Astrid paced across Nigel’s office as he looked at her report and tried to process what she had told him. Nigel looked up from his desk and looked at her.

“You are saying I have a sleeper agent who works for the Circle within my organization,” said Nigel. “Are you sure about this? Are you sure we have a sleeper agent?”

“I am sure about it,” said Astrid. “I am going to ask you to do something that you might not approve of. You are the only one who knows that Dante and I are sentinels. I am going to need you to spread the word within the organization about that information.”

“If he has infiltrated our organization, then…” said Nigel.

“Then, he has infiltrated all the other organizations as well,” said Astrid. “That is where he is getting his information from… corrupt intelligence organizations.”

“What are you and Dante going to do?” asked Nigel.

“Not hide… that’s for sure,” said Astrid. “We are going to prepare for whatever the hell he is planning, Nigel.”

“I’d be putting you in danger,” said Nigel. “Real danger.”

“We are put in danger every day,” said Astrid. “In both lines of our works. It’s an occupational hazard.”

He let out a sigh. “Okay… I will take you for your word for it. Be careful out there, you two. To award suspicion, I will continue with my investigation here.”

“Do what you got to do, Nigel,” said Astrid as she pulled on her black leather jacket over her breath-on pull over hoodie and turned toward the door. “My plan will still work.”

That afternoon at headquarters, Caleb stood at the table as she packed a go-bag to prepare to head to her family safehouse. It was on the edge of the city.

“This is insane,” said Caleb. “You are practically luring the sleeper agent or agents out to get you.”

“That’s the idea,” said Astrid as she put her gun in its holster on her waist. “We separate… go to different safehouses and work on their organization and continue to do what we are doing, mainly investigating what Nox is planning.”

“Be careful,” said Caleb.

Astrid wrote down what she needed to tell Dante on a sticky note and then left the headquarters. The safehouse was like a normal house with very advanced security.

“This is home sweet home for the next few weeks,” said Astrid.

She dropped her duffle bag and her backpack on the couch. Her dark brown hair with soft curls, fell over her shoulder as she ran a hand through it and sat down on the couch. Her phone rang and she saw that Dante was video calling her on the satellite phones that Caleb had designed.

“How are you doing?” asked Dante. “I rather like these safehouse that your family has.”

“Yeah… most children grow up in vacation homes,” said Astrid. “I grew up in safehouses all around the world throughout my childhood. It’s kind of weird thinking of it, you know, coming full circle. I miss you.”

“I don’t get this. We are really great and capable agents, and we are hiding from them,” said Dante.

“It’s a trap for them. We are not as powerful alone as we are together,” said Astrid. “They will be tempted to come after us. In the meantime, we will continue with our investigation.”

“What did you find out?” asked Dante.

“I traced the bug that Nox planted in my computer on headquarters,” said Astrid. “He is operating off of an island called Malagosto.”

“Malagosto,” said Dante.

“Yeah,” said Astrid. “I have heard of it before too. It’s an island of the cost of Italy. I vaguely remember the people who had taken me captive mentioning it.”

“If you ever want to talk about it…” said Dante.

“I don’t,” said Astrid.

“You never open up to me,” said Dante.

“I’m not ready to open up to anyone about what happened there during those six months,” said Astrid. “It was pretty traumatizing… I’m not keen on talking about what happened there.”

“I know that it must have been traumatizing, it was six months,” said Dante.

“Then, another six months in the hospital,” said Astrid. “From what I heard, I was really injured and in a serious coma. You are my best friend…” my everything, she thought. “Some things though, I am not ready to discuss.”

“Malagosto… isn’t that the place where you trained?” asked Dante.

Astrid took out a mug. She took out milk and ready-made hot chocolate powder from the cabinet. She poured the powder into the milk and put it in the microwave.

“For a year, Dante,” said Astrid. “And when I was there, I only knew some of its history before it became a school for assassins.”

She poured it in a thermal cup before thinking about her time there. The island was isolated. It was a training center for those who wanted in the Circle.

“You think the Circle has been supporters of Nox’s plan to conquer Earth,” said Dante.

“It’s a thought,” said Astrid as she sipped her hot chocolate while they talked over video call. “A theory, but I am not completely believing it either.”

