This chapter's purely on Zach's POV, cause I'm finding his point of view more easier to write than Cammie's for some reason.
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PS. I edited all the chapters and it made me want to strangle myself for all those typos. Lol.
Zach POV
'Hey, Preston!' The jet landed with a loud whirring sound, the pilot controlling the small hatches to make an opening for us. Bex and Grant walked in, Bex shooting me a look. We did talk but came to no conclusions. And I didn't tell her about Nick lying, or the blood-written paper Catherine left for me. The fact that she knew where to leave it...
All that confirmed was that there was a traitor among us, who knew the important details of a mission.
Liz and Jonas got in, their gear all packed up. The thought that literally any of them could be the spy made me redden with guilt. How could I suspect them, the people I fought and trained side-by-side?
'Uh... hi guys...?' Preston waved from the pilot seat, strangely chipper than usual. He was grinning brightly, but Preston's eyes were surprised, even shocked. As if... he didn't think we would be here.
'Hi, Pres.' Macey sparked a hundred-dollar-smile his way. 'Didn't expect to see us, did you?' He laughed awkwardly at her joke and shook his head.
'Nah, I just... never mind.' Macey shrugged and slipped her arm over Nick's flirtatiously, walking away.
Maybe I was the only one who saw Preston's eyes flash dangerously.
But I guess I was just growing paranoid, too worried about Catherine's message and the spy. Everyone seemed to have some kind of suspicious part by now. Shade shouldered past me, ice coating her facade. We were in a tense silence since she read all my files, and found out my not-so-secret.
'Headed to America, New York.' The same robotic tone announced. I buckled up and handed the Circle file to Liz.
'Upload the contents, and make a copy.' After a second of hesitation, I added. 'And send them to Abby and Townsend too.' She gave me an assuring smile and started typing on. I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun back. Grant was standing there with his hands in the air in surrender.
'You might want to get some rest.' Why the hell would everyone want me to rest up? It wasn't as if I'd pass out on a mission.
'For fuck's sake Grant, I...' He glared at me and shoved one of Nick's tablets into my hands. 'Wait, isn't it Nick's...?' He smirked a little to my surprise.
'What he doesn't know, won't hurt anyone.' Shaking my head in exasperation, I took the tablet and read the screen. It was a quick message from Townsend and Abby, who was currently part of the White House security. The message was written in blinking, bold all-caps letters.
ATTACK LAUNCHED ON US, RUSSIA, AND CHINA GOV
Grant's lips were in a tight line, a grim expression on his tan face.
'It means...' Macey squeezed between us and stared at the screen.
'It means that we should get our own attack on the Korea base as quickly as possible.' The Circle's plans were getting into action. They waited for three years and now, everything was breaking loose. If they started an assassination attempt at all three major countries while fending us off... It could only mean that they had more people on their team right now.
'Read the rest.' Grant said in a tight tone. Macey was scanning the screen with a pale complexion, fear, and anger flickering past her mask.
AN ASSASSINATION WAS ATTEMPTED AT THREE COUNTRIES AT ONCE. THE WHITE HOUSE WAS BOMBED BUT THERE WERE FEW CASUALTIES. ALL WERE STOPPED BEFORE THEY CAUSED HARM TO THE PRESIDENT.
'Thank god.' Grant breathed out. Now Shade was slightly crouched on the chairs, watching from a bit away from us.
THEY ARE KEEPING THE PRESS IN CHECK. THE NEWS ISN'T GETTING OUTSIDE OF THE WHITE HOUSE. THERE IS NO WAY TO WARN THE OTHER GOVERNMENTS.
'They're keeping it silent, so the other countries can't prepare for their attacks.' Shade added in a hushed voice, a strange fire igniting her blue eyes.
ALL WE CAN DO IS TO ATTACK THE MAIN BASE RIGHT NOW, OR STAY SILENT UNTIL MOST OF THE MAJOR GOV FALLS UNDER THE CIRCLE'S CONTROL
I groaned. 'That's Townsend, always talking as if there is another option, while there isn't any.' Of course, we couldn't let the government fall. It would definitely mean our downfall, as well as the remaining Gallagher students and graduates.
