MIB: The Big Cross-Over Syndrome Ch 1

Zed's POV:

"Of all the agents ever trained under me, I've never had one that was as difficult as you!" Zed growled and paced the office, his hands twitched in agitation behind his back. He stopped and glared at X. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
With a straight face, X coldly answered. "With all due respect sir, my actions were done in an attempt to apprehend the Furon."
"You call holding another agent as bait an attempt!?" Zed snapped, then he plopped down wearily into his chair. His face was a deep crimson and he clasped his knuckles until they became white.
"I find my idea of holding Cee was a brilliant move and my part. Why chase down the Furon when we can lure him to us?"
Zed's eyes flashed. "Why!? Because the rules were established to protect our agents not risk their lives. And another thing, what were you thinking when you went off on your own?"
"Sir it was Elle who didn't follow."
"It doesn't matter what happened. What matters is that you broke nearly every rule in the book." Zed sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "We have rules that would keep us from going off the end like you have demonstrated just recently." Gradually Zed recomposed himself. "You're dismissed X, until I figure out what to do with you."
X wanted to protest but found that Zed was too agitated to be bothered. So instead he nodded and left.

For a while Zed sat in silence, trying to calm his nerves after the tension built. Glancing at his laptop, he wanted very much to contact Lin-Dunn and demand him to send a replacement agent. However, he knew that it was considered an insult to do that according to the Alien Rights Committee and the fact that he couldn't take another partner away from Elle. A knock came at the door and Elle herself entered carrying a tray with a tea pot, a cup and some painkillers.
"Yes?" Zed demanded. What could it be now?
"I want to apologize for X's behavior sir. I should have watched him more closely," Elle replied pouring him a cup of herbal tea.
Zed waved a hand. "Couldn't be helped. I can't control him myself."
Despite the fact that it was Zed who had assigned X to her in the first place, Elle couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Hopefully some tea would soften his attitude. It seemed there wasn't a single minute of the thirty-seven hour day in which he had to yell at X for every bonehead stunt he did. And it seemed that despite X's big ears, Zed's words went in through one ear and out the other. Now Elle was at a loss at what to say to Zed to explain her partner's irrational behavior.
"Did you make a full report like I asked?" Zed interrupted the awkward silence.
Without a word, Elle handed him the file tucked under her arm. She watched as he onced it and was puzzled when he began suddenly laughing.
"Well, well, looks like our X got the publicity he wanted." Zed snickered. He pulled out the photo of X dangling without his trousers from the Brooklyn Bridge from the file.
"Yep, that's what I call a real inside exposure." Elle laughed. Yep, this would take his ego down a few notches, Elle thought with a smile.

X's POV

They were all laughing at him. All of them, gossiping about his latest failure. If Agent Jay's latest low score on the V.B.E. wasn't enough to chew on, they had to bring him into it. Well, he'll show them.

X strode through the Commons Area, keeping his eyes down to avoid eye contact with those who were laughing at him. He made his way over to the buffet table. He glanced at the spread before him and grimace in distaste at what was left. All the good stuff was thoroughly picked over, leaving only the more exotic foods. He wouldn't even dream of touching much less eat that garbage.

A male human agent slid next to him.
"Sorry X, you should have gotten here earlier today. They had your favorite spaghetti in Italian sauce "
X frowned and turned to the large man. "Pity. Well, look in the garbage bin and you might find something to your taste." With that he picked up a Crudian squash and fruit juice, then started to turn and leave. Suddenly he felt himself being jerked back by the collar.
"Still a smart mouth aren't you?" X felt himself being lifted.
He tried to keep his balance and he glared at his opposition. "I'm warning you small eyes, back off."
"Small eyes? Ha! You're still wearing your human suit. Are you trying to hide your ugly face from your adoring public?" The human shook him and laughed.
That did it. X took the lunch tray and smashed it upon the human's face. A fight broke out between the two.
After several blows and bouts, the fight stopped when Kay and Jay pulled them apart.

"That's enough you two," Kay said. He had to pin one of X's arms to make him hold still.
Then Zed came running in from around the corner with Elle.
Zed sighed and rolled his eyes. "I should have known." He took a step forward. "Okay, what happened?"
"He threw his food on me!" U said quickly. He grimaced at what the juice did to his suit. It would take at least three days of bleaching for it to come out of the shirt.
Zed turned to X. "Is this true?"
"Yes."
"Then you are to go to your quarters without your evening meal."
"But."
"Now!" Zed commanded with a surprisingly harsh tone. His eyes held a look of authority, which dared him to say another word.
Dejectedly, X just kept a straight side as he did as he was ordered.
Elle turned to Zed. "Zed, X may be rash but he wouldn't start a fight without being provoked. What did you do U?"
"I didn't do anything!" He defended. "I don't know why you even agreed to be his partner. You could do a lot better."
"That's enough U. Now tell me what really happened." Zed demanded.

