NOVEL NEXT Chapter 130: Wisconsin
# Chapter: The Wisconsin Assignment
## Director Grey's Office (Continued)
"Alright," Grey said as he placed his phone down on the desk. He had just finished his conversation with Lucien about the current crisis and their plans to eliminate Dorian within the next three days.
He turned back toward Kent, who was waiting expectantly to hear how the call had gone.
"He said he'll be sending Ramya from headquarters and will also get a second person to work with her as soon as possible," Grey explained.
Kent nodded. He knew Ramya well and understood what valuable help she would provide when the time came to face Dorian and his reformed gang.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Grey called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and Quinn Monroe walked into the office. "You called me in, Director," she said. Earlier that morning, Grey had sent Quinn a text message asking her to come see him today.
"Yes, please take a seat," Grey said.
Quinn pulled a chair from in front of his desk, turned it around backward, and sat down in it with her characteristic casual style.
"Hello, Kent," she said, greeting her colleague.
Kent nodded and replied, "Hello."
"To get straight to the point, for the next few days I need you to take Liam out of the state on a mission," Grey began, diving right into the reason he had called her.
He went on to explain his terrible experience with Dorian the night before—how Dorian had ambushed him, how the djinn had invaded his mind and stolen all their secrets, and the threats Dorian had made to expose everything if they didn't cooperate with his demands.
After hearing the full story, Quinn replied, "Shit! This is really bad. That explains why he made that bold declaration on the news today."
"Exactly. And with everything at stake, getting Liam out of here until we can deal with Dorian is our top priority," Grey said, then added, "Let him join Team A's mission in Wisconsin."
Quinn nodded but then asked, "But sir, I think my abilities would be needed here against Dorian in the coming days. Why do I have to go with him?"
"Because if Liam sees that he has to go with you, he'll think it's a really important mission that requires both of your skills. Plus, while he's away, I need him closely monitored. I don't know what Dorian is planning, but I need to make sure he doesn't somehow get in contact with Liam," Grey explained.
Quinn nodded, understanding that this precaution was necessary as well.
"What exactly is Team A dealing with in Wisconsin?" she asked.
Grey leaned forward in his chair, his expression becoming more serious. "There's a state official there—Senator Marcus Webb—who's been using hired visors to carry out illegal activities. We've been tracking him for months, and the situation has finally escalated enough that we need to shut him down."
"What kind of illegal activities?" Quinn asked.
"Real estate fraud, mainly. He's been using earth-magic visors to cause what look like natural disasters—sinkholes, minor earthquakes, that sort of thing. These 'disasters' make property values crash, then Webb buys up the land through shell companies for almost nothing. After he owns it, he has the same visors fix the problems, and suddenly the land is worth millions again," Grey explained.
Kent whistled low. "That's actually pretty clever."
"It gets worse," Grey continued. "When property owners refuse to sell even after the disasters, he sends intimidation visors to threaten them and their families. We've had three families report mysterious accidents and strange phenomena around their homes until they finally agreed to sell."
Quinn's expression hardened. "How many visors is he working with?"
"Our intelligence suggests at least six, maybe more. Most of them are B-rank or low A-rank—powerful enough to cause real damage but not so strong that local law enforcement can handle them if things go sideways. The problem is they're well-coordinated and have been very careful about not leaving evidence," Grey said.
"And Team A can't handle this alone?" Quinn asked.
"Team A is good, but they're dealing with multiple visors who know the terrain and have been planning their operations for months. They need someone with Liam's level of power to even the odds, plus his tracking abilities to locate the visors when they try to run," Grey explained.
Quinn considered this for a moment. "It does sound like a legitimate mission that would require Liam's skills."
"Exactly. It's important enough that he won't question why we're sending him, but it's also far enough away to keep him safe from whatever Dorian has planned," Grey said.
"What about the timeline? How long do you expect this mission to take?" Quinn asked.
"Team A estimates it could take anywhere from three to seven days, depending on how quickly you can locate and apprehend the visors. Some of them have been very good at staying hidden," Grey replied.
Kent spoke up, "That should give us enough time to deal with Dorian and his people."
Grey nodded grimly. "That's the plan. By the time you and Liam return, hopefully this whole situation will be resolved."
Quinn stood up from her chair, her expression showing she understood the gravity of both missions—the visible one in Wisconsin and the hidden one they'd be handling in Michigan.
"I'll make sure Liam stays focused on the Wisconsin mission and doesn't try to come back early," she said.
"Thank you, Quinn. I know this puts you in a difficult position, having to keep secrets from a teammate, but right now it's the only way to keep him safe," Grey said.
"I understand, sir. Sometimes protecting someone means they can't know they're being protected," Quinn replied.
As she headed toward the door, Grey called out, "Quinn."
She turned back to face him.
"Be careful out there. Senator Webb has been getting more desperate lately, and desperate people make dangerous decisions. Don't let your guard down just because this isn't our main crisis right now," Grey warned.
"Will do, sir. You be careful here too. Dorian isn't the type to wait around when he has an advantage," Quinn said.
After Quinn left, Kent looked at Grey with concern. "Are you sure we're making the right call here? Liam's power could really help us against Dorian."
Grey was quiet for a long moment, staring at his hands folded on the desk. "Kent, if Dorian really knows what I think he knows about Liam's past, then having Liam here could make everything worse. Sometimes the most powerful weapon you have is also the most dangerous one to use."
"You mean because of what happened to his sister?" Kent asked quietly.
"Among other things, yes. If Dorian reveals certain truths to Liam at the wrong time, we could lose our most valuable agent and gain a very powerful enemy instead," Grey said.
Kent nodded slowly, understanding the impossible position they were in. "So we protect him by keeping him in the dark."
"For now, yes. Until we can deal with Dorian permanently," Grey confirmed.
The weight of leadership had never felt heavier on Grey's shoulders than it did in that moment, knowing that the decisions he made in the next few days would determine not just the fate of USOV, but potentially the balance of power in the entire region.
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## The Training Room - Later
Back in the training room, Liam had just begun reading "The Hobbit" when his phone buzzed with a text notification from the Director asking him to come to his office.
He stood up from his position and headed to answer the Director's call, leaving his phone with the story still open on the bench.
When he entered the Director's office, Grey told him directly, "Liam, you're going to join Team A on a mission tomorrow. You'll be going with Quinn. It's in Wisconsin."
"Um…" Liam made a surprised face and said, "Isn't my presence going to be needed here, especially with the whole Dorian situation?"
Grey's heart sank a little at the question. "You know what's happening with Dorian?"
"Huh? It's all everyone's been talking about today. Isn't he coming back to the city? He was on the news," Liam replied.
"Oh… yeah," Grey said, trying to sound casual about it. Then he added, "Don't worry about that—we're currently handling it. This Wisconsin mission is more important right now. Team A really needs your help."
"Alright, what are the details of the mission?" Liam asked.
"Quinn will brief you on everything tomorrow," Grey replied, keeping it vague.
"Okay," Liam said, then turned to leave the office.
After Liam left, Grey leaned back in his chair and let out one enormous sigh. On any normal day, Liam's help in dealing with the Dorian situation would have been exactly what they needed most. Frankly, Grey couldn't deny that he desperately wanted Liam's incredible power on their side right now.
But it was far too great a risk to allow Liam anywhere near this situation.