Bart arrived at the area where the kidnapping attempt happened. He met with Mark and the teens. Alex's parents were also there. After learning what happened, they dropped everything and rushed to the scene.
At the moment, they were taking Alex away. The girl buried her face in Mark's jacket. For some reason, his smell made her feel safe. Her mother hugged her. The woman wanted to comfort her after the ordeal she went through.
Livia and Steve left together, both of them headed home. Steve decided to accompany Livia. The loud-mouthed teen wanted to make sure she was safe. Livia did not mind. She found some small comfort in his company.
Mark remained in the area, since he was the target of the kidnapping attempt, the cops were reluctant to let him go by himself. Once his grandfather arrived, the police allowed the young man to go. He could only watch in contemplation as his friends moved away.
The young man was angry and frustrated. Not only was his date with Alex ruined, but his secrets were also exposed. Now, he had to tell them either a lie or risk the truth coming out. For him, this was a sensitive subject. The wrong choice could cost him a friend or two.
After some contemplation, the young man decided to tell the truth. Both Alex and Steve deserved to know; they had been with him through thick and thin. Besides, these secrets were starting to affect their friendship.
Wanting to spare his friends from danger, he was initially hesitant to share his secrets. However, after the event in the park, Mark decided it was best for them to know. They could choose to leave if they wanted to. The young man preferred them to be safe rather than to have them in his life.
Before parting ways, they agreed to meet in the white room. Mark decided to host the meeting using his Cabin in the Snow program. Because of the size of the algorithms controlling the snowfall, spy programs can't sneak into the Cabin. That way, they could have a private conversation away from prying eyes.
The young man found this program by accident during his college years in his past life. This time around, however, he purchased the program immediately after buying his VR headset. So far, it was the only way he found to have a secure conversation in the VR world.
As they arrived at the Droid Boutique, Rachel met them by the door. She hugged her son and inspected him to make sure he was alright. A few minutes later, they went up to the house to talk. Parker was back, and they needed to discuss this.
Dr. Parker visited Rachel at the same time Mark was being attacked. The Timing between the two events was suspicious. Bart began to speculate. He decided to share his conjecture. "I suspect that Parker is behind this supposed conclave attack. They just want to take Mark away and use him as a guinea pig, or worse, as a factory for rare genetic materials and blood."
Mark looked pensive. The men who attacked him used the same surrogate technology as the people of the blacksite. Bart's words had a sense of logic. However, the men at the park wanted him to meet someone. Mark had a feeling they were not referring to the Doctor.
The young man voiced his gut feeling. "I don't know, Grampa, something is off. I feel that we are missing pieces of the puzzle. I saw the surveillance clips, and I noticed that none of the men around the Doctor looked like the attackers at the park."
Rachel shared her first impressions. "I can not talk much about him, it was the first time I met the man, but he did not seem to have good intentions. He either threatened us with a warning or spoke with a hidden agenda."
The woman takes a deep breath. She recalls the moment in vivid detail. "The man had a smug smile, like he knew something we didn't. Dr. Parker spoke in petulant remarks as if he were doing us a favor. He gave me the creeps."
Having spent years under the tender mercies of Dr. Parker, Bart knew him better than the rest. He decided to share his opinions. "That is his usual attitude; he thinks himself to be superior to everyone else. While I was at the black site, the man behaved as if it were my privilege to look upon him."
All they had at the moment were speculations and opinions. These were not real facts. Mark decided on a course of action. "We don't have enough information. At the moment, I feel like we are stumbling in a dark room. We need to learn more; that much is evident. Let us start by learning about this conclave."
Rachel tossed a glance at her son. Mark spoke as if he had experience dealing with clandestine organizations. "And what exactly do you know about dealing with groups like this?"
The young man had forgotten he was dealing with his mother. Working with Jack and Bart had led him fall into complacency. He quickly tried to fix his usual blunder. "It's just logical, Mom, the first step to solving a problem is learning about it." Mark showed his awkward smile once more.
Bart chuckled. He teased his grandson with a bit of sarcasm. "Ha, spoken like a true mastermind. If we left you unchecked, you might even become the Boss of a gang by the end of next week."
Mark laughed; his grandfather's teasing caught him off guard. As the two men giggled like children, Rachel felt left out of the joke. The woman posed her complaint as a question. "What is so funny about that?"
Bart taps his daughter on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Little Bird, it's just a small joke between Mark and me. Anyway, what do you think we should do, Boss?" The man chuckled again after tossing the honorific with sarcasm.
Mark came up with an Idea. After seeing the three men at the park, he remembered the recent thorn in his side, GACT. "I think I might have a lead. A suspicious man is trying to join my virtual workshop. He dresses the same way as the men from the park did. There has to be a connection. I will use him to get the information I need."
