Ryzel woke up with shallow breaths and a deep frown, his forehead and back pooling with cold sweat, his hands and body trembling, as he inhaled deeply and rubbed his face shakily.

Terror filled his lavender eyes as he wrapped his arms around his torso. "Fuck," Ryzel hissed and squeezed his eyes shut, then glanced at the bed across him. Ryzel let out a sigh of relief when he saw Seven undisturbed, softly snoring.

Calm down. It's just a dream. He can't hurt you now, Ryzel chanted in his mind and reached for the bottled water, only to drop it on the carpeted floor due to his shaking fingers. Ryzel clenched his fist and inhaled deeply until the trembling died down.

Needing to get some fresh air, Ryzel walked to his closet and changed his clothes drenched in sweat. He eyed his pack of cigarettes inside the pocket of his black jacket and grabbed it. He needs something to help him calm down, and that's what nicotine does to him. It helps him calm down.

Ryzel went out of the room quietly and went straight to the elevator. The hallways were dark and quiet, but the security cameras are working perfectly. Ryzel pushed the button for the rooftop when he stepped into the elevator, his foot tapping on the floor.

Emotional turmoil swirled in his lavender eyes, his fingers playing with his packet of cigarettes to relieve the tension. It has been a few years since he was able to successfully escape the evil clutches of that man, but the psychological and emotional scars the man inflicted on Ryzel were so deep that Ryzel gets tortured every single night.

"Don't fucking think about it," Ryzel chanted and when he finally arrived at the rooftop, he released a huge exhale and let the cold, evening breeze blow away his anxiety and fears. A flash of amusement crossed his eyes when he remembered what happened last night. Blue saved Ryzel, even if the latter thought it was unnecessary.

For some reason, the thought of Blue's frantic and horrified expression last night and the new captain's annoyed expression this morning was enough to distract Ryzel from his horrible past. "That man has so many expressions. Interesting."

According to Ryzel's informants, Blue is hell-bent on winning against Ryzel's team, and Ryzel can't have that. A lot is at stake for this year's sports festival: Ryzel will request that the mission should be accomplished by him alone.

The target this time is Yoshi Makimoto, one of Raymond Harris's trusted men. Raymond Harris, together with his brother, Gunther Harris, are the persons behind carrier experimentations. The Phantom has been tracing the whereabouts of those two for a few years, but with the new intel which involved Yoshi Makimoto, The Phantom is getting closer to accomplishing their goal.

Trevor told Ryzel that this operation is going to be risky since Makimoto's lair has cutting-edge security measures and guards are patrolling with only a five-second window for changing shifts. According to the file that Ryzel read, almost close to a thousand guards patrol the expansive facility.

The underground laboratory is where extensive carrier research and experimentation are being held, and according to the intel they received, the carriers that were kidnapped are close to forty. Forty individuals are treated inhumanely by Gunther and Raymond Harris. Forty carriers who were forcibly separated from their families and are needing help at the moment.

This mission is very personal to Ryzel. He will make sure to destroy that facility and rescue all the carriers. Attacking Makimoto's lair all alone is a suicide mission, but for Ryzel, he needs to do it because Makimoto is a part of Ryzel's horrible past. Ryzel will make sure that those people will pay for what they did to him and his mom.

Just thinking about it is enough to make Ryzel boil in anger, so before he explodes, Ryzel inhaled deeply and fixed his gaze on the dark sky littered with a million stars. "I will make them pay, Mum. They will regret ever crossing paths with us." Ryzel's eyes turned cold and hollow as his mind started to picture what kind of torture he was going to give to Makimoto.

On the other hand,

"Can I punch you? Just this once?" Rouge gritted out, still groggy and disoriented from Blue's sudden video call. It's only one in the morning after all. Rouge has every right to be cranky.

Blue dismissed his brother's whining and opened his journal. "Rouge, do you have any files regarding the past annual sports weeks?"

Rouge groaned and rubbed his face in annoyance. "You woke me up just to ask that? Can it wait until later? I'm so fucking sleepy. I need some rest," Rouge complained and buried his face on his pillow.

"You and me both," Blue dismissed his brother and opened a new tab in his computer. "I want to rest but this sports week won't let me. I need to conduct more research so I can win. How can I beat Ryzel?"

Rouge groaned once more and used his pillow to muffle his screams. "For the love of... you called me in this ungodly hour just to ask that? You're not going to win, Blue. Let me sleep," Rouge replied tiredly and was about to press the end call button when Blue glared at Rouge.

"Hang up and I'll tell mom that you used to experiment on me," Blue threatened with a narrow gaze and Rouge paled.

"You wouldn't," Rouge breathed out and sat up.