“What does Nox want?” asked Dante.

“Besides, our powers… he wants to have conquer every world and every time and become really powerful,” said Astrid. “And having both of our powers. I also think that he does not want any resistance to his regime…”

“He does not want the prodigies in his way,” said Astrid. She placed the heat-resistant cup down on the table. “I think, he means to either kill us or to remove their abilities.”

“This is all clearly hypothetical,” said Dante.

“Hmm… maybe not,” said Astrid. “I have an idea.”

“An idea, and what would that be, Ash?” asked Dante as he closed the door to the house.

“I’m your boss and your partner,” said Astrid. “And you don’t need to hear this idea from me. I better start making dinner. We’ll be in these safe houses for a while. I’ll call you later if my plan works. We need to talk about things. The team has been through a lot. We have been through a lot. We need some time. I don’t like being in a safe house either, but our team can’t have another loss.”

“We? As in you and me?”

“That’s not what I meant, Dante,” said Astrid. “I mean, be careful.”

The call ended. Astrid sighed as she sat down on the sofa… she missed him already, why couldn’t she tell him how she felt. He was her everything and meant so much to her. She loved him. Things were just complicated between them.

“Hey, Lena. How do you feel like breaking into our old assassin school?” asked Astrid.

Lena’s answer was yes. She had asked Lena to tell her about everything that she saw there but this house arrest and hiding was driving her crazy.

It did, however, give her time to reflect on the past. Meeting Dante was probably the best thing that happened to her.

“So, your plan was to ask your friend what was going on that island?” asked Dante.

“No, my plan was to go with her,” said Astrid. “But it has been a week since I told our boss to spread the news. So, either one of us should be getting our first visitor soon.”

“If there is a sleeper agent…”

“I’m sure there is one, Dante,” said Astrid, a little irritated that he didn’t trust her. “I know you don’t like it that I don’t come to you with all my trauma… but I am just now facing it and I wanted to come to you, but since I was not alone in there… I had to-to appear strong for the sake of the kid who was trapped in there with me.”

“And then you buried it,” said Dante.

“I thought it was the only way I was going to get through it,” said Astrid. “I was wrong as it is all coming crashing down on me now… just as I was wrong about not telling you.”

“So… you are ready to tell me,” said Dante.

“Little by little,” said Astrid. “I was captured maybe early June that year. I was investigating a recent bioweapon test and at that time, yes… I was investigating the Circle, but I had no idea they were so serious about the threat.”

“Why weren’t you affected?”

“Our special DNA protected me against it,” said Astrid. “The other agents died because of the bioweapon. I don’t know if you know how it feels to be responsible for that much death.”

“You are not responsible,” said Dante.

“Me and a couple of agents who had been inoculated against the bioweapon. Those other agents who died… it was my fault because I didn’t see the signs or read enough into it. The trap was set for me, and it worked. Perfectly.”

“You want to take a break?” asked Dante. “You don’t have to tell me everything today.”

There was a choked sob as she wiped the tears away from her face as she sat on the couch.

“No… I am okay,” said Astrid. “Anyway, we as agents are trained to resist interrogation. I did not expect them to bring a teenager, a child in. They said that they would hurt him if I did not speak up.”

“Damn… that must have been tough,” said Dante.

“I made a deal,” said Astrid. “After the first month of seeing the kid, Evan, come in beaten I could no longer stand by idly. I made a deal with them. I would tell them everything I know about their organization.”

“But you didn’t…”

“And I got tortured,” said Astrid. “Repeatedly.”

Dante winced on the other end of the line. Imagining it in his head did not make it easier that he was not there for her at such a time. He did not say anything.

“It was months. Half a year,” said Astrid. “I marked the wall for the first three months and a part of me hoped that someone knew that I was missing but I eventually lost hope.”

“I wish I was there for you,” said Dante.

“A part of me was also ashamed,” said Astrid. “Ashamed that I had let them nearly break me. It was really close… I would have given them everything I knew.”

“But you didn’t…” said Dante. “And I think that is what really matters out of all of this.”

Astrid ran a hand through her short dark brown soft curls, as she got up she kept the computer within eyesight. Those memories haunted her every day.

