Zach nonchalantly walked into the Hotspot, and sat at the table Viktor, Alisa, and Aleena were sitting. “Hey guys, I’m back. Did ya miss me?” He said with a grin. “That lead turned out to be a dead end. I know I know, I’m disappointed too. What about you? Did you find out anything useful?”

---

---

Alisa practically beamed at Viktor’s compliment, leaning in with the rest of them to look at her own work. She felt like she was really starting to get good at this lately, despite all their setbacks. Maybe she wasn’t so bad at this after all? Alisa did frown at Aleen’a’s comment, contemplating. “I don’t know… even if there was, it probably wouldn’t be the whole staff. And I doubt any of them are very involved. It’s worth pursuing, but let’s try not to draw too much attention to ourselves.”

Her chai latte arrived in a little plastic cup, a straw sticking out the top. Alisa said her thank yous and took a sip, swishing it around in her mouth before grimacing and swallowing it. It wasn’t bad- not at all- but liquids always felt so weird. She highly suspected that the only reason people liked them so much was because of the feeling of hydration, but they only coated her tongue in a strange film and sloshed around inside of her. She passed it to Aleen’a. “You can have it.”

Something near the entrance caught Alisa’s eye. Was that… oh. Oh, it had to be. She nudged Viktor with her elbow and tapped Aleen’a’s leg with her foot, gesturing to the door, where a young couple was walking in. The young woman exactly matched the description MArtian Manhunter and given to them. “That’s them, she whispered. She stared outside the window nonchalantly, listening to their conversation. What she heard didn’t surprise her. The boy seemed to be infatuated with the girl. Hadn’t she seen him around the center? Alisa wasn’t sure.

Just then, something else surprising happened- Zach walked in. She kicked him under the table as soon as he sat. “Shhh! Shut up! I thought you were on your date!” she hissed. They all knew he hadn’t actually been investigating a ‘lead’.

Location: The Hotspot, Taos
Interactions: The Team

---

Viktor quietly drank his cold caffeinated beverage as he listened to Alisa’s input on Aleen’a’s comments on the staff. Like Alisa, Viktor felt more optimistic about the execution of this mission than any other before. It was far too early to stamp it as “adequate” but getting off to a good start was a big first step.

“That’s them,” Alisa had nudged him before informing him and Aleen’a. Viktor looked forward to the entrance where Alisa’s eyes were focused.

“She does fit the description, but…” The team needed a little more to go on. From what Martian Manhunter presented, everything below the eyes of the girl had been covered. Not wanting to jump the gun, Viktor decided he would hone his attention on the woman. If it was her, the mission was going even better than anticipated. They’d only been at the Hotspot for maybe ten minutes, their cover still intact, and someone closely matching the description just strolled right in with someone else that matched the victim's characteristics. At the same time, what if it was just a date.

Viktor might have pondered this for quite some time if he hadn’t also watched Zach enter the cafe right behind the persons of interest. His eyes pierced and his nostrils flared as he felt a sudden pit in his stomach. Why is he here? What made matters worse was that he was headed for their table.

A light sigh escaped him as the magician took his seat. If only things ended there. Zach started speaking about his dead-end lead while an actual lead was presenting itself. Alisa shushed him, but he also noticed the accompanied kick. With wide eyes, Viktor snatched the warm muffin and stuffed it into Zach’s mouth as he was sure he might yell in pain.

“You should try it! It’s really really really good!” Viktor attempted to save the moment while glancing toward the rest of the cafe. Then he did a doubletake as he noticed Kassy dragging Ja into the restroom! His expression now twisted in confusion, he sat as far back into his seat as he could. With a sigh, he knew he had a decision to make for the mission and his own sanity. “I require the restroom,” Viktor stated flatly before getting up and heading over.

Once in the corridor with the restrooms, Viktor realized his lack of judgment due to Zach’s distraction. Begrudgingly, Viktor knocked on the door of the women’s restroom. Yet another sigh escaped him.

---

"Thank you." Aleen'a said to their server as she gave them their meal. She offered a quick prayer to her goddess before she inhaled the food that she ordered. A couple sitting across the trio's table was looking in shock and awe at Aleen'a as she easily devoured everything in front of her without even taking time to breathe. They avoided eye contact with the Tamaranean and kept talking to each other in hushed tones, afraid that she will be their next meal.

Even while eating, she could still listen to the conversations Alisa and Viktor were having. Alisa gave Aleen'a her chai latte and the latter graciously accepted it. Aleen'a nodded and smiled warmly at Alisa, grimacing as she took a sip. "Huh. This reminds me of the viorken berry shakes we used to make at home..." She shrugged and continued to drink it casually.

She jumped on her seat when she felt Alisa nudge her foot and looked at the door. Aleen'a recognized them as well. Things will only get more intense from here on out, now that they have actually seen and were in the same vicinity as their target. They only needed to listen and wait for whatever the girl might say and do but of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Zachary entered the cafe right behind their supposed targets and was loudly proclaiming his dead-end of a "lead" to them if one would ever consider a date as a lead for a mission. He was soon made to be quiet by Alisa and Viktor so as to not blow their cover, with Viktor saying he needed to use the bathroom and soon got up to go there.