Blue smirked. "Try me, brother. Mom would love to hear stories of how you used me as your lab rat when we were kids. If mom founds out about this, goodbye private laboratory," Blue added with a sinister smile and Rouge gulped hard.

It's not a secret that the twins' parental unit favors one kid. Their mother favors Blue while their father is fond of Rouge. Even if both parents love the two in their own ways, their mother is slightly strict with Rouge while their father has higher expectations with Blue.

Rouge clucked his tongue and brushed his hair back in a rough motion. Rouge has a private lab constructed with the help of their parents, but because the chemicals and equipment used are expensive, a withdrawal of funds from either parent would be a huge blow to Rouge's experiments.

"Fine. You win. What do you want to know?"

Blue's lips tugged for a victorious smirk. "Can you tell me the sports where Ryzel and his team are weak? I'll start from there." Rouge is knowledgeable about these things because Rouge occasionally joins the sports week as a reserve player and watches all the games.

"Zero," Rouge deadpanned and Blue frowned in confusion. Rouge released a deep sigh and threw his twin an apologetic look. "Out of the games Ryzel and his squad joined, they always came out victorious, Blue. Every single game. That's the reason why they're formidable and undefeated."

Blue's frown deepened, not liking the news that his brother delivered. "There are fifteen games to be competed in for the sports festival. Are you saying that Ryzel's squad won eight games and emerged as the champion?"

Rouge snapped his fingers and nodded. "Well-put, brother. Just know how amazing that feat was, considering that fifteen squads are competing for the coveted trophy. Ryzel's championship title says a lot about his squad's capability and his skill as a leader. You can't beat him, bro," Rouge repeated with a shrug and being the competitive one, Blue will not let that pass.

"No! There must be something we can do to beat him. I'll try to win the seven other sports that Ryzel will not join in or is weak at, but I need you to recall if there's a particular game where Ryzel and his squad underperformed. There must be something, Rouge. Ryzel is only human--"

"Superhuman," Rouge corrected, "but I get your point. Hmm. Let me check my computer first. I think I have some clips about last year's sports week."

"Thank goodness. You have a use after all, Rouge," Blue teased but Rouge flipped his twin off. While Rouge was browsing for past clips, Blue sipped a cup of coffee and checked the opened tab. Trevor gave Blue access to all of the security cameras scattered all around the building. Blue volunteered to help with the surveillance team from midnight to two in the morning. Blue accepted the responsibility since he is a night owl.

Blue was alarmed when he saw a familiar silhouette sitting on the ledge of the rooftop. "Fuck. Not again," Blue hissed and got on his feet abruptly, startling Rouge.

"Hey, where are you going? What about the thing you asked me--"

"Hold that thought, brother. Someone is violating Section 16 of the rulebook: No one is allowed to go out of their rooms during curfew hours. I'll just give him a piece of my mind," Blue explained frantically and threw a shirt on before he dashed out of his room, leaving Rouge gaping.

Blue headed to the elevator with a scrunched expression, trying to wrack his head as to why Ryzel was on the rooftop at one in the morning. Well, it's nearing two, but the curfew hours started at midnight and will end at four in the morning. Trevor explained to Blue that curfew hours were employed so agents get enough sleep and prevent them from slipping out of the HQ.

There were instances where agents wants to have some fun outside, and Trevor has no problem with that, except that the HQ's location was almost compromised, so Trevor had to employ drastic moves. In this case, Ryzel had no intention to slip out, but Blue cannot be too sure.

This is Ryzel he's talking about; the rebel, the unpredictable, and the rule-breaker. Anything can happen if Blue lets Ryzel on the loose. Blue is not terrified that Ryzel will jump to his death this time. No. I am just uncomfortable and pissed off at Ryzel for violating the rules on curfew.

That's how Blue convinced himself to justify his restless feelings until he arrived at the rooftop. Blue shivered when the cold wind pushed past his face and raised his brow when he found no one around. "Where did he go? Don't tell me..."

Blue was rooted in his position when a chilling realization crossed his mind. Blinking slowly, Blue willed himself to run to the ledge and scanned the open field but it was too dark to see. His chest pounded nervously, his mouth drying, as fear started to consume his being. "Fuck. I don't think he's stupid enough to jump to his death," Blue hissed and turned around to run to the elevator when he stopped in his tracks and hitched a breath.

There, leaning against the wall close to the door, hidden by the dark part of the rooftop, stood Ryzel with his classic indifferent face, puffing out smoke from his cigarettes. "You look as if you have seen a ghost," Ryzel said and stepped into the area flooded with light. "What are you doing here, Winters? The curfew is still ongoing."