Unexpected {Ejen Ali Fanfic}

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Ali had emerged in the Main Hall to be met up with Moon and Jet, who were startlingly followed mutely by Serporia.

"Ali!" Moon exclaimed, making a straight beeline towards him. "How did it go? Is it over?"

"Uh..." Ali said, who didn't at all expected to be asked these questions, as he was still considering it himself. He glanced around for some answers that might satisfy his feelings for the question, and saw that Serporia had taken advantage of Ali's appearance to slip away towards the thronging crowd. "OK...I guess?"

"He says it's OK," Moon said teasingly towards Jet.

"What did they want to do?" inquired Jet.

"They're planning to destroy the Numeros once and for all. And guess what? Me, you, Moon and Iman are going to be involved in this mission!"

On the contrary of getting happy, Jet's eyebrows had became so furrowed they became one, straight, bold line.

"That's so cool! I can't wait!" Moon said happily, positively glowing with excitement now.

"No. Moon, you can't go," Jet stated firmly.

Ali and Moon both looked at Jet, confused. Ali wasn't even sure he had heard Jet properly.

"What do you mean, I can't go?" Moon said in a challenging tone.

"It's too dangerous. You shouldn't go for this mission, it's not safe."

"None of the missions are," Ali said pointedly, to which Jet shot him a glare, as though asking him to shut up.

"But I want. To. Go." Moon puffed angrily.

"No. You stay." Jet said with a tone of final conclusion. "Rudy will go instead."

"Why does he get to go to all the cool missions and I don't!" Moon fumed, stamping her feet in anger.

"I don't want you to get hurt, OK?" Jet said through gritted teeth. "Now let's go, the others are waiting for us in the Lounge," he added grudgingly towards Ali.

That was the third time he had felt like he was somewhere he shouldn't be. Had he just heard Jet confess to Moon? Moon, on the other hand, was so enraged with Jet banning her that she probably didn't get the real meaning behind his action.

***

Since the creation and armament process were to take place overnight, General Rama had sent all the younger agents off home so that they could get a good night's rest before going into a drastic, life-risking mission. Even though Alicia lived in MATA's base, she was tasked to ensure Ali reached safety and therefore was forced to follow too.

When the General had dismissed them, a sudden thought occurred to Ali.

"Uh, General," Ali said, refusing to move from where he stood, facing the real life General.

"What is it, Ali?" he asked irritably.

"C-can I meet with my uncle?" he inquired timidly. "I got a few things to ask him...before I go."

General Rama looked suspicious, but nevertheless, he called Bakar over to the Main Hall to meet up with Ali.

"Ali!" Bakar cried with delight, hugging him tightly around his middle and nearly carrying him off the ground. "How are you? Have you been getting on fine? You know what had just happened? They'd just removed you from the villainy list!"

Still beaming widely, he let go of him. There was a soft rustle of fur under him. Ali glanced down to see Comot delicately rubbing its head on his leg, purring appreciatively to have its owner back.

"Oh, really?" Ali asked, pretending to be happy about the news, while he bent down to scoop the grey fur ball into his arms. "That's great!"

But Bakar seemed to realise something because his face fell. "What is it, Ali?"

Ali sighed, and told his uncle quietly, "What should I tell my dad? Once I get back home?" as Comot played with its whiskers.

Bakar even seem to freeze when Ali said that. He nervously scratched the back of his curly hair.

"Um...tell him any story you can think of. As long as you don't tell him about MATA, alright?"

"But Uncle," Ali said desperately, keen for him to under his position. "How can I tell him anything that won't come back to MATA?"

In the end, Bakar told him that he should better rush along and not keep the private plane waiting.

As Ali boarded the plane, feeling foreboding again, he rather felt like he could not be impressed by its superior interior any more. Alicia, Khai, Iman, Jet, Rudy and Moon were also in there. Ali took his place at a single comfortable looking seat at the far end of the plane and settled down next to the window. Comot, not wanting to disturb Ali, had leaped down from his lap and went to curl up on a vacant seat beside Iman.

The sky outside was glittering with many winking stars overhead. The dim golden light and the low murmuring of his friends only made Ali more drowsy. His eyelids drooped, and the last thing he saw, was the twinkle of a glowing bright star ahead.

***

"Ali, wake up."

Slowly, Ali opened his eyes, which felt like they were glued together. Iman was standing above him and she had a hand on his back. Ali straightened up himself, stretched, and gave a huge yawn. He looked to his left. The sky overhead were still scattered with stars.

"We better go now, the others are waiting," Iman said gently, eyeing Ali watching the sky outside.

"Oh, OK OK."

Ali followed behind Iman, who had Comot in her arms, as they got down the stairs from the plane. They seemed to have landed at Cyberaya's main airport in the dead of the night, for the sparkling building stood about a kilometer away from them. The coast was rather dark and silent, with no planes in sight, and occasionally, a cold breeze ruffled their hair as they stood and waited.

"Er...what are we waiting for, exactly?" Ali asked, after several minutes of standing in the midst of nowhere.

"Private van, to send you guys home," Alicia answered. "You guys are supposed to pretend you've been to an overnight field trip."

"But then what about me?" Ali asked desperately.

The others had glanced at when he had said that. Most of them merely exchanged worried looks, Rudy narrowed his eyes and Alicia had stopped with her mouth half gaping. From the looks of their faces, Ali could tell that they had done nothing to cover his disappearance up at all.

"It's OK, I'll just settle it myself," Ali muttered. But the honest thing was, he had no idea what to tell his dad when he had got home and there was only one thing for it.

At last, after another ten minutes of standing in the freezing cold of the night, the private van had arrived to bring them home. The cavernous van, Ali was impressed to find was so small on the outside, had two rows of seats facing each other for them to sit on. The seat was rather leathery and comfortable, and the floor was especially clean and it had somehow that classy air that makes Ali feel like being in a royal carriage.

At the back was a compartment which contains the nanotechnology bots, so that they could change on the journey. And since Ali's house was nearest, so they were going to drop him off first. Ali, with Comot at his heels, had descended the van in his normal clothes to sincere farewells from his friends. All except Rudy, who only grunted half-heartedly.

When the van had pulled away, streaming smoky strands of gas into the air, Ali still remained fixed where he was left, his right arm still raised as he watched it took a left turn and disappear.

He retracted his arm glumly and turned to stare at the glowing house behind him. That must mean his dad was still awake.

Taking in a deep breath and gathering up the little courage he had for whatever comes next, he marched determinedly towards across the garden and stopped in front of the entrance door.