It was a rather quiet night in the Rhodes Island base. A few squads just came back from a successful operation in Dossoles, so most of the operators were either celebrating their victory, or catching up on some much needed rest.

Lex was doing neither of those things.

A successful operation usually only meant a mountain of paperwork for Lex to complete. From equipment damage bills, contracts with the government of Dossoles, even the costs for providing coffee for the operators every morning of the operation. All of which resulted in a tall pile of paperwork that would take absolutely forever to finish.

As Lex glared at the messy stack of papers on their desk, they let out an irritated groan, leaning back in their chair. Despite their irritation, they knew that they needed to stop complaining, lock in, and get their work done, although, it would've been nice if someone else was there to help them. So with a quick sigh, they leaned over their desk, grabbed a pen, and prepared to tackle the paperwork stack.

Just as they were about to start their work, however, they suddenly felt an ominous presence behind them. Their eyes quickly darted around the room, but in the darkness of the night, they couldn't see anyone. Thinking that it was just their mind playing tricks on them, they returned to their work.

However, moments later, Lex felt a hand on their shoulder, followed by a familiar voice.

"No need to look for me. I've always been here." Phantom's voice echoed through the empty office. "Do you need help with this work, Doctor?"