"Kiddo." Catherine stood at the door, her expression grim. "Something''s happened at the base."


    Juniper raised an eyebrow, not quite processing.


    "We''ve captured the leader of the Sigma Network," Catherine said gravely.


    "What?" Juniper, who had been half-asleep, suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her pupils dted as she asked again, her voice uncertain, "Captured who?"


    "It might be the leader of the Sigma Network, or it could be a body double." Catherine led her out, exining softly, "A little while ago, he tried to escape for no reason. Michael was worried he''d cause trouble, so he shot him."


    Juniper''s steps faltered. She whipped her head around to face Catherine, her voice raspy. "Where did he shoot him?"


    "The left side," Catherine answered honestly. "Michael knows what he''s doing. He made sure it wasn''t fatal."


    Juniper was speechless. She didn''t say another word, her pace unconsciously quickening.


    "Kiddo, wait for me." Watching the girl''s retreating back, Catherine sensed something was off.


    Was that worry on Specter''s face? For her arch-nemesis? What?


    When Juniper arrived at the infirmary, the other four masters immediately surrounded her, all talking at once, exining why they hadn''t told her about the Sigma Network leader sooner.


    "We weren''t sure if he was the real deal," Michael said slowly, his brow furrowed. "From what I recall, the leader of the Sigma Network isn''t stupid enough to walk right into a trap."


    Walk into a trap? Juniper pressed her lips together, silent.


    "Anyway, he''s alive for now..." Michael ran a hand through his hair. "Specter, do you want to check the surveince footage to identify him?"


    "I''m going in to see him."


    As Juniper started to move, the five masters hurried to follow. "Is it dangerous to meet him alone? We''ll go with you!"


    "No need." Juniper refused tly, her voice low. "No one follows me in."


    "Alright."


    The five masters exchanged a look and stopped in their tracks. Only after Specter''s figure disappeared did they dare to huddle together and whisper. What in the world was going on between Specter and the leader of the Sigma Network? Something must have happened during the assassination attempt a few days ago!


    "What happened?" Lue had just woken up. Hearing someone was injured, she rushed to the infirmary without asking any questions.


    "We caught the leader of the Sigma Network," Robert answered. "And Michael shot him."


    "What?" Lue''s eyes widened, nearly popping out of her head. Her voice shot up. "You captured the leader of the Sigma Network, and you shot him?"


    fiver


    "Yep." The five masters nodded in unison, then asked with concerned frowns, "When you were kidnapped by him and Specter went to rescue you, did something happen? We get the feeling that Specter''s and the Sigma leader''s attitudes toward each other have g?tten... weird."


    In the past hearing that they''d captured the leader of the Sigma Network would have made Juniper ecstatic. But just now, her face was dark and there was even a hint of worry.


    Lue stood frozen for a long moment before finally speaking. "He''s not dead, is


    he?"


    "Not for the moment," Michael replied bluntly.


    For the moment? Hearing that, Lue silently gave Michael a thumbs-up.


    In the infirmary, Shanleyy on the bed, repeatedly pushing away the doctor''s hands. "Don''t treat me. I won''t die."


    Why wipe it? If they cleaned up all the blood, what would Juniper see when she came in?


    The next second, the door swung open, and a familiar voice cut through the air. "Then don''t treat him. Throw him out back to feed the dogs."


    Shanley froze.