"Please try and sip from this drink as well, in case you might choke from your muffin." Aleen'a casually told Zachary as she looked at Alisa. "Should we stay put and continue to monitor them? This might be an opportune chance to put a tracking device on them..."

And as soon as hit he got there, Alisa kicked him in the knee. Before he had chance to respond to the pain in his kneecap, Viktor shoved a muffin into his mouth, and Aleena handed them a drink. Zach took the muffin out of his mouth. “Ok first of all, ow… Was that really necessary?” He winced as he reached under the table and rubbed his knee. “Second all the date was great. I had a wonderful time. He has nothing to do with the kidnappings as far as I can tell. Third of all, they’re not even paying to you. Calm down.” Zach took another bite of the muffin. “Btw, thanks for the muffin.” Even though Viktor had gone to the bath room at the this point.

---

---

“Zach! Stop. Talking!” she whispered Alisa almost felt like kicking him again, but reined in the desire. Viktor went off to the bathroom, leaving the table abruptly. Alisa had seen Kassy and Ja go in there together, but had assumed it was for something relevant. Obviously, Viktor didn’t because he got up after them and walked off. She continued watching the couple talk for a few moments, lancing at them every so often while she continued to doodle. This time, she was sketching the girl. Black hair, seedy green eyes… even if Alisa didn’t like that she kidnapped people, she had a sense of style. Hot damn! Maybe she’d copy that outfit later.

Alisa nodded to Aleen’a in agreement, quirking a smile. “Good idea. I think I might’ve brought something for that…” She dug in her pockets briefly, pulling out a miniscule round piece of metal. “Someone’ll have to bump into her on the way out. And let’s try to get both of them, alright?” The plan was imperfect, but it’d have to work…

Just then, Alisa had an idea. “Wait. I’m drawing her. Why don’t I just do the both of them and show it to them on their way out? That’ll be less suspicious than tripping into them, right? I’ll finish it and then I’ll do it while Kassy’s in the kitchen. Is that a good idea?” She looked a little unsure, twirling her pencil between her fingers.

---

Completely unaware of the situation outside, Kassy was in the bathroom. Her head was bent to the sink and she was guzzling water straight from the tap, germs be damned. Most human viruses didn’t bother her anyway. Her face was still flushed, and her heart was thumping as if it wanted to escape her body.

After a solid 30 seconds of drinking, she pulled her face away from the spigot. “What’swrongwithme?” She stuck her hands into the running water and soaked her face.

Ja had been wondering that same question in the time that he stood awkwardly beside her. Ultimately, it had something to do with coffee. Though, perhaps that had to do with the fact that, being that they were always underwater, did Atlanteans drink coffee? Did they even really need to drink at all when submerged? It was a question that he felt he should have known, given his intimate knowledge of animals…but the ocean was new territory for him.

A hand extended to make contact with her back. “Are you hurt?”

Kassy flinched at what she felt was a sudden touch. “Hurt? Kinda. My chest hurts. And my skin.” She was trembling faintly. Her chest heaved as she tried to slow her breathing. “Have I been poisoned? Are we under attack?!” Her mind was flitting from thought to thought and she couldn’t land on any of them. There was a sense of sheer anxiety flowing through her.

The lad returned his hand to his side upon hearing that even her skin hurt. Though her other questions elicited a thoughtful shaking of his head. “No…No I don’t think that’s it. The motive of our target is that they are looking to kidnap, not kill…” He reasoned, instinctively reaching a hand towards his own head, only to realize his hair was down and braided. His senses felt out of whack, but he could still track certain chemical responses that people gave…the waitress seemed to have no ill intent.

“I wonder…during any of your time on land…have you ever had coffee before?”

Kassy looked at him, her dyed red hair dripping with water and sweat. “Coffee? Not really. It smells awful and I don’t like hot drinks. And Viktor only makes enough for himself.” She gripped the edge of the sink, trying to calm herself. The cool porcelain felt good on her palms, but it was doing nothing for her mental state.

“I didn’t drink any coffee, though.”

“Ah…I think you may have misunderstood what you ordered. ‘Expresso’ is simply a different, stronger form of coffee…Which doesn't necessarily need to be hot. From what I understand, people drink it to gain a burst of energy…which is probably why Red Robot doesn’t let me have any…” Ja explained his thoughts aloud, pacing a little bit, as if thinking.

“Oh! But the burst of energy is relatively temporary. It wears off in time…so maybe that will happen for you.”

“I really hope so. I feel very overwhelmed right now.” She tried to focus on her breathing again, but that didn’t last long as her thoughts flitted like a school of fish. She blinked and looked at her friend, having just realized something rather important. “...Ja. You do know we’re in the girls’ bathroom, right?” Thank goodness no one else was in here! “You should probably leave.”

Her sentence drew a chill up his spine as the realization sunk in. His eyes widened and, almost on cue, there was a knock on the door. Iwisa, as well as the rest of the Dzvuku Hyenas were very strict about these sorts of things back in Buredunia. A woman’s boundaries were to be expressly respected. If violated when they were around, the punishments were brutal. He didn’t mean to end up here, he just wanted to make sure Kassy was okay.

