Rat

Shade and Nia were seen walking down a corridor alone as part of their patrol.

Shade revealed to Nia that he would be traveling to the continent of Celestine for about a week. Hearing that made Nia stop in front of him with her arms out to the sides.

"You can't just leave," she said. "As the leader of TEC, you have responsibilities that you can't neglect. Everyone's counting on you."

Shade explained that his trip was of the utmost priority without revealing to her that he could wield two bands. But Nia was not convinced.

"Don't go," she said. "Think about what's happened so far. You can't afford to drop everything and take a week off."

There was no denying that being a leader of a rebel group did require much attention. Not wishing to argue about the matter, Shade conceded, but he still intended to go.

That night, he went to the AU headquarters as Cassian.

He filed a visitor's permit application for the cave in Celestine, citing that he wanted to investigate a matter that could contribute to AU's cause.

The application process wasn't at all tedious. All he wrote was the time he'd be leaving, the place he'd be visiting, and the length of the duration. Being high in the ranks made it all the more easier to get a quicker response time as well.

The next morning, to his utter surprise, he received a denial letter.

He returned to AU and attempted to file an appeal. However, the present administrator told him that he was not allowed to do so. Cassian asked why and was informed that it was because his father, Magnus, had personally denied his application.

Why on Zephorya wouldn't they give him his letter? Was it because he was the son of their head? Or maybe Magnus desired to know everything business-related he was doing.

Regardless, Cassian got denied and he didn't like it.

If his father had denied his application, it meant that there was no way he would be allowed to go. Even if he went as Shade, he would still have to sneak through AU's security by the cave, which would be difficult.

Instead of trying to talk to his father, he decided to drop the matter. The cave likely had nothing to do with him able to process two Bands at once.

Cassian would later return to TEC as Shade. There, Nia and him continued another patrol down a corridor.

"Did you think about what I said?" she asked.

"I did," he answered. "And you're right; I shouldn't go."

She looked surprised and began to boast about being correct. However, she did not know the real reason why he had changed his mind.

It was one thing being denied by Nia, his second in command, but it was another being denied by his father, who was the head of the world's most powerful government.

Dropping everything to go to Celestine would raise too many alarms anyway, both in TEC and in AU. And if he had tried to push the issue further, it could lead to complications and put his position as leader of TEC at risk.

It was better to drop the matter and avoid any potential problems. At least until the time was ripe.

Nia continued to talk, seemingly pleased with herself for having been right. Shade listened, pretending to agree with her.

As they continued their patrol, he couldn't help but think about the cave in Celestine. He had been looking forward to investigating it, but now it seemed unlikely that he would be able to go. Then there was the denial. Perhaps it was a small, unimportant reason, but being denied something didn't quite sit well with him.

Their patrol eventually finished and he went into his office.

Shade sat behind his desk, thumbing through a stack of reports from TEC's recent operations. While Nia had been quick to dismiss his intention to travel, he still had an organization to run.

Just then, the door swung open, and Stanley burst in. It immediately drew Shade's attention, but he remained calm without saying a word.

"Listen here, you young whippersnapper!" Stanley exclaimed in a gruff tone. "I should have come out of retirement ages ago!"

Shade crossed his arms with interest as he asked, "What's going on, Stanley?"

"I've been doing some digging, that's what's going on!" Stanley then narrowed his eyes. "I went through every single member's background and found a rat in our midst."

This was unexpected. A rat in the business sense is someone who is a traitor, informer, or a betrayer among their associates.

Shade's brow furrowed, and he stood up from his desk "Who is it?"

Stanley didn't answer immediately. Instead, he began scanning the room, eyes darting from one corner to the next as if searching for something.

This prompted Shade to step around the desk, moving closer to ask again, "Stanley, who is it?"

"Just a moment," Stanley whispered, still distracted. He moved towards the small bookshelf lining the wall, rifling through books as if they were hiding answers. "Need to make sure we're safe." 

Shade's agitation rose, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Look, whatever you think you're doing—there's no need to search the place. I can assure you there are no bugs here."

Stanley paused, glancing back at Shade. "How sure are you?"

"Hundred percent certain," Shade stated.

How could he not be certain? He also had his identity as Cassian to hide, which required him to even mask his face. Yet it wasn't just the revelation of a rat in TEC that was unsettling; there was also the matter of his own father's possible interference. 

With that affirmation, Stanley stepped away from the bookshelf and turned his attention back to Shade. "Turn your phone off," he instructed in a serious tone.

"Why?" Shade asked, baffled by the request.

"Just do it," Stanley insisted. "If this rat is as dangerous as I believe, we can't afford to be careless—technology these days is too dangerous for my taste anyway."

Shade compiled by clicking the device off. Stanley then gestured for Shade to return to his desk so that the two could hash things out. Without wishing to stall for more time, Shade did just that.

Stanley then hunched over the desk and looked right at Shade's mask, almost as if he could see his eyes. The unexpected question Stanley asked caused Shade to narrow his eyes: "How sure of you that Nia's on your side…?"