It had been several days since Val awoke, and his recovery was swift. But with that recovery came a rather unexpected side effect: the resurgence of chaos in HQ.
The Bellator brothers had always been a force to reckon with, especially Ember and Val, who had honed the fine art of pranking to an infamous degree. And now, with their energies restored, HQ had once again become their playground.
Ember, with his ever-present smirk and mischievous glint in his eye, looked over at Val as they strolled down the corridors. "So, brother," he began, voice low and conspiratorial, "where should we start?"
Val grinned, the kind of grin that made seasoned operatives turn and walk the other way. "I'd say we start simple, build up the chaos," he replied, his tone laced with anticipation.
They didn't waste any time. Within minutes, the Bellator brothers were scouring HQ for targets, from the well-known senior staff who'd weathered their antics in the past, to the newer recruits who had only heard faint rumors of the legendary Bellator pranks.
Their first target? The medical staff.
The Medical Wing
Nurse Harlow, a seasoned nurse who had treated all three brothers more times than she could count, was bustling around her station when she spotted the faint shimmer of what looked like… glitter? She froze, his eyes twitching, and her stomach dropping as she recalled the last time she'd dealt with a "glitter bomb" from the Bellator boys. It had taken weeks to clear the sparkling remnants from every crevice of HQ.
But before she could even think of stepping back, the ceiling vent above her desk emitted a faint click. Her eyes widened, and in an instant, a torrent of glitter rained down, covering her, the entire desk, and the stacks of patient files she'd meticulously organized.
"Bellators!" she screeched, her voice echoing through the medical wing, causing nearby staff to jump.
Ember and Val, hidden just around the corner, exchanged grins and muffled their laughter as Nurse Harlow shook glitter from her hair, muttering dire threats under her breath.
"Is it just me, or does she look even more colorful than last time?" Ember whispered to Val, who snorted in agreement.
HQ's Main Hallway
After their escapade in the medical wing, the brothers moved on to a larger audience. In the main hallway, they'd set up a classic prank: a slick patch of invisible, frictionless gel. They positioned themselves strategically, each ready to observe the unsuspecting victims.
First up was Lieutenant Graves, a stoic figure who rarely cracked a smile. He was on his way to an important meeting when his foot hit the patch, sending him sliding in an uncharacteristically ungraceful arc. His arms flailed, trying to find hold on anything, but to no avail. He skidded straight past Ember and Val, who both had to press their lips together to keep from cackling aloud as Graves disappeared down the corridor, shouting, "Bellators!"
It didn't take long for the rumors to start spreading. Staff from all departments were whispering, sharing wide-eyed, horrified stories of the Bellator brothers' return to their pranking roots.
Break Room Chaos
In the staff break room, two junior officers were pouring coffee, whispering under their breath about the infamous pranks of yore.
"Did you hear? They say the Bellators once rigged the entire HVAC system to spew cold air and glitter every hour on the hour. The place looked like a snow globe for weeks," one whispered, glancing over his shoulder.
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The other nodded, eyes wide. "I heard they once swapped the coffee grounds with crushed ghost peppers. They're practically demons, those two."
As they spoke, Ember and Val slipped in behind them, sharing a knowing glance before quietly replacing the sugar with salt and the coffee grounds with instant decaf. They stepped back, hiding as the two officers took their first sips, only to gag and spit out the bitter, salty concoction.
"I'm going to be tasting that for days!" one of them gasped, shuddering. "Those Bellators…"
Ember and Val fist-bumped quietly as they slipped out, pleased with their latest victory.
Operations Floor Flashbacks
Not everyone found their antics so amusing, though. On the operations floor, an older operative was shaking his head as he recounted past "Bellator trauma" to a small group of terrified-looking rookies.
"Listen, I don't care what rank you hold," he said, his tone grave. "If you see either of those redheaded devils heading your way, you turn and you run. They've got no mercy. Once, they replaced my comm with one that only transmitted embarrassing personal stories—ones they somehow recorded—to the entire ops floor. I never lived it down."
The rookies exchanged nervous glances, each one making a silent vow to stay as far from the Bellators as possible.
While chaos erupted through HQ, Exeo was blissfully unaware, tucked away in the briefing room with several senior officials. Since word had spread of their return, the higher-ups had immediately tasked Exeo with mountains of paperwork, debriefs, and meetings to "catch up" on recent developments.
It was clear they hoped he'd reign in his younger brothers, assuming the "responsible" Bellator would keep the peace.
But Exeo, buried in file after file of mission reports, didn't realize that Ember and Val had unleashed their pent-up energy on the HQ staff.
He glanced at the clock, sighing as yet another official handed him another stack of forms. "More paperwork?" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's almost as if they were stockpiling this for our return."
The official gave a nervous chuckle. "We're just glad to have you back, Commander Bellator. Your… presence has been missed."
Exeo frowned slightly, oblivious to the havoc taking place just a few floors below.
Returning to the Medical Wing
After a morning filled with pranks, Ember and Val eventually circled back to the medical wing. Nurse Harlow, now completely resigned to her glitter-covered fate, spotted them out of the corner of her eye and narrowed her gaze.
"Oh, don't think I'm done with you two," she snapped, shaking a glitter-covered finger in their direction. "The moment you even think of pranking me again, I'll make sure your next medical exam is as painful as possible!"
Val grinned innocently, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Us? Prank you? Why would we ever do such a thing?"
She shot him a deadly glare. "I remember what you did last time. The hidden needles, the fake medical charts—you're both menaces!"
Ember leaned over, whispering to Val, "I think she's still mad about the time we told her the general's blood pressure needed to be monitored every hour."
Val snickered. "Yeah, probably shouldn't push our luck with her. She can retaliate."
After an afternoon of chaos, the word had finally reached Exeo about his brothers' antics. A staffer had slipped a message onto his desk during a rare break between meetings, simply reading, Your brothers are back at it.
Exeo sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he finally made his way out of the briefing room. When he arrived in the main corridor, he found Ember and Val grinning like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "So… while I've been handling responsible tasks, you two have been making HQ regret our return?"
Ember shrugged, feigning innocence. "We were just… reacquainting ourselves with old friends."
"Exactly," Val added, flashing a disarming smile. "Nothing too serious."
Exeo's gaze sharpened, though his lips twitched with a suppressed smile. "You both are lucky they didn't issue an official complaint."
Ember chuckled, clapping Exeo on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Exeo. We're just getting back into the swing of things."
Exeo's expression softened, though he couldn't fully hide his exasperation. "Just… keep it under control, alright? Some of us have a reputation to maintain."
Ember and Val exchanged a glance, each one grinning wickedly before giving Exeo a mock salute. "Yes, Commander," they chorused in unison, their tones dripping with mischief.
As they strode off, leaving Exeo shaking his head in their wake, he couldn't help but smile. Despite the chaos, the mischief, and the endless complaints sure to flood HQ, it was good to be back as a family.
After all, even the calmest storms needed a bit of lightning now and then.