Catching Up

A/N: So...a lot new information has been revealed in the latest episodes...and some of them doesn't really match the ones in this book...

I'm thinking of editing this book once I'm done with it, so would you all agree? Or would you just prefer the original version? Please tell me your opinion, I'm really considering it since I'm pretty sure more information will be given in the future episodes that won't match this story.

***

The journey to MATA's Headquarters was much more smoother what with no other interception from other MATA agents. But that didn't meant the journey was comfortable. Ali could not help thinking that something was about to go wrong soon. His friends had rescued him from proper agents which were assigned to arrest him, after all. What if it was because of him, his friends would all be kicked out from MATA? He rather thought that the others were thinking the same thing, for neither of them could sit down without fidgeting around or had taken up pacing the helicopter. 

At last, they arrived. 

As Khai landed the helicopter at an open space, the ground shook. Alarmed, Ali jumped up from his seat, but was told down by Iman.

"It's OK," she said gently. "It's just parking."

"Mmm," Jet said. "Like usual."

Relieved, Ali sat back down, resuming the nervous twiddling of his fingers as he stared out of the dark window. It was gradually growing whiter and whiter. When the brightness filled the entire window, Ali gazed out of it to see that they were inside an underground circular parking space full of other airships, including jets armed with many weapons, helicopters designed for what looked like underwater discovery and amazingly many more. 

Ali didn't even realise he had rose out from his seat and pressed his nose against the window when the ground beneath the helicopter juddered to a halt. 

"We're here," Khai called from the cockpit. 

"C'mon, let's go, before anyone realise we're here," Jet said, beckoning the others from the open door. Serporia however, remained bounded to the seat they left her in.

One by one they descended down the steps from the helicopter. Khai's robot leading the way, as it could check whether the coast was clear before they moved.  

"What's the plan now?" Ali whispered to Khai, who was in front of him as they ran from cover to cover under the starry sky towards the large white building, which was the Headquarters.

"Alicia's supposed to meet us up in a safe place, so that we can hide you there," Khai replied, pressing on several holographic buttons at the same time.

"Eh, now that I think of it, how come she isn't here?" Ali asked, befuddled.

Rudy tore his eyes from looking over the large store room they were hiding behind to glare at him. Apparently, the arrogant duck had been eavesdropping.

"Fast, aren't you?" he sneered, before returning his attention back over to the patrolling guards.

Anger flared up inside Ali, so that he wanted to scream or say something smart that would make Rudy anything more than offended, but was forced to return his attention to more important things when the door to the store room was suddenly flung open.

Ali screamed as he leapt back from the door. The others looked around at him in alarm. But luckily, the person who was standing by the threshold was only a worried-looking Neuro agent, Alicia.

"There you guys are! I've been waiting forever," she said, as she stepped aside to allow them to enter.

From the outside, the store room looked rather quite large. But from the inside, it had been filled up with so many crates, boxed, cabinets and shelves that it had only a little cramped space for the seven of them to fit in. Not to mention, it was pretty dark, since the only light source was moonlight filtered through high narrow windows.

"I thought we were going to meet up in the General's office in Headquarters?" Moon inquired, as Alicia shut the door behind her as quietly as she could.

"Forced to change place," Alicia said dismissively, moving to peek out from one of the narrow high windows for any intruders. "A meeting was conducted concerning the copter that went missing that was supposed to be carrying Ali. The General asked me to wait outside, but oh well."

Moon groaned. "Then when are we gonna go back? I can't wait here forever."

"We'll just...have to wait," said Alicia, rather hesitantly, as she withdrew from the window.

They all sat there, the silence rather awkward. Ali rather felt anticlimax as he stood there. Various agents should be on the look out for him now while he was sitting here, inside a crowded store room? He felt a sudden urge to tell them what he had witnessed in the past few hours, and luckily, it was Alicia that had brought up the topic.

"So..." she said slowly. "What actually happened?"

The others looked around at that question too. Moon even stopped observing her dangling legs to stare at Ali.

"Um...well..." Ali said, quite unnerved at all the concentrated stares. "It all stared like this..."

And he told them everything from the bottom to the top. His guilt for activating Override Mode once more, how Alicia (he rather stuttered more than talk at this part) started not showing up at school and he his fear that he was kicked out from the agency, how he had overheard Uno's rise and wanted to defeat him to prove he was worthy as an agent, how he had suddenly appeared in Uno's hideout-

"Wait," Moon interrupted. "The place which we were just now...Uno's hideout was there?"

"Hm..." Khai said thoughtfully. "That is quite smart of him to place his hideout there. It's not that easy to be stumbled upon, and some more it's located in a private forest."

"I bet you anything the landlord's one of Uno's men," Jet nodded wisely.

"How come you weren't in the copter just now, Alicia? Weren't you the one that sent them after me? How come you guys are suddenly rescuing me?" Ali had bluntly asked, before he could stop himself.

Alicia eyed him for a while before sighing and replying rather reluctantly, "I did. But not in that sense. I actually did as you told me. I found your location instantly and told the General about it. Unfortunately, he didn't take matters as kindly as expected. MATA has identified you as an enemy and wanted to destroy you, that's what they do to top criminals," she added, as Ali gave a loud whimper. "I was supposed to be in the mission, but then the General said it's too dangerous for me, and what with me having just healed from CFS-"

"Huh? What's CFS?" Ali asked blankly. 

"You don't know what's CFS?" Moon asked, amused.

"CFS is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," Khai explained, while Rudy snorted. "It makes the person easily tired. And, in serious cases, the person faints or loses memories."

"Oh..." Ali said, realisation dawning on his face. "So that's why you've suddenly lost your memories when we were at the ice skating rink! And also why you haven't been at school."

"The IRIS agent has finally realised," Rudy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Rudy," Iman said sharply, glaring daggers at the spiky haired boy. Immediately, Rudy fell silent.

"Anyways..." Alicia continued seriously. "I was to stay behind. That's when I alerted the others so that they can rescue you instead, because I bet the General's placed a couple good agents to look after me to make sure I don't go sneaking away."

"And you did," Ali added wickedly, grinning.

Alicia shot him a disgusted look, but did not bring matters further.