THE NEXT DAY, Laurel's POV;

As Elle waited to be inspected by Zed, she wondered where her partner was. As if he wasn't in enough trouble already. He just had to tick Zed off again. Zed had been hard on him lately, but X had it coming. It would be a awhile before Zed would reinstate him with any privileges.
Yet she wondered what had set X off like that yesterday. Agent U was a jerk, but X was could take just as much criticism as he dished out. X wouldn't want to pick fights with a 'primitive' species, but then again he was the hot-headed of the two.

"Elle, may I have a word with you?" Zed walked up to her as the other agents were dismissed. His brows furrowed in confusion. "Have you seen X? I've told him to report to my office this morning but he didn't show up. I sent an agent to search for him but without success."
Elle shook her head. "I haven't seen him either." She didn't like what she heard. Their 'loose cannon' was loose in MIB.
"Have you tried tracking him?"
Zed nodded hastily as he answered, "We've tried to by com-link and by witnesses. None of which were useful. X didn't take the van so we're at a dead end there." Zed made his way to the twins with Elle in pursuit. "Inform all units that we are missing an agent. Tell them to interrogate anyone if needed. People we have a wild goose chase on our hands."

Kay's POV;

Kay veered the LTD up in front of the Saucer Lounge. To the normal human eye it would have looked like an abandoned shack. In reality, it was a pub where many of New York's alien species hung out, as well as many of it's scum.

Jay looked at his partner in puzzlement. "Checkin' on the latest gossip?"
Kay nodded and added, "On our Agent X. It's one of his favorite spots."
He slipped his Carbonizer into his pocket. Usually he wouldn't need it when visiting a pub like this. But with fights breaking out inside most pubs recently, it felt good to have it by his side.

Jay knocked upon the door and a panel slid aside.
"Whose there?" a low voice called.
Kay peered at the hole. "Easy Sam, it's just us."
Instantly the panel closed and the door opened for them. Sam peered out cautiously. With his luminous black eyes and the fur on his body, he looked like a fisher, with a very similar curious nose and dangerous bite.
"What can I do youse for," Sam whispered.
Kay peered about him then bent down to the ferret-alien. "We're looking for a MIB agent, Agent X." He pulled out a crumpled photo.
Sam gazed intently at it for a while. His opaque eyelids flickered over the dark cesspools. With a paw, he scratched himself behind his ear. "Gee, Kay, he's certainly not anyone I saw, but that grin."
Without out a word, Kay pulled out a second photo, one which shown X without his human suit. Instantly, Sam eyes widen in terror. He swallowed shallowly and nodded. He answered in a hoarse whisper. "He walked into my kitchen, complaining about the food I cooked. He said that it was not spicy enough. Then he threatened me, asking that if I was trying to rip him off."
"Sounds like our boy all right," Jay said with a smirk.
Kay ignored the wisecrack and asked if Sam had seen where X had gone.
"Yeah, he tookse a taxi. I hope I never had to seez him again," The alien squeaked. A shiver rippled his fur.
Kay showed the photo with X in his suit. "Did you get the license and did he left wearing this."
Sam shook his mangy head. "I didn't get the number, and I never saw his suit at all."
Jay and Kay thanked him and left.

"Now what?" Jay said as he climbed into the LTD. "There's hundreds of taxis in New York. How are we going to find which one X took?"
"There's hundreds of taxis in New York," Kay started the ignition. "But only at least seventy-five driven by alien cabbies."
"And what makes you think X took one with an alien driver?"
"X wasn't wearing his suit, remember? Driver didn't get frightened. Which means X had the driver arranged to arrive there for him."
Jay sat back in frustration. He had hoped that this would end quickly. X always had to go off and do something foolish, and they sometimes had to be the ones to save his ass. And he never showed any gratitude as well. Their alien agent was more trouble than it was worth to have him.

