Detained [2] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Twenty-Two

There was one thing that never failed to get an Institute-bound Nephilim's blood going. The incessant beeping of the alarm system. Andy was glad that she hadn't begged Alec to let her leave and go after her brother when the alarms started blaring, WARDS BREACHED popping up on every available screen in the Institute.

She grabbed her weapons and a few extra from a safe in the corner of mission control as Alec gathered the soldiers at the head of the Institute, asking how many there were available. The answer: only twenty-four out of the hundreds that usually littered the building. Everyone else was still out helping mundanes with the downworlder attacks.

She jogged back into the center of the room. Alec split from the group, Longford at his side with a bow in hand. She met up with them as they headed towards the entryway, pulling a few daggers out of the holsters around her shin.

"Valentine's work?" Longford questioned.

"Only one way to find out," Alec replied.

Andy scoffed, feeling a bit safer as she felt others following behind them. "Who else would it be?" She commented, failing to ignore the look Longford shot over his shoulder. He was a bit like her and Jace in his disregard for people in command that he didn't trust, but he was ruthless when it came to the rules he did believe in. And her being locked up from a fight was a rule he definitely believed in, having trained her when she was younger.

They didn't exactly have the numbers to spare, though.

The security doors slid opened as they walked through the doorway, revealing four unconscious Shadowhunters on the ground. There was a small child with a blue scarf around her neck. Andy's brow furrowed and she dropped the dagger that was poised in her left hand. She didn't let down her guard, though.

Alec threw up his hand, "hold your fire." He looked like he recognized her.

"What's a little girl doing here all alone?" Longford questioned Alec tensely, for good reason. If this was the girl Andy thought it was, then they weren't safe by any means.

"She's a warlock," Alec responded, confirming Andy's suspicions. He lowered his bow and stepped forward slowly, Longford taking his place at the head of the group. Andy hung back cautiously as another Shadowhunter slipped past her to fill in the gap.

She watched Alec take on the stance he often held when trying to comfort his younger brother, attempting to appear smaller than he truly was. "Madzie," he greeted, masking most of the confusion in his voice. "Did you...?" He muttered, looking towards the security doors that had slipped closed behind her.

Without warning, the girl threw up her hand and moved to slam Alec against the wall. Instead, the elevator opened and he was tossed into it before it closed quickly. Andy tensed up, but still held herself back even as the other Nephilim around her approached.

Alec's muffled voice came through the metal doors before they closed completely, telling them to hold their fire. Andy wasn't sure if they all heard correctly, so she echoed the command, dropping her daggers to her sides completely.

She watched the girl reach up to the scarf around her neck and her eyes widened. She connected the dots and took a frantic step back into mission control, hoping that being around the corner was enough of a barrier between her and whatever spell the warlock was planning to cast. It wasn't.

At least not entirely. A high pitched sound that reminded Andy of the foghorn on that god forsaken boat her father commandeered rang through her ears. She heard others choking and soon she began to fight for air as well, her throat closing up. It was like all of the oxygen had just left the room.