Caught The Rat

Cassian rested his elbows on the arms of his chair at his desk in the AU headquarters. He just put the finishing touches on another report that he had to get done.

A vibration in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. It was his burner phone. He glanced around the room nonchalantly to see if anyone was watching before pulling it out and answering, speaking softly so no one would hear.

"Yes…?"

"I've located Matt." Stanley's voice on the phone was low. "At the moment, he's speaking with some group members. I'm observing him. You have to get here. Now."

He sounded serious.

"Where?" Cassian asked, already on the move.

Stanley told him the location immediately, and Cassian quickly committed to heading there. After he hung up, he began to think of a good cover story, recognizing he couldn't just leave AU without a reason.

He stood up, took a handful of files from his desk to hold as a cover, and made his way to Dorian's office.

"Hey," he said to Dorian, attempting to sound natural. "I'm taking a break and going to do a field check outside when I get back."

Dorian hardly glanced up from his screen, obviously too engrossed in his own work to notice Cassian's presence. "Make it quick then, I guess."

Cassian nodded and made his way out of the office, directly to the parking garage where his motorcycle waited. In a flash, he revved the engine before taking off. He then rode to the location where Stanley instructed him to meet, took a shortcut down an alley, and pulled over into a hidden area.

With his helmet now on, he made an entrance as Shade.

He adjusted his jacket and rolled his shoulders before stepping out into the dark streets. The air smelled like cigarette smoke—clearly not a good place to be in.

He remained in the shadows, searching for Stanley. It took only a moment to spot him sitting at the edge of a roof over a nearby parking lot.

Shade climbed the fire escape silently and dropped down beside him.

"Took you long enough," Stanley rasped.

Shade did not answer the comment and asked, "Where?"

Stanley motioned with his hand.

Downstairs, there were a bunch of men speaking quietly. Matt was present as well, standing off to one side. The rat looked to have a tense and unsure face. If one didn't know, they would think they were just a group of friends who were taking a break from their stressful job.

Shade narrowed his eyes. "Who're they?"

Stanley blew out a breath and answered, "That's what I wanted you to see. They're more than just a gang from off the street. See the way they're interacting with each other. That's the structure. That's an organization."

All that pointed to one thing: that they were no ordinary civilians; they were Bandits.

Shade stared at the group. The manner in which they stood, nodded, and regarded each other suspiciously told him they were something more than just criminals. They were trained.

Then Shade saw something. One of the men shifted a little, revealing the back of his jacket. A symbol—a mark Shade recognized.

It was the insignia from the Hopeful Enclaves!

His body stiffened. He had not expected this outcome at all. THE?

It all fits.

The betrayals and leaks in TEC now made sense. Matt was more than just a traitor; he was spilling TEC's secrets straight to THE.

Shade fought the urge to lash out at once. His mind was on high function, reassessing his plan.

If Matt was a source for THE, then TEC's plans, weaknesses, and strategies—everything—were compromised.

Stanley observed Shade's reaction closely. "So," he softly said, "what's the move, boss?"

Shade did not respond immediately. He was going over all the connections Matt had in TEC and how well he had fit. Aiden trusted him utterly. That trust was now a threat.

"We can't go yet," Shade finally said in a tight voice. "We have to know exactly what he's told them. If we kill him now, we lose our opportunity to follow them and see where it leads."

Stanley nodded slowly, seeing how serious the decision was. "So what do you want to do?"

Shade's eyes narrowed behind the mask. "We play along and tell him what we want him to know. And when the time's right—"

"We cut him off at the source," Stanley grinned, finishing the sentence.

Shade gave a cold smile. "Exactly."

For the moment, Matt did not know he had been caught. And that was his greatest mistake. The rat had been caught, and soon he would lead them straight to the nest.

Shade pulled out his phone and dialed.

Nia answered on the second ring. "What?! Did something happen?!"

"Calm down," he said in a smooth tone. It was clear that Nia had been anxious lately from all the bad news going around. "Call Matt… Tell him we're meeting with Libra. Underground Travon. Make it brief; make it casual. Just make sure he knows it's urgent."

"Doesn't that sound a little dangerous?" Nia wondered, still unsure of the situation.

"Just do it," he demanded.

There was a moment of silence before she finally said, "Got it…"

Shade hung up, pushing the phone into his pocket with a feeling of closure. Beside him, Stanley shifted his weight by an inch, repositioning himself as he continued his eye on the group below.

"I wonder if you'll make him squeal," the old man cackled.

Down in the alley, Matt's phone rang aggressively against his leg. He looked frantically at the screen, then moved away on purpose from the group before he answered the call.

Stanley and Shade watched him as he started talking. His face was unreadable at first, showing nothing of the conversation that was being had. But as the call progressed, his posture started to ease little by little, and he began nodding his head in affirmation, showing that he was listening.

Then, as they had wished, the moment the call had finished, Matt turned to move towards and went back to the group.

His mouth moved rapidly, telling all the details of the call that he had gotten. The others shared odd looks with one another in understanding, some nodding and others looking around as if they didn't care.

Not waiting for any kind of reaction or acknowledgment, Shade bid Stanley farewell and returned to AU headquarters.