Suddenly the car screeched to a halt. A dark shape in the alley disappeared into the shadows. Jay instantly wrapped his fingers around the cricket in his breast pocket. Whatever it was in there was huge.
Kay didn't say anything, but took his Carbonizer and cocked it. He got out and Jay followed suit. Cautiously, they walked into a dark alley off the side of the road. Trash cans that lined the walls reeked of the garbage left out for three days. The vile smell stung Jay's nose and he did his best to hold his breath. He turned back at his partner, who had bent down to examine the ground.
"Kay, what is it," he whispered. His eyes darted at the dark corners of the alley.
"Not quite sure." His eyes widened as he looked around. "Careful Slick, we're up against something different"
Jay dared a glance at the patch of broken concrete. The concrete around the edges crumpled away. But smashed concrete always had chips in it. This one didn't. It was as it if the concrete was dissolved into sand. He gripped his cricket tighter and forced himself to breathe normally, or as normally as the garbage would permit him.
A loud clang echoed through the alley when the lid of a trash can fell to the ground. A rat hopped out and hissed at them. Then it scurried into a storm drain.
Jay felt his shoulders loosened. He only let himself relax for a second. That second proved fatal. One second he was hunting for the perp, the next he felt himself being lifted. He heard Kay call for him. Then he felt himself being hurled away and colliding into something. The object let out a grunt and Jay knew he had been thrown into Kay. Pain seared through his body. As he fell, blackness mercifully claimed him.

X's POV;

X watched as Central Park pulled into view. Sunset was coming, and only a few joggers were left. He checked his watch. It was eight-fifteen. His transport was due in fifteen minutes. He paid his fare and walked over to the water fountain. Peering about his surroundings, he saw that he was in the clear. He reached into the fountain and grimaced in distaste as the feel of cold and wet water caused his human suit to tingle in discomfort.
X wanted very much to tear off the hideous thing. He wanted to free himself of being trapped in such a puny appearance. He was tired of everyone not taking him seriously. Well that would all be over in just a few minutes. In a few minutes, he would be far away from this miserable rock and back home where he belonged.
That is if he did belong there. No one ever took him seriously there as well. X decided that if things were just as worse back at his planet, he'll just leave and take a grand tour of the galaxy, perhaps working in a trade vessel.
But for now, he had to get off this planet. His finger caught a ring at the bottom of the fountain. With a jerk the water drained away, revealing an open stairway leading down.
X scowled at the disgusting rendezvous point his pilot gave. The sewer was a good place to hide a transport ship but was hard on the JeeDangian nose.
He took a few steps inside. The door shut closed and he could hear the water refilling the fountain. Slowly he began to make the decent.

It was eight-twenty five by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs. There a reptilian-like alien slid up to him. It eyes narrowed into slits giving the appearance of a snake about to strike.
"Are you ready to depart?" It hissed.
X nodded and opened a case he had been carrying. "Two-hundred Zulian dollars as promised." He jerked the case away as the trader reached out at it with a voracious claw. "But not until we get to my destination."
The serpent made a small bob with his head, which was the equivalent of the Earth head nod. "But of course," he replied. "However there's a small fee for entering the ship." A rough sound, like the grating of sand paper against wood, came from his rubbing claws.
X sighed and gave him a small bundle of cash. He would pay no matter how much to get away from here.

The interior of the ship was small and cluttered with trash. Metal panels peeled from the walls and the place reeked of leftovers.
X scoffed at the sight. "So this is first class. I wonder how what coach is like." he muttered.
"It's not much, but it's home," his reptilian companion said.
X dropped his human face onto a chair. "Just as long as it doesn't fall apart on us during the flight." He glanced about the ship. "So where are my quarters?"
The Zulian slithered up to a large panel in the wall of the ship. He tapped a code into the lock of the door. "Access denied." the computer beeped. The pilot hissed in frustration and slapped at the lock. The door slid open, exposing a room that almost made X think twice of leaving Earth.
X groaned. "Nice...Must be the Presidential Suite," he remarked with a smirk.
The Zulian hissed in anger. "You won't have a flight if you don't stop with your insults. Honestly, it's a wonder how no one ever finished you off on this planet." With that he left.
X shook his head. It was going to be a long trip.

Kay's POV;

Kay tumbled through one nightmare into the next. He fought to awaken himself, but his effort only plummeted him further into the abyss. It was always a different nightmare. Yet all of them followed one common theme. There was always a black creature lurking in the shadows of his mind. Each time he tried to focus upon it, it evaded him, only to reappear in another spot. The next nightmare sequence was when he was only moments away from being eaten by a bug. Just as it was about to drop him into its cavernous gullet, a strange white blaze of light appeared from the sky above. He and the bug paused and stared at the light above. Suddenly, the light intensified, and the light was divided into many hues. Then there was a large explosion of colors. The bug vanished, along with the whole landscape. But just for a blink of second the light broke through the darkness, revealing it occupant, a hideous black wolf. Before the whole scene disappeared, he gazed into a pair of ravenous yellow eyes that were fixed upon him. Then they were gone.

