My heart pounds steadily in my chest, pounding like a fist against my ribs, each hit more damaging than the last.
Cleo walks by my side as I try Archers phone again, willing him to pick up but still it goes to voicemail.
Fucker.
I clench my teeth, my hand tightening around the useless piece of metal in my hand, fingers hovering over the button before I press it again, closing my eyes slightly to listen.
A ringing cuts through the silence from further down the street and I whip my head to the side, the sound of Liam's steps behind me faltering.
"Over there." I say lowly, walking past the brick building and turning, my heart stuttering to a stop at the wrecked car in front of us.
"Archer!" I yell, rushing closer. "Eleven!"
My hand slams against the hood of the car when I notice it's empty; the door haphazardly thrown open and no sign of my teammates anywhere nearby.
Blood stains the inside of the car door, still slightly wet to the touch.
I move around the car, my eyes taking in the carnage and shattered glass surrounding the wrecked vehicle.
"There's no sign of them." Cleo's voice is soft, almost questioning.
I shake my head.
"There has to be something here."
I move around the car, trying to find anything that could give us a clue as to where they've been taken.
Or who took them.
"Dimitri has them," Liams voice is short, emotionless.
"We don't know that." I say the words even as I don't believe them, I know Liam's right.
"What other option is there?"
"What about this?" I look towards Cleo, my eyes instantly moving towards the box in her hand, my brow furrowing.
Noises pierce the tense silence and I look towards the end of the road, my teeth grinding at the cars approaching, knowing my father happens to be in one of them.
"Hide it." I say, Cleo doesn't hesitate, moving towards our car quickly and shoving the box inside.
I move, keeping Cleo at my back as I turn to face the line of cars, gritting my teeth ad my father steps out.
"What have you found out?" His words are short, clipped and straight to the point, his dark eyes shifting to the wrecked car, no doubt cataloguing everything.
"No sign of them, or anyone else." I say, my back tensing. "There's blood, but not too much. Wherever they are, there's a good chance they're still alive."
"Good." Director nods, turning to a man at his side and whispering something. "I want them found."
"Of course." I say, my words as short as his tone. "Do you have any news on Dimitri?"
"He's a ghost, hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks."
"He did this." Liam says.
Director doesn't reply, roaming his eyes over the scene before looking to me. "You can leave now, I'm sending someone to clean up this mess."
Liam opens his mouth to reply but Cleo stops him with a shake of her head, his shoulders drop but the rage in his eyes doesn't dim.
I nod to my father, turning to walk for our car, leaving the wreckage far behind us, my mind drifting to the box and what could have possibly been in there that Archer or Eleven had it with them.
Cleo slips in beside me as I lead the way, my mind too consumed with wandering to find my team mates.
• • •
I stare at the contents of the box, lifting the papers out one by one and spreading them on the kitchen island.
Liam had dispersed as soon as we'd gotten back and I'd let him, knowing he needed to blow off steam. He may have been the most easy going one of all us but I knew it was an act.
Cleo walked in, stopping slightly at the sight of all the paperwork before pulling out one of the stools and taking a seat, "What is it?"
I grunt, lifting a hand to run it through my blonde locks, pulling slowly girly at the strands.
"I have no idea," I mutter, flipping through the information, brow furrowing as I see words like, 'experiments', 'subject' and more.
"Do you think Archer was collecting this information?"
It takes me a second to answer, knowing my teammate and his district for my father but not to this extent - not to the extent of finding my and hiding information about his businesses.
"No, this had to be Eleven."
"What do you think she was looking for?" I don't answer as I skim the words again, vaguely recognising one of the doctors naked as the one we'd been sent to retrieve all those weeks ago - Daphne Jefferson.
"She was looking into Director, and that Doctor, Daphne." I mutter, "and others but I can't figure out why, why go to all this trouble for a man like my father?"
Cleo doesn't answer. Doesn't have the answer.
I glance up at her, at the woman who was quickly become more then a friend - if I could even claim that anymore, and sigh.
"When we find them, I'll be sure to ask."
"Do you think-" Cleo pauses, chewing n her lower lip. "Do you think she wound up ⬆️ n the city again by accident, that she ended up without team just by pure luck."
I shake my head, "no, she had a plan and she executed it perfectly. Now we just need to figure out what it was before her enemies get Archer killed."
"You think they were after her?"
"With the amount of secrets that woman is keeping, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been after her wailed the beginning. Archer just got in the way."
"What are you going to do when you find her?"
"I'm gonna learn the truth." I mutter, shoving the papers back into the box and closing it off.
"What about director?"
I look up at Cleo then, raising a brow. "What about him?"
"Are you going to tell him what you found?"
I shake my head, "I may not trust eleven, but I trust Director less. Until I know what her endgame is, this stays between us."
Cleo nods, not refuting the statement.
