Kenji plopped himself on a nearby bench in the busy streets of Helsinki. He had spent the last 2 hours continuously teleporting himself and Ume across Asia and Europe and was now completely spent. Ume looked at him and chuckled,

  “You have 5 minutes to rest. This is Oleander territory, and there's no doubt they’re looking for us.”

  “Who cares? They wouldn’t be able to stop us before, and now they don’t even have the Upgrades; what's there to be afraid of?” Kenji let out a deep breath and leaned forward.

  “I would like to avoid as much conflict as possible. Especially while we’re searching.”

  Kenji waved his hand in understanding as he focused on recovering.

  “So where exactly are we going, and what do The Twins look like?”

  “We’re going to an antique shop two blocks from here, and if you see them, you’ll know it’s them.” Ume giggles.

  “If that’s the case, how have other people not found them by now?”

  “Because they stand out, it’s easy for them to hide. If I didn’t tell you, you couldn’t spot them either. They take the hiding in plain sight strategy to the extreme.”

  “Right…” Kenji hopped off the bench, cutting his break short.

  The looks he was getting from the civilians walking past them were putting him on edge. In reality, they were all probably just curious, as he and Ume had been speaking Japanese since they arrived.

  “Are you ready?” Ume asked.

  “I’m fine; the sooner we find the Twins, the sooner I can rest,” Kenji responded.

  “Alright, don’t overdo it.” Ume motioned for Kenji to follow her through the busy Helsinki streets.

  It didn’t take them long to reach the antique shop in question. Kenji raised an eyebrow as he read the sign,

  “Scrap Heap? That’s quite the name for an antique shop.”

  “Well, it works; it’s actually quite the well-known spot. Come on.” Ume guided Kenji through the rustic wooden door. The chime of a bell signified their avail. The little antique shop did have more people browsing through than Kenji had expected. The old man who sat behind the counter smiled at Ume’s arrival,

  “I’m here to pick up a specialty order?” Ume said as she spoke fluent finnish.

  “Good to see you again, Ms. Chiba. I have been informed that you are allowed access to the top shelf. Please help yourself to the back.” The elderly man opened a back door, letting Kenji and Ume enter.

  “What’s back there? And what's the top self?” A curious customer asked as she brought up an old wristwatch that had caught her attention. The older man didn’t answer her; he just gave her a gentle smile.

  The back room looked like your average storage. Ume led Kenji over to a closet,

  “Close the door behind you,” Ume commanded.

  Kenji did as asked and cleared his throat as he found himself in tight quarters with Ume. She looked up at him with a smile,

  “Don’t get too excited.”

  She tapped the wall next to her, and a green interface appeared. After a few taps of her finger, the small closet expanded to the size of an elevator. In the next moment, “the closet” descended into the earth. The speed of the descent momentarily caught Kenji off guard. By the time he regained his composure, the closet had stopped.

  “We’re here.”

  “Where is here?” Kenji said.

  “One of 80 labs located worldwide that belong to The Twins. Most Renegades aren’t allowed into the actual labs; at most, they go to storage to request and pick up orders.”

  “And you’re different?”

  “I’m different. I’m sensei’s only real mentee.” Ume said with a proud smirk on her face.

  “Right.” Kenji chuckled.

  His chuckling stopped when the lights came on. Calling this a lab was generous at best. There was junk everywhere: busted guns, half-completed gear, and scrap metal. He could barely make out several work tables under the piles of junk. There were knocked-over shelves and chairs everywhere.

  Blast marks were on the white walls, and several lights dangled precariously from the ceiling. The only place in the lab that seemed untouched was the giant computer in the back of the room.

  “Looks like someone got here before us and ransacked the place,” Kenji commented.

  “What?! Oh, you mean the mess. No, it's always like this.” Ume responded as she hopped over a pile of junk as she made her way towards the computer.

  “Always?!”

  “Always. This one is pretty clean compared to their other labs. They like to play with their toys before giving them away.” She finally made her way to the computer,

  “Greetings Ume, why is the sky blue?”

  “It just is stupid; not everything needs a reason for existing,” Ume said with an annoyed expression.

  “Shut up, it’s the passcode,” Ume said to Kenji before he could ask.