He felt his own heart rate kick up in his chest momentarily, wondering the impact something like this would have on the mission. He wasn’t sure how it was handled in America…Well, simply standing here wouldn’t accomplish anything. At least for now, Kassy wasn’t in need of immediate medical attention. Thus, Ja took a breath and opened the door to quickly step out.

When he did, he almost barreled right into— Viktor?

“Ja.” Viktor eyes darted over Ja’s shoulder to peer inside the restroom. He wasn’t able to see anything from his position and took a step back to allow the young lion some space to remove himself from the doorway. “What’s the problem?” There had to be one, right?

“I’m…not exactly sure. One moment we were talking, then everything changed. Her face went red, she was hot, her heart was pounding, and she was shaking…It seems like she’s coming back around now though. I think it was the coffee.”

“Coffee?” Viktor’s right eyebrow raised with his doubt but despite any underlying tension, Viktor felt Ja wasn’t capable of such a lie. “She couldn’t have drank so much that- She needs help getting water but…” Viktor glanced down the corridor towards the greater section of the restaurant before whispering. ”Our target might be here but I think I can buy you some time. Saw it on reality tv, so it should work,” Viktor gave a confident nod.

Once outside of the bathroom for a little longer, Ja’s face seemed to focus rather intently on the end of the corridor. His head rotated left and right furiously for a second, flicking the braids past his face purposefully. His nostrils flared, sharply inhaling.

”I…there is someone here that I…recognize?” The hushed statement seemed to confuse his own lips as they exited. Returning his attention to Viktor, Ja nodded. ”Do what it is that you must do.” Viktor was already making his first step away.

“Same to you.”

Ja watched him go before turning back to the door. Now more consciously, he knocked on the door to grab Kassy’s attention.

Kassy, who was dousing her face with water, startled at the knock on the door. Usually she wouldn’t have jumped, but everything was a bit too much right now.

Going to the door, she peered out. It was just Ja, so she smiled gratefully. “Hi. As long as my heart isn’t going to explode, I’ll be okay.” She still looked unwell, though not as bad as she initially had.

The jungle boy smiled back. “Good…It was V who came over to check if everything was alright…and apparently the…special someone may be here. I think I…” He paused and put up air quotes with his fingers, “‘recognize’ them. What they can do…sort of…Do you think you’re well enough to come back and sit down?”

Kassy nodded, tiny droplets of water scattering. “Yes, I think so.” Some of the redness in her face was going back to normal. “Just let me tidy up.” She closed the door again, wiping down all the surfaces she had inadvertently wet. Once that was done, she exited, trying to look as normal and casual as possible while she swept the cafe with a gaze. There was that dark haired girl, with a surprise.

She almost, almost spoke his name out loud, her lips clamping around the name ‘Riley’. She tore her eyes away and sat back at the table. Her leg started to jiggle almost immediately. She bit off a mouthful of the chicken sandwich, which was still warm. It was actually pretty good, but she was just eating it to hopefully counteract the caffeine in her belly.

Ja in the meantime had walked with something of a pep in his step, casually selling the idea that he was at ease. Inside though, the feeling of the red increased, sensing that someone else with animalistic abilities was near. Instead of looking directly in that direction, his head turned to the opposite and he inhaled. When he did, his hair became much more soft and limp, opposed to its natural state, prompting the beanie he wore to slide off of the braids and onto the ground.

Realizing his ‘mistake’, he turned to pick it up, sneaking a quick glance to the table where the alternative animal surge came from. The girl, it seemed, had some sort of reptilian ability…And seemed vaguely familiar. It was as though he had been in her presence before in some way…a familiar scent…but where did he see her before? He didn’t let his gaze linger, quickly turning his head and putting his hat back on. He didn’t want to be suspicious, and it wouldn’t be a good look to be studying another girl while on his…date…

Smiling, he took a seat next to her this time. With her at his side, he was able to turn his head away from the rest of the restaurant. “I think I found the guest…any idea where they might be from?”

Kassy put her chin in her hand, speaking low behind her fingers so her lips could not be read. “Yeah. Definitely reminds me of someone I may have met in Gotham. She looks… a little different, somehow. I’m not sure.” She let her gaze grow unfocused, listening for specifics in the conversation. So far, there were none. “The boy, I met him today, though. He’s nice.”

Ja slowly nodded. He knew that she was simply using Gotham as a code word for where she’d seen the suspect…Though that didn’t help him figure out where exactly he himself recognized her from, it at least established that Kassy’s seen her too before, so it must have been on a mission. If that was the case, it meant she was definitely the one they were looking for, and the nice boy she met definitely wasn’t safe.

There wasn’t much he could do without being too overt though…The animal boy leaned back in thought, reaching a hand out towards a chicken sandwich. His eye briefly clicked over to the other squad’s table…Zachy showed up…wait. Viktor said he had a plan! Maybe that would get things rolling.