WE WISH YOU LUCK
The message blinked again, this time in dark navy colour. I rubbed my head tiredly. Did the damn Circle have to choose to attack now? They could have at least given us a few days to regroup.
'It's gonna explode.' I pointed out wearily at the letters, which were now blinking quicker, and turning into a deep green.
'What?' Grant asked, jarred out of his thoughts.
'I said, the tablet's going to blow up, you dumbass!' He reacted to my snap and tore the tablet away from Macey's frozen grasp. The words were now a bright orange-red, screaming with red colours. Shit. Macey stood there in a dumbfound expression, entirely shocked. Grant pulled out the information chip from the tablet and tossed the red tablet out the window. The device sailed down for a few seconds and exploded in the air, shattering into million pieces and bursting into flames. He closed the window and took deep breaths, handing me the chip.
'So...' Shade started. I sighed and leaned on the walls of the jet.
'Everyone, get some rest. We don't have time. We're leaving the second we arrive at our base.' Grant grinned triumphantly and moved to the back to tell Bex about the news.
I stopped him before he could tell everyone about it. 'No wait, we better keep it to ourselves for now.' Macey was still unmoving on her spot, face a mask of fear.
'Okay, we'll be on the back.' Grant told me and walked behind the curtains that temporarily divided the jet. I groaned and sat down on the chair.
'Shade, go get some sleep too. And tell Liz and Jonas to rest. We can't risk them overworking themselves and making mistakes on missions.' She stared at me with her piercing blue eyes and gave a nearly invisible nod. Shade's black hair fanned out as she put her back on the wall and strode over to the couple. I turned to go to the pilot seat to talk to Nick and Preston when I bumped into Macey.
'Macey? Are you okay?' She trembled and shook her head tightly. Her posture didn't move since she read about the attacks on Nick's tablet. 'Mace?' Her lips were nearly blue now, face pale as a sheet. The fear in her sea-blue eyes chilled me too.
'Zach...' She whispered in a shaking voice. I held her shoulders and pulled her closer. Suddenly, she broke away from me and raced towards the front of the jet.
'Oh shit.' I walked at a slower pace after her, as she stumbled beside Nick. 'Nick, put that on autopilot and let Preston drive it.' He gave a puzzled look but put out his headsets.
'Take care of the jet for a while, will you?' He leaned out and touched the stricken girl in front of him. 'Mace, are you alright?' She shook her head and stepped tentatively towards her boyfriend.
'Nick... Oh, Nick...' Then, she broke down in front of him, squeezing her eyes shut and falling to Nick's arms. But she didn't cry. He stared at me inquisitively.
What's wrong? His eyes were asking.
I fucking don't know! I hoped he caught the curse in my words because that was exactly what I felt right now. What the heck was wrong with her?
'Macey?' I tried carefully. 'Macey, what's wrong?' She gasped and looked up, eyes filled with fear and sorrow.
'My parents.' She finally said softly. 'They were at the White House at that time.' Nick tensed her arms around her tightly. I backed off a bit.
Shit.
'Look, Mace, we can't be sure...' Nick tried to help her, but Macey didn't open her eyes at all. She stood shakily and opened her private phone. With shaking hands, Macey scrolled down the screen and landed on the name of her parents' bodyguard. I took it from her gently.
'I'll do it if that's okay.' My hands clicked on the name and the beeping went on. No answer. After a few failed attempts, I tried another.
Click.
Someone picked up. My heart leapt, filled with hope that they might be okay after all.
'Hello?' The voice was of a woman, in her late forties.
'Oh, hello. I am one of Senator McHenry's security guards off duty right now.' The lie rolled off my tongue smoothly. The woman on the other side tensed, voice getting curt and sharp. My heart nearly stopped beating.
