribs caught his breath in his throat. Ursula punched him and Alfie doubled over in pain.

"The reaper will come if the sidekick's medium is in danger," Ursula said like she was telling herself in a manner that justified her actions. She punched Alfie again and Tom yelled at them to get away from him.

Tom struggled against ten other people who worked together to hold him back.

"Why do you care so much, huh?" a guy asked, shoving Tom further away from Alfie.

"Ronnie-"

"Dad!" Alfie cried when his arm was twisted behind his back so uncomfortably, he heard his wrist pop and an ache weakened his fingers.

Everyone turned to Salix and the room instantly silenced. Tom saw the shock and he knew the mission was over and the organisation had to be stopped today.

"Oh, this keeps getting better and better," Ursula said, standing up. "I knew this place was corrupt." Tom was grabbed and forced onto one of the chairs. "Who are you working for?"

Tom's sunglasses and mask were ripped from his face and Fran laughed when she saw his eyes. "I knew it was strange when he didn't look like Enya. He looks exactly like you!" she yelled, pointing at Salix. Her lip twitched with anger. She had been played and her pride was what she valued most. "Get rid of him."

"NO!" Tom yelled when he was forced towards the door and Fran turned back to Alfie. She smiled at the dread in the boy's eyes. "Alfie, stay calm, I'm getting you out of here!" Tom clung to the doorframe, remembering where he hid his weapon. It was all the way at the end of the corridor. It was the organisation's protocol to leave them locked in a room, and Tom had pretended to work for them, so he had to follow rules.

Just before he was dragged from the room, the lift doors opened, and Ronnie entered with his own weapon of destruction. He pointed the gun up at the ceiling and fired it.

Everyone in the room screeched and ducked for safety. Ronnie remained in character. He had to stall for as long as he could before back up arrived. "Enough. I said don't hurt the boy," Ronnie demanded. "Everyone else, get back to work!" To Ronnie's surprise, nobody moved.

"Salix is Alfie's father. What else are you hiding from us?" Fran asked, grabbing a handful of Alfie's hair and lifting it up so Alfie was forced to make eye contact with Ronnie, though he hadn't noticed that some people were in the lift and his eyes connected with hazel eyes that he would recognise anywhere.

"I didn't lie to you. You never asked." Ronnie's gaze shifted to Tom quicker than a blink. "Now let go of the boy and get on with your questioning. The goal of this operation is to summon the reaper-"

"Why is Koda Oaks standing behind you?" the women who outed Alfie's identity asked, still holding onto the clipboard that she took from Ronnie's office.

The plan was a mess. Ronnie was improvising, Tom's identity was compromised, he had willingly put a teenage boy in danger with a plan that fell apart too quickly. Now Ronnie stood with the families of those involved who he was supposed to keep safe. But he had to stay in character.

"We found him. He is here to summon the Grim Reaper, but he only agreed to do it if his family could be with him."

A tsunami of relief spread through the room as the scientists shared a smirk.

"Then what's with the dad and the lies?" Fran questioned, tugging on Alfie's hair a little harder. Alfie frowned in discomfort but didn't scrunch his eyes shut. He could only stare at Koda who's energy was the strongest in a room full of people. Alfie could feel the cold darkness getting more and more intense. Koda was about to pounce.

Ronnie's earpiece buzzed with a voice in his ear. Help had arrived, but he couldn't announce it in a room full of scientists who had murdered to get results. He also knew that nobody would attack him with a gun in his hand.

"The lies are necessary for this field of work, now get your hands off the kid."

Fran glared for what felt like forever before adopting the same smiles of satisfaction as her workmates. "No." She pushed Alfie's head back and it hit the wall behind him. She let go of Alfie's hair to watch his head roll forward.

The pain felt like Alfie had cracked his skull and his sight filled with blurred dots. His head had been through too much. He suddenly couldn't focus and he couldn't lift his head up without the room spinning aggressively.

Morlen quickly turned to grab his son before he did anything stupid, but the look on Koda's face stopped his hand in mid-air. Koda looked like a feral dog. His eyebrows pinched in the middle and he glared with such hatred, he had the face of someone who was about to turn to violence. His teeth clenched together, and his fists shook with rage. Morlen wasn't looking at sweet and innocent Koda who wouldn't even hurt a spider. He was looking at the sidekick of the Grim Reaper, someone whose job was to collect souls, and someone who would take souls to protect the ones he loved.