9 Little Sister, What Are You Thinking?

Next-Day.

"Have you had breakfast?" Alex asked as Mel got into the car. This morning, they would head to XTeam HQ.

"Yes."

"Good. We'll go straight to the base," he said, looking ahead. Then, he hit the gas hard, and the car accelerated quickly. It was just right, as the streets were not too busy that morning.

As the car sped along the freeway, Mel remembered she hadn't thanked him last night.

"Brother Alex, thank you..."

Alex took a glance at her, looking confused. "For what?"

"Last night, I didn't have time to thank you because you accompanied me shopping. Now my fridge is full, and I won't go hungry anymore," Mel said.

Alex didn't answer her; he just nodded.

"Which country are we in this time?" asked Mel.

"Russia."

"What?" Mel was surprised to learn their destination. "You should have told me earlier. I didn't prepare any winter clothes," she shivered, thinking about the freezing weather in Russia.

"We can shop for your winter clothes," he answered casually. However, when he saw her worried expression, he added, "No worries. We need you, but not on the field; you'll work in a control room."

Mel felt relieved.

....

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the X-Team base. After passing several security checkpoints, the car entered a hangar and stopped near a sleek jet, ready to take off.

"Mel, welcome!" As soon as she entered the plane's cabin, she was greeted by several serious yet cheerful members of the X-Team who were already seated neatly.

Mel smiled and walked over to them.

"Willy, why do you look bulkier every time we meet, huh?" Mel smiled and playfully punched Willy's large arm. He pretended to be in pain.

Mel chuckled and pretended to ignore him.

Then she also looked at her best friend Anton, who had helped her at the base camp. He was the tallest in Group One, and he had big eyes and thick eyebrows, but his face had some acne. She had tried to persuade him several times to visit a skincare clinic, but he never agreed.

"Anton, I miss you, man!" She said as they exchanged fist bumps, a tradition they followed whenever they met.

Mel then turned to Mario, who was sitting and reading a book. Mario was the leader of Group 1, one rank below Alex. She was amazed when she first met him because his skin color never changed; he always looked radiant, even though he often basked in the sun.

"Mario, aren't you happy to see me?"

Mario immediately stood up and ruffled Mel's hair, grinning. "I'm happy."

Mel chatted with other members, and shortly after, she heard Alex's voice calling her and asking her to sit beside him.

She quickly returned to the front and sat next to him.

"This is the mission briefing. Please read it carefully," Alex handed the tablet to her, then continued reading something in the brown folder on his lap.

Mel read the assignment material provided by Alex, finishing it in just 15 minutes.

"Done?" she heard Alex ask.

"Yes," Mel replied. Her ability to read quickly and retain information proved helpful on occasion.

"Any questions?" he asked.

"I think..." Mel tried to recall something. She believed she had read about this kidnapping case somewhere, but she wasn't sure if it was the same one she had encountered. "No, nothing," she concluded.

"Are you sure?" Alex's voice was close to her ear.

Mel glanced at Alex and saw his face very close to hers, causing her cheeks to flush. She quickly pulled her face away and leaned against the window, trying to distract herself by looking at the clouds outside the plane.

"Why are you blushing?" Mel heard Alex ask. She didn't respond.

Alex continued talking. "Little sister, what's on your mind?" He chuckled, seeing her silent.

Then, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves because this girl was starting to make him nervous.

"BROTHER ALEX!" Suddenly, Mel called out loudly.

"What? What happened?" Alex shouted, confused.

The other members in the back were also surprised to hear Mel's shout, and they stood together, looking at her.

However, Mel laughed with amusement when she saw Alex's panicked expression. It looked so funny to her. She regretted not having time to capture it on video.

"Little sister!" Alex snapped.

The others just shook their heads with a smile and returned to their seats.

Realizing Alex was furious, Mel immediately sat up straight and stopped laughing. Then, she leaned closer to Alex's face and said, "Brother, I think our mission is the same as the case I received from my client in Russia."

Alex was surprised to hear that. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Tell me, tell me more details."

Mel then proceeded to provide Alex with a detailed account of the case she had received from GrimReapers the previous night. Alex got busy typing on his laptop, formulating a new plan.

While Alex was reading something on his laptop, Mel watched movies, played games, ate, and slept. After 9 hours of flying, they finally landed smoothly.

....

Getting off the plane, Mel follows Alex to the car that will take them to the base camp. There are five cars, and Mel rides in the same vehicle as Alex.

"Are you cold?" 

"No, the weather is quite nice."

Alex nodded, and then he started working on his laptop.

On their journey to the base camp, Mel didn't sleep. She enjoyed the view as well as memorized the path along the way. It is one of the pieces of training given by Alex.

They passed through dense forests and mountains.

After 2 hours of traveling, they arrived at a beautiful little town set in a valley. They didn't stop. The car drove deeper into the forest, the roads got smaller, and along the way, Mel didn't see any other vehicles, only theirs.

Not long after, the car turned right, exiting the main road.

This road is smaller than the main road, lined up with towering trees on the left and right.

After passing through a long road, the car stopped at a checkpoint. The vehicle drove again, and, in the distance, Mel finally saw an old house, which still looked sturdy.

The car stopped right in front of the house door. Alex gets down and then opens the car's door for Mel.

"Here we are!"