A MATA Villian

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Villain name: Ali bin Ghazali

Age: 15

Last known location: SMT Cyberaya

Reason of Villainy: Stealing of IRIS and uncontrollable

Special Notes: 
-Ex-MATA Tekno agent
-Owns Comot (an intelligent cat, refer to Villain File: Comot)
-Owner of IRIS

Moon, Khai, Jet and Iman were reading the file over and over again, as though unable to believe their eyes. It wasn't until that Alicia snatched the file from Moon's slack hands did anyone stir.

"How could they..." Iman whispered fearfully, her eyes wide with horror.

"He is our friend, we need to go help clear his name!" Jet stated determinedly.

"We can't clear his name until anyone catches him," Alicia hissed. "And can you keep your voice down? We're in public."

They were in fact hanging out in a restaurant. Alicia had called for their assistance immediately when she received information from her father that Ali had turned against MATA. She couldn't believe her ears then, but when she saw the official file, she had no choice but to accept the truth.

"What do we do now?" Moon said miserably.

Alicia thought for a while before replying, "We need to keep a lookout where Ali would most likely be. Anywhere at all. And if anyone sees anything, report to each other immediately."

"Why not report to MATA?" Jet inquired curiously.

"You haven't seen what MATA does to top criminals yet," Alicia said coolly.

A shiver went around each of them in turn, as though an especially cold wind had blew.

"OK, let's start with Operation: Find Ali Before MATA Does," said Khai.

"You're saying it as if MATA's evil or something," Moon said, surveying Khai with interest.

"It is kind of in this situation, isn't it?" Khai defended.

"And you're a MATA agent."

"Er-"

"Enough, you two." Alicia barked, and they stopped instantly. "We better go before anyone from MATA sees us together."

***

Ali's dad, Ghazali, had never been in much more of a worse state. A few days after Ali's disappearance, he had begun to worry about him being kidnapped, and had contacted the local police to investigate. Apparently the boy hasn't been at school, at home, or anywhere in the neighbourhood. It was like he had just disappeared off the entire map of Cyberaya.

But just two days after Ghazali had called the police, he had came home to find a note scrawled crookedly by ink that read:

Don't worry dad, I'm OK. You don't need to look for me.

Love, Ali.

P/S: Comot is with me.

Ghazali had immediately sent this to the police for further investigation. They had managed to do chromatography with it, and had found that it is written with Stabilo pen ink. MATA had received this information, of course, given that they have special access to about everything in Cyberaya.

"Stabilo?" Khai had said, when Alicia had once again informed the group of the new clue. "But that brand had been taken down nearly five years ago! No one would've owned a Stabilo pen."

"They've secured the old Stabilo factory," said Alicia. "They suspect he might be hiding there, and are sending agents to check it tomorrow."

"B-but-" Moon spluttered. "We can't let them get Ali!"

"I say we do this tonight. It's now or never." Jet stated firmly.

The others nodded, signalling that they agree on the plan.

***

Silently, the group of five crept over the tall brick wall of the factory with help from Jet. Next, all of them split up into groups of twos (Alicia and Moon) and threes (Khai, Iman and Jet) to search for clues. To speed up their search, Khai sent his hover board to hunt too.

Alicia and Moon had entered a vault bathed with moonlight. This room had a long production line stretching from the entrance to the far end of the room, which was plunged fully in the darkness. 

"I will search here," Alicia said, indicating towards the right side of the production line. "You can search the other side."

Without wasting any more time, the two girls set to tear apart the room for clues or any sign at all that Ali, or worse, Alicia shuddered to think, IRIS had been here. 

But after half an hour or so, they were forced to conclude that there was nothing in this room.

"Maybe there's something in the next room?" Moon suggested, pointing towards another door leading off the vault. Alicia made to follow, but her earpiece buzzed and she could barely only make out Jet's fuzzy voice.

"Alicia, Moon, I think we found him." 

There was a stunned silence. Alicia and Moon glanced at each other nervously, before Alicia thought of an order to give.

"Jet, tell the others to wait. Don't attack first. Is IRIS glowing?"

A moment passed before Khai's fuzzy voice came. "Yeah. It's all white and that. What is it?"

Moon was staring, confused, at Alicia, because she had suddenly let out a sharp gasp.

"Don't do anything, stay right there, we'll come straight for you," Alicia told them strictly.

"Where are you guys?" Moon questioned through her earpiece.

"Main Vault. Come quick, I think he nearly saw us," Khai said. 

"We don't have much time," Alicia told Moon, pelting straight away through the door they came through. They barged through random doors in the criss-crossing hallways, Alicia not bothering to keep down the sound. Moon rather thought this might gain attention, but seeing that the factory was abandoned and their friends were with IRIS...

"Alicia, do you e-even know where the Main- Vault- is?" Moon panted, clutching a stitch by her side after running for what felt like an hour.

"I think it's here," Alicia said, apparently not having heard what Moon said, and dashed through yet another into another hallway. 

"Alicia," Moon called. But when Alicia did not reply, she repeated more fiercely, "ALICIA!"

Alicia stopped in her tracks and turned. Moon was standing meters apart from her.

"It's- here," she gasped breathlessly.

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