Operation: Cleanup

Later that evening, Hannah called her clique into a private meeting room in HQ to discuss the situation. Of course, the walls had ears so she only allowed them to speak after initiating the lockdown protocol.

"OK gang. Our mission at the gala was a success. However, now more than ever is when the real mission starts. I can confirm that we prevented Gold Labs' serum from being circulated. Our job now is make sure the serum stays non-existent."

Lee raised his hand.

" Wait.... So our gala mission was for nothing then?"

Shaking her head, Hannah answered, "Actually it's the opposite. That mission laid the groundwork for the 'real' mission. Which is to gather up the mutts that ran off the sinking ship. Starting with the mole on our side...".

She turned to Maria inquisitively.

"No need to ask anything, chica. I'm tracking Jenny in real time. After last night, she's been trying to move assets, searching flights. Cuz the FBI and police are involved now, not even the Mafia wants to get caught doing business with her. So no one will do her dead drops anymore. She'll get desperate and slip up soon."

"Wow how did you know all that?", Lee quizzed Maria. "You're not hooked up to a computer or anything? Or your outfit has hidden tech?"

Maria tapped her head, "Hive mind."

"Uhh....what?"

"I'm a cloner. My clones walk around and all the input from them is fed back to my mind. I can give them orders from anywhere in the world. If one dies, I can make another one. Simples."

Neo's jaw dropped open as she explained her powers. It was like he had a newfound respect for her. "That's beyond amazing...", was all he could manage to say.

"Gracias. Now if we wanna pull off this mission, we need to make sure there are no loose ends among ourselves. Lee has just come into his powers, I say Daken should help him get them under wraps."

"Whoa... You're gonna throw me.... To this guy?!"

Lee looked intimidated by Daken's presence. Daken turned to him with a slight growl and unsheathed his right hand claws. Lee jumped a bit.

"Time out. He's too scary!"

Daken scoffed, "All the more reason I'll be coaching you. You're a good for nothing prick head at the moment, so I'll toughen you up a bit."

Everyone tried not to laugh at his statement, including Neo.

Lee somehow found it funny but he had confidence in Daken, even if he seemed scary.

"Alright then. I'm game. But I don't really have a choice, eh? Haha."

A sudden thought zipped through his and Neo's minds at the same time.

"Where is Haala, by the way?", Neo quipped.

Daken smirked a bit as Hannah paused before answering. There were many things in the world she hated, lying without reason being one of them. However, she wanted to see the shock on the brothers' faces when they found out the truth of 'Haala'.

"She had her own report to write up, but if you want to find her, she might be in the meditation room."

The Heartwoods looked at each other confused. They just nodded like string puppets whose handler had fallen asleep. With that suspense in the air Hannah dismissed the group. Lee's first course of action was to find where Haala was.

The brothers found their way around the enormous building. There were so many departments but they each had their own section. Technology was to the right, security to the left. The training facilities were near the security sections. Apt placing, come to think of it. There were gym, martial arts setups, even spas. It was easy to get lost in the grandeur of this section. However, one could still easily find their way around.

So it was no wonder that the boys managed to find the meditation room Hannah mentioned. They cautiously stepped inside, senses on high alert. There was no telling what powers they may have stumbled on, or what book would be thrown at them by accident.

Lee was the one to open the door first. He may have argued with his brother every single day but he'd do anything to protect him. He felt a weird energy tingling his skin as he stepped further into the room. A humming sound began to throb in his ears, but he couldn't work out what it was. It didn't sound like a human voice but a type of energy. He looked around to see, if possible, just where this uncanny sensation was coming from.

He turned to the right. His eyes could not believe what they beheld.

A petite lady in a costume akin to that of a belly dancer was stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by red mist. Her hands were above her head emitting a strange, dark red energy that filled the room. On her side was a tattoo of sorts, but more symbolic. She turned to face Lee, and sure enough....

There was Haala.