New Life : A Second Chance

The reason Kay introduced them using their codenames first, was because that was the effect she wanted to have on them. 

It showed just how unique and special Lianne is, and knowing her team, they would understand immediately. They would be curious but they wouldn't ask. What was important was that they now know Lianne was not just someone Kyle was sponsoring.

Since Joseph didn't come, Kay could do so, thus she felt it was perhaps best that he didn't come after all.

Though she felt a bit sad at the thought and wondered why she had been hit with that emotion when Joseph looked indifferently at her and went back to playing games.

Thinking about it, it was a normal reaction, right? 

What teen boy would find going to the office as interesting? Especially when he had that dream gaming set-up in his bedroom?

What wasn't normal was her sadness and disappointment at his reaction.

She sighed and scolded herself. She needed to put her head back into the game (work, that is) and stop thinking that things would be just how it would be in Country M.

At that time, he was grieving and she was there to help take care of them. Here, there are those at the house that did everything, so she wasn't really in contact with them anymore. 

Other than eating together, they didn't hang out much.

Which is how it should be.

She just took note of their emotions and behaviour. She could not see anything wrong or negative and they were slowly getting back to normal. As in, getting their lives back on track.

Coming here to Country Tz had been a good decision.

The kids were healing well.

Still, Kay missed those days. Not the grieving part, but the leisurely days and closeness that they shared during those days.

Now, it was back to normal - and work.

Did Kyle feel this, Kay wondered, when he got back from Country M and had to work hard to secure his CEO position?

Such a normal life could be addictive, really … 

Kay shook herself out of such thoughts. It was fine for a holiday, she supposed, but not always. She still did like this life of hers with all the work and responsibilities. 

Weird though it may be.

Kay reintroduced her team to Lianne, "This is Nialla (Milk), who is the Leader of the group. Then, we have Raphael (Milo), Raymond (Coffee) and Lizzie (Tea)."

"Nice to meet all of you," Lianne said politely.

"Note that only Lianne has high-security clearance. Joseph only has the normal clearance," Kay told her team. 

'Normal' meant that Joseph was only to know of their lives as Kay's Team but nothing else. 'High-security' meant that Lianne knows everything, or, is allowed to know anything below 'top-secret'. 

Then again, Kay's Team had not yet reached the security clearance for 'top-secret' information either - only Milk did. They have yet to prove themselves fully and they knew that they were still under observation.

In short, Lianne had the same sort of clearance as Kay's Team (minus Nialla) did.

That was a double-blow to them.

Kay observed their faces, as did Nialla. 

Kay was 

All of this, and everything they did, were tests of sorts. Even though the threat was being eliminated by Kyle at the moment, one could never be too careful. Secret organisations were everywhere … 

Donnie's Master, for one.

That was Kyle's life, however. 

Kay's life was much more normal.

As normal as one could be, when one is acting-CEO of Smith Industries.

Lianne looked at the four and thought that her mother's Team were much more impressive. Visually, that is. 

One may call her shallow by thinking so, but she wasn't the type to hide the fact that she enjoyed admiring good-looking people. It didn't mean she didn't acknowledge their skills if they weren't good looking.

That was a separate matter altogether.

"Kay, can I explore this floor, and the rest of the building once I get my access card?" Lianne asked politely.

"Of course," Kay replied, "Rafael, you guide Lianne later."

Lianne shook her head, waving her hands frantically, "No no no … please, don't. I just want to explore and look around. I don't want to bother anyone."

"You won't be," Kay said, but Lianne insisted.

"I won't feel comfortable," Lianne said softly and Kay was enlightened. She should have known.

"Okay," Kay replied with a gentle smile, not insisting anymore, "Just be careful."

Lianne nodded and headed out.

Once she left, Kay looked at Rafael, "Shadow her. Make sure you're not spotted. Be careful because she's highly observant."

Rafael nodded in acknowledgment and quickly left.

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Lianne was walking leisurely, not paying any attention to the people who would stop and look at her as she passed by. No one stopped her, though, for no one could be up here unless they already had clearance.

Lianne found the whole set-up to be rather professional looking, with clear glass walls that showed the meeting room. There were cubicles in some areas, though most were in their own offices or rooms.

The furnishings were ergonometric, and when she popped her head into the pantry, it was very comfortable. One section that was a kitchenette of sorts that had a fridge, sink, a microwave, a kettle, a coffee machine, and an expresso maker. 

The dining area that they could eat or drink was also comfortable with basic wooden furniture.

The moment Beatrice called her to let her know that her access card was ready, Lianne quickly went to get it. She immediately headed to the common lifts to go down to the lobby. Although she could use the VIP lift, she wasn't comfortable in using it without Kay.

Rafael saw Lianne go into the lift and contacted security. Heading to the stairs, he told them to access the lift cameras and inform him which floor Lianne would go out.  

Lianne had her earphones on and she could tune out everyone else like that. It wasn't so bad in the lift either as it wasn't crowded.

Once she reached the lobby, she stepped out of the lift and started exploring.

She ignored the feeling of being watched, as she knew she was being watched. Everyone was curious about this kid walking about freely in Smith Industries building, so she tuned them out.

She didn't think she was in any danger here, so long as she didn't go out or into any restricted areas. High-security clearance or not, having an 11-year-old girl going into such areas would surely cause some sort of alarm, and they'd probably want to verify it.

Not her cup of tea.

She wanted to avoid attention, not cause it.

Of course, being stared at while doing nothing didn't count.

She tuned out everything else then, not paying attention to her surroundings anymore. Too many eyes on her made her too uncomfortable and she wanted some peace of mind when exploring.

Thus, when she walked out of the lift, she didn't realise that two pairs of eyes were on her that were not the normal 'who is that' curious sort of look.

Of course, one was from Rafael, who had to keep an eye on her.

He found that Lianne was rather matured for a kid. 

He had been surprised that the Boss had revealed their secret identities to her, but he was more surprised to know that she gave Lianne free reign to wander about. Although Lianne wasn't exactly a little kid, but he couldn't imagine such a young person to be … well, like a kid.

Yet, Lianne looked rather indifferent and wasn't going about excitedly like some headless chicken. She took everything she looked at calmly and appeared as if she was concentrating or thinking deeply.

In short, she didn't act like a  kid!

Rafael began to find the shadowing more fun.

Was this why CEO had been keen on sponsoring the two kids. They had potential. He was curious why it was done so openly, though. If he planned to get them into MIB, wouldn't it make more sense to have them hidden? 

Or his connection to them hidden?

Curious though he may be, Rafael wasn't going to dig information on it, however. It was just something he liked to do. Think of all the various scenarios and possibilities, but he would never go over the line.

He was right where he wanted to be: Kay's Team.

Digging where he shouldn't would be a one-way ticket out of it and he wasn't going to jeopardize that just to satisfy for his curiosity. He was happy enough to just observe and imagine things.

Rafael was concentrating on making sure Lianne was safe, thus his senses were attuned to any danger or risks that were surrounding her. 

As such, he didn't notice another pair of eyes that were focused on her.

From a very pretty 12-year-old boy.