The light dimmed and Kay's vision returned and he found himself staring up at what appeared to be medical light fixtures. The glare of them caused Kay to squint till his eyes adapted. A low baritone voice spoke but Kay couldn't place the source of it.

"Is he awake?" It asked.
A silence, then an answer came from a too familiar voice. "Yes, he's waking from stasis," It said excitedly.

Kay tried to lift his head, only to be hit by a wave of pain and nausea. Miniature explosions inside his mind forced him to lay back. Kay breathed in shallow breaths, his head swimming from the pain. He couldn't do anything but lie back and listen to the voices around him.
"I wouldn't move too fast if I were you," The familiar voice called to him again. "You wouldn't want to strain yourself."
Kay groaned. "Where's Jay?" he gasped.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about him. He's only in a deep trance, though I would terminate him if need be." A silent chuckle followed. "Ah yes, rookies are just so breakable."
Kay's eyes widen. He knew he heard that voice before. "Alpha."
"The one and only." The voice sounded closer.

Kay craned his neck. The sight that greeted him made him wish he hadn't. Alpha's sinewy body was coated with wires and paneled metal. His once spindely arms were now replaced with robotic attachments that ended with dagger-like claws. His muscular legs had been reinforced with metal structures, his ankles had been replaced with struts. Tubes and pipes entered and exited his body and strange looking gagdets stuckout here and there. What skin remained was sickly green, his right eye had been replaced with an optical sensor, his mouth was curved into a wicked and was filled with jagged teeth.

"My what big sensors you have, Alpha," Kay said flatly. He tried to move but found that his arms and legs were shackled.
Alpha bared his teeth in a menacing sneer. "We are not amused, Kay." He turned to his companion, who stood in the shadows of the ship and had been silent. "Koolah, you'll find this one quite exceptional."
The other stepped into the light. Kay automatically recognized him as a Hoon'tak, the same species that had given MIB a Trojan-horse gift in a phony peace treaty meeting.
The Hoon'tak gazed at him and nodded. "He's one with lots of spirit. After working in the Dilithium mines, we'll break it."
"How did you survive and what are you up to now?" Kay demanded, wishing what he had thought of their discussion was wrong.
Alpha let out a throaty chuckle. "Forerunner technology can do marvels and as for my plan I thought you had figured it out by now. I'm planning to sell MIB to the Hoon'tak in the Slave Trade."
Kay's eyes widened. The Hoon'tak , along with a few other barbaric civilizations, who were still very much in the business of selling and trading of slaves, regardless of the rules set by the intergalactic federation. Hoon'tak slave-masters were known for their ghastly abuse of their slaves. Only one out of twenty slaves survived their tortures.
"You're sick Alpha."
"You have no idea how many times I've heard that one before." Alpha hovered above Kay, so close that his putrid breath was unbearable. But Kay didn't notice the stench that surrounded him. Instead he focused upon Alpha's glowing eye and optic.
"Sleep, Agent Kay," Alpha said. Suddenly the pupil in his left eyes shrunk till it became a pinprick.
For some reason, Kay couldn't look elsewhere. Something kept his gaze on those 'eyes'. It was not until Kay realized that Alpha was emitting psychic waves. By that time, it was too late. Kay fell asleep, remembering that yellow gaze in his nightmares.

Laurel's POV;

"Careful, you almost violated rule number four-hundred and fifty-one, section twelve," U exclaimed.
Elle, who was behind the wheel, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What's that?" She asked.
"Running over an open manhole."
Elle gritted her teeth. Ever since X's disappearance, Zed had partnered her up with Agent U. Let's say the partnership was...tense, and Elle was on the verge of strangling U.

She pulled up to exactly where Kay and Jay had disappeared over the last hour. Right now back at HQ, Zed was nearly pulling his hair out about the entire situation, three agents gone missing in one day.
Of course Elle was shocked an horrified that both agents Kay and Jay had been taken down. The two were a good team and hardly ever failed at getting their perp. So of course, Elle volunteered to take the case out of the concern for her friends and fellow agents.
After interrogating Sam on the details of the case, they now tracked the location of Kay's LTD. She and U approached the scene.

Obviously a fight had occurred, shown by the spilt garbage littering the ground. Elle grimaced at the sight of a rat chewing a moldy cheese rind. But what offended her the most was the putrid smell of the place.

