Unexpected {Ejen Ali Fanfic}

MATA Headquarters

Silence pressed upon them again. From the windows illuminated agents rushing here and there, and, seeing that the lights came and go, they were carrying flashlights. Yet as he sat there, looking up at times when light appeared and disappeared at the windows, his sense of panic and relief coming and going with it, he could not help feeling that they were about to be discovered soon. After all, here were seven teenagers sitting inside a cramped store room. How easy it would be for just an agent to open the door and they would be discovered.

But as what felt like an hour passed, no one had bothered to even check the store room. The lights outside the window had disappeared completely and there wasn't a single sound coming from the outside. Not even the rustle of leaves or whisper of wind.

"I think it's clear," Alicia said, checking the window again. "Let's go."

"To where?" Ali asked, as everyone filed out of the room one by one to not attract attention.

"Just follow," Rudy snarled irritably.

The seven agents then moved cautiously towards the large white building, which was MATA Headquarters. Most of the windows were alight and they could see moving shadows of agents rushing hurriedly by it. They were hidden behind two clumps of bushes near entrance, which an agent had just exited out from, heading towards what seemed to be the underground helicopter parking lot.

After checking whether the coast is clear, Alicia told the others, "Let's move, now."

With Alicia bringing up the rear, the others trailed behind her in what they attempted to be an innocent fashion through the double glass doors (Alicia had entered the password) and into Headquarters. 

Even if Ali was supposed to be acting, he could not help but gape here and there. The walls and floors were gleaming under many lights had been built into the walls that loomed tall over them. There were four dominant coloured doors in the main hall, all of them leading off probably deeper into the building. Up a flight of polished marble stairs were the doors for Neuro and Tekno, while downstairs, both beside the receptionist, were doors for Inviso and Kombat.

"Hello, Alicia," greeted a Kombat agent that had just walked by, apparently fussing over something that he had not realised Ali was there.

"Hi, Agent Razor," Alicia said. 

They approached the receptionist, a wilted looking Tekno agent who looked as if she had had the job for ages. 

"Alicia Kheng. I want to go into General Rama's office." Alicia told the receptionist in a businesslike tone.

"Oh, Alicia," the receptionist said, slightly surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Lounge?"

"Er-"

"Ah, here it is," the receptionist interrupted, handing her an extremely thin tablet the size of an average adult hand. "Put your hand here for identification."

Alicia placed her right hand on it. It scanned her hand and the background of the tablet turned green as the wall behind the receptionist slid open, revealing a long dark blue hallway. 

But just then, two agents had just walked out of it. And one of them was General Rama.

The square-faced General was deep in conversation with another Neuro agent when he came out, but he stopped abruptly at the sight of Alicia.

"Alicia? What are you doing here?" he asked harshly, as the Neuro agent beside him swept the crowd behind her with his sharp brown eyes.

"The IRIS agent!" he exclaimed, upon seeing Ali, who quickly hid behind Iman for cover. 

All the bustling agents in the hall had stopped everything they were doing to stare at Ali. Then next second, with many rustling, weapons were being brandished into sight, all of them pointing directly at the crowd around Ali.

"Alicia! What is the meaning of this?" the General growled in his most dangerous voice.

"We have...um..." Moon said, looking particularly at an agent's spike ball nervously. "We have escorted Ali here..."

"This isn't your mission!" General Rama shouted fiercely, his eyes tiny eyes popping madly. "And what were you doing, helping them?" he shot at Alicia.

"Papa," Alicia said desperately. "Please let me have a say!"

"No, Alicia," the General said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have been hearing too much of your excuses. You have broken rules too many times."

"What is going on here?" said another voice. 

From behind the reception approached another agent. But this was no ordinary agent.

"Agent Zain," said General Rama and his Neuro partner, saluting. 

"Rama. Astor. What is going on?" he asked calmly. He barely sounded angry.

"These kids-" the Neuro agent, Astor, started, while Jet shot him a burning glare from behind him. "-they were the ones responsible for the missing copter. And also, they have got the IRIS agent-"

"Ali?" Zain said, surprised. 

Ali gulped. He showed himself from behind Iman, feeling foreboding as he did. "Agent Zain."

"Oh, Ali. It's good to see you again. How are you?"

Confused expressions were exchanged around the hall. Ali himself was even confused. 

"Uh...what?" Ali said sheepishly.

Agent Zain chuckled. "You have been missing out a lot."

"Agent Zain," Astor interrupted. "Forgive me, but he is dangerous-"

"Ah," Zain said. "It is no worry now. The only reason he was identified as MATA's enemy was because he was - or rather to say - IRIS was, uncontrollable. You have been missing out a lot, Ali," he added, addressing Ali once more. "But I think," he said, giving a small grin. "That we are missing out more."