Kay wasn't wrong.
The moment he whispered "They found you," Aria felt it—
the shift in the air, sharp and metallic, like a blade unsheathed in the dark.
Something else moved at the mouth of the alley.
Silent.
Trained.
Too familiar.
Another operative.
Not Kay.
Someone who didn't come for reunion.
But for retrieval.
Or termination.
Whichever came first.
Kay stepped in front of Aria instinctively, shoulders tense.
"Stay behind me," he said.
Aria raised an eyebrow.
She popped open her snack bag with a crisp crack.
"I don't think so."
The Second Shadow Emerges
The figure stepped forward under the dim alley light.
Tall.
Black tactical jacket.
Expression carved from stone.
Kay's jaw tightened.
"…Derek."
Aria's chewing paused slightly.
Of all the people she expected to show up—
Derek Hale, Unit A's coldest and most rule-bound operative—
was not high on the list.
"Kay," Derek greeted flatly.
"A-01."
He looked at Aria as if seeing a resurrected ghost.
"You died."
Aria shrugged.
"Got better."
Kay nearly choked.
Derek Speaks the Words Aria Dreaded
"You need to come with us."
"No," Aria said.
"There was no question," Derek replied.
Kay stepped between them, anger flashing in his eyes.
"She's not going anywhere."
Derek's gaze didn't waver.
"You broke protocol by approaching her alone. Stand down."
Kay didn't move.
So Derek shifted his gaze to Aria again.
"You're compromised. Exposed. In danger. Your face is everywhere. Your movements are public. Extraction is mandatory."
Aria kept eating chips.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Derek stared at the snack bag like it personally offended him.
Kay pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Aria… please don't—"
"Oh, I absolutely am," she said, taking another crunchy bite.
Aria's Response
She dusted salt from her fingers and finally spoke:
"I'm not going with you."
Derek took a step forward.
"This isn't optional."
"It is now."
"You're an asset."
"Incorrect. I'm unemployed."
Kay winced.
Derek's jaw ticked.
"The agency believed you were dead."
"And they can keep believing that."
"That's not how this works."
"It is now."
Kay made a small helpless sound.
He remembered this tone.
This impossibly stubborn, casually terrifying tone.
Aria Lane was back.
Fully.
Tension Builds
Derek reached for something inside his jacket.
Not a weapon—
a device.
Aria's eyes narrowed.
Kay immediately moved, stepping between them.
"Derek. Don't."
"She's a risk."
"She's Aria."
"That's worse."
Aria sighed.
"Boys. I'm right here."
Kay turned to her quickly.
"Don't fight him," he whispered.
Derek said at the same time:
"Do not engage."
Aria popped another chip in her mouth.
Too late.
The Moment Snaps
A distant explosion boomed somewhere in the city—
only a transformer blowing, nothing related to them.
But the sound triggered something instinctive in all three of them.
Kay flinched.
Derek's hand tightened.
Aria?
She tilted her head toward the noise.
"…Huh. Power outage."
Her casual tone filled the alley like a lit fuse.
Kay whispered, "…I forgot she was like this."
Derek exhaled sharply.
"This is exactly why we're retrieving her."
Aria gave him a sugary smile.
"Retrieve this."
And she tossed him a chip.
He caught it, reflexively—
and that single movement told her everything.
They hadn't forgotten her.
They'd gotten better.
But not better than her.
She Makes Her Position Clear
Aria crossed her arms.
"I'm not going back.
I have a life here.
A job.
A manager who cries in Prada.
A cooking show."
"Cooking," Derek repeated in disgust.
Kay added quietly, "She also likes dumplings."
Aria pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Derek's patience snapped.
"A-01, enough. You are compromised."
"No," Aria said calmly,
"I'm famous."
Kay whispered, "…Which is worse for us."
Derek glared at both of them.
"You're a danger to civilians."
Aria grinned.
"No. I'm a danger to you."
Stalemate
Kay stepped between them again, voice low, pleading.
"Aria… please. Don't make him call the others."
Aria's smile faded.
The others.
That meant all of Unit A.
All the operatives she trusted once, fought beside, died for.
She sighed.
Then shrugged.
"Let them come."
Kay stared at her, horrified.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO START A WAR?!"
Derek answered for her, darkly.
"She already has."
Finally, Aria Ends It Her Way
Aria looked between the two men.
One loyal.
One conflicted.
Both tied to a life she didn't want anymore.
She took one more chip, ate it slowly, savoring the crunch.
Then she said the words that froze them both:
"The game just started."
Kay's eyes widened.
Derek's expression tightened.
Because that phrase—
that exact phrase—
was the code she used right before initiating a mission.
A mission that usually left broken bones in its wake.
Derek tried to speak.
"A-01—"
But Aria was already walking past them.
Calm.
Casual.
Deadly.
"Tell the others," she said without looking back.
"If they want me—
they can try."
And with that, Aria Lane disappeared into the city lights.
Chips in hand.
Trouble at her heels.
And the past catching up fast.