"For the time being… we will find a more, suitable agent to wield IRIS," Dayang states with a purse of her lip, her finger paused in air as if she was tinkering how to word her next sentences. "And as for you, Ali; you will be punished. We cannot let your crimes go unseen."
Ali bowed his head, already accepting of the penitence of his wrongdoings. While it was true that Niki had manipulated his thoughts to help her in her scheme, Ali was still the one that agreed to assist her in every step. They didn't mislabel him- he was no doubt a traitor to the organization.
"You will be terminated from MATA, and your memories of MATA will also be erased."
"WHAT!?" Bakar cried, his reaction foul. Alicia didn't voice her surprise, but her expression spoke volumes. "But, with all respect, Ali's the only one who can wield IRIS! Besides, there's no known technology that could tamper with someone's memories."
A hand pulled Bakar's arm back, as Bakar was already in a defensive stature. He turned back, and saw Ali smile gently at him, his head shaking. He's already accepted his fate.
Dayang's neutral expression didn't change, but Ganhz puffed his chest in disapproval. With a swift motion, she opened the files that projected a holographic image of a pendrive. The pendrive had a black and red bird etched onto the holster. Mama's work, Ali realized. They have his mother's work. After all, she was a top agent.
As she continued to pull up multiple files, the coding too complex and advanced for Ali to recognize, she spoke with a tone that could be mistaken for both patronizing and guidance. "Thanks to Dr. Aaron's technology we confiscated and Aliya's notes of IRIS, we can now seperate IRIS from Ali." A holopgrahic image of Ali and the core form of IRIS appeared in front of them, and Dayang's finger cleanly parted the two. "And we can now garantuee that there are no negative side-effects."
Seeing that Alicia was about to speak up, Ganhz interrupted her rebellion. "By regulation, Ali was supposed to be elimnated in public for all the agents to watch," he gruffed, his arms on his chest crossing tighter. "You should be grateful, Alicia. He is lucky to live."
"But-" Alicia spoke desperately, but she found no words.
"Alicia," Ali interjected. "It's okay. I did this to myself, so I'll gladly take accept the aftermath."
He held out IRIS, unactivated, and gazed at its blue surface for one last time. A thin pillar of light appeared in front of him, and he placed the device into it with no hesitation. The pillar then disappeared, bringing IRIS along with it.
Dayang nodded in approval, a small hint of a smile appearing on her lips. "Very well, Ali." She turned to his companions. "Bakar, Alicia, you are dismissed."
"Can we at least say goodbye to him?"
Ali turned to Alicia, surprised. Alicia was never known for affection; or goodbyes, for that matter. When he saw her eyes, they were moist. He's never going to remember them, after this. After this, everything will be as if MATA never happened. He won't remember their friendship.
"Hm." Ganhz clenched his teeth. "Very well. You have three minutes."
"Give them some privacy, Ganhz," Dayang chided, urging him to turn off his call. She temporarily dismissed her call, leaving a timer of 180 seconds in her place. Grumbling, Ganhz followed her motion, and there was silence.
Bakar and Alicia both faced Ali, their backs facing the exit. Three minutes was all they had, and after that, everything will be back to square zero. They will know everything, but Ali will remember nothing. He's grown so much, learned so many truths, and now he will forget them all.
Bakar's lip quivered as he knelt down to Ali's height, his hand on his hair. The gel didn't last, and it fell to its regular, messy form.
"Your mother would be proud of what you've done, Ali," Bakar croaked, tears brimming his eyes. "You've helped a lot of people, and you saved Cyberaya. More than once."
Ali nodded, tears coming to him as well. "Thank you, Uncle."
"I'm so proud of you, Ali. You came so far," Bakar continued. "I won't forget anything we've done. I'll remember for us." He turned away, and nudged him towards the young Neuro agent. "Come on. Alicia's turn."
Ali swivelled towards Alicia, and she wrapped her arms around him. Her physique was naturally taller than him, so she had to bend down to match his height.
Shocked, Ali patted her back. She was trembling, her jaw clenched. Ali couldn't see her expression, but he could hear her sniffles.
"Alicia—"
"Thank you," she snapped harshly, but there was no venom, "for everything."
When the timer ticked down to 0, the two core pillars returned, and his friends had already left the room.
Ali stood with his hands folded behind his back, his expression neutral with a hint of nervousness. "I'm ready."
Dayang nodded, satisfied. The door beside them opened, and there were three techno agents in lab coats.
"We thank your service, Ali bin Ghazali."
Ali nodded, and followed the agents into the lab. The door closed behind him, indicating that his life as an agent was officially over.