In the present, Quantico's Alex Parrish is putting her skills to the test at the CIA's training facility. In the future, America's leaders are in the crosshairs.

That's the premise for season 2 of ABC's time-hopping mystery, and fans can get a hint at what's next for Priyanka Chopra's dauntless agent. Now spooks, Alex and Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) will team up with her old FBI pals as soon as the second episode.

"New CIA recruits run counter-surveillance exercises at The Farm; in the future, Ryan and Raina try to thwart the terrorists' plan to blend in with hostages," ABC said of Oct. 2's "Lipstick."

In fact, you will see Raina (Yasmine Al Massri), Shelby (Johanna Braddy), and the rest of the season 1 squad fold into the story as the season premiere begins.

"By the first commercial break the link [between the FBI and CIA] is made explicitly clear," series creator Josh Safran told Entertainment Weekly.

Much to shock and surprise of fans, Ryan appeared amongst the CIA's new recruits in photos for the premiere. Alex certainly won't be alone as she embarks on this new phase of her life, and it will be important for her to have tried and true Quantico friendships at her back. Season 1 taught us that no one deserves Alex's implicit trust, but that doesn't mean she can function as an island.

It's not a reboot, and it's not a sequel. It's like the next novel in a book series," Safran explained. "The characters were going on to the next year, the next phase, the next journey.... I could have forced [Quantico's characters to continue at the FBI], but to do that again would have seen diminishing returns."

Dive into Quantico's next mind-bending mystery when the series returns to ABC on Sept. 25 with "Kudove." Click the video below to see a preview of season 2.

Tags: Quantico television ABC