"Let's get this over with." She told U. Shouldering her firearm, she held her breath as she took a step forward into the litter. There she found the containment crew rummaging through the trash, trying to find any clue to the identity of Kay and Jay's kidnapper or their whereabouts.
Zed had insisted sending them ahead of her and U. He said that he couldn't afford losing any more agents. Elle was touched by his concern, but found the containment unit a burden. They were here doing work that belonged to her just cause they had arrived moments before.
"Okay, you guys," Elle said as she approached them. "We'll take it from here."
A dark curly-haired agent turned to face her. He flashed her a grin, which for some reason bothered her more than it should have.
"Sorry little lady, but my team got it covered. Why don't you just patrol the grounds for any wondering eyes. Oh, and try not to get kidnapped will ya?"
Elle gave him a look that would kill a Zerg. "Why of course. I'll do just that while you guys have fun rooting through garbage."
The agent frowned, but didn't say anything. Instead he turned back to the pile of trash he had been working on. That would humble him a bit, Elle thought. She glanced about her.
"Where's the LTD?" she asked. All she received were shrugs from the containment crew.
"Uh, Elle," U spoke softly. "Maybe you should take a look at this."
Elle turned to face him. "U, this is no time to-" Her jaw dropped. "How?"
Off of the alley, stood a grotesque black sculpture. It was twisted and distorted, looking very much like clay placed in the hands of a child or a madman.
Elle reached out and touched it. The surface felt metallic and cool to the touch. Her heart skipped a beat as she found something jutting out of a crack in the sculpture. A badly crushed cassette tape, its contents spilled out, rested in her hand. On it had the label 'Elvis Greatest Hits.' She knew that Kay loved listening to Elvis. She looked back into the alley, eyes wide.
"U, get the containment team over here," she spoke in a trembling voice. She cleared her throat. "Tell them to scan for any sign if Kay or Jay's remains are inside this thing.
"Why would they be inside it?"
Elle frowned at his stupidity. "This was the LTD!"

After an hour of intense waiting, the results were in. Elle sighed in great relief that the reports were negative. But not too relaxed. Whatever did this was either incredibly strong and large, or had great psychokinetic power. Her instincts preferred the latter.
"Gentlemen," Elle said. "We have a code red."
As soon as she spoke these words, there was a commotion as all of them rushed to contact all MIB units.
Elle now had total sympathy for Zed. After losing three agents he didn't deserve the weight of this to drop upon his burdened shoulders. Already her mind was spinning with how far the situation had grown out of control.

X's POV;

X twitched upon his sheets and grimaced. For the past two hours he had been trying to fall asleep, managing only to get fifteen minutes of sleep. The numbers ten-fifteen glared into his exhausted eyes from the digital clock. Finally, X stood up, groaning as he stretched his stiff body. The floor was not a desirable place to sleep, but it beat sleeping upon the filthy bed his host had provided. There could be fleas or intergalactic diseases that maybe teeming on it.
X yawned. He wondered if the pilot had finished making repairs on the ship's engine. They were already far behind schedule.

He reached under his pillow, trying to find the case of money he had stashed away from the Zulian. X's eyes widened when he couldn't find it. Flipping over his pillow, he found that the case wasn't there. He yelled in frustration.
"That weasel!" X swore he would ring the Zulian's neck when he got the chance.
He rushed quickly out of his room, tripping over his bed sheets in the progress. After searching the entire ship, which wasn't too hard for its small size, he couldn't find the pilot anywhere. As he rushed into the cockpit, he heard the sound of a small vehicle start. X ran up to the dashboard and peered outside the windshield. In the dim lights of the sewer, the Zulian tried to start the ignition of his hovercycle. In the basket of it was X's case of cash. But what outraged X the most was that the driver was wearing his suit.
X sprinted down the stairs. By the time he reached outside, the Zulian had manage to start the engine. The driver turned his head and gasped as he saw X in hot pursuit. He hit the gas and the hovercycle sped away.
"See you, sucker!" the Zulian called out with a cackle.
X ran after the pilot until the cycle disappeared around the corner. Then he slowed down and finally came to a stop, he kicked himself mentally for letting his guard down and relaxing. He should have waited until arriving home.

He sank unto the ground and held his head in defeat. Now he didn't have any money to get off the planet, and he had a hunch that the Zulian had sabotaged the ship's engine or the ship never could fly to begin with. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. He obviously couldn't earn cash by taking a job. Employers would be asking questions or worse tell MIB that they found their missing agent. X shivered at the thought. Being caught would mean being locked up in the detention ward, or being sent to a prison planet.
From his choices, X found that turning himself in to Zed was the most logical decision. At least, he hoped the punishment wouldn't be so severe. Before deciding to do just that (and risk believing in that assumption), X thought that if he could manage to fix the ship's engine he wouldn't need to turn himself in. Sighing, X stood up and walked toward the ship. There was going to be a lot of parts to fix in the old bucket.

