[Boss POV]

I was sitting in my office waiting for the last person to report how things were going. Unfortunately, it is Audrey. So, I may be waiting a while for her to get here. So, I may as well review the reports my other scouts gave me. As I read them, a headache starts to form. Gale and the Doctor went to observe the captured mutant animals in the facility commonly referred to as the zoo. The scout doesn't know why they went there, but they assume it was for her next human-mutant experiment. I think that is ridiculous. We don't know how the fox-girl came to be, but I don't believe the Doctor made her.

"Hello dear boss, your most useful scout has come back with her report!"(Audrey)

The doors to my office burst open as the scout I have been waiting for enters.

"How many times have I told you to knock before entering my office?"(Boss)

"17 I think honestly I thought you would have given up by now."(Audrey)

"Just tell me what you found."(Boss)

"Not much. The fox girl's name is Jill, and the blank I've been messing with is hanging out with them. I was able to make contact with Kim when the Doctor and Gale were away."(Audrey)

Audrey paused for dramatic effect.

"Unfortunately, she seems like a pushover. I don't think she will be any help pulling one over on the Doctor."(Audrey)

"Wouldn't her being a pushover help extract information?"(Boss)

"Normally, yes, but when Jill glared at her, she jumped a little. So I would have to get around her as well as the Doctor. And before you ask, Jill isn't an option. She was looking at me with disdain the whole time."(Audrey)

"Did you get anything productive from the interaction?"(Boss)

"Kim is going to be busy for a while, so I don't think their schedule will change until they are done with whatever the Doctor has them doing. That is at least what she told me."(Audrey)

"So you endangered your identity as a spy and got almost nothing in return!"(Boss)

I was getting annoyed. Not only did she not have any good intel, but she risked alerting them of our presence.

"But I did it to get closer to my target."(Audrey)

"Again, you got nothing to show for it! Hah, I need you to back off, now get out of my office."(Boss)

"Fine, but you better not ask me for anything without apologizing to me first."(Audrey)

Now that I was alone, I started to think of a way to deal with the mess I had in front of me.

[Kim POV]

After waking up, everyone was eating together. Gale and Lily looked very happy, which reminded me of the question I never got the answer to yesterday.

"So, where did you two go yesterday?"(Kim)

Gale started to choke, and Lily blushed before answering.

"Well, Gale took me to the mutant observation facility."(Lily)

"So he took you to a research facility on your day off?"(Kim)

"It's not a research facility. It's a place where you can look at the non-deadly mutants in a controlled environment."(Lily)

I facepalmed after her explanation.

"So it's a zoo."(Kim)

"I thought Lily would like it because it had a lot of domesticated mutants. Usually, she only deals with the violent ones."(Gale)

"I hope she didn't bring a notepad with her."(Kim)

"Lily is pretty good about separating work from recreation. She gets excited about work very easily."(Gale)

As we were talking, Lily was getting embarrassed until she finally spoke.

"If you're satisfied now. How has practice been?"(Lily)

Lily quickly changed the subject before her face turned more red than it already was.

"Unfortunately, I haven't made any progress."(Kim)

"Honestly, the fact my lab was not turned into a freezer is already better than I was expecting with the energy you have."(Lily)

"If I have so much energy, then why can I only make a block of ice?"(Kim)

"It has to do with your control and output. You can only use so much energy at any time, so we need to work on your control first, and then we will work on your output when you have more control."(Lily)

"Fine, I guess that makes sense. Anyways, how is prep for the visit going?"(Kim)

After grumbling, I decided to ask about a more cheerful topic.

"Well, I sent the higher-ups a message that you are awake, and observation was almost complete. So we should get approval soon."(Lily)

"Can I call them before we visit?"(Kim)

"Unfortunately, the higher-ups don't want to let you see more of the base than you already have."(Lily)

I was sad to hear that I couldn't call my family yet.

"Will I be able to come?"(Jill)

"No, the higher-ups want to observe you more before letting you roam around. While me and Kim are gone, Gale will be the one keeping tabs on you."(Lily)

Jill's ears droop after hearing she wouldn't be allowed to come.

"Don't be down. It means you'll have plenty of time to try and beat me and win your prize."(Gale)

Gale walked over to Jill and gave her a pat on the back. I decided to give her an extra incentive to be good while I'm away.

When I get back, we will also talk about us. So please don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone. (Kim)

Jill jumped a bit because I don't usually send her messages through our telepathy.

"Fine. But I will beat you by the time Kim gets back!"(Jill)

Jill had turned around to face Gale when she made that declaration, and Gale flashed a fearless smile that you only see during training. Jill returned with a savage smile of her own. 

"I'm sure you'll try."(Gale)

"Now that's settled, time to get back to training."(Lily)

I shoved the remainder of my food into my mouth before swallowing it. Gale and Jill moved into the ring to begin their match. Ivan was using the sandbag to train. Lily and I were standing by a bucket where my ice would fall as I tried to control the shape it formed into. The rest of the day was uneventful until a messenger delivered an envelope to Lily. After opening it, Lily told me she got the confirmation we were waiting for.

"We will head out two days from now. You don't need to worry about packing, we will use tomorrow to relax. For now, let's eat and go to sleep."(Lily)