ONE-SHOTS [Ejen Ali]

1 | Iᴛ's Nᴏᴛ Hᴏᴡ Tʜɪs Eɴᴅs

⚠️Movie Spoilers!⚠️

Ali was used to being forgotten. It didn't matter by whom; because even his own father forgets about his birthdays and neglects his feelings. It wasn't much of a surprise that he was treated the same way in school, either. At least Viktor was there for him—his only best friend he can rely on.

When he joined MATA, however, he was sworn to secrecy. He'd often be forced to spend all his time in the organization, training to wield IRIS to its maximum potential. He didn't get to tell Viktor, much less spend quality time with him.

But during Rizwan and the General's training, they actually cared for his progress. It was no doubt that the only reason they put half a heart into this was because of IRIS, not him. Even so, he felt like he was cared for, that his progression actually mattered.

Uncle Bakar was there for him too, but before this, he was often away. The last time he saw Ali was when he was a small child, still on all fours and in diapers. And the first time he saw him grown up was to track IRIS, nothing else. 

If I didn't have IRIS, I'll just be a nobody. And nobody will care for me.

Ali felt trapped and isolated from everybody else. Him being the son of one of the founding ministers of Cyberaya didn't help, because everyone expected him to be like his father. They told him that he should live up to his father's name, that he will be the person that society wanted to be. Everyone told him what he needed to become, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to be free.

Was there a person that would accept him for who he was? There was; once upon a time. His mother. Aliya. She was an absolute angel, one that would let Ali be whoever he wanted to be. Whenever he pretended to be a pilot, navigating a plane made of pillows; or a brave plumber in the sewers vanquishing a monster, using cardboard boxes as tunnels and his mother would poke between the fabric, pounding at the surfaces as Ali giggled louder with every turn.

Before MATA, before Viktor, before IRIS… it was his mother that made him feel special. After she left, everything changed. His father distanced himself from Ali. Whenever he needed help with his homework, his father turned him down with the same excuse every time: Papa is busy, don't you see? He wasn't busy; he just didn't want to see Ali.

When he was 9, he met Viktor. The only one that made him feel appreciated. But there was one problem: Viktor is smart, Ali is not. Ali felt ashamed to call himself Viktor's best friend.

He'll make himself better, won't he? He'll make himself better, he'll push himself to his limit, all for everyone to notice him. Even if it was just for a moment.

Was that why he really helped Niki? Was that why he wanted so badly to help the people outside the capital? Because they were forgotten by the city, just like he was forgotten by everyone in his life. No one would be there for them, so he'll do what everyone in his life failed to. He would stand with the forgotten, and give them the chance he never had.

When IRIS was taken away from him, he was back to square one. No, he was set back. At least last time he still had IRIS, and now he's just some random kid that somehow joined MATA after breaking a dozen regulations.

"Are you alright?" Alicia had asked him after they left the Core Pillar's meeting room.

Ali had nodded and smiled at her. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Everyone thought he was alright and stopped threading gently. Even Ali himself believed that he would be okay. He had a new family now, one that was created under the same circumstances. They were agents in training, and they were all one big happy family.

Or, at least, that's what he thought. After they all graduated into official agents, they no longer had the same bond. Their relationship was based on work, and no one had time for chit chat. Everyone had their own individual lives outside uniform, and they rarely interacted with one another.

This wasn't the life Ali wanted. He was not the person he wanted to be. Everything was falling apart faster than he could build them.

His life was a tower of toy bricks, made to build and fall apart.

Now Ali sat on his room bed late at night, the tablet his mother left in his hands. He stared at the paused video of his mother's face, his mother smiling so serenely. The smile of someone with a hard life, he realized. Someone that's experienced both justice and villainy in the past.

What does he want? Is this really what he wanted?

"I don't want this," Ali muttered, tears brimming his eyes. "All I want is for everything to be normal. But, everything's not."

Comot curled next to him, purring as she put her paw on his lap. He smiled and petted her head. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Comot."

By his bed, his phone on the dresser rang. It was the symbol of MATA, a call that urged him to headquarters. He jolted back to his senses and hopped off his bed, grabbed his scooter and jumped out the window with Comot on his back.

This life wasn't over yet. He'll have to wait before the next wave comes.