“So have we narrowed down how she escaped?”

“We can’t be fully sure, Director Sukinov. There’s a few leading possibilities from the team but…”

The man behind the desk sighed as he placed his head in his hands. The subordinate standing in front of the desk stood with a stone-cold face with a holopad in his hand.

“Well then, Mr. Pavlov, what are the best theories we have?” asked the irritated Sukinov as he crossed his arms. Pavlov calmly nodded and looked down at the pad to recite what was written.

“Currently we have two that are most likely. Subject Double-Zero was the first successful conversion operation in the Agent program. Because of this, there is a possibility that there was undetected degradation of the mind-altering modifications to her body over the past ten years,” said Pavlov while taking a pause.

“And the other one?”

“Well… the other one…” Pavlov started to speak but stopped mid sentence, though as he saw his superior’s hardened eyes he resumed, “...the other theory is that someone sabotaged Double-Zero’s mental conditioning through an unknown means.”

Sukinov clicked his tongue and closed his eyes, letting himself think through the information. Either possibility was a major problem, but a traitor in their ranks… that could lead to the end of the Agency as a whole. The selection process for anyone wanting to work for the Agency was strict, thorough and all encompassing to make sure there could be no possibility of being infiltrated by an outside organization. Of course, they tried, but it always ended in failure.

“Which do you think is the likely one, Pavlov?” asked Sukinov while carefully observing the man in front of him. Pavlov simply shrugged while putting away the tablet.

“In all honesty sir, I can’t be sure about either. Once we recapture her and run some tests it will be quite obvious, but until then, we’ll be flying in the dark,” spoke Pavlov as he took a seat. He shook his head and looked back to Sukinov.

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“Though if you're asking for a best guess, the first is more likely due to the many unknowns of the biological aspects when converting someone into an Agent. With all the precautions we take for hiring new employees as well, it would be hard to believe the second.”

Silence again reigned over the room as the two men stared at each other. To Sukinov, Sub-Director Pavlov was a trusted member of the Research Divison’s inner circle and brilliant scientist, so he took what the man said to heart. But if there was any chance that was a traitor involved in the division, he wasn't sure who he could trust.

“What are your orders, sir?” asked Pavlov with a serious expression.

“Send a message to the Security Operations Division and tell them to recall every single agent on non-critical missions in the field. We can’t risk the possibility, no matter how small, that an agent gets loose in the field. With double-zero roaming around, our hands are already going to be tied up, we don't need another causing problems.”

“And what about double-zero herself?”

“Tell them to send more containment units to search and apprehend her. Send a few pseudo-agents as backup. God knows how many of them we have with all the failures recently,” spoke Sukinov with a pained expression. Pseudo-agents were the failures that were not nearly as potent as the real deal, but were useful as above-average cannon fodder.

“Are you sure about that, sir? After the last time, I don’t think the head of S.O.D would approve-” Sukinov cut off Pavlov with the raising of his hand.

“I don't care what that bitch Zhou thinks. Right now, our primary concern is catching double-zero and figuring out how this whole mess started. I’m quite sure that she understands that if this problem gets out of hand, both of our asses are going to be sent to the firing line.”

Pavlov took a moment and nodded while he stood up from the chair and placed the pad down on Sukinov’s desk.

“Very well sir. I’ll make sure to get the message across,” Pavlov said. He gave a slight bow to the director and left the room to the brooding Sukinov. As he heard the sounds of the automatic door closing, Sukinov gave a loud sigh and pressed his back into the chair.

“I’ll tell security to increase their surveillance of anyone working in the labs. I want to believe that this is just an unforeseen issue with the subject's mind control, but…” he thought as his mind raced. After leading the R&D for many years and also fighting tooth and nail for the position, he had learned to never leave any stone unturned. Not only was his position as director at stake, his very life could be forfeit if he isn’t able to solve this problem soon.

“The overseer will make quite sure of that…”