Alpha's POV;

Dangling high above the Earth, Alpha clung tightly upon the radio antennae. Slowly, he made his way up towards the top.
He chuckled sinisterly. Soon MIB would be like putty in his hands. They will do whatever was at his whim. Below him, people watched in horror at the sight of a bizarre hairy creature ascending the antennae construct. No doubt, he probably reminded them of King Kong scaling the buildings from the movies. Well let them continue staring. They'll all be his very soon, just as soon as he could remove MIB from the big picture.

MIB, he thought bitterly. The proud organization. The guardians of Earth. All which started from a small group of nerds whose goal was to try making contact outside of the small back-water planet. It was a pity he had to destroy it. For years he had tried to coax them into using the Verudian Cosmic Integrator. With it, they could have been the most powerful beings in the universe, with him, Alpha, leading them. But no, they were too close-minded, insisting that the device was too dangerous to be tampered with much less using it upon oneself. They didn't agree with his view of stealing alien or robotic body parts and adding them on to their own bodies, saying it was wrong to exploit other species for personal benefit.
Well let them all keep their beliefs, he will destroy them all. The stronger will prevail over the weak. If they did not choose to become stronger, then they must be destroyed to make room for those who were more worthy. Such is the law of the universe. Finally, he reached the top. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. He focused on the communications link frequencies of MIB. Using the radio antennae as a carrier, he would be able to intensify the control he emitted. If it all went as planned, Earth was his for the taking.

Laurel's POV;

"All units, be on the lookout for any psychokinetic activity. Do not attempt to approach without proper backup. Repeat do not approach without back up."
The car radio crackled. With a quick flick of her wrist, Elle snapped the radio off. She didn't need it to rub in the guilt of her disobedience. Zed had specifically ordered that no agent should go alone, due to the disappearance of three top agents. He said he had enough problems without the need of another missing agent to top it off.
Yet here she was doing exactly the opposite of that. But who could blame her? After losing her two closest friends and her partner, Elle couldn't just sit there twiddling her thumbs and hoping for the best. She had to be in the action.
Unfortunately she had to leave behind U's back, knowing full well that he would rather give another lecture to the alien children than go off on a wild goose chase. It had been easy to sneak out without Zed noticing. Almost every agent had taken the assignment of tracking down the psychopath, so all she had to do was blend in.

The detector on the dashboard suddenly gave a faint beep. Immediately, Elle slammed on her brakes. The van gave a satisfying screech as it stopped automatically. Elle climbed out of the van, gripping her Carbonizer and holding the detector in the other hand. She paced the alley, hoping to get a clearer signal, but as she strolled about, the signal didn't show any variation. Elle frowned. She had already covered the entire area, yet the trail remained faint.
Just as she was about to give in, thinking there may be a glitch in the circuitry of the detector, she spotted movement in the dumpster. Fingering the trigger, she walked up to it. Wrinkling her nose, Elle's instincts screamed at her to retreat. Her sinuses tingled with pain from the stench. Ignoring her body, Elle pushed the lid of the dumpster back quickly.
But as she did, something small sprang out at her and landed upon the Carbonizer.
Elle let out a startled gasp and dropped the detector. The creature jumped off of it and scuttled into a pile of dirty newspapers. Realizing what it was, she sighed in relief, and her breathing returned to normal. The rat bared its teeth and hissed. Then it continued to chew upon the bread crust it held in its paws. Picking up her detector, Elle noticed a goopy, brown substance clinging on it. She groaned when she realized that it was rat feces.

"I hate alleys," Elle muttered. The rat, hearing her voice, hissed again. Then it scurried down into a storm drain.
Elle watched it disappeared below. Suddenly an idea struck her.
"Nothing is what it seems." Elle said, repeating the wise MIB saying. Kneeling onto the ground, Elle tugged at a manhole cover and put it aside. Just as she had anticipated, the detector's alarm frequency increased.