Oh god no, please not Macey's parents too...
'They... are not available now.' The phone slipped from my fingers, but I managed to catch it.
'Are they...' I couldn't bring myself to say dead. 'Were they victims of the bombing?' Her breath hitched and I could hear her panic.
'How did you find out?' She said in a hushed voice. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands. My head was spinning and it felt as if someone was hammering my head over and over again. I didn't even drink last night, it wasn't a hangover, I was sure. God, that sedative Shade gave me had to be enough to knock out an elephant.
'Look, I'm their private bodyguard. I have the entire right to know about my employers - and their current safety.' A deep, bone-weary sigh rang out from the speaker.
'Oh, for god's sake... I'll tell you, but it is not to be repeated. Understood?'
'Yes, ma'am.' Maybe a bit of sarcasm was included. Straight-backed hard asses need some of those.
'They're...' She halted and I held my breath. 'I'm sorry.' I stopped breathing for a second. 'We're terribly sorry. I'm sure you can take care of the job of informing their daughter...?' The senator and his wife weren't very nice. But they were still Macey's parents. And they were dead, according to her.
'Both of them?' I whispered so that Macey and Nick couldn't hear me.
'The Senator is... gone. But his wife... we're not sure. She's at the hospital right now.' How could I tell Macey about this? I was at least 60 per cent sure than Catherine chose to attack the White House because of Macey's parents. We'd have to warn Mr and Mrs Baxter. At least Liz's parents were safely under the guard of Interpol.
'I... thank you for the information.' She mumbled a small 'You're welcome' and hung up. My heart clenched painfully, chest filling with ice. The freezing feeling enveloped me. 'Macey...' Nick's hands around her tightened, his knuckles becoming white with the force.
'Zach?' She sounded so tiny, so weak. Unlike the fighter she was.
'I...' My lips dried and I squeezed the phone in my hand. 'I'm sorry, Macey.' Macey slid out of Nick's grasp and landed in a terrified heap. 'I really am.' Nick bit his lips and pulled her up to her feet unsteadily.
'Both of them, Zach?'
'Her father... they say it was painless. For Mrs McHenry... we are unsure.' A sob escaped the girl's mouth. She curled into a ball and started to cry quietly. Nick picked her up in his arms gently, Macey's black hair soaked with tears. 'You can use my section.' Nick shot me a grateful look and took her to my chairs, behind the curtain, taking what little privacy they could have. Preston, who heard everything, stood up.
'Mace...' He knew her parents too.
My hand shot out, stopping him. 'No, leave them.' He stared at me for a second, his look turning hard. For a second, I thought that he would say no. The angry fire in his eyes was fighting to burst out. But quickly, the stony expression disappeared and he ducked away to the pilot seat.
'Fine.' I nodded in acknowledgement and slipped away to Shade's side. Preston was acting pretty weird these days...
'Is everything alright?' Grant came out of his section with his hair messed up. I turned my dull eyes to my friend.
'No.' He raised his eyebrow, not getting it. 'Macey's father is dead, her mother probably comatose.' The bluntness made myself cringe away, but I held, watching Grant's face. Pure shock and horror passed his eyes before sadness and a hint of compassion took its place.
'You have a lot to tell Liz and Jonas later, I bet.' I just moaned quietly, wondering why not even one mission could have ended nicely. 'I'll be with Bex, call if you need anything.' He seemed to understand my need for solitude.
'Thanks, buddy.' My words were muffled under my hands covering my face. Shade slipped beside me, lounging in the shadows.
'So...' She started silently. '...I decided that I'd keep my knowledge about you to myself. They can think I'm still blank to your true identity.' My head was practically splitting into two by now. I did like Macey, and although I never liked her parents, it was unfair that they had to die. We couldn't slow down anymore, we had to go to Korea.
'Great.' The thin ice we were standing on lessened, letting the tension nearly fade away between us.
