The four Lochen City officers loitered at EastMak's HQ's cafeteria, filling the air not with anxiety this time, but indignation. Mostly Brigitte's.

“I cannot believe this...” Brigitte said.

“Calm down, Breege...” said Maroon, trying to calm her friend down.

The Nikean-in-pink responded:

“Don't you see? Just like I said, they are getting rid of me...”

Ben tried to ease her with: “It's not that ba-” 

“Not only was I sent to this garbage habitation, I'll have to work with some stupid foreigner!!!” Brigitte interrupted him.

“He, at least, shouldn't be too dangerous... right?” asked Maroon, before she pulled out her cigarette and blew more smoke.

“He attacked me!” Brigitte contested.

“The report says you attacked first, technically.” Ben pointed out.

“...Whatever... I have to work with a convict and, even worse, a foreigner...”

“Yes... I understand, but... well... he did help us, he could've just as easily tried to escape.” noted the dark-skinned nikean.

“He probably just played along...” noted Maroon.

“Regardless, none of us have a choice, the Council Chamber has decided.” added Ben.

“But... I guess I am a bit relieved by this...” said Rob, just before he saw Brigitte shooting daggers at him.

“This is all your fault, you and your stupid 'plans'!!!! Can't you ever just follow THE %$#@^&@ RULES!!!” Brigitte scolded, shouting the latter part.

Rob defended himself: “H-Hey... if I had done nothing, Maroon would've been eaten by that thing.”

Maroon tried to interject: “Actually, I had already freed myse-”

“That's besides the point, 'Roon!!!!” Rob interrupted her.

But the pink officer wasn't having it: “If you had done nothing... we wouldn't be stuck in this mess... As is usual with you.”

A bit hurt by that last part, Rob pointed out: “Hey, in my defense, using the foreigner as bait was Ben's idea.”

“Don't you drag me into this!!! I simply suggested we use him as bait, freeing him was never part of the plan!!!” responded the infuriated Ben.

“Well... you... should have warned me more!!!” Rob responded.

“I... wait, what!? I expected you to be, you know... smart? Not a self-destructive moron...” Ben replied.

Rob ignored Ben's reply and began saying:

“Well... they did point out this was an extraordinary thing... right? Nothing we-”

“And you're still talking...” Brigitte interrupted, anger boiling in her tone.

“Oh, come on...” said Rob, sighing at the situation.

“Tell me, Rob... do you ever... actually think before you act? Because, for me, it seems you're perpetually stuck on a 'don't think, just do' way of living...” asked Brigitte, sarcastically.

Tired of the endless arguments, Ben said: “Brigitte... yes, he did get us into this mess... But, remember when the higher-ups asked? He immediately took the blame for all of us. Cut him some slack, what's done is done.”

Rob nodded quickly at his and stared right at Brigitte, who sighed and said: “Whatever...”

“Seriously, arguing won't solve our problems.” Maroon added before coughing up more smoke

There was a short silence, until Rob (as usual) broke it by saying:

“I didn't think I'd ever see a convicted foreigner get amnesty, that was a very specific thing...”

Maroon interrupted: “Didn't you lie to him that he could get amnesty?”

Rob explained himself: “Well... I didn't lie... there actually is a part that mentions the whole 'foreigner that helps gets amnesty' thing. But I really didn't expect it to actually happen.”

“You and your plans...” Brigitte commented, annoyed.

“AS I SAID... what's done is done... let's just make the best of it... we can't control what happens either way.” Ben exclaimed.

Brigitte just rolled her eyes and said: “Sure, Ben... Rob's already done enough, either way...”

Rob crossed his arms, looked away and said “Either way... that wasn't my decision.”, then turned to Ben and pointed out “Still, giving this guy amnesty... just like that... it's really far-fetched. Shouldn't that take months?”.

“Well, he is a foreigner, the rules are different.” Ben said.

“Even then, they're still stretching those 'rules' to Hell and back.” Rob noted.

“What happens now, then? Will this foreigner become our... co-worker?” Maroon asked.

Brigitte groaned at hearing that.

Ben, a bit worried, asked: “I wonder... what if this foreigner is suddenly... violent? Or he just... suddenly makes a huge blue energy thing and destroys the whole station?”

“I wondered that too... but he's just a foreigner. He's probably too scared to try it, it would leave him stuck in space with nowhere to go. Not to mention, he has no experience fighting either... we shouldn't worry too much about it.” said the Nikean-in-pink.

Rob then admitted: “At least, I'd like to talk to this foreigner some more... now that I'm actually allowed to. Cautiously, of course.”

“What will you ask now?” asked Ben, raising an eyebrow.

“Dunno, whatever comes up? I mean... if we are gonna work together... might as well?” the ever-curious one replied.

“I can see your point but-” Ben started to say, before being interrupted by Rob, who said “Anyways, they're saying he'll be at the lobby soon, right? When he arrives, I'll go talk to him.”.

