A/N: Hello! Just a quick note before you dive in: this story does deal with some more serious themes, including death, so this is just a warning in case that's not for you right now. This story isn't set at any particular time in the series but neither Zoe nor Keri appear in it so I guess it fits somewhere between season 6 and 7. I hope you enjoy it and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own M.I. High or any of the characters.

Prologue

"Quick!"

The doors were closing, the corridor sealing itself with a huge barrier of six inch thick solid steel slowly lowering while warning sirens screeched and beacons flashed an angry red. She was in the lead and ducked under the door, stopping further down the corridor once she was out of the way. She turned breathless to see where the others were. They were not right behind her. She could see them still running on the other side of the door. How? How had they been left behind?

She shouted their names, as though that would hurry them up.

"Come on!" she almost begged. The barrier was still lowering. A metre left. She could only see their legs way back beyond the door, still a few metres away from their goal. They weren't going to make it. She ran back towards the door. Half a metre remaining. She cast about, looking for something to hold back the barrier, to give them a chance. The corridor was empty. There was nothing. She tried bracing it with her own strength but the door didn't slow its descent. Just a couple of feet were left, there was still room to roll under.

"COME ON!" She screamed, falling to her knees as if in prayer. The door slammed shut with a finality that left her staring in horror at the door. "No…" She whispered, wishing it untrue. "No!" She shouted hitting her fists against the unforgiving metal. She shouted their names. But the door was sound proof. She couldn't hear them. They couldn't hear her. They would never hear her. Never again.

It was early in the morning at the start of a cold, misty day. Sunlight was barely managing to break through the low cloud that lingered over the muddy fields and country lanes, creating a pink tinge to the air. Three army vehicles trundled along the grey roads: two trucks sandwiching a black van, with two soldiers in each vehicle. The road was barely big enough to allow two normal sized cars to pass side-by-side let alone the wide khaki-coloured vehicles, but it was still early and few cars would be on the road. Eventually the convoy halted. The soldiers in the last vehicle craned their necks out the windows, trying to see the reason for the unexpected stop. A white van was parked across the road, completely blocking the way ahead. A soldier from the first truck jumped out of the vehicle and strode over to the passenger's door. She tapped sharply on the window.

"Hey, man, you need to move out the road. You're blocking the way," she called out. She could see a figure in the driver's seat but they didn't respond. Were they asleep? Or had they broken down, or even crashed? Concerned but also slightly wary, the soldier moved round the front of the van to the driver's side, and tapped again on the window. "Hello?" Without warning she felt something hit her in the back of her head, hard. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

Back in the first truck, the soldier's comrade eyes narrowed. What was taking her so long? There was a buzz of static on the radio and a voice from one of the other vehicles asked, "What's the issue out there?"

Reaching for the radio, he picked up and spoke briefly. "Not sure. I'm having a look."

He opened his door and stuck his head out. He called out his partner's name. There was no reply. Reaching for his weapon, he swung himself out of the truck and glanced around. Everything was too quiet. He couldn't hear anything from his comrade, and nothing from the white van. He shut the truck door, and as he did so he caught a glance in the wing mirror. He ducked just in time to avoid the fist swinging his way. Spinning round, he grabbed the arm of his assailant and kicked their legs from under them. Winded they lay on the floor. The soldier raised his gun and pointed it down at the attacker.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

Distracted by the first attacker, he didn't notice the second figure come from behind the truck until they were a foot away. He turned the gun on them but the first assailant used this interruption to kick his feet from beneath him, and he fell backwards, hitting his head on the truck door. Dazed he tried to regain his balance. He could shouts in the background and realised the other vehicles were also under attack. He knew he needed to call for back up. He reached through the open window, scrabbling to reach for the radio. He didn't make it. Using the soldiers own weapon against him, the second masked attacker knocked him out with the butt of the gun. He sprawled across the seat, unconscious.

It had taken barely five minutes for all the soldiers to be taken out. Whilst the other masked figures tied the immobile soldiers up in case any woke up, one of the attackers turned to the black van, pulling a small device from a pocket and attaching it to the lock on the back doors. They all moved out of the way as a light on the device flashed a few times before there was a small explosion and the doors swung open. The back of the van was empty, but for a white chest sat innocently in middle of the floor.

It was a matter of minutes later that the white van drove off, its cargo now hidden in the back of the van under and unremarkable blanket beside a pile of construction tools. Another van carrying the other masked attackers had already sped off in the opposite direction. Pulling off his gloves, the passenger pulled out a mobile phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited while the call connected. The phone barely rang a single time before it was picked up.

"Well?" came the greeting.

"We've got it," the man replied, glancing over his shoulder at the hidden package, "but it looks like we're going to need the other part, too."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "Very well." The call cut off.