When the door opens again, my muscles are sore from being restrained and my mouth is parched. I wince at the harsh hallway light.

"Austin.". My uncle Ethan levels me with a stare.

"Uncle," I incline my head in turn.

He sits down heavily. He's retired now, and I can see it in his relaxed posture. It's been a while since he's done this sort of thing. They probably only called him in because of our history. "Alright. Are we going to go this the hard way, or the easy way?"

"Cut the crap Uncle," I snarl. "I know the drill."

He merely folds his hands in front of him as he stares down his nose at me. "Austin," He begins, "Perhaps your mother wasn't clear enough with you. You're a fugitive of the law. This isn't crap. It's serious."

"Then if it's so serious why don't you just ask your daughter," I snap back. He shifts slightly uncomfortable.

"Acacia and I have never been close," He admits. "Occupational hazard, I suppose. Her loyalties have always lied with you over me. So I'll ask you again. Easy or hard?"

I sit back, mouth drawn in a taunt line.

He let's out a sigh. "So be it then. What's the extent of your involvement? Were you hired to assassinate the President? Blackmailed? We can help you if you just let us."

"I'm sure," The sarcasm is thick in my voice. "Hence why I left."

"You'd make this easier on all of us if you just cooperated."

"And we wouldn't even have to bother if you just trusted me for once," I retort. "I'm not seventeen anymore, uncle."

"That is more than evident," He grumbles, shifting his position once more. "Let's try for an easier question. Where's your Grandfather and Lauren? The team didn't find them at the safe house, so we're presuming you have them running an errand. Care to enlighten us?"

My breath catches in my throat as I look up in confusion. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" The crease in his forehead is his only tell at his confusion.

"Ethan," I start slowly. "Grandpa and Lauren are dead."

It takes a moment for the thought to register. When it does I can read his disbelief as clear as day. "What do you mean, dead?"

"I mean SWAT and the FBI killed both of them the night they raided our place. Didn't you find the bodies?"

For the first time, my uncle shows his age as his eyes gloss over. "Not Lauren," He mourners. "What am I supposed to tell Paul and Sal?"

I can't help my snort. "Like they'd care. It's not like they've been an active part of her life. Or any of you, for that matter."

"How could you say such a thing?" Ethan's face is hurt. I don't buy it for a minute.

"What's the twins birthday?". Not a words. "Middle names?" Silence. "Do you even know your own daughter's birthday?"

"That's irrelevant," I can tell his mind is still elsewhere. "How do you know they're dead?"

"Grandpa died in order to buy the rest of us enough time to run away. Lauren died meters in front of me, her daughter in my arms and her husband in distress," I state the facts coldly.

"We never found their bodies," Ethan states again.

"Well I don't see how you couldn't have. Grandpa died in the living room, and Lauren in the north field just a hundred meters out from the treeline. It's not like they were hidden."

"We didn't find any bodies," Is all he says again, though the distress is clear in his voice.

"Be glad you didn't," I mutter. Feeling a sudden surge of boldness I say, "Ii want to see Ally."

That seems to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. "That's not possible, Austin."

I grind my teeth, trying not to let my frustration show. "Where's my team then? Are Eton and Eiley fine?"

He nods at that one. "They're all safe. Joella and Ally are in Medical still, and the rest of them are receiving the same treatement as you. Zach and Thomas are holding up the best, though I wouldn't expect anything less from MI6 and Interpol. Acacia refuses to speak unless she sees you."

"Then let me speak to her," I insist. "I swear I'll cooperate, just let me see my family."

I can see the hesitation roll off of my uncle in waves. His wariness at the idea. But ultimately, the crack in his exterior as he finally nods.

"You swear you'll answer our questions?"

"Yes."

My uncle hesitates barely a moment more before saying, "No funny business."

"Scout's honour," I joke as he leans over, pulls a key from his pocket, and finally frees me from my restraints. The shackles fall of my wrist as I rub them generously.