He was soon to take a small victory bite of the sandwich until he realized there was already a bite mark on it. His eye twitched briefly in confusion before he remembered, he was on Kassy’s side of the table. His eyes widened momentarily and he looked at her. In goofy fashion, he laughed a little at his mistake before returning it.

”Heh! Sorry.”

Location: The Hotspot, Taos
Interactions: The Team

---

While Ja and Kassy remained at the women’s restroom, Viktor beelined to the first waitress he could find.

“Excuse me, ma’am. There’s something you and your staff team must know.” The way he spoke was slightly offputting to the waitress but she gave her his attention because, despite his tone, he wasn’t actually rude. He had a frustrated look on his face but that was just Viktor attempting to feign concern.

“Sure, what can I help you with?”

“You see the guy at the women’s restroom. Stop. I know it appears odd, and trust me, I got up from my table to confront him. However, he is not a creep. In fact, the teenage boy will soon be a father to the child the teenage girl experiencing slight nausea but they have both assured me that she will be fine.”

“Uhh, okay…”

“Good. I figured I would inform the staff team so the soon-to-be parents could have their privacy and so there was no alarm. Oh, and look at that, they’re finished. Perfect.” Viktor was going to break the conversation but figured he could take advantage of the situation. “I have a request but I’m embarrassed to say it.”

As much as she wanted to get this weird exchange over with, she felt she could at least hear him out. Oh, what could it be?

She sipped her milkshake, trying extremely hard not to appear bored out of her mind. Riley was an extremely nice guy. The influence of her powers only made that worse. At this point she was pretty sure nothing she would say or do could chase him off. It was exactly where she wanted him to be.

"And there's the hiking trail up the mountains, we could have like a fun picnic there. Or or we can go to the pool. Not the pool at the Youth Center obviously but..."

"Actually Riley you know what would be really fun?"

Riley's heart raced at the opportunity to please the dream date in front of him. He hung onto her words and gestures like a bee on a flower. Riley leaned in closer, eager to please. The girl smirked and intertwined her fingers with his. A hit of pheromones rippled into his senses. He shuddered and his pupils dilated for a few seconds.

“I’d love for you to pick me up some sunscreen. It’s a particular brand, I’ll text you the specifics”

Riley immediately rushed to stand up, knocking his chair back. He apologized to the waitress and turned back to his date.
“Totally I can get you anything you want, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Oh but before you go, let’s take a selfie together.”

She didn’t have to say that twice. He put his face next to hers and smiled like a goof. The girl waved him goodbye. Once he was out the door of the Hotspot she immediately dropped her facade. She waved the waitress over to clear the table while she was busy on her phone.

“New victim coming in hot. He’ll be there in about an hour, or actually make that two”
xxx

She texted the picture to her client. Riley was the last in the string of guys. Once she delivered him to Kobra about 80% of this job was done.

“Excuse me Miss…”

The girl blatantly ignored the waitress, already browsing through multiple of her favorite shops on her phone.

“Miss I wanted to ask if you could swap tables….”

She sighed and put down her phone.

“Excuse me? Why would I do that?”

The waitress stayed friendly with a smile plastered onto her annoying face.
“We have a pregnant customer and she’s sitting close to the kitchen. The smells might be making her nauseous. Your table is the farthest from the kitchen.”

The girl looked anything but pleased. Her left eyebrow was arched lightly and her lips were pursed into a dissatisfied pout.

“I can throw in a free milkshake for the trouble.”

“No, milkshakes make me fat. Just get me some lemon water.” She huffed and grabbed her purse.

When she sat down at Ja and Kassy’s old table she got right back onto her phone…..until Mateo walked in. He walked at a relaxed pace and scooted onto the seat across from her. He leaned in attempting to kiss her cheek but she pushed his face away with an open palm, not even looking up from her phone.

“Djeez, what’s that for..?” Mateo asked, feeling the slight sting of rejection.

“For not doing your job like I asked.” As if to prove her point he caught sight of Zach over at the Team’s table, he leaned back in his seat and winked.

“I texted you everything he told me.”

“Exactly, you didn’t find me anything useful. Do I have to do everything myself?”
When she finally looked up she shot a poisonous look at Ja and Kassy. Mateo followed her gaze and raised his brows in confusion.
“What’s up with them?”

“Apparently you get special service around here when you’re pregnant.”

Mateo chuckled.
“Maybe you should try then, I volunteer”

"Ha...ha.."
She laughed sarcastically and leaned in closer.
“You’re almost funny…” She said while trying to decide if she would kiss him or empty the glass of lemon water over his head.
"I'm not going to disfigure myself and be stuck with some annoying kid the rest of my life. No thanks. I hate kids."
She glanced at Kassy, a smug smile on her face.
"Though I'm pretty with her you won't even be able to tell that she's pregnant."

At Ja’s and Kassy’s able the waitress offered them cold ginger tea and a plate of various dry crackers.

---

Aleen'a continued to slurp from her smoothie as Viktor went off to the bathroom. She didn't notice Kassy and Ja going there before him so she genuinely thought he needed to release the urine from within his system. She was sure all humans did that anyway though now was not the time to take notice of the particular differences between the physiology of Earth humans and Tamaraneans.

