The Second

3.1

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy! Prep yourself... from here on out anything could happen!

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05 - 28 - 2089

C A D E

My fist swings out, flying towards its target. The impact jars my hand, sending vibrations all along my arm. The man stumbles back a step, clutching his jaw and swearing. I glare and turn, my fists held close to my body in preparation. Another guy stands a few steps away, leaning back with his hand pressed to his nose.

"Put your hands down," a smooth, distinctly female voice commands from behind.

I spin, ready to knock this lady back if she tries to get in my way. But before I can blink, she launches herself forward and wrestles my arms behind my back in a pinching grip. I groan, disorientated.

Her grip tightens to the point of pain as she hisses in my ear. "Fool. We're on the same side." Her grip is unrelenting, but I twist and flex, trying to get it to loosen. "If you don't cut it out, I'll have Yaun tase your butt."

Yaun glares from his position against the wall, tapping the taser at his belt. I force my body to still, despite the anger still coursing through my blood. "Get your hands off me."

"Not until I know you're done swinging punches." As if to prove a point, the woman tightens her grip again, placing pressure on a nerve along my arm. I hiss from the flash of pain. She loosens her grip a moment later and steps back. "I'll give you exactly two seconds to explain why you were attacking these men."

I rub my wrists and take several breaths, allowing some of my anger to dissipate. Despite my initial reaction, I realize it isn't practical to try and fight everyone in this place. But part of my desire to hit something came from being deceived. We've been lied to. Again. Gis and I thought we were safe with no strings attached. And we were wrong.

When I don't immediately answer her question, Yaun speaks up. "We were giving him a tour and explaining how the facility came to be when he just started attacking us."

The woman calmly glances from Yaun to me before crossing her arms. "And what did you say to him?"

"Tesrine-"

"Cade is the only reason that Gis is alive. He wouldn't attack us unless he felt that her safety was being threatened," Tesrine explains, all while maintaining a calm and controlled tone. I stare, surprised at how accurate her observation is. She meets my gaze, and her own is sharp, observant.

Yaun bristles. "All I said was that we're finally able to move forward with our plan now that we have Gis."

There it is. His tone suggests ownership over Gis, and anger sharpens my vision once again. My fingers curl into fists. "She isn't yours to have."

"Look, you know what I mean," Yaun starts, his expression exasperated.

"Both of you, shut up," Tesrine orders. She glares down at us, and suddenly I'm aware of how tall she is. She's at least a head taller than I am, and her imposing figure is difficult to ignore. Long, dark braids and intense eyes. "No one is claiming ownership over anyone else," she says, speaking as if to children. "Yaun's an idiot."