"Thank you all for meeting us at such a short notice. As to why we summoned you here, Mr. McCartney?" The man sat at the far left of the table said, looking at the man next to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Davison. First of all we'd like to congratulate the six of you for performing exemplary well in the latest training section opened a few days ago." He begun, his eyes scanning the six men in front of him, lingering on Ryker and his brother who was by his side.

"You have all been chosen to be a part of the new recruiting department." Mr. McCartney said, pausing as if he was waiting for some sort of reaction.

Six pairs of eyes stared blankly at him instead with their hands held behind their backs as they stood in front of them, with chins raised high and legs slightly parted. He sighed and looked at the woman sat beside who was eyeing Ryker carefully, her eyes narrowed. She was so into it that he had to slickly nudge her.

"Ah, yes," she cleared her throat, "-the department deals with a program that sends soldiers outside the Centre to look for other special beings and recruit them back here, where we will keep them under strict surveillance and test their abilities. It is a great privileged to be part of this program, gentlemen." she finished, her fingers hooked together and her chin placed on top of her joined hands; her elbow on the table.

Ryker licked his lips, a frown on his face as he slowly grew annoyed with the woman's eyes still on him. Letting out a breath through his nose, he lowered his eyes from the glass wall behind the council to meet hers, watching her stiffen as he narrowed his own green ones.

What the hell is her problem, he wondered as he held her gaze, tuning out whoever was talking.

Gunner looked between Ryker and the woman. His brother had a massive frown on his face as he stared down at the woman in front of him. The other council members and even the Apex soldiers were beginning to notice. He stealthily nudged Ryker's arm with his, making it look like he had been looking at something besides Ryker and his arm had accidentally nudged his.

That got Ryker to snap his gaze from the woman to him, his frown still in place. Gunner raised a brow and looked away, his bottom lip between his teeth and his gaze on the wall in front of him.

Ryker huffed and looked away from him, his jaw jumping.

"-agents Kace, Gunner and Ryker will be the other team. Now, you all have to work together-."

"I refuse to work with him," An annoyed, deep, sadly familiar voice said.

Gunner snapped his gaze towards Kace a scowl back on his face while Ryker choose to ignore him as he kept his gaze fixed on the ground below him.

"Well agent Kace, I'm afraid that's not for you to decide," The woman that had been staring at Ryker said.

"Are we done here?" Ryker asked, sick of their judgmental stares on him.

"What? You aren't even going to tell me off?" Kace said, a smug look on his face.

Gunner's fist clenched beside him.

"I'd rather not waste my time and breathe on you, Captain," he said, lifting his head, but staring at the glass wall in front of him.

"You are dismissed," Mr. Davidson said, "-a word, Ryker." he continued just as he turned to walk off.

Ryker frowned but met his gaze, saying nothing.

Gunner reluctantly left the room, leaning on the wall beside the door as he listened in. What the hell did they want from him? He wondered feeling an overwhelming sense of protectiveness over him.

It took everything in him to stop from barging in there and demanding that whatever they had to say to his brother they would have to say it to him as well.

"Now, it's quite obvious that there's bad blood between you and agent Kace-."

"I have no business with him," Ryker said, cutting the man off.

"I noticed, but we just-."

"I have no business with him." He repeated, gritting his teeth.

They blinked at him all unsure of what to do. He licked his lips and stared at the wall in front of him.

"If anything, I believe you be should talking to him and not me." Ryker added, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Right, well anyway, we simply want to be sure that the two of you won't be any trouble to this department. You are both important for this program and work best as a team." the woman that had been staring at him still said.

He nodded saying nothing more.

"That is all. You may go and please summon agent Kace for us."

Ryker turned and walked off, swinging the door open and walking right past Gunner. He knew he was there; he always felt his presence whenever he was near and a part of him was glad he had waited for him or stayed behind in case something happened.

It was strange to him; his brother's gesture, but Ryker knew that if it had been Gunner called back, he'd probably do the exact same.

Gunner feel into step with him, saying nothing as he bowed his head; his eyebrows creased, a habit he had when he was lost deep in his thoughts. Ryker stepped into the glass elevator last and tapped the command, watching as the doors slide shut and conceal both of them in. Seconds later, there was a ping before the doors slide open with a whoosh.

They stepped out and were greeted by the usual scene of everyone gazing at them warily as they walked part. They just never stopped; their gazes lingered on the back of their necks as they walked past, some whispered, judged and some simply watched them in admiration and concern; surprisingly.

Ryker could never shake off the feeling that they knew something about them, something that neither he nor Gunner could remember and it drove him crazy. Strangers knew more about him than his own self. They knew who he was before that day he went to the council and yet he couldn't ask them.

They were afraid of him, wary, skeptical; terrified. He spotted Kace leaning on a metal wall as he chatted up a red haired girl with sharp elf-like ears. She appeared to be falling into his charm as she touched his bicep and used her other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, a shy smile on her lips. She was beautiful. Ryker recognized her as one of the six chosen for the recruitment program, his goal however, was to get to Kace.