She enjoyed the way Alisa and Zachary were interacting with each other, enough for her to almost crack a smile. A smile? What was this weird feeling? She was supposed to feel sad yet she could feel the warmth coming from within her. The feeling of something uncertain made her anxious and she mentally prayed to X'Hal that Aleen'a will not be the reason that their missions will turn into jeopardy again. She instead doubled her focus on what Alisa was saying to prevent herself from thinking too much about this uncertain warm feeling within her chest.

"Present... them a piece of artwork... of themselves?" Aleen'a stammered, still shaken up by the weird warm feeling. She cleared her throat and tried to speak again. "The gesture may be romantic but I am afraid that they will now realize we have been observing them for the entirety of their stay here in the cafe. We need to be discrete after all, although I must say, your art is very beautiful, Alisa." Aleen'a said, giving her friend a reassuring pat on her wrist.

Aleen'a continued to think while glancing at their target. "We must find a much more secretive, and safe, way of putting a tracker on them. Zach, perhaps your magic may be of use in this scenario?" She asked Zach, hoping he could find a solution to their problem using his magic.

She then noticed a waitress approaching the target and she was now sitting at Kassy and Ja's table. She was joined by a familiar yet unfamiliar man. Where had Aleen'a seen him before again?

"W-Why are they in Kassy and Ja's table? Who's the man sitting with her? Where are the others?" Aleen'a quietly said to Alisa and Zach while finishing her food, to prevent herself from looking too suspicious of course.

Zach chuckled. “Never!” The conversation continued, and they talked about sticking a tracer on the perpetrator. Alisa started drawing them, and brought up showing the drawing to them in order to get the tracer on them. “Oh yes, show the stranger a drawing you made of them… Just cause. That’s not suspicious at all.” Zach said with an eye roll. Aleen’a brought up Zach using his magic on them, and Zach agree with her. “She has a point. I’m a magician. Sleight of hand is one of my tricks of the trade. I’m sure I could get a tracer on without her noticing.”

Then, Mateo walked in, and sat next to their suspect, who had moved to a different table. Zach raised an eyebrow. “Well… it looks like my lead wasn’t as much of a dead end as I thought…” Zach grabbed the tracer, and marched over to their table. “Mateo, hi! You weren’t kidding. This place is amazing!” He gave Mateo a kiss on the cheek, and slapped the tracer on the back of his neck. “Who’s your friend btw?”

Kassy looked puzzled, but pleased as a cold glass of spicy-scented tea, and some crackers were placed before her. “Erm. Thank you! I did need a cold drink. This… doesn’t have caffeine, right? I just found out I’m not supposed to have any.” The waitress shook her head as she walked away.

She sipped at the tea gratefully. Though she was still wondering why they had switched tables. Half an eye was on the table with their suspect, still. When Riley was sent away, she had half a mind to go after him. But no, that would be way too telling.

Not ten minutes after Riley left did the black haired girl get a new date. She honestly seemed just as irritated and bored with this one, too – Kassy could see it in her eyes. Something strange was going on. Before she could make a move, Zach got up to talk to the young man and their suspect.

She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but she simply kept watching. It was like watching dolphins “play” someone to death. You just couldn’t look away. Something had to be done. Zach and his impulsiveness were about to spoil everything!

Zach's hand started to move toward the back of the boy's neck. She got up quickly, making a beeline for the table. “Excuse me, miss? I just wanted to thank you for switching tables with me. I was having a medical issue.”

Location: The Hotspot, Taos
Interactions: The Team

---

Viktor paced himself several feet behind Riley who had left the restaurant in a hurry. The sight of such a thing had piqued his interest, presenting a small window of opportunity.

Before this moment, he had a few options laid out in front of him. Many included lightly sabotaging the suspect’s evening date so that events could move forward and allow the team to tail her. However, Riley, the potential victim being let go so easily was something Viktor found strange. To risk losing positive control over him seemed out of character for someone planning a kidnap him. Without hard evidence, Viktor couldn’t be entirely sure but this was this situation was the best lead the team had. Three persons of interest included Riley, the mystery woman, and Mateo. One operation to uncover.

Viktor just hoped his team could handle things at the cafe while he made the unilateral decision to leave. I was able to make a few saves, but the rest is up to them… I hate it, but I have to trust them to be successful.. Too bad his idea of saves were actually potential obstacles for everyone inside as he had piled on another tale.

“I have a request but I’m embarrassed to say it.” Viktor had caught Riley being dismissed by the suspect. Hmm.

“I have to leave because… my ex…” Viktor subtly nodded his head in the mystery girl’s direction. “...is here and I just can’t… The entire situation is very awkward... She cheated on me.” Viktor averted his eyes but was really shifting his sights out of a window at Riley who had just exited.

“Oh… I’m sorry but what-” She wondered what that had to do with her or how she could even help something like that.

“Listen, I’m unable to face my friends with this, so… I will pay their bill with and tip you personally if you agree to tell them I… had a stomach ache. Sufficient?”

