Base- Somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

11:30 pm UTC -10:00

He hung up the phone and bit back a tired sigh while he moved a hand through his hair and across his face. He leaned back in his seat and looked at his computer screen, staring blankly at it with no thoughts going through his mind.

His heart ached and became filled with pain and sadness while he stared blankly at the computer screen, and his vision grew blurry.

There was a knock on the door that stirred the male from his thoughts, and he turned that way to see that there was a beautiful female standing there with fiery red hair and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Sir," she greeted, and she bowed before she stood and stared at him. "How are you?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied him. "Are you ok?"

The male sighed and shook his head, moving a hand through his hair and across his face. "I have been better," he said and shook his head. "What is it? Is everything ok?" He raised an eyebrow in question while he studied her.

The fiery female bit back a small smile and slowly nodded before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Everything is ok for right now, Sir," she said. "All of the rooms are ready, and the children should be arriving here shortly."

He bit back a small hum while he slowly nodded before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He didn't say a word and grabbed a pen before he started to write something down on a piece of paper.

The female by the door frowned, and a look of worry flashed across her face when he didn't say a word and wrote something on a piece of paper that she wasn't able to read. "Sir?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she watched him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Adeline," he said and shook his head without looking at her. "Unfortunately, I had a thought that I needed to write down before I forgot it, so I hope that you can forgive me."

The female, Adeline, bit back a small frown before she slowly nodded. "Of course, Sir," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Do you think that it is something that we need to worry about?" she asked and cocked her head to the side, studying him.

The male bit back a small smile and shook his head. "No," he said while he continued to write down the thoughts that were going through his head. He paused and cleared his throat before he looked at the female with a small smile on his face. "At least for now," he said and tucked his head closer to his chest.

Adeline frowned before she slowly nodded. "Yes, Sir," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Is it something about the group?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes," he said and nodded in confirmation. He finished writing everything that he needed to write down before he folded his arms across his chest and shifted in his seat. "Now, how are you?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied her. "Are you feeling well?"

Adeline bit back a small smile while she tucked her head closer to her chest, staring at him through her eyelashes. "I am well, thank you, Sir," she said. "I hope that y-"

He raised his hand to stop her from talking, and she hesitated before she closed her mouth. "Rodney, we are alone, Adeline," he said and shook his head. "Please, you do not need to keep me calling "Sir" when you do not need to."

Adeline bit back a small smile and bowed her head. "Unfortunately, the door is open, Sir," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "I am not at liberty to call you anything but Sir." She raised her hand when her superior, Rodney, opened his mouth to stop him from saying something. "Unfortunately, we have to keep the door open due to other business that we need to do, Sir," she said and lifted her head to look at him.

Rodney bit back a tired sigh and pursed his lips in annoyance before he slowly nodded, and his heart seemed to break. "Ok," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Was there anything that you needed from me?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Adeline bit back a small smile and shook her head no. "I just wanted to let you know what is going on and check on you, Sir," she said. She placed her hands behind her back and clasped her hands together. "Was there anything else that you needed from me?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"No," he said and shook his head. He cleared his throat and looked at his computer when there was a small ding from his computer, earning the interest of the female that stood by the door. "You are dismissed, Adeline, thank you."

Adeline bit back a small frown and slowly nodded. "Yes, Sir," she said, knowing full well that this was business that she could not know about just yet until they were able to get all eight of the Guardians here so that they could start to train and help protect this place from the man who had destroyed their whole planet. "Excuse me." She bowed before she left, leaving and closing the door behind her.

Rodney didn't say a word and continued to do his work, barely acknowledging the fact that she had left and didn't give her a proper goodbye like he normally would because of how imperative this was to him.

Finally, after he was done with what he needed to do, he looked up as if he was half expecting her to still be there, even though he had sent her away while he did this work. "A-" He cut himself off when he didn't see her.

Pain and sadness filled his heart when he didn't see her standing there, waiting for him to dismiss her properly. "Oh," he said and tucked his head closer to his chest. "Ok." He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat before he turned back to his work, silently praying that she would forgive him for being so rude.

However, he couldn't think about that much, for at that moment, his phone began to ring, and the name "Victor Henson" appeared on the screen, and he couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief when he answered the phone with a "hello?" because it meant that they were almost done getting in contact with everyone that he needed after this call.

Seven calls down, one to go...