Unexpected {Ejen Ali Fanfic}

Independence

"But General, wouldn't it be best if we call Ali along?" Sapphire urged the General, who was already looking very agitated. 

"We can't risk for another IRIS takeover, Agent Sapphire," he grunted. "That boy isn't any good if he couldn't control a simple device."

"I insist we summon Ali," Sapphire stated shrilly. "He still young. And it was only with that mode did he manage to defeat Uno last time! Ordinary agents stand almost no chance to Uno, even Rizwan!"

General Rama's moustache twitched as she said that. Sapphire realised what she had shouted out and shrank back hastily.

"I'll...go and call the other agents..." she said hesitantly, pressing on the holographic platform so that a hologram popped up between her and the on-screen General.

The General observed her keenly for a moment before sighing. "Call Ali too."

Sapphire stared disbelieving at the General. Then she furiously started typing on the hologram. 

"Agent Sapphire, remember to report to MATA about IRIS' status," General Rama ordered as a last message. Sapphire nodded, and the transmission was ended.

***

After thinking the whole lot through about facing Uno again, Ali rather thought he needed IRIS to help him. The next schooling day, he specially brought Comot to school, hidden in his bulging bag. Once again, Alicia did not turn up to school, which he was surprised made him more despaired. He did not notice much as the hours of the school slipped by as quickly as sand in hand. All he really anticipated for school to end so that he could start out with his plan.

He was the first to dash out of Maths class when the bell rang. He hung around the corridor with the secret entrance to MATA for a while, waiting for all the students to clear. 

A water gun in his hand, he peeked out from a wall towards the CCTV at the far end of the other corridor.

"Ready Comot?" he asked his cat.

It nodded and bent down low on its paws.

Ali squirted a good amount of water on the CCTV. A puff of smoke coming out from it was good enough to tell him that it had done the work. Ali and Comot quickly pelted out of their hiding spot to the staircase doors, where Ali was searching frantically for its power source, since he didn't have IRIS to assist him this time, it took him a good few minutes before he found it.

"There," he said, as he flipped a switch and the doors to the lift clicked open. "Comot, go and get IRIS."

But the white cat still sat there, looking blankly back at Ali, as though expecting him to go first.

"You have to go yourself," Ali said softly, hoping not that Comot wouldn't get offended. "I'll wait over here, OK?"

Comot gave a reproachful meow, which Ali reacted by shoving it into the lift. Before it could run out, the doors to the lift had shut. 

Three minutes passed before Comot returned with IRIS clenched safely in its mouth. It ran flat out at Ali, who was hiding in the next corridor, and dropped the cold metal in his hand.

"Thanks, Comot," Ali said, scratching Comot's chin gently. It nuzzled with delight.

Ali pressed on the blue coating of IRIS, and it scanned his face. Next, a pair of glasses had formed itself on the bridge of his nose.

"Now, let's go investigate."

***

Alicia, Rudy, Khai and Bakar were gathered in the Control Room, awaiting for instructions from the General. Sapphire hasn't arrived yet and so did the transmission from the General. Rudy was standing in a corner, not talking to anyone else. Khai, a bespectacled Tekno agent, was looking worried; his eyes kept darting around the facility, as though expecting for something blow up any moment. 

"Hey, Alicia, alright?" Bakar asked, smiling.

"Better." Alicia sighed, stretching her body.

It was right after that when Sapphire entered the room and General Rama's serious face appeared on the rounded screen. All the agents in the room hastened to line themselves up immediately. 

General Rama looked around at the fellow agents. "Where is Ali?"

"Maybe he's out for a snack?" Bakar suggested. 

General Rama scowled at him, and Bakar nervously chuckled. 

"Anyways. Sapphire." he called.

Sapphire nodded, and stepped more frontwards so that everyone can easily keep her in sight. 

"Today, your mission is to defeat Uno's group-" 

But her next few words were drowned when Bakar and Khai gasped loudly. 

"You want us to defeat Djin?" Khai asked nervously.

"Well, yes." Sapphire said hesitantly. "This mission's timing is unlimited, but defeat him as soon as possible and turn him over to MATA. Try not to kill, if you can."

The four agents nodded curtly in unison. 

"Right," General Rama said. "Recently, it has been known that Dos and Quarto had managed to lay hands on the Azurium sniper blueprint. Whether or not it reached Uno, you must be ready. Keep on your guard and don't let him get away. 

"Bakar, you are in charge of this mission. If there is anything, contact headquarters immediately. Dismissed."

The four agents, with Bakar in the lead, trooped out of the Control Room into the white hallway. When the doors had closed, General Rama turned to Sapphire. 

"How is your investigation on IRIS?" 

"Not good..." Sapphire said timidly.

"What is it?" General Rama inquired harshly.

"It's...stolen." she said, shrinking behind her tablet.

"WHAT?!" 

"General, please, let me have a say." Sapphire pleaded desperately.

General Rama took in a deep breath, but his left eye was still twitching. And only grudgingly he said in a voice that shook with anger, "Continue..."

"I have discovered why IRIS has been acting weirdly lately. It appears that the recent activation of the overpowering mode has stirred something in IRIS' system."

"Go on..." he said, narrowing his eyes fiercely.

Sapphire gulped before continuing. "The mode gets even more accessible with every time it is activated. The last I checked, it has only required Ali's brainpower to reach fifty percent to activate it. It is possible if the next time Ali wears it, that mode could be instantly activated."

"So what do you mean by all this?" the General said slowly. 

"I-I mean...

"IRIS is gaining independence."