Brigitte sighed and said: “If you are doing anything, I'll be there too... someone needs to make sure you don't do anything crazy, again...”

“Let it go, Breege...” Maroon said, patting her friend's back.

Brigitte stood up and asked: “Oh and... Rob?”

Rob sighed and said: “What now?”

“...Thank you... for taking the blame.” she finally said, reluctantly yet sincerely.

After much discussions, explanations, signing plus a lot of string-pulling, Forge was finally let free. Well, conditionally free.

“S-So... when do these... 'missins' start?” Forge asked as the cell doors slid open.

The grey-suited officer sighed, replying: “When the higher-ups tell us.”

Forge shrugged, saying: “O-Okay.”, then asked “I-If I hav' to wait for mor' missins... wher' do I stay 'till then?”

The grey-suited officer rolled his eyes and said: “The higher-ups have ordered us to give you temporary living quarters, located at the HQ, follow us.”

“Wh-What's an h-q?” the Man in the Jacket asked.

“As I said... follow us. We'll fill you in once we get there.”

“Got it, got it.” replied Forge, not appreciating the officer's attitude, before whispering “I already miss Durmod...”.

The EastMak officers led Forge through the Second Level Prison's lobby, which was about as neglected as everything else here.

“I-I was gettin' used to bein' in a cage by now... B-But at leas' the others wer' still better than the... the one here...” commented Forge, who then saw the Nikean officers all giving him a look of disdain, not remotely happy about letting this foreigner go.

“N-No need to get angry... I didn' ask for anythin'... y-your bosses did!!!” Forge defended himself.

Exiting the Prison, they walked out into the predictably decrepit Second Level. Just then, Forge realized exactly where they were taking him.

The alarmed Man in the Jacket asked: “Wa-Wait, we goin' up ther'? Wh-What if the peopl' see me? Won' they-”

“We're taking another route, civilians rarely pass through there.” interrupted the grey-suited officer.

Indeed, they arrived at a different monorail that the one he came in. This one quickly took them to the First Level, emerging a few blocks from the EastMak HQ.

The HQ itself was another tall building, though not as tall as the Lochen City Police Department, being wider instead. Even in the dark of the “night” it was clear it would have been white once, but by now nearly half of it's paint had flaked off, leaving grey splotches all over it's facade. A multitude of small windows lined up most the walls, except in the uppermost floors, which had larger, square-shaped windows, altogether forming a grid crowning the top of the building.

“I-Is that the... h-q?” asked the Man in the Jacket.

“Obviously. The EastMak Police Headquarters.” replied the grey-suited officer, with some annoyance in his tone.

“Ohhhh, s-so that's wher' the whol' 'h-q' thin' comes from... W-Wait... I'm not gettin' lock' in a cell again... righ'?” asked Forge, a bit alarmed.

The officer replied: “Just keep moving.”

“Rude...” Forge whispered in response.

Forge followed right behind the grey-suited officer, while four of the other officers remained behind him, surrounding the Man in the Jacket. All of them held unto their 'trapper-wrap' guns, ready to nullify him at a moment's notice.

Noticing this, he said “Well... can' say I blam' 'em for this... I'm a trespasser from 'nother planet and was in a jail cell 'til jus' a few minutes ago... Not expectin' them to trus' me... they shouldn'. I'll jus' behave from now on...” Forge said under his breath, before asking himself “But... what will I do if they...?”.

Now closer to the HQ than ever, they approached the windowless and flake-covered main first floor doors, about to enter. Right then, one of said doors was opened and a tall officer with a short beard, light-brown hair and bushy eyebrows stepped out, then promptly noticed the Man in the Jacket.

“What!? What is...?” asked the officer, surprised.

The grey-suited officer ignored the man as he, his officers and Forge entered the HQ, passing through the first floor hallway. The officers inside were no less surprised at seeing Forge.

“A foreigner!?” asked one of the officers.

“What's...? How...? Why is there a foreigner here?” asked another.

“I think I heard they'd be bringing one here...” a third one answered.

“Stay back, he's under our watch...” informed the grey-suited officer, as they went by.

Forge looked back at the surprised officers, most of which stared with more disgust than fear.

A pale-skinned officer with curly red-hair was passing by, about to sip coffee from a plastic cup, just before dropping it in surprise at seeing Forge, noting: “There's a foreigner here!?”

“A foreigner? A foreigner just being in our presence is an insult...” said a notably overweight officer.

“What is he even wearing? That's an optical hazard!!!” said another officer.

“A... A foreigner!? Can even a foreigner be so hideous!?” asked a disgusted-looking female officer.

“Classy...” whispered Forge, sighing, then asked “Wh-Wher' 'xactly ar' ya takin' me?”.

The grey-suited officer replied: “First, to the lobby, to meet your new team. Again.”

“Ag-Again?” Forge wondered.