VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Ishaan clenched the phone tightly and then tossed it onto the couch. Every ounce of him did not want to make the call at all, and he fidgeted in the seat as the phone rang. The phone felt heavier than usual, and unfortunately, Ishaan had a lot of heavy things to say in his report as well. 

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Of course, he could just avoid the subject altogether. No one had to know. As he deliberated on how to avoid talking about it, someone answered on the other end. 

He took a deep breath, holding the burner phone away from him, and spoke. "This is, 2560 on Line B, reporting to Mr. Murray."

"Sure. I'll connect you."

Click.

There was a pause. A pause of silence. Ishaan took this as a sign that maybe, just maybe-

"This is Mr. Murray speaking. Is this 2560?"

"Yes sir, it's me, Ishaan."

"Ah yes, Ishaan. Seeing as you're 2 days early with your report, I suppose you've found something?"

Ishaan pursed his lip. "We, had a memorial today. All the dead were confirmed."

"So the bodies were identified? All of them?"

"Yes sir, that's what I wanted to report. No one from Division A. All civilians."

"Jeremy Neuvill is officially proclaimed dead, yes?"

"Correct sir."

"Very well. Has the cause of death been confirmed?"

"Police are still uncertain. They suspect apoptosis of some sort. It may potentially be-" Ishaan cut himself off. Was Yu-jun behind this as well? 

"2560? Are you still there?"

Ishaan cleared his throat. "Sorry sir. I was reconfirming my findings. There is potential that an external force other than G.A.I.A. stopped him, but the police have identified that possibility as low. At the moment, it is believed he has self-destructed."

"Alright. Thank you for confirming. Do they have any evidence on our side? Of G.A.I.A."

"They have identified similar beings in Novarica from their intelligence. There may be a diplomatic meeting called between Novarica and Carinthos." 

"Looks like I'll have to do some talking again. Highly doubt they liked the last time I did.  Anything else? Any suspicious people?"

Ishaan held his tongue. This was the moment. Should he reveal his observations on Yu-jun?

"2560." His voice sounded soothing but firm. "No, Ishaan. If the work is too difficult at Zone F, I can assign someone else. You can come back to HQ."

A chill went up Ishaan's spine. "No sir, that's okay. There is someone I'd like to investigate further. I just don't want to misidentify people."

A light chuckle echoed over the phone. "Well, better to catch more than necessary than to miss the person. Please tell me more. Your participation is essential."

_______________________________________________________________________________

"That's all sir. Nothing else. Shall I end the conversation?"

"Yes, thank you for your report. We'll take appropriate action and let you know. You may hang up the call."

Click.

Mr. Murray spun around in his office chair. His desk was littered with papers, filled with reports from each Division, divided by Zone. Folders lay opened and sprawled all over. 2560's latest report, along with a blue ballpoint pen, sat in the centre of it all, the hurricane-like mess on his desk. 3 missing posters were pinned up behind him; 1789, 2357, and 7061. 

Usually, Mr. Murray was always nagging about keeping papers in order, about maintaining a space of cleaniness, but today, he felt a surge of euphoria, of excitement, of success. This was so much so that his desk, which was usually spotless, had a coffee spill from his burst of joy, and messy papers decorated every corner of his office. 

7061. After many long years of searching, finally, he'd found someone. Someone who could potentially be her. 7061, the near-perfect human he has raised. A puzzle wrapped in perfection.

"Send Division B to Zone F," he ordered. "There's something I'd like to investigate there."

[SEASON 1 END]