The Zeta Squad, along with the White Bolt, reached the Eye's Western European outpost at noon, local time. The gang arrived at the entrance hidden behind a thick covering of trees in the Sierra Norte de Sevilla – a western mountain range of the Sierra Morena, Andalusia, Spain. Hugo knocked at the wooden door, but no one answered.
"It doesn't feel like anyone's home," said Neil.
Camille leaned closer to Ella. "Hey, El," she whispered. "Weren't outposts supposed to be bigger?"
"Yeah," she replied then looked at the Sokidu. "I was thinking the same thing."
It was just a small wooden structure stuck to the side of a mountain.
"It's just the entrance, you guys," Hugo explained. "The outpost extends within the mountain."
The structure was nearly impossible to find and even if someone were to stumble upon the tiny wooden entrance, the actual outpost was always safe within the thick walls of the large mountain. What the Zeta Squad was looking at was only the reception area.
"All of the Eye's outposts are hidden like this," Gina added. Just like Hugo, she had also worked at an outpost albeit for only a year. "They're always deep in forests, buried underneath sand dunes, or inside mountains. The heavy density of Ki from all the natural elements keeps the places nicely camouflaged."
Looking at Camille and Ella, Marcus said, "That makes so much sense."
After several minutes, the wooden door opened. Two young Sokidus welcomed the squad and took them into the outpost. There was no one else there.
"Where is everyone?" Hugo asked.
"Aa, the Palace called for a change of personnel yesterday," one of them replied. "Right now, it's just me, Ben here, and Master Naji. Oh, and my name is Riley."
The duo was wearing standard Sokidu outfits, and not only did they look the same, but they also had the same dark black buzz-cut hair, chevron moustaches, and soul patches.
"Sanders, right?" Hugo smiled. "You're Riza's students. He told me about the talented Sanders twins. And you guys just graduated too. Congrats on the promotions!"
The brothers smiled. "Thank you so much, Master Baylis," Riley said as they both bent down into a half bow.
"Oh, and sorry to keep you all waiting out there," Ben added, raising his head up. "We were just checking who you were. We weren't informed of your arrival."
Neil then asked, "You said Naji. Faris Naji?"
Riley nodded saying, "Yes, sir."
Hugo looked at the Sokidu and said, "Really? Faris is here?"
"Yes, sir. He joined us this morning to watch over untill the new resident staff arrives."
'That's strange,' Hugo thought. 'I can understand Faris. He's a better Mystic than even Dustin and Fiona – in the same league as Master Al Gohari. But why the twins? They are weak, inexperienced Sokidus who only recently graduated. Why send them to an outpost? Doesn't make any sense at all.'
"How did they convince him to help?" the captain asked. "The Palace must have offered him something big."
"We're not sure, Master," Ben said with a chuckle. "He's upstairs actually… if you wanna ask him… or not…"
Hugo sighed. "So, you guys know who we are, right?"
"Yes, of course, sir. You're Master Hugo Baylis and the Zeta Squad."
"Right. Well, we are actually on duty right now and won't be bothering you for long. We just need to rest up for a bit and then we'll be gone."
"Of course, Master."
"And we'll also have a few guests coming over by the evening. Hope that won't be an issue."
"Not at all."
The twins directed the group to the stairs and left. With no resident staff at the outpost, the kitchen was closed as well, so they went out to the nearest city to get lunch for the visitors.
Upstairs, the Zeta Squad found Faris Naji – the man described as a freelance Mystic.
"Well, I'll be damned," he said with a big smile. "Hugo frickin' Baylis! What're you doing here, brother?"
The two embraced and shared a laugh. "Been way too long, old friend," said Hugo. "You were the last person I would've expected to find here."
They grew up in the same neighbourhood, were batch mates, and had graduated from the same academy the same year. Later, after becoming Sokidus, Hugo continued on to become a Zaatsu, while Faris ended up becoming a Mystic.
Both men were experts of their respective fields with very few people matching them. And to top it all off, they were mentored by the best of the previous generation – where Hugo spent two years with Warren Ford, Faris spent a few more with Mustaqeem Al-Gohari.
Faris looked at the group standing behind. "So, this is your squad, huh?" He nodded. "Looking sharp. Looking sharp. How's it going, gang?"
They had all heard of the freelance Mystic. He was a well-known operative of the Eye albeit a bit controversial and difficult to control. His skills as a Mystic were revered across the board by one and all, friend or foe, and made the 32-year-old quite famous. However, for some odd reason he had chosen to not be a part of the Parliament. In fact, he was rarely seen at Ayn or the Regal Palace.
The gang stood stunned. The person in front of them looked nothing like the Mystic they had imagined. A baggy t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants, a baseball cap with a ponytail poking out of it and a full beard, and flip-flops – he looked nothing like the Parliamentarian Mystics who were always impeccably dressed.
"Hey, Hugo," he said. "Your guys seem to be confused."
The Zaatsu giggled saying, "Would you blame them?"
"So, anyways…" Faris turned, smiling, to face his friend, "What brings you guys here?"
"Oh, duty. What else? I'm actually surprised to see you here. What on earth did they offer this time?"
He laughed. "Ah, you know. In the spirit of charity and all. Parliament called asking for help. They were shuffling operatives here at the outpost and I was in the neighbourhood. So… I mean, I thought, why not. It's just for today though."
"Feels odd…"
"Hmm, you can say that again. But what's new, bud?"
The smiles had disappeared.
"They could have at least spared a Zaatsu or a Mystic," Hugo added. "It's just those 2 kids, man."
Faris nodded. "Yeah. I am a bit perplexed myself." With a hand on his friend's shoulder, he smiled and said, "I'm keeping track, even if you aren't."
"List must be long by now…"
Faris' smile faded a little.
"Oho," he said. "You've got no idea…"