He lifted his head and meet Ryker's, his soft expression immediately turning into a frown which deepened when Ryker stopped beside him; an expressionless look on his face. The girl looked between the two, blinked and subconsciously took a step back, feeling the strong tension in the air.

As she stepped back, her back collided with Gunner's chest. She looked up and the colour drained from her face when she saw the massive scowl on his face of which wasn't even directed towards her but at Kace.

"What do you two losers want? A face off?" Kace said.

Ryker held his gaze, peering through his thoughts and unlocking every single little detail he could about Kace. But he couldn't anything that would help him understand Kace's hatred towards him.

"I don't know what you deal is with me, Kace, but this has got to stop, I don't need baggage from you." Ryker said, his eyebrows creasing when he felt an emotion flash through Kace's eyes before he could make out what it was.

"Whatever, get the hell out my head?" He said, his teeth gritting.

Ryker smirked and peered in more, far enough for Kace to feel it; to feel a sharp jolt of pain which intensified the further in he dug. Kace gritted his teeth and looked away first, blinked numerously as he did.

'You wouldn't want me as your enemy, Kace.' Ryker said in the guy's head.

Kace whirled his head back to meet Ryker's gaze, his own eyes widened. He was almost gaping. Ryker licked his lips,

"The council summoned you." He said before he looked away and wiped away Kace's memory of him peering into his mind and manipulated his mind into thinking he said those words instead of using his physic abilities to do it.

The red head lifted her gaze to Ryker's and sent him a shaky barely there smile. He eyed it, a frown filling his features before he meet her gaze and nodded once before he and Gunner walked away.

She slumped her shoulders and a sigh left her lips as they walked away, leaving the tension still hanging in the air. She didn't know whether she was scared or thrilled by the fact that Ryker acknowledge her. She smiled, deciding it was the latter before she felt Kace bump his shoulder with hers roughly as he walked away, most likely off to the council office.

Maybe they weren't so scary after all, she thought feeling like a fool for believing the rumors that are made up about them practically every single day. She almost scoffed. She'd heard someone say that they had the ability to peer into your mind with just one look and they'd now everything about you.

Some even say that they can kill you just by looking at you; that Zetrians we're the most dangerous beings out there. They are smart, physic, fast, strong, and had sharp eyesight that could see for miles even at night; hence their weird colour. Their hair was either white, grey or a really light shade of blue and that white was the rarest of the three.

No one knew much about their kind because they kept to themselves even back at their home planet. It made them wonder how Ryker and Gunner ended up on earth in the first place. Was their planet raided like some of them? Did humans evade their planet and managed to capture the two brother? Was it a deal between their King and the planet earth; to sacrifice one of their own for peace?

So many questions that were most literally to remain just that. Questions. No one dared approach them; except Kace of course. He was literally the only one who managed to get a word out from then.

She frowned, remembering that day they came back from the council. How lost and confused they looked as they gazed around the Centre as if it was their first time seeing it again.

Their steps were hesitant as they, for the first time in forever, looked up at the rest around them, searching their faces as if looking for answers or a familiar face they could talk to. It had been weird and caused quite the stir as people mumbled and begun assuming what happened as soon as a human led them to their shared room and shut the door, a look of regret flashing through her eyes before she walked off, ignoring everyone's quizzical stares.

"Hey." a familiar voice said.

She looked up and smiled at her brother, Zeke. They were twins, with him being older by twelve minutes. He returned her smile and dropped an arm around her shoulder, his other hand running through his hair, his jaw shut tight.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

She shrugged, "Them." She said simply.

He pursed his lips, "Again? If I didn't know you any better I'd say you like one of them,"

"Doesn't every female?" She asked, smirking.

He frowned and looked at her, his eyes searching hers as he contemplated what she just said.

She chuckled, shaking her head. It was true. Practically every female watched the two like a hungry hawks, their eyes following their every move as they went on with their business. She'd see them fan their faces, or sigh dreamily. Once, one had the guts to approach them but before she could get to them, they stood up and walked off.

Most of them interpreted that as 'they didn't want anything to do with her, saw her approaching and left deliberately'. But something told her that they didn't see her coming, in fact they didn't even expect her to approach them.

At all.

She pursed her lips and her eyes darkened with determination.

"Uh-oh, I know that look." Zeke said, his eyes narrowing, "what are you planning this time," he continued.

She smirked and said nothing as they walked on.

"Kera," he pried his voice warning as he followed beside her, his arm never leaving her shoulder.

"You'll see," she said simply, fighting off a grin.

She couldn't wait for tonight and to see everyone's faces when she did it. Zeke kept flickering his gaze to hers, a look of concern and confusion flashing past his eyes.

What the hell was she going to do?

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(Kera Below)