Zed's POV;

"She did what!?" Zed exclaimed. He gritted his teeth as U reported on Elle's misconduct.
"I swear sir, I didn't know."
"Then stop standing there sniveling. Contact her and-"
Suddenly the main view screen flickered and static filled it. The twins cried out in alarm.
Zed frowned. "What the?"
Then, the screen cleared, revealing a snarling hideous cyborg creature, perched upon an antennae.
"We now interrupt your broadcasting program for an important announcement," it spoke.
"Alpha." Zed sneered.
"Oh good, I thought you wouldn't be able to recognize me through the stage makeup. How nice to see all of you again."
"Cut the pleasantries, Alpha. What's going on?" Zed demanded.
A soft chuckling sound came over the speakers. "Shame on you, Zed. Must you always be all business? Here, let me help you relax."
Suddenly Zed felt extremely fatigued, as if his body had lost its urge to live. This caused Zed to become alarmed, but then his worry escalated to fear as a dark presence entered his mind. A battle erupted between his spirit and the intruder. However Zed felt himself losing ground as he slowly was pushed into the abyss. His spirit fought once more to gain control, but the darkness finally delivered the finishing blow, and his spirit was sent over the brink.
One by one each agent who had watched Alpha by screen or by Vid-Link fell to the silent cybernetic being. Panic rippled through the organization, and for once the discipline it maintained was destroyed as everyone scattered in futile attempt to escape the darkness. Some, realizing that it was Alpha's doing, tried to look away but found they could not. Minutes later, even the most stubborn succumbed. And MIB and its immigrants fell into Alpha's control.

Alpha's POV;

"Is this all of them?" Koo'lah asked, though it sounded more like an order.
Alpha shook his head. "There are a couple of agents still about."
Koo'lah turned to face the screen with Alpha's image, with a look of suspicion. "We agreed that you would get a shipment of Forerunner technology in return I would receive all of MIB and a section on Earth for our usage."
"The reservation of Earth is understandable, but what are a couple agents to you?"
"Months ago, MIB stopped us from a campaign. Let's just say we want to show them what we do to enemies." He emphasized this by crushing a metal cup with a fist.
Alpha sighed. "Very well. Just give me a little more time. After all, you know how clever these MIB can be."
"How could you have let just a couple agents get away?"
"They had manage to evade my control by leaving their Vid-Links behind."
Koo'lah stood. "Whatever the reason, catch them. We must succeed. Then we will get what we both desire. You, the world. Me, revenge and conquest." He lifted a new cup of victory wine.
Alpha lifted his own cup. "To our new-found fortunes."

Kay's POV;
Kay woke up upon a damp, cold floor. He coughed once then rolled onto his back. Groaning, he rubbed his forehead. He felt as it he had a long night of drinking and was now suffering the effects of a major hangover.

"Kay?" He heard voice called. Immediately he sat up, and wished he hadn't. As he felt his temples throbbed, he demanded, "Who's there? Identify yourself."
"It's me, Zed." Then he stepped into the light that shown down from the fixture above. Despite the condition they were in, Zed maintained his dignity. Though he looked a bit perturbed.
Taking a seat next Kay, he said. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?"
Kay shrugged. "Alpha has lured us here by using psychic waves. He plans to sell us to the Hoon'tak who plan to extract a little revenge by making us slaves."
Zed's face paled. He cleared his throat. "That's all?"
"No. Though Alpha would be in charge of Earth, he agreed to set aside a piece of Earth to support their war campaigns."
Zed realized that if the Hoon'tak managed to establish an outpost on Earth, they would have an advantage in conquering Earth's allies. The whole United Intergalactic Federation would fall to the Hoon'tak.
Zed shuddered at the thought. "Is everyone here?" he asked Kay. "There are a couple still free."
"And who are they?"
"X and Elle."
Zed groaned. "If it was you and Elle, there may be hope for us yet. But X and Elle together, I'm not so certain."
Kay thought about this. Zed had an uncanny knack about being right. Kay just hoped that X and Elle would pull together. They'd both have to use all their skills and then some if there would be any hope. Otherwise, MIB would just be a lost memory and so would the Federation.

Laurel's POV;

Elle shivered. But it wasn't the cold dampness of the sewers that chilled her. It was something else. Something dark. Something sinister. She thought it was strange that she had this reaction. After all, she had gone into much worse places, ranging from being inside the heart of a bug nest to the core of a very unstable atom. Yet she met these challenges head on. Never had she backed away or hesitate. But for some reason this sewer gave her pause. Glancing at her detector, she got the feeling that despite its readings it was not revealing to her something.

