Author's note: Helios’ undercover name is “Odysseus” and that is what the other Brekkens will call him. "Arrowhead" is his comm codename. However, for all intents and purposes, the “omniscient narrator” and Cara will still refer to him as “Helios.” Again, this story belongs to me - please do not reproduce without my permission or claim it as your own work.
Constructive feedback is always appreciated. :D

Orion Guardians, Inc. (Location classified)

Tori walked down the long corridor that ran through the center of Orion Guardians, Inc. She was polite to the agents she passed, even greeting them and stepping out of their way. No one even suspected that as she walked, her mind was hard at work - processing and watching the live feed coming from Cara and Helios’ dermal cams. She stored any important information or relevant images in her memory buffer.

Suddenly, she halted mid-step, turned around, and made her way briskly to the Tech lab, nearly running into a group of agents that had just exited the nearby conference room. She gave no outward sign of emotion as she submitted to the Tech Lab's full-body security scan but walked quickly through when the door slid open.

Aiden and Dr. Zen looked up from their work stations when she cleared her throat.

“Yes, Tori? What is it, my dear?” Dr. Zen said as he wheeled over to her.

“It is Agent Ryder and Agent Helios. It seems there is a problem with their mission.” Tori walked over to a nearby viewscreen and activated it, quickly programming it to show the most recent minutes of the live feed. The three watched in silences as Cara’s capture and Helios’ defection played out before their eyes.

Aiden was noticeably pale. “That...that doesn’t look good. What’s going on? Was that the plan? It’s the plan, right? Everything’s going to be okay…right?” He looked pleadingly at Dr. Zen, who suddenly looked every year of his old age.

“I...I don’t know, my boy. I don’t remember any of this being discussed in the briefings.” Dr. Zen turned to Tori. “Have either of them signaled for an extraction?”

“No, Doctor, they did not. I carefully reviewed all the available data. However, we have no way of knowing now if they would like to be extracted. The cellblock Cara was taken to apparently has a dampening unit – no signal can go in or out. And for some reason, Helios’ device has been deactivated by an outside source. Or...perhaps self-deactivated given his defection.”

“Oh, dear.”

Aiden began to look very worried, and the delicate circuit board he had been holding in his hands snapped when he began to grip it too tightly. “‘Oh, dear?’" he nearly squeaked. "What does that mean?”

Tori looked at the boy, noting his elevated heart rate and obvious perspiration. “It means that we have no way of contacting them, and they have no way of contacting us. And that there is no way for us to know what is going on.”

Dr. Zen looked at her, a glint in his eye. “You know...maybe there is something we can do. I’ll page Dr. Harkow. I have a crazy idea that just might work.”

Brekken Military Base, Terra V

The General slowly stood up from her kneeling position and reattached her lance to her belt. “What is your command, Sir? My men and I are completely at your disposal.”

“You work on downloading the information from the micro-disk and formulating an attack plan. I’ll go interrogate the spy,” Helios ordered as he began to make his way towards the door. He had almost reached it when the General maneuvered herself in front of him, effectively blocking his way.

“Sir, wouldn’t it be more appropriate if you led the planning and left the interrogation to one of my men? The Colonel perhaps. Interrogation is, after all, a simple matter when compared to planning an entire invasion. Our resources and efforts would be put to better use if you were here with me on the command deck.” She smiled a little enticingly as she looked up at him.

Helios gave her a condescending smirk and shook his head. “Now, now, General, all these innuendoes don’t become you. Besides, I’ve been undercover for so long that undoubtedly you’d be better off organizing the campaign by yourself. Trust me, I’d be much better suited to overseeing the interrogation. And that’s not up for discussion.” He pushed passed the now livid General and strode through the door.

When the door finally shut behind him, the General turned back towards her men. Some of the newer guards paled at the sight of pure fury and wounded pride on her face, knowing some of them were going to feel her wrath later. She forced a smile and said tightly, “Well...you heard him. Let’s get to work.”

Helios walked down the dark corridor of the cell block, ignoring the moans and cries of the prisoners. The air was hot and stifling, and he had to continually fight the urge to gag at the rancid smell. He passed the court-martialed soldiers, Brekken criminals, and Outcasters, until he reached the cells at the furthest end of the hall. Those were reserved for traitors and spies.

He nodded to the somber guards standing in front of Cara’s cell, and they released the locking mechanism before respectfully stepping aside. Helios walked through the door, and it locked behind him with a resounding click.

Cara had been pacing back and forth in the confines of the cell, kicking herself for the split second she had believed that maybe Helios was different. Stupid Brekken. I hope he gets eaten by a Razor beast. No, I hope he gets torn apart alive first and then eaten piece by piece. And I hope I get to watch. She came to an abrupt halt when Helios entered the cell.

“What do you want? Shouldn’t you be playing with the Brekken general and plotting galactic domination?” she spat out, her face twisted in anger.

“I’ve come to get some information from you." Helios said, crossing his arms. "You’ve been with the Guardians for a long time and are probably privy to all sorts of information and security codes. We’re going to have a lot of fun, you and me. ” Helios gave a cold smile that chilled Cara to the depths of her soul.