Bart frowned. It was the first time he heard of a problem with Mark's virtual workshop. "What do you mean? Is this person dangerous?"
Mark responded to his grandfather's inquiry. "No, at least I don't think so. Besides, I have already made an appointment with a lawyer to handle this."
Bart admonished his grandson lightly. "Mark, remember that we are here to help; you don't have to deal with these problems alone. Can you tell me more about this man?"
Mark began to share the situation. "I don't know much. His Game ID is GACT, and he has been trying to get a production license for one of my virtual products. Yesterday, he managed to buy out one of my current partners. As I said before, I made an appointment with a lawyer to deal with this, but maybe we can use GACT to gain intel."
Bart shared an Idea. "Why don't you set up a meeting so we can ambush this GACT fellow?"
Rachel Protested. She was reluctant to use her beautiful boy as bait. "Dad, Mark is not one of your assets, and you are no longer in the military. If you have information, we will hand it to the police and let them do their jobs."
Bart had forgotten that his daughter was unaware of her son's special conditions. To her, Mark was a teenage boy who needed to be protected from his abusive grandfather and his associates. "I'm sorry, Little Bird. You are right. But I feel like the cops will not do a good job. After all, Parker has a lot of money and influence. Buying out a cop or two is within his means."
Planning things with Rachel around was almost impossible. However, Mark could not blame her. The woman was a mother first, and everything else came after. "Don't worry, Mom, you are right. I will not do anything that puts my life in danger. Instead, I will use the lawyer to try to get more information on this GACT fellow."
Mark left for his room a few minutes after. He was mentally preparing to meet his friends. He sat in bed while organizing his thoughts. Ideas and possible scenarios about his friends' reactions gave him pause. These people were important to him. Even Livia, who was nothing to him in his past life, had earned a special place in his heart as his friend.
On the other side of Berant City, Alex sat in front of the vanity mirror in her room. Tears rolled quietly down her cheeks. Even after gathering all her courage, the girl was not able to express her feelings. She felt as if the world conspired to keep her from happiness.
The girl looked at the time; they would all have to meet in the VR world. Alex wrapped herself in his coat. That way, she would have his smell surrounding her. To her, this was a sort of consolation prize. After having Mark so close, she longed to be with him.
Inside A.M.S., Steve was tapping on the repair console's keys. The repair shop was as busy as usual, with tons of work to do and mechs to repair. While he was managing the repair tasks for a few mechs, his mind wandered. What sort of mess could Mark have gotten himself into?
Ever since they met at Riggan's Point the day he bought the workshop, Mark had changed a lot. It was like he was a totally different person. Yet, there were moments when he would see his old friend again. It was confusing.
An alarm from the repair console brought him back. Regaining his focus, Steve snapped back and looked at the problem. His lack of focus had caused the droids to misalign some parts. The loud-mouthed teen stopped his daydreaming and concentrated on the repairs.
At The Waiting Room, Livia sat at a table, and patrons greeted her. She greeted them back with a smile, but inside, her mind raced. Thoughts and ideas flew in and out. While she was acquainted with Mark and Steve from the institute, she never really knew them. Nevertheless, in the short time they had been together, the lively teen had come to appreciate them.
For some reason, she could not stop thinking about the moment Steve and she held hands. Livia had experience dating other boys, yet none of them made her feel the way she did when Steve held her hand. With a blush in her face, the girl found herself daydreaming about Steve and her.
Back at Riggan's Point, Mark sat at the bed looking at the VR headset in front of him. The young man hesitated, but after breathing deeply two or three times, he hesitated no longer. It was time to tell his story and let his friends decide whether to stay together or go their separate ways. While parting ways might be hurtful, it was not fair to keep his friends in the dark any longer.
He placed his VR headset; there was no point in hesitating any longer. Turning on the device, Mark found himself in the white room. With a few hand gestures, he sent the invitations to his friends. All that was left was to wait for their arrival. Once they were all together, the young man would initiate the program by taking them to the Cabin in the Snow.
One by one, his friends arrived at the white room. Once all of them were there, he initiated the program. Livia and Steve liked looking out the window, amazed by the fall of white Snow. Since Rapal Prime had climate control, the planet had no seasons. This form of precipitation was a novelty for them. Alex sat with Mark by the chimney.
Since they were all there, Mark asked Steve and Livia to sit with him around the chimney. The teens found the place pleasant and cosy, and the atmosphere of serenity filled it. Mark takes a deep breath. After exhaling, he began to speak. "I know this is going to be a hard pill to swallow, but listen closely. I willstart at the beginning..."