I•C•E// r.s.l.❣

1.8

A thick cloud of silence stretched throughout the base as everybody sat in their assigned bunks. There were enough bunks for everybody, enough supplies and enough oxygen. The only audible sound (except from breathing, and my quiet sobs), were aeroplanes circling the HQ.

I got up from the bed quietly, ignoring the looks I received and walked away and up to the 'control room' where David and some governors would be. I knocked on the door and walked into the the dimly lit room, pieces of techy gear around with people staring very intensely at then.

"Hello." Dad approached me. "Do you know who locked your door?"

I shook my head. "We'll check footage for that. I.C.E. is dropping gas bombs on the compound."

I didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't blame yourself." Not even he was properly convinced, but he squeezed my hand anyways. I smiled at him feebly.

"I'll leave you alone now." I turned around and walked away. The tears that I managed to put a stop to, had now returned, this time, they only decided to stream down my face rather than force their way out with sobs. I sat down on the assigned bed and buried my face in my hands.

However, it wasn't long until I felt an arm around me; and it was strange how I knew who it was just by that one gesture. "Are you alright?"

"Been better." I mumbled. "This is all my fault."

Since conversation had begun to grow between spies, it was okay for me to speak to Ross. "They're coming for me but targeting all of you, and it's just not right. If they want me so bad, why don't they just hire someone to walk up here and shoot me in the head?"

"Don't say that. Their plan has failed, we're all safe." He replied simply.

I looked around to the 7 empty bunks behind me, the tears intensifying. Without a second thought, he pulled me into his arms, and I, was in too much of a funk to complain.

+++

It felt like days since I last saw sunlight; it was only 14 hours. They stopped with the gas at 7am, but they left another 7 hours to make sure it was properly gone.

The time at the base ticked by slowly, no matter what we really did, but it was now time to face chaos as we walked from behind that metal wall. I volunteered to go first, and was given gloves and a mask, as some places still had some gas left over (like, my room).

It was a silent walk, even with over 800 people behind me. We were mourning the 14 people who didn't make it on time, and were found dead everywhere; shortly before the wall, in their bedrooms, the library.

It was around 7pm when things seemed to be shifting back to their normality, and when I decided I needed hydrotherapy, so I changed myself and walked to the pool which was surrounded by darkness except from the changing neon lights at the bottom of it.

I took a dive, worries slowly sliding away as I reached deeper, touching the lights for a few seconds. Swimming at the bottom of the pool was super relaxing. Nothing could be heard, so it was literally just you and your heartbeat.

I swam some laps, dived for a while and floated about, but returned to a corner, just treading water as I lost myself in my daydream. Yet, it wasn't very long until a splash pulled me straight back to reality.

A figure swam around- in jeans. I pursed my lips as a blonde head rose from underwater. "Oh, hey."

I turned defensive. "What are you doing here?"

"Freaking hell, woman. I came to swim." Ross put his hands up in defence.

"What about your leg and your arm."

"They're here with me." If looks could kill. "Alright! Kidding! They said swimming is good to heal both."

"Okay."

"Chill out, I'm here to swim, not to propose."

I rolled my eyes at him and decided to go underwater, swimming over to the deep end- but it wasn't long until Blondie over here caught up with me. I'm going to take this as a race, bring it, homeboy.

We lapped around the pool twice, until he grabbed my leg, which forced me to stop otherwise I would kick him square in the face. "I didn't realise you were that good."

"Phobia turned into hobby." I breathed. It was true, I loved water now. A few years ago, I couldn't stand the thought of it. Ross smiled.

"Remember when you fell in?"

"Yes I do, because you jumped in fully clothed to help me out. Thanks for that, again."

He shrugged it put, then stopped. "Hey, can we talk? But not here, I don't think the water will be on my side if you decide to kill me."

"Fine." I chuckled.

"Follow me."

+++

I was very annoyed when I saw Ross' room- or should I say apartment. He had the better rooms as he's been here longer, and he even had a kitchen whilst I had to make a runner to the canteen to get the good food first. That explains why he always strolled in late.

He allowed me to use his shower and borrow one of his shirts and one of his ('brand fucking new I tell you' he said) boxers and I wonder why I never decided to ditch regular underwear for these- they are so comfortable, and kind of like mini shorts. Right now I was just sat on his couch playing Cut The Rope on his iPad; that is until he flies out of nowhere and lands beside me so suddenly that I scream.

"Sorry." He smiled. "And ignore my hair, it's drying."

"Will do." I smiled. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I'm not going to go around and around it; yes, when Rocky first told me you were still alive, I was mad. Very mad, and I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me, so we set up this bet that if I slept with you within the time it took you to pass your recruitment test, my friends would pay me. But it only took two weeks for me to forget about it because I noticed that the you you were before was still inside you, but you concealed it behind a careless version of you- because not only didn't you want to hurt people, you didn't want to hurt yourself when somebody else left. Then I realised, that your 'death' hurt you as much as it hurt me, if not more."

He was spot on. I nodded. "But that doesn't change the fact I could have asked for help from here, rather than just leaving you all because i remember the day I 'died' as if it was yesterday and despite being in a paralysed state that made it look like I was dead, I can remember just you holding on to me for at least an hour after I 'died' and once everybody left you just cried and you were so pissed at the world and I can't forgive myself for putting the only person that properly cared about me through that. I'm surprised you don't hate my guts; you helped me get back to where I was before, like, how can I deserve you?"

"It's hard to hate somebody when you already love them in ways you will never be able to understand yourself." I was looking away from his eyes as he spoke, up until he turned my face to him. "The you you are now is the same you I was in love with yesterday- the same love I'll be in love with tomorrow."

My. Heart. Was. In. Pieces. I couldn't bring myself to say anything because I would most likely sob if I opened my mouth, so I knocked him down with a hug, pressing my lips to his as I did so.

ABOUT DAMN TIME.