“You are overanalyzing, Ash… like you always do,” said Dante. “You were put in a terrible situation, and you did what you could and obviously they never got to the point of getting all the information out of you.”

“I guess you are right,” said Astrid.

“Hmm… I’m always right,” said Dante. “And the truth is that the only reason I was asking about your plan was because I know you have not interrogated people in a while, and it might bring back bad memories.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Astrid.

“I hate to ruin the moment,” said Lena.

“Back already?” asked Astrid as she turned to see Lena shove the backpack off her shoulders. She ended the call. “That was relatively fast.”

“I didn’t like going back,” said Lena. “But you needed help.”

“Thanks,” said Astrid.

“There’s not much left of our old school,” said Lena. She removed a file and handed it to Astrid. “But there is something definitely going on that old island. I got the photos developed before I came here.”

“I wish I could have come with you,” said Astrid. “I am betting a hundred that the sleeper agent will come looking for us. I wish I had more information though.”

“Anything to help a friend,” said Lena. “You know, you should tell him how you feel. You did not tell him, did you?”

“No… I broke up with Luis, but I did not tell Dante how I truly felt about him,” said Astrid.

“Tell him then,” said Lena. “The mortality rate in our line of work is not long and you should spend the time you have with the people you love.”

“I would say the same for you,” said Astrid. “You ever tell Walker how you felt about him?”

“Touché,” said Lena.

“I will tell him… I just need time and I think he understands that as well,” said Astrid.

“Well, tell him before you lose him,” said Lena.

“Thanks for stopping by,” said Astrid. “I was getting bored of staying in this safehouse. Now, at least, I have something to keep me occupied.”

Lena chuckled as she shouldered her backpack. “I could say the say the same. I was getting tired of my office at the NSA. It was good being back in the field, even if it was for a little while. I can’t believe you offered those jobs to us… after everything we have done.”

“I don’t hold people’s pasts against them, Lena,” said Astrid as she turned around to look at her friend. “That would be very hypocritical of me.”

“It would be, wouldn’t it?” said Lena. “And that’s why we love you as our friend.”

She got some time to look through the files and in her mind, she started to have some idea what they were building on the island.

She went to command center that the safehouse had on the lower level of the house, stocked up with the latest technology and hardware and software.

“I can’t believe these safehouse have command centers,” said Dante, as he showed up on the huge TV-like computer screen. “I followed your instructions, but I didn’t believe what you told me until I saw it. When are the others logging on?”

“We are a big family of spies,” said Astrid. “So, expect the unexpected, Dante.”

Astrid cleared her throat. “Ten minutes.”

“You look nice,” said Dante.

“I’ve been going on energy drinks…” said Astrid. “And fruit for the past few days. I have been working on something that Lena dropped off. It kept me busy.”

She took a sip of her black coffee with cream and one pump of sugar.

“Hmm… that why you called?” asked Dante.

“I wanted to hear your voice,” said Astrid with a small smile as her eyes drifted up towards the screen. “It’s been days since I heard your voice. I missed you.”

“Though, you looked like you have not slept in days either,” said Astrid. “Dante, I know we are the team leaders. I have friends who can take care of pattern analysis.”

“You don’t want my help,” said Dante.

“I do… but there is a reason we are partners, yes?” asked Astrid. “It’s why I have a lot of sources and I am getting close to figuring out what exactly is going on.”

The feed from their headquarters came on and she could see her friends now. Astrid leaned against the holo-table as she looked up at her friends with a smile.

“How is the house arrest going?” asked Caleb.

“We both are going stir-crazy,” said Dante. “I suppose, you want to know why we called.”

“Yes,” said Drew.

“A week ago, I contacted a friend to do some investigating on the island of Malagosto,” said Astrid. “The location of our old assassin school. I had a gut feeling that Nox would be using that dead island as a base. She gave me these pictures yesterday.” She threw them onto the screen. “It occurred to me yesterday that I have seen all these components before.”

“Where?” asked Sean.

“Dante, I believe this is your area of expertise,” said Astrid.

“Shell corporations,” said Dante. “All around the world. We believe the main organization behind this though is Galaxy One.”

“We need you guys to look at the warehouses,” said Dante.