212 Ranks of Pure

Entering her own room this time, Layla was more nervous than ever. It reminded her of when she first joined the school. All the strange feelings were returning to her and were starting to make her feel sick.

"I think by the end of today, I'm going to come out around five pounds lighter," She jokingly said to herself, trying to forget about the ordeal she was in.

Upon entering her room, there was no one inside. Her roommate consisted of Erin and another female student. Most of the time, their other roommate seemed to be out, which was a good thing for Layla.

Still, just to be safe, she kept an eye on the door as she did what she needed to do. She had already been caught once by Logan and had no clue how, which started to make her do some second-guessing.

All those years of training were hammered into her so she wouldn't be caught during an investigation, and in the end, she was caught by another student. Maybe she just wasn't made for work like this.

The black orb from under her bed was now in her hand. And once again, she took a deep breath, readying herself before tapping the top of the sphere. The blue ring on the top started to pulse in and out until eventually, it turned into a solid blue colour, signalling that it had been connected.

"Agent 45 connected with Agent 83. Today isn't a report day. Does there seem to be a problem?" the voice from the sphere asked.

"I would like to make a special report, would you please connect me to Agent Number 5?" Layla asked.

"The single agents are too busy. You can report it to me and I will pass on the message to them."

"I'll ask you again," Layla said firmly. "Please let me speak to Agent 5. This is not a request as an agent, but say that it's from her daughter."

There seemed to be a slight pause between the two having a conversation for a moment before the agent eventually replied…

"I will see what she says."

Layla waited while the other agent went and contacted her mother. In the Pure organization, they had special numbers associated with each agent. The number system could be split up into four different categories. The first group of people were the hundreds.

These agents of Pure were given no such number ranking. All they were told were that they were above the hundred special agents. These people would often be new to the Pure organization and would only be used on large scale operations.

Then, below them were the ranked. These agents were numbered from 20 to 100. These were special operative agents whose numbers were based on their position within the organization. The lower your rank was, the more powerful you were.

The third group were the higher ranked, going from 6 to 20. They were quite different compared to the other agents, due to the fact that they were mainly there due to their power. And then finally...

When Layla was first introduced to the ranking system, she found it weird. For a group who was so hellbent on there not being a hierarchy in society, it was strange for their own group to have one.

But they always said that it was different because they all had the same goal in mind and understood. It would only be this way for now until they achieved their goal, and then, they would get rid of the ranking system. By then, equipment, wealth and resources would be distributed equally.

Layla started to remember the mock videos they showed her of what the world could be, and they always seemed so peaceful.

As she was deep in thought, she was quickly interrupted by a familiar voice on the speaker.

"This is Agent 5 speaking, I hear you have some important news for me, Agent 83?" the voice said.

After hearing those words come out of her mouth, Layla was a little upset. She hadn't spoken to her mother in a while and the first thing she talked about was business. She didn't ask her how she was or how she was doing and didn't even say her name. But she had always been like this, and Layla was used to it by now.

Layla started to explain the details of what happened. How she acted on her own without informing Pure to protect her friends, going against Jack and what the situation currently was. Though she did miss out a few details here and there, especially the parts where she had informed all of her friends who she was.

So far, she had only said she told Erin, someone who she wanted to bring over to Pure about her real position.

"Has your position been compromised by anyone else in the school or personnel?" her mother asked.

"No, I have only informed Erin. Right now, they think she escaped on her own. They are looking for her and she has no ability, as well as nowhere to go. If you can, please help her."

"Don't worry," she replied. "We will do our best. Anyone who has been affected by Truedream will be accepted. We shall treat her well. However, you have gone against our code. Although you were not caught, you took action without asking for permission and you even went as far as to use our name."

"Your punishment will be decided when you come back to the base. For now, you shall be demoted from position 83 to position 100. Update me when you have the location Erin will be sent to. We will have someone on standby waiting."

"Oh, and one last thing. Layla, I am waiting for you. Soar through the ranks. Don't be disheartened and try to get into the upper level so we can meet more frequently. May Pure be with you."

"May Pure be with you."

As the call ended, Layla kept her head down. A demotion was quite a big punishment on its own as it was. It had taken Layla a long time to rise through the ranks and just like that, she was at the bottom, barely hanging onto the numbered positions.

When she was at the base, she rarely got to see her mother much. Her mother always told her, as long as she was loyal to Pure and the cause, eventually, she would rise up the ranks and have a seat next to her.

So far she had been as loyal as can be and followed everything to the book. But everything slightly changed when she met Quinn and the others. She started having fun and enjoyed her time at school.

Sure, there were bad people in the world, but not everyone abused their powers as she found out. There were those like Erin who didn't even understand there was injustice and discrimination going on. Layla felt like they just needed to educate the world more.

She started questioning if Pure's forceful ways were really the right thing to do, which is why she was hesitant about reporting Quinn and the others.

If there was a chance she could leave the organization without receiving a punishment, she might have even considered it. And now, when thinking about it, she was about to send one of her best friends to such a place.

A place she no longer wanted to be a part of.

****

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