Kaitlynn’s earpiece crackled to life. “We’ve tracked the Virals to the Unknowns.”

She smirked, glancing at her twin brother, Calvin. “We’ve got a lead.”

“Ask him where,” Calvin demanded. “These Virals are a jolt in my side.”

“So serious,” Kaitlynn jeered. She pressed a button on her earpiece. “Status report, Agent Manen.”

Agent Manen cleared his throat. “Our squadron of Sandboxing Fighters tracked them into the Pixels. One of them managed to slip a tracker onto their ship and was able to crash it in the Unknowns before they reached their destination.”

“Idiots!” Calvin grumped. “They should’ve followed them to their base. Extinguish the threat once and for all.”

“Patience,” Kaitlynn purred. “We still have Mara.”

Calvin huffed, visibly exasperated. “Your plan better work, because we are drawing thin at breaking out of this cage-of-a-Monitor. And these Virals are foiling everything.”

Agent Manen continued, unaware of the rising tension between the siblings. “…but the Virals are no longer at the crash site and the ship has been wiped clean.”

So they lost them, Kaitlynn thought. Why am I not surprised? Aloud she commanded, “Send a unit of soldiers to guard the wreckage. We’ll send Mara to follow their trail.”

Despite the immediate acquiescence, Kaitlynn sensed hesitation. And with good reason. None of the CPU agents had ever seen Mara, not even Calvin, and she planned to keep it that way.

Kaitlynn deactivated her earpiece and related all to her brother. Calvin huffed. “When are you going to explain all this Mara stuff to me?”

“She’s my top-secret assassin,” Kaitlynn waffled. “What else is to know?”

“When we destroyed the monarchy, we promised to each other no secrets,” Calvin said. “Why all the hush-hush?”

“Because…” Kaitlynn lowered her voice to a whisper despite being deep inside the CPU headquarters. “my geneticists are still working out the kinks to PolyMorphic.”

Calvin slapped his face. “When will you give up on that project? It’s not going to work.”

Kaitlynn scoffed. “What? Like you and your lousy programming? Albert Einstein couldn’t figure out the programs your squads are trying to crack.”

“At least it leads towards finding the ESC Key and discovering the way out of this prison,” Calvin protested, his face reddening with anger. “Yours is just destroying the world we have.”

“Transforming is the word I’d use,” Kaitlynn replied coldly. “Making beauty from ashes.”

“And I’d call you psycho if you weren’t my twin,” Calvin lashed out.

Kaitlynn’s eyes darkened. “I see.”

Calvin drug his palm over his face. “I’m sorry, Kait, I didn’t mean that. It’s just been a rough day for me.”

“It’s okay,” his sister quickly responded. “All is forgiven. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go awaken Mara.”