As she continued through the labyrinth its alarm frequency increased. Then as she came around a corner, it shrilled. Elle grimaced at the loudness of it and shut it off. But as she did so, a low moaning could be heard. Taking a deep breath, Elle turned the corner. She nearly fell over by sudden loss of control of her body. Dropping unto one knee, she fought to keep her mind above the wave of chaos. Gasping, she got on all fours and crawled back the way she came. Then Elle sat hunched over, panting. Just as fast as the psychokinetic waves' effects had come upon her, they disappeared.
Elle had no idea that the waves were that powerful. Which would mean big problems for MIB. Just as she was about to contact HQ and report her findings, the moaning became more insistent.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Elle shouted. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small disc-shaped metal object. Because humans could tolerate only a small dose of psychic waves, this device was specially crafted to hold back five-hundred nics.
But Elle was worried at the readings her detector gave. It had reported four-hundred an ninety nics of psychic energy. And since this was only the psychic wake (the residue left after a psychic encounter, which gradually decays over time), it could mean either the psychic creature had been at the scene quite recently or it was more powerful than MIB had ever encountered. She certainly hoped it wasn't the latter.
Placing the object around her neck, she gave it a twist and it activated. Now she had a shield to protect her from the psychic waves. She proceeded toward the source of the moaning.

Elle still kept her Carbonizer out. Though the sounds seemed to indicate that someone was in pain, it could really be an ambush. But as she came on the scene, it was apparent that this was no ambush but rather the results of one. Huge chunks of cement littered the ground, the biggest was the size of a small car. A bashed up hovercycle was nearly buried by pipes. The moan came again, only louder from a pile of rubble.
Elle dropped to her knees and began digging to free the victim.

"Hang on," Elle cried. Her efforts uncovered a hand, which she recognized as belonging to a Zulian, one of the most business profiting species. Sometimes they were known for their discreet and trickery. When they did get caught, their hard-scaled bodies came in handy. But in case this one chose to be discreet, Elle would have her Carbon Rifle out for back up just in case he decided to pull a fast one. According to Zulian business laws, the person with the bigger guns get the better deal.
Finally she manage to free the Zulian. She took a step back and held the rifle poised above him. Zulians were also known for their hostile attitudes, and because they could tolerate seven-hundred and fifty nics, he could still attack her full strength.
"Please don't hurt...oh it's just a human." the Zulian scoffed. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he peered at her with his reptilian eyes. "Come on Sweetheart, drop the weapon. You might hurt yourself."
Elle pressed the barrel of the gun against his chest. "You're going to be the one that gets hurt if you don't tell me how you manage to steal that suit you're wearing."
"I ain't telling you nothing." he hissed.
"Who attacked you?"
"Bite me."
Elle saw she wasn't getting anywhere quick and obviously threats would charm the snake into handing her the gem. She glanced at the cycle that lay next to them. Then something caught her eye. A gray case with the MIB logo jutted out from a pile of rocks. Opening it she found two-hundred Zulian dollars inside. Elle glared at the Zulian. It was the same missing two-hundred Zulian dollars that had gone missing from the Vault the day X escaped.

Suddenly an idea struck her. She smiled sweetly at her hostage. "Tell you what if you agree to help me, I'll let you keep the cash."
"Do I walk free?"
"Yes."
The Zulian grinned and rubbed his chin with a leathery clawed hand. "Hmm. Do I get a weapon of choice with that?"
Elle cocked the trigger and the Carbon Rifle let out a high pitch whine. "I suggest you take the previous offer."
The Zulian nodded. "You drive a hard bargain, but a good one. Indeed you'd would've been a fine Zulian trader."
"Thanks, I think. Now talk."
"Okay, okay. I stole the suit from some amateur MIB. As well as the loot on him." He chuckled. "Like stealing candy from a baby."
Elle rested the rifle at his neck. "That's my partner you're talking about. Now tell me where he is and who attacked you?" She pressed the gun's barrel deeper into his neck for emphasis.
The Zulian frowned. "This is abuse you know. You don't have any reason to hold me."
"You're correct when you say I have no right to hold you. But I must be taking up some of my partner's habits (she shuddered at the thought of it). However I would say with holding information from MIB is a reason. Now answer my questions."
The Zulian sighed. "All right some cyborg human-headed freak attacked me."
"Human? But how... what a minute. Did the face look like this?" She pulled up Alpha's Database upon her hand-held data module.
"Yeah! That's the bozo who tried to kill me. But when he took a good look at me, he said that I wasn't the alien agent he was looking for."
Elle figured the rest out. Alpha was looking for X but why? It didn't make sense. Whatever the reason, it still meant her partner was in danger. She had to warn him.
"Show me where my partner is." she demanded.
"All right. Follow me." he hissed.