"You failed boy scouts," Is all my uncle replies with as he places a set of handcuffs on me instead, and grabs my elbow to guide me from the room. Despite the creak in my bones after sitting for so long, it feels good to move about.

"Only on technicality," I offer, as we finally step from the stuffy constraints of the interrogation room. Immediately two guards flank my sides, and I huff back my irritation. Seriously though. What do they think I'm going to do? It's not like I can hulk out or anything. Though that would be mighty useful right about now.

We walk down the hallway in silence before stopping at a door. My uncle gives me a sharp look. "Two minutes."

Then the door is opened, and I'm escorted inside.

The room is similar to mine, small and dark, a single chair and table inside. The one thing that stands out is my cousin's bright red hair. Even shackled to her chair she manages to hold an air of defiance.

Her eyes widen fractionally as I enter. She doesn't offer her father a second glance.

"Ace," I greet quietly, taking the other chair. Ethan stands behind me, undoubtedly on alert.

"Austin," She offers back monotonously. "Did you hear about Ally?"

My throat closes and I have to take a moment to ground myself again, and to remind myself that I can't afford to get lost in my emotions once again. The time for that has already come and past. So instead I merely nod.

"Were you in the house during the explosion?" I ask. She shakes her head, before glaring over my shoulder at her dad.

"We were rudely drugged and pulled out of the house beforehand. They messed up Ally's dosage though and didn't have enough to knock her out, plus Joella and I were able to fight back for sometime, hence why weren't all fully clear by the explosion."

I purse my lips but say nothing. That's when I notice Acacia's biting her lip – a gesture she does when she's hiding something. I level my gaze at her. She seems to pick up my meaning as she sighs.

"Austin I need you to listen to me very closely," Her words make her father stiffen behind me. "There's something you should know."

Great. That never ends well. "What?"

"I made a deal with the devil."

The phrase almost makes me laugh despite the inappropriate nature of our situation. "Come again?"

She shifts, eyes cold and serious as they hold mine. "It's a unicorn protocol, Austin," Her voice is rushed and I can tell she's scared of being gagged. Unicorn protocol? "All of it. I found out three months ago. Nearly exposed it all. They used her. In exchange for silence I made a deal. I couldn't tell you before, otherwise they'd kill her. I'm sorry."

"Ace, wait," I blink, mind trying to wrap around what she's telling me. "What are you talking about? What's a unicorn protocol? And what do you mean expose?"

"We don't have much time," That's for sure, I think I can hear the safeties being clicked off of the guards guns outside. "Just trust the pain. You have to trust them in order to beat them. But they'll only come for you," I hear my uncle's radio inform him of something I can't understand. "Go with the pain."

"Acacia you're still not-"

I'm cut off as a hand clamps on my shoulder. I look up to see my uncle's face filled with worry. "'We're cutting this short, IMF has just been infiltrated by an unidentified group," I'm pretty much yanked to my feet. "You're hitting a cell until it dies down."

"No, wait-" I try to look back at my cousin, but I'm pushed out of the room before I can.

Guards and agents alike are rushing through the once silent halls, different sorts of weaponry adorning them. Some I recognize from my training, others appear newer.

An agent I haven't seen since my wedding day stop in front of my uncle. His hair's askew and his arms are full of guns instead of computer stuff, but Benji's the same as ever. "Boss wants him in lockdown," He gestures in my direction, before handing two pistols to my uncle. "These beasties are ugly, and we've been ordered to go for the kill."

"Roger that," Ethan says. "Find Luther and get down."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Benji is off again, leaving me with my uncle. His rough hand grabs my arm again, dragging me down a different hall. Sirens start blaring not a moment after.

Then the gunfire starts.

I flinch and duck down out of habit, a difficult maneuver in handcuffs. My uncle lets out a long list of colourful swears, even though it appears the gunfire is in the neighbouring hallway. He slides his ID card on the wall, and a door opens up. HE shoves me inside with a hard look.

"Don't move Austin," His warning is ominous, before the door slides closed and locks.

