𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝

Chapter Twenty-One: Preparations

We spent the rest of the day collecting supplies and going over the maps to memorize each part of the Monarch compound - hallways, closets, communications, vents - anything that could help us get in and out as quickly as possible. Dylan had helped me clean the injury on my head again and he said that it would completely healed soon, which put a weight off of my shoulders. It didn't hurt as much anymore, but I would still have to be careful not to worsen it.

Dylan had drafted a plan of attack in the time that we had spent getting ready, dividing each of us into smaller groups. Fed was going to wait by the vans and keep the cars running so they could make a quick escape when they needed to. I had volunteered to go with Raine to the control center of the facility where we would open the doors for the rest of the group to walk through on their way to the holding cells but was replaced by Jack because he knew the facility better. I didn't put up much of a fight since I trusted Jack with Raine and he was better for the job than I was since I knew next to nothing about unlocking doors from a control center.

The last group was Dylan, Charlie, and I. We were going to disguise ourselves as guards and search the facility to find Connor, Bianca, and Thomas while Raine and Jack would unlock the doors that didn't unlock with key cards or IDs for us. Sam was decided to stay with Fed since Charlie didn't want him storming the facility with the rest of us and we were pretty much set with our plan.

Right now, I was in a room upstairs grabbing some things that we might need while the rest of the group was doing the same somewhere else. I carefully picked up the gun I had been avoiding touching since the safehouse in Florida and placed it in the holster wrapped around my thigh.

"Hey, you okay?"

I whipped around to see Charlie leaning against the doorframe behind me. He was wearing a dark brown shirt with cargo pants and a holster tied around his left leg too. It was odd for me to see Charlie like this. It made me think back to the summer when everything was normal and we were just friends from tennis.

The only thing we used to worry about a week ago was where we would finish on up and down the river points and now we're planning to break into an evil corporation that tortures kids in order to find a cure for a disease that was spread because of an asteroid strike like it was nothing. Nothing was the same anymore, so of course, Charlie wouldn't look the same. I probably didn't look the same either. But that didn't matter because the most important thing right now was that Connor was relying on me to break into that compound and get him out. But how was I supposed to? I'm just a kid. I've never done anything like this before. How could I defend myself? I've never been in a fight, let alone hit someone.

"Yeah, just getting ready," I said, turning back around to tie my hair up and hoping that Charlie didn't see how uneasy I felt.

"Look, I know you're nervous because I am too," he said. Of course he knew. I felt him wrap an arm around me from behind and I exhaled, leaning back into him so my back was pressed against his chest comfortably.

"I'm just worried that someone is gonna get hurt, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me," I admitted, sighing softly at the thought of anyone coming to harm over the next few days.

Charlie gently turned me around so I was facing him. "It's not because of you, Nora. Sam and I need Bianca back and Jack and Dylan need Thomas, alright? And besides, if it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't even be here right now," he tried to reassure me.

"You mean if some evil troop of creeps didn't try to come to kidnap me back in Florida?"

I smiled softly at my own joke.

Charlie rolled his eyes and laughed before placing his hands on my shoulders. "You can do this, okay," he said encouragingly, looking into my eyes to make sure I understood. I nodded, a feeling of warmth spreading over my body at his encouragement. Charlie sent me a small smile before leaving me alone to pack up a few more things. When I finished packing up I suddenly remembered the gun that was strapped tightly against my leg. I walked down the stairs all the way to where Dylan was staring intently at the blueprints on the table. When he saw me, he looked up at me, watching as I stopped in front of him.