“A deal's a deal, I guess. Follow me to the register.” The only thing she cared about was the easy cash. Viktor paid, tipped $50, and was on his way out the door to follow a different element of their lead. The prey.

Viktor began to game plan in his head about how he would approach Riley. He knew he’d have to do so without interfering with his trajectory. If the mystery woman was indeed the culprit, Viktor only thought it best to allow the hunter to take its prey so it could be followed to its lair. When he was given a moment of pause, he texted the good ol' group chat.

Tailing the guy who just left 😠

Viktor favored the determined expression of the emoji he chose.

Emerald eyes looked Kassy up and down while she talked.

"It looks like you're pretty far along...." With some effort she produced a fake smile. There was something off putting about her. Even when she was nice, there was a snootiness to her tone and facial expressions. The white dress, dainty jewelry. It was a ruse. A snake hiding in a bed of flowers. The girl softly patted Kassy's stomach.

"Good luck getting the weight off." This time she did sound genuine. It was as if she was wishing Kassy strength to recover from some terrible illness.

She arched a brow at Zach's obvious attempt to mark his territory, practically pissing on Mateo. Her nose twitched like she smelled something disgusting. As much as she wanted to one up this puppy dog she really couldn't be bothered. Mateo was a clingy bore, he could have him for all she cared.

"He's my swimming teacher." She looked right into Zach's eyes, barely selling the lie. The girl glanced over at the table where Aleen'a and Alisa were sitting. She noted one of them was missing, the super serum enhanced baby sitter. She turned her attention back to Zach.
"Mateo's got some swimming tips he's dying to share with you. I'll join your friends over there while you.....chat"

On her way over to Aleen'a and Alisa she slithered back into her nice girl persona.
"Hi there, I figured I'd give those two some privacy." She said nodding to Zach and Mateo. The girl put down her purse and smiled at Aleen'a and Alisa.

"Hope you guys don't mind me joining you for a bit." She pretended to look at the menu she'd already memorized by now.
"Can I get you anything?"

The waitress passed by their table and she ordered a plate of local sweets for the three of them to enjoy.

---

---

A pink tint came to Alisa’s cheeks, and she stared down at her sneakers in embarrassment. It had sounded like a good suggestion in her mind! People loved it when you drew them- she had seen all sorts of YouTube videos about it. Zach’s eye roll, however, just made her feel dumb. “Sorry,” she muttered. Zach then got up to go put the tracker on them, and he did perhaps the dumbest thing he could’ve done- try to slap it on the guy’s bare skin. Maybe Alisa wasn’t so stupid! She glanced at Aleen’a in bemusement, shrugging as if to say ‘I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing’. Luckily, Kassy intervened at the last second, stopping Zach in his tracks. Thank god they had at least one smart person on their team, because Zach was an idiot. Alisa felt a twinge of annoyance. Her idea would’ve been better.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she checked it, furrowing her brow. Apparently Viktor had left, and was that… an angry emoji? Alisa was briefly confused, but put it away. She at least trusted Viktor to not do anything too dumb. Hopefully.

Alisa listened to the conversation between Kassy and the black-haired girl. Huh? What weight? And Kassy wasn’t sick… maybe a ruse? She had a start, though, when the black-haired girl started walking towards their table and sat down. She glanced, poker-faced, at Aleen’a in panic.

“Um. Sure, I’d love some desserts!” Truthfully, Alisa did not feel like putting any more food in her mouth, but she guessed she’d have to. Noticing her notebook still open on the table, she hurriedly pulled it into her backpack. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met… but I’m Ally, and this is Eena. You’ll have to excuse Zach for interrupting you two, he’s a bit of a player. And a bit oblivious sometimes.”

---

The kiss on the cheek made him smile even more and he failed to notice whatever was going on with the tracer Kassy was barely able to swat out of Zach's hand.

He waited until his "swimming student" left before making eye contact with Zach. He smiled and held out a chair for him. Ever since he met that girl became obsessed with pleasing her. The feelings and emotions connected to her faded over time, but then before the obsessions subsided she would always pull him back in, creating a fatal loop. Mateo didn't know how or why she did it. One thing was for sure, it was nearly impossible to break free of her grip.

It was like she turned him into some other guy he didn't recognize. His own thoughts were fighting with thoughts of her. He knew it was happening but he couldn't stop his own mind. Zach was a great distraction. Mateo loved his loud personality, he demanded all the attention and he did not mind one bit to give his to him. It helped him stay sane.

"Of course I know my stuff" He said confidently. Mateo waved over the waitress, ready to order for both Zach and him.
"Wanna share a chocolate milkshake? Plus whipped cream, so I can lick it off your nose"

Zach didn’t even notice that the tracer was knocked out of his hand. He did witness the girl being needlessly savage to Kassy before going to Alisa and Aleena’s table. If what happened in Atlantis was anything to go by, Kassy would no doubt teach her a lesson later.

