After scaring the new agents away, the siblings were left satisfied — smirks displayed on their lips.
"Serve them right!" Felix exclaimed out loud.
"We made a pretty good team, don't we, sis? You know what? That'll make a perfect newspaper headline. The Great Felix kicking newbie butts for being arrogant!" He turned to his sister with excitement in his eyes.
"Mm." She nodded curtly.
However, Sylvie didn't say anything else and walked away before he could say anything else.
Felix let out a small sigh, his shoulder slumped a bit at Sylvie's sudden indifference as he followed after his younger sister.
Both of them went on their way to the Central Bridge where every operation within the facility is monitored.
"You know, sis. You seemed eerily quiet back there, why?" Felix attempted to strike up a conversation with her.
"Why indeed. Perhaps I just felt that you wanted an opportunity to burn that big ego of yours and rub it all over someone else's face." She just scoffed and quickened her pace.
Felix's jaw tightened at her harshness, he scratched the back of his head and looked around the area uncomfortably before shaking his head and chased after her.
"H-hey! What does that even mean?!" He catches up to her and falls in step beside her.
"Seriously, you're no fun sometimes. Always rambling about formalities and etiquette. Life is more than just hustle and bustle, you know?" He added.
But Sylvie's focus was on her documents, she barely looked up at Felix to even send a glance his way.
"Someone has to keep you in line. You know… ever since mom went missing, we had to survive on our own. Heh, it's funny how cruel fate is towards us, and the one who was supposed to be in her stead was no better. " Her voice was quieter and almost softer this time.
She took a deep breath before continuing, making direct eye contact with Felix that sent a chill down his spine.
"If my big brother can't do it on his own, then it's up to me to save all that's left." She added.
Felix opened his mouth, he wanted to retort, to contradict her. But he knew that what her younger sister was telling was true.
In the end he gave in — looking away from Sylvie's humiliating gaze.
"That's.. my job, you know." He muttered under his breath, but Sylvie didn't seem to notice his confession.
Finally, they stopped in front of an armored gate. There's an identification panel on the side of the gate.
"Please slide your Identification Card." The automated scanner said.
Sylvie pulled out her ID from her jacket and swiftly slid it on the scanner.
[-Encrypting. Please wait...]
[ACCESS GRANTED]
"Clearance Level-6 accepted. Welcome, Administrator." The panel announces.
The armored gate slowly opened as the yellow alarm blared from the inside — indicating the arrival of top brass to the bridge.
Decompressed air gushed out from the airlock quarantine zone as the siblings entered the bridge connected to the Control Room.
The cameras watched the siblings' every move and checked for every possible detail. Their uniforms, their retina, their breathing, their body temperature, even their hair color.
"Remind me, why do we have all these security protocols again?" Felix asked.
"Father's order, in response to your.. incompetence and the constant attempt of facility breach," Sylvie replied.
Suddenly, Felix stopped in his path.
"But even the incompetent me is competent enough to realize that you're not Sylvie." He blurted out.
Sylvie stopped in her tracks. Looking up at Felix with an indifferent expression.
"Of all times, you wanted to joke around now? We don't have time for jest, let's move on." Sylvie tried to dismiss her brother's antics. At least.. If that is truly Sylvie.
"I would know if you're my sister. You're clearly not like her at all. But I'm quite upset that I took so long to realize." He unsheathed his blade.
"You picked the wrong siblings to mess with."
He lunged at the girl and grabbed her arm, pinning her to the wall with ironclad grip.
"I don't know who you are. But there's something I needed to know. Where is my sister?" He questioned, pressing the blade against the girl's throat.
"Brother, let go—"
"I'm not your brother, no. And you are not my sister. Where is she?" Felix completely cut her off before she could even explain.
He pressed the blade closer to her throat, close enough to kill her if she made any sudden move. But she just stayed still, unflinching.
"And what gives it away?" The girl asked.
"Because you will never talk about our mother. Ever." He replied.
The girl stood in silence for a moment before her lips curled into a smirk. "Hah.." she lets out a humorless laugh.
"As expected. There is no fooling the Great Felix le Fay."
The girl teleported out of his grasp and stood in the middle of the hallway, her arms open wide — leaving a trail of specter butterflies in its wake.
"You see.. I've planned this for weeks, but it seems that even my brilliant mask and perfect acting could not fool you.. so I guess.. You will die here.. for me." She reached for a gun in her holster.
Felix prepared to intercept her, but before he could lift a finger..
SMACK!
"Ack!" She yelped.
The girl in front of her was hit by a metal frying pan on her head.
The vibration from the hit sent sound waves down her entire body as she collapsed headfirst onto the floor with a satisfying thud.
As it turns out, the girl behind the imposter—
"Did I miss something?"
—was the real Sylvie, carrying a frying pan. She was probably busy in the staff lounge learning how to cook again... after one particular event.
"Fried rice?" Felix asked, sniffing the air.
"Nn. Fried rice." She nodded affirmingly.
The imposter on the ground looked up at Felix and Sylvie.
"Can I have some?" She asked.
"No." The siblings replied in unison.
[—Script is being written…]