  “Open up, Top Shelf. “ Ume commanded.

  “Permission has been granted to open Top Shelf.” The A.I. voice sounded.

  “OI! Ume, is that you?! Look, it's Ume!!!” A feminine voice called out.

  “I can see that idiot!!” A masculine voice responded.

  The Twins' voices clamored as their blurred-out faces popped on the computer screen. They pushed each other out of the way as they tried to get a word in. They expected Ume to look for them here first and had set up everything beforehand.

  “Hey, is that the Kenji guy you’re crushing on?” The male Twin asked

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  “Shut up! You’re not supposed to call out a girl’s crush, stupid.” His sister responded.

  “Where are you two?” Ume asked, trying to quickly change the topic, as Kenji uncomfortably looked at some unfinished work from the twins as he tried to ignore their conversation.

  “We’re at the site where everything happened.” The Sister responded.

  “By everything, you mean?” Kenji was the one to ask this time.

  “Yeah, where Shaila died.” The Brother responded solemnly.

  “Send us the coordinates. We’ll meet you there.” Ume said.

  “Yeah, sure, but we left you a signal scrambler. It should be on the left side of the computer; put it on.” The sister spoke.

  Ume looked over at the left side table and saw a pile of junk; she shook her head. She was sure it wouldn’t be easy to find the scrambler there.

  “We really need to work on your organization skills.”

  “Why?”

  “What for?” The Twins asked, confused.

  “Never mind, I found it, and this is more than just a signal scrambler.” Ume eyes widened as she placed a bracelet around her wrist. The information about its functions flowed into her mind as she put it on. The Twins just chuckled in response.

  With this, she knew it would be close to impossible for the Renegade to keep track of her position as they had been. And because she took her leave of absence, she had a year to work with before she would be labeled as a traitor. That left her with plenty of time and freedom. As for the added function, she was sure it would come in handy sooner or later.

  “You guys need to get a move on.”

  “Yeah, the Oleanders are in the shop.” The Twins commented.

  Kenji frowned as he didn’t notice them being followed. Of course, they wouldn't be Chasers if they couldn’t properly stalk their prey. Kenji looked over at Ume, and who sent the coordinates to Kenji,

  “Are you ok with your shop being compromised?” Kenji asked.

  “Ah, it’s fine; the Oleanders are part of the Renegades now. So they would come and visit eventually…. Buuuuuuuuut!” The sister said.

  “They came without prior notice, so we need to send a message!” The Brother chuckled.

  “It’s time to go, Kenji!” Ume chimed in. Kenji nodded his head and teleported the two of them away.

  Back in the shop proper, the Oleanders had shuffled the civilians in the shop out and locked the door behind them. The 5 Chasers spread out through the shop and looked at the smiling elderly shopkeeper.

  “How may I help you fine youngsters today?” The kind shopkeep asked.

  “We’re not here for you, old man. Where are Ume and Kenji?”

  “I’m sorry, but I can not give you the location of valued customers. Can I perhaps interest you in some antiques? The shop is filled with all sorts of wonders.”

  “Subdue the old man, we’ll go check the back.” The leader commanded.

  One of the Oleander changed towards the old shopkeeper as the other 4 raced towards the door leading towards the back.

  “Don’t resist, old man; I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

  “Oh dear, aren’t you a fine young man? But there's no need to worry about me.” Before the Oleander could adequately respond, the old man reached out his hand. He grabbed his assailant by the neck, slamming him against the countertop in front of him.

  “I’m afraid the back area is restricted to approved personnel only.” The smiling old man pointed his free hand towards the Chasers, who were still in shock, watching their college being subdued by the old man.

  The shopkeeper's extended palm transformed into a plasma arm rifle, his eyes glowed red. Four rapid plasma shots blasted out, knocking the 4 Chasers against a nearby wall.

  “Intainting Customer Service Protocol.” The Old man's robotic voice sounded as the shop windows darkened and shutters dropped. Protective barriers sprang up to cover the merchandise, and several automated guns sprang from the walls, their laser pointers trained on the recovering Chasers. All the while, the previously subdued Chaser struggled under the shopkeeper's grip.

  Everyone walking past the locally famous Scrap Heap just assumed the shop closed early for the day; no one could hear the chaos inside.