He didn’t believe for one second she was just his swimming student, but that was neither here nor there. Right now, their were better things to think about. He sat in the chair Mateo pulled out for him, and grinned. “Oh yes, definitely!” He held out his hand. “Esor!” A red rose appeared in his hand and he handed it to his new lifeguard crush. “Although, it probably won’t be as sweet as you. Btw, you should give me swimming lessons sometime. I mean, I already know how to swim, but I’m not about to turn down an opportunity to get in a pool with a hot guy.”

Riley gulped with his throat and gills simultaneously. He was staring at the price tag on the bottle of extremely expensive sunscreen. How the heck could sunscreen be this expensive? What was in it anyways? He looked at the back. While reading he came to the conclusion he had no idea what any of the ingredients were. Whatever they put in there was probably expensive too. It couldn’t just all be branding right?

She seemed like the type of girl to use something like that. You’d have to really care about protecting yourself from the sun. He usually didn’t even bother. Anything to make her happy though. He was going to feel this purchase halfway through the month, but he didn’t care. He’d live on noodle packets for all he cared.

Riley made his way over to the register with the prized bottle in both hands.

BUMP!

Riley had run into a brick wall of a guy. Or perhaps it would make more sense to compare him to a car as he fell backward from the impact. He would have fallen to the ground but the stranger grabbed him by his shirt and belt. Though they were odd spots to grab, Riley felt surprisingly secure.

“Uhh hey man I’m kind of in a hurry here so…” He managed to say despite their awkward position. The gilled teen started to pry the other guy's hands from his clothes. While he was fidgeting the bottle of sunscreen slipped from his hands.

“Oh crap!”

With a swift swipe, the bottle was grabbed and pulled right up to Viktor’s unamused face. He wondered how someone could be so clumsy. It wasn’t without benefit, however. For Viktor, nothing was without intention. When Riley attempted to reach out toward the sunscreen, Viktor pulled it away.

“This isn’t the kind you want. The brand, yes. It’s quite exceptional, but you want the one without the zinc oxide. Come, I’ll show you so you won’t have to waste time searching.” Viktor nodded toward the back of the aisle while stashing the unwanted sunscreen onto the closest shelf amongst shampoo bottles. “First time buying or is it for someone in particular?” Viktor kept his eyes forward and his ears keen. It was time to put all of that time watching reality television and commercials to use.

“Uhh…” Riley stammered. What was this guy’s deal? And how come he knew this much about sunscreen? Riley looked him up and down. He was tall, ripped, and had an arrogant face. The kind of guy Riley usually avoided. For some reason, all the girls were dying to be rejected by dudes like that. The less they cared the harder they tried.

He watched him stash away the sunscreen somewhere it didn’t belong. Nice going douchebag, give the staff more work to do.

“Like I said I’m kind of in a hurry. So unless you work here….can you get out of my face?”

His tone was uncertain, making his delivery less demanding. It was more of a question, easily dismissed by someone like Viktor.

“I already know you’re in a hurry.” Viktor suddenly stopped before facing Riley, looking down at him with a cold gaze. It was a bit of a power move, but Viktor managed to sigh which helped relax his posture. “I’m only ensuring you don’t walk out of here making yourself or someone else look like a clown,… I almost knocked you over back there, so just see this as my way of paying you back.” Viktor reached for a sunscreen bottle of a similar design to the one Riley had grabbed previously. “Guys should help each other out with stuff like this. Don’t you think?” Viktor handed the sunscreen to RIley.

Riley took the sunscreen with an appreciative nod towards Viktor.
“Appreciated man. She definitely would be angry if I showed up with the wrong one.”

“She? Must be quite an impressive girlfriend… Or perhaps you're just an impressive boyfriend?” Viktor could almost feel the tension decreasing, which would only make his elicitation far easier.


She smiled at their funny made up names. Her phone buzzed at the exact right time. With an apologetic look on her face she pulled out her phone from her purse.

"Hi it's me" The girl answered in an overly sweet tone. The male voice on the other end sounded stressed. He was speaking fast and incoherently, making it difficult to determine what he was trying to say. Especially if you were attempting to listen in. A brief flash of annoyance flashed over her features. She caught it quickly and plastered on a demure smile.

"Of course I'll be right there!"

She got up from her chair and smoothed down the folds of her skirt.
"It was so nice meeting you two, I'll take the bill and get out of your hair."
After she paid the bill she looked over her shoulder at Alisa and Aleen'a.
"I'm sure we'll see each other soon..." The sly smile accompanying her strange choice of words made it seem like she knew something was going to go down.

---

An hour or so later

Riley's dreams were coming true. He was having a make out session in the back of his car with the hottest girl ever. Granted he was doing a lot of the kissing and she was pretty much just sitting there, being gorgeous though. Maybe he wasn't doing it right. He slowly lowered himself over her and started to loosen his belt. Suddenly the girl snapped.

"What did I tell you about getting your gills up in my face!"
With a forceful shove to his chest she pushed him off of her. The pheromones were strongly influencing his behavior, so Riley started to kiss her leg and then her arm.
She pulled away and breathed deeply.

"Stop it, you're overdoing it." The rush wouldn't let him stop, until he felt a sharp stinging sensation on his cheek. He looked up to see her outstretched palm not far from his face.
"That's enough Riley."

