Rebuilt For Revenge (Editing)

17|

Octavia:

"This is the place, right?" I squinted through the moonlight.

"Apparently," Ash muttered, scanning the clearing.

Paul groaned. "There's... nothing here."

He wasn't wrong. No buildings, no walls, not even a decent tree. Just a few sad saplings that looked like someone had planted them yesterday.

"Maybe it's underground," Don suggested, already striding forward. Paul and Taylor trailed him like obedient little shadows, while I followed Ash, the ever-grim guardian, behind them.

The moon painted everything in silver, but it wasn't helping the whole "stealth mission" vibe. We stopped when Don crouched low, ruffling through a pile of leaves.

"Bingo," he whispered. A hatch appeared beneath his hands.

I raised an eyebrow. "Underground base, huh? That's... actually impressive."

Paul elbowed me. "We're not here to compliment them."

"Right, sorry," I muttered, ducking as Don eased the hatch open, revealing twin ladders descending into darkness.

Taylor leaned over the edge. "Careful at the bottom. You gotta jump the last couple of rungs."

I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, perfect. Nothing like a surprise ankle twist to start the mission."

Hands grabbed my waist as Ash helped guide me down.

"I could've done that myself," I said, glaring up at him.

"Yeah, I know," he smirked.

We reached the bottom and I pushed away slightly, letting him walk ahead with Taylor. The boys had already started moving.

"Two routes," Don's voice echoed through the coms. "Split up. Keep these on at all times. When you find him, call us immediately." He passed out the black earpieces.

I clicked mine in. "Can you hear me?"

"Of course. We're literally standing next to you, genius," Paul muttered.

Ash placed a hand on my shoulder, his trademark "don't even think about running off- Im sticking with you."

"Fine, I'm not allergic to bodyguards," I said dryly.

"Taylor and I will lead you," Ash nodded, as Don and Paul headed right.

He dropped his hand into the centre. "Hands in. No dying today, yeah?"

"Let's not even think about it," I whispered, smirking at Ash's faint smile.

Hands slapped the floor, and we split, moving cautiously down the hall.

"Can you hear me now?" I murmured into the com.

"Loud and clear," Paul's voice came back, as we turned another corner. I clicked mine off. Don't need them eavesdropping on my brilliant commentary.

"This place is... massive," Taylor whispered as he walked ahead, Ash shadowing him like a hawk.

I let out a long sigh. Everyone loves to overprotect me. It was... infuriating, but also kind of comforting. KB's crew all do the same. Overprotective, loyal, slightly annoying. And apparently, that's their one shared weakness.

I smirked to myself. Weaknesses, huh? Good to know. Not mine.

Cashe:

"Where are you going?" Dante asked, his voice casual, but I could tell he was paying attention. All eyes turned to Octavia. Her face tried to hide it, but the worry was there—quickly masked by a forced smile.