Pika quietly made his way to the person he trusted the most—soone he knew could help him and Tyga. It was late, so he planned on heading to his boss’s quarters. But as he passed through the quiet departnt where he used to work, he heard the tapping of keys.
"Hmm?" He slowed, holding his breath as he listened to the faint sound.
Deep lines ford between his brows as he turned toward the departnt, walking backward as quietly as possible. He peeked his head through the entrance, scanning the cubicles. The departnt was set up like an ordinary corporate office.
No one was inside... yet the tapping continued.
Slowly, Pika shifted his gaze until his eyes landed on the ajar door of the boss’s office.
Is he here? He wondered.
Pika carefully approached the office and peeked through the gap, only to see that the lights were off, but the screen was on. And seated behind it was his forr boss.
"Sir?" Pika called as he pushed the door open, almost making his boss jolt in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
The man behind the desk looked up. Shock and panic were clear on his face, his eyes trembling when they t Pika’s innocent expression.
"Ah... haha!" he laughed. "Pika, don’t co in like that. You almost gave a heart attack."
Pika smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry."
Then he snapped his eyes back up. His brows knitted slightly as he noticed his boss’s shock lingering, despite the attempt to appear calm.
When his forr boss finally steadied himself, he cleared his throat and placed a hand on the desk, pushing himself up. He remained bent forward, eyes fixed on Pika.
"Anyway, what is it that you want?" he asked. "Why are you here?"
"Oh." Pika opened his mouth, then smiled. "Well..." He scratched his brow as he thought. "As you know, I was rewarded with becoming a team head and forming one. But until now, I haven’t made my decision yet."
That was because Pika understood how important this team would be. There were many amazing people in the Order, and while he worked better alone, he also understood the importance of having a team.
"I didn’t want to screw it up," he continued. "So I was working late and thought... I should co to you for advice."
His forr boss studied him, catching the brief flicker of sadness when Pika looked away. He let out a shallow breath and nodded.
"But that was just an impulsive thought!" Pika raised his hands, forcing a smile. "I knew that before I reached your quarters, I would’ve changed my mind. It’s just... I found you here."
He huffed sharply. "I’ll just call it a night."
With that, Pika lowered his head and turned to leave. The mont his back faced his forr boss, dread etched across his face. His heart pounded so loudly it echoed in his ears. Still, he didn’t want to show it—at least not until he felt safe.
But Pika knew...
His life was in danger.
As he neared the door, he paused when his boss spoke behind him.
"Pika," the man called, staring at his back before sighing. "I’m... sorry, boy."
*****
"Pika!"
Tyga kicked the door open, panting as the interior ca into view. His eyes shook as he scanned the small private room. So quarters were shared, but those in higher positions had rooms of their own.
Rushing inside, he checked the backroom and the bedroom. But no one was there.
"Shit," he breathed, raising his handheld radio. "They’re not here. Please find them. I don’t know where they went, but Pika’s in real danger. That guy... he’s one of them."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tyga looked around the quarter, which felt more like a small apartnt. He huffed faintly, swallowing hard.
The mont he realized where Pika might’ve gone—and the significance of the deleted files—he called for help.
"Where could they have gone?" he muttered, his chest pounding. "Damn it!"
With that, Tyga stopped thinking and sprinted off to assist with securing the church.
*****
anwhile...
"Why?"
Pika sat on a bench in the quadrangle of the Order, a place where mbers usually gathered—training, resting, or simply passing ti. Seated at the opposite end of the bench was his forr boss.
Contrary to what Tyga and the others believed, Pika was not in danger. He wasn’t restrained or held at gunpoint.
They were simply sitting together.
His forr boss smiled bitterly and shrugged before slowly tilting his head back to stare at the dark sky.
"Aaliyah," he whispered. "I don’t think I ever told you this, but my wife and I had two children who died in infancy. Then Aaliyah ca into our lives. She was our miracle baby."
His eyes softened as affection surfaced in his expression. "She was a kind girl. A bright, beautiful soul."
He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head, eyes fixed on his hands.
"You reminded of her," he said with a quiet chuckle. "She was scared of attention, but secretly smiled whenever people noticed her work."
His mouth trembled as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. "She had so much potential... so much talent to give. But her life was cut short that night. She protected others with her life."
"..." Pika studied his boss, soone he had never seen this vulnerable before. He rembered him as a supportive senior, soone who always encouraged the team when morale was low.
"Her death angers ," the man continued, "but I also understand that it was sothing she would have done. What I couldn’t accept was how her death was dismissed by the Order. By the very people she protected. By the Order she carried so proudly on her shoulders."
"Sir..." Pika spoke quietly. "Sir Atlas did his best. It wasn’t his fault."
"I know." His boss let out a bitter laugh, turning to Pika with a wry smile. "It wasn’t his fault she died. It was... this society’s fault. If this Secret Society didn’t exist, none of it would’ve happened."
They stared at each other in silence. Pika didn’t know what to say.
He had been lucky that none of his loved ones had been hard during Nathalie’s rampage. But so families had lost everything.
They were still here.
And only now did Pika truly understand how deep and endless grief could be.
Lights suddenly flooded the quadrangle, accompanied by shouts as ard mbers of the Order approached. Yet neither Pika nor his forr boss reacted.
"Pika," his forr boss said softly. "I’m sorry to disappoint you, boy. I know it was wrong—and that to you, and everyone else, I lost my daughter a long ti ago. But for ... it’s every day."
"On your knees!" Soone shouted nearby, a firing squad surrounding the bench. "Hands in the air!"
Still, the forr boss ignored them. His gaze remained on Pika as he smiled faintly and nodded, turning toward the ard mbers.
"Look away," he said.
But Pika couldn’t.
Before he could react, his forr boss pulled sothing from his coat and pressed it beneath his chin.
Pika’s eyes constricted. His breath stopped as the deafening sound exploded in his ears before a light splatter touched his skin.
BANG!
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