The slap snapped him out of it and he realized what he'd done. He started to stammer an apology.
"Just shut up for a second"

She was fixated on something small and metal stuck on the inside of his belt. She pulled the belt from around his waist and held it up to her face to study it more closely. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing what it was.
Interesting....

---

Back at the Youth Center

The Team regrouped with Omen to exchange findings. Neither of them managed to find much. The Team being more successful having spotted an operative working with Kobra at the Hotspot. Viktor's contribution to the investigation proved to be vital. He planted a tracker on Riley, after Zach failed to secure one on Mateo, who was likely to be ruled out as a potential victim, having no meta-human powers. Omen agreed to keep watch at the Youth Center while the Team got suited up to follow the tracker back to Kobra's base of operations somewhere in Taos.

Location: Taos, New Mexico
Interactions: The Team

---

The situation had progressed much since departing the cafe. The team was now suited up and following Riley’s trail thanks to the tracker placed on his belt. Viktor was seated in the driver’s seat of a Justice League custom-built box truck provided for the team to move to the objective. A single vehicle drew less suspicion, and the League wasn’t sure it would be wise to have more than one designated driver. Most of the team was seated in the back that was re-fitted with in-facing seats along the sides of the cargo space, personalized tough boxes filled with their operational equipment that were safely tied down toward the front, and six overhead monitors. Two displayed their GPS in real-time, two were linked to a dashcam, and the last two depicted Viktor and Alisa seated in the cab.

While upfront, Viktor was suited up with his standard equipment except he was without his helmet that sat in the space between himself and Alisa who he had asked to assist in navigating while following the tracker’s ping.

As the surrounding environment appeared less and less habitable, Viktor mentally prepared himself for the task at hand but he also felt he had to do something while he had the opportunity. He pressed a button in the cab that allowed him to transmit audio to those in the back.

“Team, this mission is ours. We will strike swiftly… and we will do so together. Once we find the missing teens, we exfiltrate. Information gathering is acceptable but not the priority.” Viktor ended the transmission and kept himself focused on the mission at hand.

After several more minutes of driving, the team stopped the vehicle half a mile from where the tracker ceased movement. Once the vehicle was cloaked, the team dismounted and started movement toward the orange desert hills that hid away Kobra’s secret facility.

Cresting one of the hills the team had a clear view of the two-story facility that matched the color of the hills surrounding it. Only two roving guards and a single guard tower with one guard inside were visible to the team.

“Clean them up and then we'll use our secret weapon to breach the facility,” Viktor instructed over the comms channel through his helmet.

---

Aleen'a did not, and could not, say much when their target just went straight to her and Alisa's table. If she was in her fully-recovered state, Aleen'a would have talked the black-haired girl's socks off, but she was unable to think of anything to say due to the panic filling her up from the inside. That's strange, Aleen'a rarely felt this kind of mixed emotion before. Not that she was unable to but because there was nothing for her to be panicked about before. She had always relied on her powers and training during her missions so she still had some level of confidence even when it seemed the odds were stacked against her. Now, not only was she not at full strength yet but all her training did not prepare her for situations like these.

Thankfully, Alisa managed to cover up just fine for the both of them and Aleen'a gently squeezed her friend's hand under the table to show her appreciation. Still, Aleen'a couldn't shake off the feeling of embarrassment. She was supposed to be the most powerful in her group in terms of sheer strength and physiology, but it was the first time in her life that she felt utterly useless. What would happen to her if Alisa wasn't there with her? She'll surely blow their cover and be the reason their mission failed again. What would Koriand'r say if she found out her cousin was a liability? Would she be disappointed? Would Aleen'a be sent back to Tamaran? Will her parents be disappointed too?

Aleen'a could only feel sadness before. At this point, she was now starting to develop the emotion of fear.

---

The team was now en route to their target, thanks to Viktor planting a tracking device on that teenager. Aleen'a was dressed in the appropriate attire for the mission but she still couldn't fully shake out the feeling of fear she felt back at the cafe. Her heart started to race again just by thinking about it. She could only control her breathing as her way of trying to contain her growing anxiety.

She almost didn't hear what Viktor said to them due to her focusing on keeping her anxiousness from fully filling her up from the inside. She closed and opened her fist as she sighed. She could feel some of her strength coming back to her but she was still far from her peak. She could only hope that when the time came, Aleen'a wouldn't be much of a burden to her teammates.

Their vehicle stopped at a certain distance from the tracker's location and they covered the rest of the distance on foot to avoid getting caught. They got up the hill and got a clear view of the facility where Kobra kept its kidnapped teens at. There were only two guards and one within a tall tower that was visible to them. Aleen'a couldn't fly yet which might be a good thing since she might easily get spotted. She might not be back at full strength just yet but that doesn't mean she forgot her training as well.

"I shall go and take out the one on the left." Aleen'a said to the team through the comms as she already made her way to her target roving guard, using her stealth suit and the vegetation to help hide her from the enemy's sights. "I am in position. Please give me clear sign to knock guard up down." She said, waiting so she wouldn't commit a mistake due to her fear of jeopardizing her team and their mission.