“Uh –” Jason wanted to look at Dee for help but couldn't break away from Sinastar's searching stare. “She's –”

“We had some issues when we went to pick you,” said Dee. “She wasn't at the house when we got there.”

“She wasn't –” A frown flitted across Sinastar's forehead. He rubbed his wrists as if they had been bound by a merciless length of rope. “Where is she now?”

Jason withheld an explosive gasp as the attention shifted from him. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm so dead.

“We left Rich behind and we got word that he saw her but –” Dee paused and swallowed hard uncharacteristically despite his unchanged tone. “– she got away again.”

“What?” Tasha pressed a fist into the mattress beside Sinastar's knee. “When did that happen?”

“He called last night.” Dee said. His eyes found Jason's. “But he's trying to work something out. We're hoping she'll be here in a couple of hours or so.”

“Last night?” Jason's stomach clenched. “I thought that was this morning.”

“Des,” said Sinastar softly and even Ken backed up a step. “Just to be clear, are you saying Satara isn't in the building right now?”

“That's right.” Dee – Des – finally moved his hand from the younger man's back and folded his arms behind him, his military posture extra pronounced.

“So she's still back in the town where you found us?” Sinastar waited for him to nod. “By herself?”

“Yes. I'm sorry.” He grimaced faintly as if he hadn't meant to say the second part out loud.

“You don't have to apologise,” said Sinastar straight away, his grip on his own wrists tightening. He closed his eyes for a second that seemed to last a lifetime before he nodded to himself. “This wouldn't have happened if I had been more careful –”

“This isn't on you, Sinja,” said Tasha just as fast. “You didn't know you were going to be ambushed like that.”

Though Sinastar was the only one who looked at her, all the attention in the room shifted to Judy.

She shook her head as though she were a single word away from bursting into tears. “Spy, I'm so sorry –”

“Do you know where Satara is?” he asked.

Jason blew out a noiseless stream of warm air and rubbed his arms against the lack of warmth in Sinastar's voice.

“I don't.” Judy gulped but the tears in her eyes didn't dare fall in his presence. “I swear I don't –”

“I already had a word with her, Sinja,” said Des. “Seems like she's telling the truth. At least about the girl.”

“How long has she been missing?”

“It wasn't that long before you told them to come to Melissa's,” said Jason before guilt could form thorns on his words. “We only stayed there for one night but she was gone when we woke up.”

Sinastar's attention returned to him and he suddenly felt like crying too. “Did something happen?”

“I don't think so.” He shook his head. Just kill me now.

“She was definitely there before you fell asleep?”

He nodded. “I should've kept watch –”

“No.” Sinastar lifted a hand and Jason approached him as if he had been beckoned, bending to let the older one press a palm to his forehead. “After what happened in the clinic, you must have been exhausted.”

“Yeah, but still I should've –”

“Do you think she left willingly?” he asked, his tone gentle despite the growing anguish behind his eyes.

“It didn't look like anyone broke in,” said Judy, clearing her throat but pressing on when he didn't look at her. “All the locks and windows were fine. It looks like she went somewhere by herself.”

Sinastar lowered his hand and Jason caught Ken's eye as he straightened back up. The heck is he looking at? Ken instantly focused on the cannula he was removing from Sinastar's arm. He pressed a cotton-wool ball against the needle's entry point and withdrew it with deft fingers. His patient didn't seem to noticed the sting of it leaving his vein.

“If she left on her own, I think I know where she might have gone,” he murmured. “You said Rich saw her? Was it back at the house?”

“Yeah but it got complicated,” said Des. “You know what? I'm going to get that chair anyway. You can use a treadmill later or something.”

“I can go with you now,” said Sinastar but Ken stopped him with a hand against his shoulder.

“I don't think you should get out of bed just yet, Sinja,” he murmured. “After lying down for so long, you might feel dizzy once you stand up.”

Stop touching him! Jason pinched the inside of his pockets but kept his frustration to himself. You're lucky Tara ain't here.

“He's right,” said Tasha. She seemed more smug than she had been when they first arrived. “Take it easy. I'm sure Des can handle a chair.”

“I was going to ask you to bring it actually.” Des chuckled shortly as she glowered at him and Jason almost tripped even though he wasn't moving. He can do that? “I'll be back in the sec. The rest of you better be gone by then.”

Tasha snorted but didn't refute him as he headed for the door. He paused as Demmy – or was it Damon? – appeared outside the room.

“Sinja's awake?” he asked nonchalantly, hands in the pockets of his combat trousers, as if the subtle heave of his chest hadn't given away the fact he rushed over just like the rest of them upon receiving the news.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Yeah but you heard what I just said, right?” Des pointed a stern finger at him, shaking his head as the other sidled past him in the room and leaving to get the chair.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Their driver paused at the end of the bed. “Hey, Sinja.”