  Back at his high-rise luxury apartment in Seattle, Devin was still struggling with the effects of the pollen. At the moment, he was having a very vivid nightmare about what happened with Zac and Shaila,

  “No, this isn’t what I wanted. It wasn’t supposed to be…” Devin muttered in his sleep as Léonie looked over him with a worried expression,

  “Vicious little bitch, what kind of poison did she make?” Léonie patted the sweat off of Devin’s forehead. She got a call on her phone, and she forwarded the call to the communication system in Devin's room. A screen appeared in front of her,

  “Speak.”

  “We are getting an urgent report from the Oleander team, tailing Ume and Kenji.” a Renegade communication operative relayed.

  “What are you waiting for? Patch them through…” Léonie commanded.

  “Yes, mam!”

  “OI! Is that Leo?”

  “Of course it is; why do you always ask obvious questions?”

  “Why are you always such an asshole, huh?”

  “Well, maybe if you weren’t such a bitch!”

  “Look here!!”

  “Twins!!! A pleasure, as always. Why are you on this transmission?” Léonie interrupted the Twin's usual antics. Their blurred faces snapped back towards the screen, eerily.

  “Heh… you’re no fun.” The sister’s voice took a very dark turn. That playful nature instantly turned cold emotionless.

  Léonie sighed; she had never met them in person but had interacted with them on more than one occasion. She always felt they were far more sinister than just a pair of bickering children. With their background, there was no way the world's ugliness hadn’t affected them.

  “Your goons came looking for trouble at one of our establishments. You may be new, but you should know the rules for Chasers. You don’t come without a reservation.” The brother spoke, his voice just as cold as his sisters.

  “Are they dead?” Léonie asked.

  “No, whether we like it or not, you and your crew are a part of the Renegades now. We don’t kill our own, no matter how much we might want to.” The Sister responded.

  “Yeah, GRAMPS just put them out of commission for a while.” The Brother added.

  “Gramps?”

  “Yes, G.R.A.M.P.S. It stands for Giga Ridiculously Armed Mechanized Portable Shopkeep. It's a new toy we made to watch our bases. We had Zac battle-test them. Results were amazing.” The Sister giggled darkly.

  “Lucky you for, it’s programmed not to kill humans, unless told to by one of us. So come pick up your shit!” The Brother chuckled.

  “Wait before you go.” Léonie injected before they could hang up.

  “What?”

  “What is it?”

  “We know you’re looking for Zac. We all want to find and bring him in before he does more damage. So why can’t we just work together?” Léonie asked.

  “Wish we could believe that.” The Sister responded.

  “And even if we did. What makes you think we want to stop him?” The Brother responded.

  Léonie sighed as the Twins' true colors became more apparent to her.

  “I hope you won’t regret your decision.”

  “We won’t!”

  “Bye!” The Twins quickly ended the call.

  Léonie turned her attention back towards Devin, who was starting to wake up. As he sat up, she asked,

  “Did you hear all that?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “What are your thoughts?” Leo asked.

  “Same as always, we must get to Zac for his own sake. I’m willing to bet the twins are at the place where I found Zac and Shaila.”

  “I thought you were the only one who knew where Zac and Shaila went on their Honeymoon?”

  “There’s not much you can hide from those little brats. I’ll also bet that we can no longer track Ume either. This will be our only chance for a while; we must get there.” Devin forced himself out of bed.

  “You’re in no condition to,”

  “I’m fine!!! Sorry, I’m fine. I need to go there, Leo.” Devin looked at her with pleading eyes,

  “Fine, but I’m coming with you. But first, we need to prepare properly this time.”

  “Alright… you take the lead since I’m not at 100% right now.”

  “Just like old times.”

  “Just like old times.” Devin smiled.

  Kenji teleported the two of them towards the location given to them by the twins. When they arrived, Kenji gasped at the destruction that had taken place. Seeing it on screen was one thing, but seeing it in person like this put everything into perspective. Kenji looked at the scarred ground and the battered treeline, then saw two figures in the distance ahead of him. Those two figures turned around to face the approaching Kenji and Ume,

  “They're The Twins?” Kenji asked, confused.

  “They’re The Twins,” Ume said, holding back a rare genuine chuckle.