“Miss Junichi?” a female voice called out to her.

Still lying in bed, Ayeka shook her head slowly tried to regain consciousness. Her eyesight was still a bit fuzzy as she saw a tall, full-figured woman with shoulder leghnth strawberry blonde hair and amber-colored eyes standing over her.

“Miss Junichi, are you awake?” The woman called out again as Ayeka jolted out of her sudden slumber. She frantically looked around the room, only to be in the hospital she willingly checked into days ago.

The young woman who turned out to be the nurse comforted Ayeka, “it was only a dream, Miss Junichi.”

Still shivering, the nurse takes her by the hands and gently squeezes them. Ayeka started to take deep breaths, trying to calm down.

“I just wanted to check up on you and give you your routine pain medication,” the nurse said. “The doctor will meet up with you shortly. You’ll be checked out either today or tomorrow.”

“It wasn’t her fault…” Ayeka groggily stated as this confused the nurse. “It was mine. I came back way too soon, but… When where there was a time I didn’t deal with something like this? After this, I will go to therapy. I just… I just need to prove to myself that I can still do it.”

The nurse was confused by the words of her patient, but she tried to make the best of it since she may have had a nightmare, “Yes, but don’t push yourself way too hard, Miss Junichi.” The nurse forewarned as she handed Ayeka a cup of water with her medication.

Ayeka took the medication immediately and began to relax.

“Also, you have a visitor. I’ll leave you two alone.” The nurse announced as she leaves the room.

Ayeka’s relaxation will be short-lived when a smiling Noel knocks on her door and enters the room holding a fruit basket, “I come in peace.”

“Go away…” Ayeka bellowed while she coughed.

“Now, now. Don’t be that way,” Noel defused. “I couldn’t get a hold of your other partners. In reality, Natalia was moved to a residential apartment, waking up in a screaming fit. And I just saw Ryoko in the cafeteria flirting with the doctors… again.”

“Kayla, what about her,” Ayeka asked.

“Yeah, I would rather not repeat what she said to me,” Noel covered up.

“Serves you right. Now, take your basket with you and leave,” Ayeka demanded.

“I said you will be compensated for your mission. It was a success. Redgrave and her machinations have been left unchecked through softer regulations. Even though a lot of things have changed, some have stayed the same,” Noel said.

“Like turning a blind eye?” Ayeka baited.

“Yes, of course. That never goes out of style. And yes, I may have… miscalculated on my workups. But, the Micah-1 prototype was far more superior than the BDX-7 that killed your own years ago. Just imagine if Micah-1 was a finished product. You wouldn’t be here right now. That’s why it was important to stop the project.”

Ayeka cocked an eyebrow, “Really?”

Noel shrugged her shoulders with a smile, “you’ve always said it yourself. You wanted to strengthen the Nether Elite’s reputation, and yet you have. Redgrave will find a way, but that’s just it. She needs to find another way, and that’s going to take some time and effort to do so. And until she does, we will have to be ready. All of us.”

After the lecture, Ayeka gave her an envelope along with a fruit basket. Reluctantly, Ayeka took the envelope from her and opened it. To her surprise, it was their compensation for the mission. However, it was far more than she expected it to be, “72 million dollars. That’s--”

“About a quarter of how much Eichner and Hu spent on such crates.” Noel nodded, “well-deserved, I fear.”

Ayeka felt a bit peeved knowing her feeling are being bought, “so this supposed to make me trust you?”

“Nobody’s asking you to believe me. There is always an open door. You can either go in or out,” Noel dictates.

She couldn’t make heads or tails on what or who Noel is. But all Ayeka can understand from her is that she is indeed formidable, “something tells me you and I are going to see each other again. Aren’t we?”

“Over time, we have to form a tight network,” Noel answered. “Face it. Once before, you had to be heroes. Some of you died, and most of you fled to higher ground--”

“Is he still alive?” Ayeka interrogated as this raised Noel’s eyebrow.

“Who is alive?”

“Alastair…!” Ayeka clarified.

“Obviously, we wouldn’t house such lowly miscreants…,” Noel debunked.

Ayeka wasn’t buying it, “So, you’re protecting him. Is it because of your Majesty?”

“Who do you think I am, you?” Noel heckled as she gracefully curtsied and took her to leave.

Now alone with her own thoughts, Ayeka idly stared at the check. Of course, she was going to cash the check-in and tell no one about it. After all, she earned it. But it seems now more than ever, things have more complicated since their reformation of the group.

Speaking of which, Ayeka felt compelled to get to the bottom of who he was. Days ago, with her team in Albany, having a late lunch with Noel. They even had an unexpected guest, his own daughter. For days, she pondered who she reminded him of.

It was a longshot, but when the little girl slobbering over herself, Natalia wiped her mouth with the handkerchief. Without anyone looking, Ayeka had seen Kayla switched handkerchiefs with Natalia and kept it.

Maybe Kayla was hoping for a DNA match when she got the chance to test it? Knowing Kayla, she would use such leverage to gain the favor of some kind. But all Ayeka could do is wait for Kayla to make her move.