For a minute I sit in silence as the lights flicker on. I appear to be in some sort of empty storage closet. I sit like a good nephew for a whole thirty seconds, before the gunfire fades. When I don't hear anyone *CoughUncleEthanCough* I move.

The door doesn't budge, and from what I can tell, it can only be opened from the outside. Moving onto plan B, I smile when I see the ventilation shaft above me.

I'm out in the next thirty seconds. I might've gone into IMF a complete idiot, but I turned out alright in the end, if I do say so myself.

It's not till I jump out of the shaft and into an empty hallway that I remember why I left IMF in the first place.

My leg.

Crap.

I try to place the pressure of my landing on my right, but it doesn't stop the flare of pain as the metal chaffs against the flesh. Holding back a wince, I locate myself before heading to the Medical Bay.

Several times I have to duck into an empty room as officers pass. Sirens are still going, and occasionally a volley of gunfire makes my heart skip a beat. But I don't stop.

All I can do is hope and pray that Ally's alright. If anything else happened to her… Ii push the thought from my mind, knowing that I can't afford to think like that.

As I get closer to Medical it gets eerily quiet. The door's locked and I don't dare kick it in, but I run the length of the hallways, since the room is nearly made out of windows. My eyes scan the rows of beds quickly. Only a few have patients – agents who have been injured in the field. I spot Joella's curly blonde hair, but not my Ally.

My chest tightens as I continue my frightened search.

I'm about to check a private room, when a hand juts out and grabs my wrist. Out of habit my body goes on defense mode, twisting to throw the perpetrator off. But whoever they are, they're just as fast, and in a moment I'm pinned to the wall, a boot pressing on the weak spot of my left leg. I let out a moan of pain as pressure is applied.

A voice in my ear is a whisper, but it's eerily familiar. "Mr. Moon I'll say this once. I can get you out of here but you need to do everything I say. Am I clear?"

I don't respond until a sharp jab into my mutilated calf has me nodding.

"Good. I'm letting go now."

As soon as the person does, I turn around, prepared to take them down. Instead I'm met with a barrel to my forhead. My hands clench into fists at my sides. It's a man by his size, though a mask covers his face. A logo for some Psychological and Internal Neurotransmitting company adorns his uniform.

"Now, now, Mr. Moon we are fully aware of your training. If you want to make it out of here alive though, we're going to have to work together."

I scowl. "Not without my wife."

The man shakes his head sharply. "I'm afraid I can only take you. Others have been designated to extract certain members."

Acacia's babble echoes in my head. Just trust the pain. You have to trust them in order to beat them. But they'll only come for you. Go with the pain.

Of course. Pain. Psychological And Internal Neurotransmitting. Somehow it's all connected, but I just can't figure out how. Instead I nod.

Although I hope that Ally's being extracted by someone else, at the same time I hope she's not. With IMF I at least know that she's safe. Better she stay here where I know she'll be fine, than bring her with these people. Because if Acacia's right, something's up. And I have a feeling that they might be the one's responsible for this whole mess in the first place.

"What do you need me to do?"

After that moment, everything's a blur. I'm handed a gun and a knife despite my handcuffs, and then I follow my masked saviour out of IMF commando style. At some point I think I see my dad, but then the moment's gone, and I'm dragged into a fight with some unknown agent.

We make it to the loading bay. The closer we got the easier it became, as more masked people with the PAIN logo flank our sides. I'm ushered into a truck where the one man who found me locks us in and taps the front wall. In a moment it's jolted forward.

Regret fills me as we get away unscathed, since I'm unsure where Ally is. But I quickly hide it as the man comes forward, and undoes my handcuffs. We sit in silence for bit.

"Who are you?" I finally ask. "And how did you know where to find me?"

"We never lost you, Mr. Moon," His strangely familiar voice echoes in the confines of the truck. "And as an answer to your first question," He pulls off the latch of his mask.

When it comes off, my mouth goes dry. Because I've only ever seen that mess of blonde hair and those hazel eyes in one place before. In the mirror. The resemblance is absolute, the only difference being his sadistic smirk.

"To answer your question," He reiterates, "I'm you."