“How have you been, Damon?” Despite his curbed fear for his cousin, Sinastar smiled kindly at the other man.

“I'm breathing.” Damon shrugged but couldn't quite meet his eye. “Almost thought you got sick of it for a second.”

Sinastar made a small noise that could have been chuckle before he leaned back against the head board. “How's the shooting going?”

“You can see for yourself.” Though it wasn't obvious, Damon's eyes lit up. “I know you don't like taking other people's opinions without fact checking 'em first.”

“Has he improved?” Sinastar asked Tasha, who sat down on his mattress close to his feet.

“He better have,” she replied. “It's all he's done since you left.”

“It's not all I've done,” grumbled Damon. “I learned how to drive too.”

“Well done.” Sinastar lifted a hand and he padded forward to bump forearms with him.

Looks like that's their handshake. Her and Lal – Toya did it in the car park too. Judy dropped into the chair beside her like someone exiting a group chat and Jason suddenly wished Des would bring two chairs instead of one. He didn't want to become visible by moving. Not after he'd revealed his failure to keep Satara safe. But where does he think she went? Has she been here before? Maybe Saytarnia didn't take her away after all. The possibility was analgesic.

“It wasn't as hard as Toya made it out to be,” said Damon as he stepped back. “You really okay though? Guess you must be if Des thinks you're okay to interrogate.”

“I'm all right but, like Ken said, I probably shouldn't walk anywhere just yet.” He nodded at the other young man and something not quite normal flickered between them.

An almost tangible flash of mutual understanding. Screw being invisible.

“Sin.” He paused and Sinastar looked at him instantly. He tried not to judge himself too harshly for feeling smug about it. “When you said you know where Tara might be –?”

“What did I tell you all?” rumbled Des as he returned with two folded up chairs.

“How did you get 'em so bloody fast?” muttered Damon. He waved at Sinastar before the captain could skin him alive with his eyes. “See you around, Sinja. Don't let him talk your brains out.”

“You see how they all disrespect me now?” Des placed the chairs on the side of the bed furthest from the door. “I blame you for that.”

“You blame me?”

“Yeah, and you know why so don't even try to look all innocent,” he said. “You're not as cute as Toya thinks.”

Sinastar's eyebrows twitched upwards in a question and even Tasha seemed confused. Did he really just bring that up by himself? Jason smothered a grin with the back of his hand. Looks like it actually bothered him. Ha!

“Forget it.” Des waved towards the doorway. “Everyone out.”

I don't wanna go. I need to know what Sin was talking about. Jason tried not to glare at Ken, who disposed of the needle and cannula in a small, yellow toxic waste bin on the window sill. I bet they're gonna let him stay just because he can do all that medical stuff for Sin. What a –

“Except you, kid.” The captain pointed at him and sat down in the chair closest to Sinastar. “You can get out a bit later.”

Judy met his gaze as she stood up but, although she glanced at the man on the bed, she didn't protest or demand to stay in the room. Does she actually care about him after all? Jason scratched his stomach. For real? She left the room and Tasha followed with Ken in tow. Did they just look at me weird or am I freaking about about nothing? Jason sat down beside Des and tapped his knees as opposed to grabbed them. The door closed and a heavy silence squeezed the life out of him in two seconds.

“Let's just clear one thing up first and go from there.” Des' eyes shifted from Jason to Sinastar. “The therapist. Did she set you up?”

“... I'm afraid so,” said Sinastar, briefly looking at his hands where they were folded on top of his blanket.

Wow. Tara was right. Jason ignored the inappropriate tightness below his ribs. Is he feeling cold? There's a cover under there, right? Des' drawn out hiss startled him. He sounded as if he were sucking the air in between his teeth instead of blowing it out.

“So we were right.” He nodded, voice oddly calm. “How did it happen?”

“She was supposed to treat my cousin but told me she needed to speak to me alone when I got there.” Sinasar lifted his eyes from his hands. “I had no reason to suspect her before that but it was still an oversight on my part.”

“You're the best agent we have, Sinja, not a psychic,” said Des at once. “Do you know who she was working with?”

“I'm not sure but they were able to track us quickly.” He paused. “Too quickly.”

“Like along the motorway?”

Jason turned to stone in his seat but Sinastar's face remained neutral as held Des' gaze. “You saw that?”

Des nodded. “That was zai, wasn't it?”

Wha-! Jason twisted towards him, then looked at Sinastar. “I swear I didn't –”

“I know you didn't,” he replied with a small smile. “And thank you for that.”

“The boy can't lie to save his life but he definitely tried his best to.” Des laughed after a glance at Jason's face and ruffled his hair. “You should've seen him in the surveillance room. He started talking about cartoons.”

