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"Where's Mason?" asked James Wilder. "Has he contacted you yet?" "No. I've been waiting anxiously for his call," replied Richard O'Malley. "Have you seen the twins yet? Nicholas is the very image of his father." "Other than the discrepancy in the eye color, there's an uncanny resemblance." Wilder answered. "How are they faring? Has anyone found out about Nykki yet?" O'Malley asked. "They'll make top agents. I put them both under my son. So far, Chris is the only one who's been complaining about Alexander Mason being 'weird'. 'Why?' I asked, and he said that it was just a sixth sense. An instinct." A half-smile hovered at the edges of his mouth. "They've a love-hate relationship developing. Nykki can't stand Chris and Chris is so suspicious of her. He stormed into my room yesterday and demanded her registration records - I gave him the amended ones, of course." James Wilder chuckled softly. "She could never accept Chris. All those practical jokes. Remember? Mud in his water-gun? The spider in his shoe?" Richard's grin faded. "How is he? I read in the papers. The girl... Marianne?" "He's shut himself from everyone since then, even his closest friends and family. I think he's angry at me for having him transferred here, but I didn't have a better idea then. He blamed himself for her... I couldn't let him remain in the field for fear that he would run into a bullet's path to atone himself." He sighed. O'Malley spoke up. "And now?" "Since I put the twins under his care, he seems to be coming out of his depression. In the beginning it was really bad, we had arguments over the smallest matters." "That's good." O'Malley glanced at his watch. "It's late, I'd better speak to the twins before going back to pick up my things." "See you Richard, and welcome aboard."
"Uncle Mal! Why are you here?" Nykki asked, when she ran into O'Malley on the way from class. She glanced at Director's door. "You know Wilder?" "Hi Nyk... Alex." Richard O'Malley grinned as Nykki gave him the 'I told you it was a bad idea' look. "James and I were in the same field office as your..." He looked at Nykki awkwardly. "My father." Nykki finished flatly. He quickly changed the subject. "I've got good news. I applied for a transfer and it was finally approved. I'm checking in here tomorrow." He looked at the dark-haired girl who reminded him so much of her father, and sighed. His thoughts turned inward. I hope Mason doesn't pop up so suddenly that he gives me a heart attack, he thought ruefully. But when he does, maybe he can help Nykki, and maybe... maybe they can be a family again.
"Nick, who's that walking out of the campus?" Nykki asked curiously, waving her pen at the dark figure walking towards the academy gate. "Jordan Tannent. He quit this morning." "Hi Nick, Alex." Leander Westfield came up behind them. "Did you hear the news, Jordan Tannent, Ben Cartz, Zachary Stantz, Kate Raines and Denise Kiter quit this morning. How many is that?" "Two left after the Director's speech, three the next day, and one the day after. Five just quit... twelve. Twenty-eight left, and I think Ted Oaks will leave any day now," Nick answered. "How come Ben quit?" Nykki asked. "I thought he was doing well." "He couldn't stand the pressure," put in Brent Shepherd from the door. "After Chris Wilder yelled at him this morning for not taking the orientation exercise seriously, he decided he would be much more appreciated elsewhere and left." Nykki grimaced at the sound of his voice. Brent Shepherd walked towards them, attired in his favourite off-hours black tank top. Every move he made was designed to show off his muscles. Biceps bulged, pectorals popped, and everything else undulated. He had tousled his blond hair in deliberate imitation of a popular American movie star, and his full lips were set in a pout derived from the same source. Full pink lips and exaggerated pectorals happened to be the two male characteristics she most abhorred. "Alex, about the commando assault you suggested? I think it's ineffective. There's no way we can use it in a real situation. There has to be a backup, we need to use a two-prong assault, especially in cases where..." Brent went back to the subject the two had been arguing about earlier that day. Nykki ignored him. Brent was only person she disliked more than Chris Wilder. He thought that just because he came from an FBI family, he was better than the others. Nykki and her twin could out-shoot him on the range; they were also a lot better at theory. Yet he still persisted on giving them stupid advice, talking to them in that annoyingly condescending tone. If he wanted to compare the number of FBI agents in the family, she could match him easily. Her parents had been FBI agents, and both her grandfathers had been agents. All of which had higher ranks than his ancestors. Of course, they were all dead now.
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