“You knew all this time?” Jason slapped his hands over his face. “Arrrgh –”

“I don't know the specifics,” said Des after he managed to stop chuckling. “I just know Sinja can do things that aren't possible … normally, so we figured it'd be good to have him on the team, considering the kind of cases we deal with.”

So we were both lying – no, withholding information – from each other. Jason rubbed his face and shook his head. “I can't believe it.”

“Neither could I. Didn't help when he wouldn't show me either,” said Des. “But then we found parts of his bike scattered in the field and it wasn't too hard to put two and two together.”

“So that was the first time you saw zai?” He thought about it for a moment longer. “What about the others? Do they know too?”

Does Ken know? Is that why he bowed like that? Was the rat testing me?

“I've only told Des,” said Sinastar. “And I asked him to keep it to himself.”

“No one else knows anything.” Des hesitated before speaking again. “Ken was the one who spotted it first and, as far as he knows, it was just a colourful fire caused by chemical reactions we aren't qualified to understand. Which, as you know, is nothing new for us.”

“I see,” said Sinastar. “And he'll keep it to himself?”

Is he weird about Ken or do I need to get more sleep?

“He's not much of a talker and sometimes I think he's got even more secrets than you.” Des shook his head but didn't seem as displeased as a team captain would usually have been. “Good thing I was exposed to you first, otherwise he would've been doing press-ups for a week.”

Sinastar chuckled softly. “What happened with the clinic?”

“Co-Jo said it was a blood bath back there.” Des spoke slowly. “I don't know exactly what went down but, if you're the one who left it like that, you must've had a pretty good reason to or no choice.”

The humour abandoned Sinastar's features and left them empty. “It was both.”

“That's all I need to know for now.” Des glanced at Jason. “Co-Jo's trying to get custody of the bodies before the local force but they're putting up a fight. We might need to contact HQ for this one.”

I thought this was their HQ?

“Have they been able to identify any of them yet?”

“Not yet but that might be a good thing for us.” Des leaned back in his chair, upper eyelids lowered slightly. “Have any suspects?”

Sinastar shook his head. “No one definite at the moment.”

“They don't have anything to do with that other person, do they?” Des made air quotes and it was one of the most ridiculous things Jason had ever seen. He held back his laughter with a frantic hand. “The dangerous one.”

Is he talking about Saytarnia?

“I doubt it.” Sinastar rubbed his brow with the back of his index finger as if he were seconds away from massaging the bridge of his nose. “It wouldn't make sense.”

“Most of this doesn't make sense but you get used to it,” said Des.

“Honestly, I think there's something bigger going on here. Bigger than I thought.” Sinastar looked at him. “I might have to ask more of you all in the future.”

“No problem. You barely asked us for anything when you were training anyway so let's just say you're making up for lost time –”

Sin didn't recognise the people in the clinic but Tara –

“Oh!” Shock pushed the sound out of Jason's mouth and Des twitched as if he had barely resisted the urge to jump from his seat.

“Word of advice, kid,” he said stiffly. “Don't do anything like that again, especially around the others. We're a bit better than we used to be but there's still a chance you might not get time to explain yourself later on.”

“Sorry! It's just – I remembered something.” He cleared his throat as they looked at him. Don't be intimidated, Jayce. Just pretend their heads are speed balls. The voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Satara when she was being sarcastic but also like it was from a cartoon about a sponge that lived in the ocean. “One of them met Tara before they came to the clinic.”

Sinastar sat up straight. “When was this?”

“When she was waiting outside.” He gritted his teeth. I knew we shouldn't have let her go last. “She said he asked about where we were going and other stuff.”

“Did she sound like she knew him?” Though he looked at Jason, Sinastar's attention seemed to drift inward.

He's probably trying to remember what happened after she joined us inside.

“Mm, I don't think so.”

Sinastar nodded and gave in, slowly massaging his eyebrows.

“All right. You can go now, kid,” said Des as if he had received a silent signal.

“But –”

“No buts. Me and Sinja need to talk.” Though he didn't raise his voice, Jason knew better than to argue with the glint in the man's eyes.

If I don't go out by myself, he'll throw me out anyway.

“Okaaay.” Jason stood up but paused before heading for the door. “Sin?”

“Yes?” Sinastar lifted his head.

“You're – everything's okay now, right?” He glanced down at the invisible bullet hole in the latter's chest.

“It will be.” He dipped his head. “As soon as we find Satara.”

“Okay –”

“– And we will.” His stare was a dark and deadly promise that blew the threat of Des' tone out of the water. “We'll find her, Jason.”

“Of course we will,” said Des, as if it were possible to question the younger man's resolve. “I've got my best men out there looking for her. Toya's going to patrol after she's dropped the girl and her mum back home too.”

“Okay.” Jason swallowed as the back of his throat stung. “Thanks.”

He hurried from the room and didn't notice Ken standing beside the door on his way out.