'How long are we away from our base?' I liked how she said that the New York place was 'Our' base. It felt nice to know that Shade kinda felt like she belonged here, even if it was temporary.
'About an hour, I think.' She gave a grave nod and sat down gracefully.
'Did you know my parents?' I was caught unguarded by her question.
'Yes... I mean, kind of.' She sighed deeply and looked at my chair, where Macey was sobbing with Nick trying to calm her. They'd both be off action, probably.
'...Are they alive?' I closed my fist into a ball and gripped my shirt sleeve tightly.
No, they're dead. And the people who killed them...
I couldn't tell her that. Never.
'I... I can't tell you, not yet.' She frowned but accepted it. At least she was opening up to me.
'When you see them, tell them I'd like to meet my own parents, even if I don't remember them.' I stumbled to my feet, unable to stand this any longer. 'Who knows? I might remember everything at the sight of my parents.' Then, the person I saw in front of me wasn't the dark, broken assassin girl. It was an 23-year-old girl, wanting to see her family. And hell, it hurt. I pushed past her and locked myself into the bathroom. My breath fell out in gasps, and I bent at my waist, coughing and trying not to throw up. Memories flooded up from the deepest pits of my mind and filled my head.
The gold and metal bullet embedded itself in Joe's heart, as he leaned over Rachel's body...
'Zach? Open the door!' Nick's voice was piercing my subconsciousness. What was he doing there? I thought he evacuated with Macey...
Even as I fought the gas filling my system, the white-masked man dragged Cammie to her feet, yanking her harshly in the process...
'Dammit, unlock the door, now!' A hand jingled the doorknob, and soon, it broke apart. The door swung open and revealed a pale Macey, standing with her hands on a... wrench?
'Zachary Good.' She said in a hushed, cracked voice. Nick was cowering behind her worriedly, throwing glances at her and me. 'I'm going to my mother. I can get the jet planned for the White House now.' I stared at the girl in astonishment. Surely she didn't mean it?
'You can't.' I told her calmly. 'We're not even supposed to know about the bombing. It would expose us. Plus, if they know that the info was leaked, they would stop trying to enforce the protection on the gov, thinking that there is a traitor.'
Like we have a traitor ourselves.
I added privately.
'I don't give a fuck.' She snapped. 'I'm leaving, now. With, or without your permission.' Macey flipped her hair, and for the first time in three years, the rich girl looked like the spoiled bitch she was meant to be. She brat she was before she met Cammie.
'You can't risk all of us, the whole Agency to see your mother who could be dead by now.' Oops. Wrong comment. Macey's eyes narrowed and she dropped the wrench on the floor sharply.
'You won't know.' The girl hissed. 'You never had a parent.' Nick pulled her a bit.
'Macey...' But the now-parentless girl yanked her arm away from him.
'No, stay out of this, Nick. He should know what it feels like.' Her words stung, but she went on. 'Besides, the only father figure you had, who happened to be your girlfriend's stepfather, was killed thanks to someone's mother.' I flinched away from her as if she hit me physically.
'Shut up, Macey. You know that...' She cut me off before I could finish.
'And where exactly is your girlfriend? She's a brainwashed assassin, and you couldn't even protect her!' That was... low, even for us. It was an unspoken rule, about not mentioning Cammie or her parents. That included never speaking of that day, unless strictly necessary.
Macey broke all of those rules.
After realizing what she said, Macey backed off a bit, blue eyes flashing with guilt. But it was all too late, wasn't it? She should have remembered that no one can take back words, no matter how much they want to. I learned it the hard way. Macey continued to glare at me with unleashed fury and resentment. The Circle was shattering us from the inside, and we were defenseless to their little twists, succumbing to the cracks between ourselves.
'That's enough.' Nick stepped in and pulled her gently towards himself, holding the girl. He shot me an apologetic look, but I didn't meet his eye. I was too busy staring at Shade, whose face was paler than usual. She heard everything.
What did I say about her opening up earlier? Scratch that, I won't be shocked if she tried to kill me right now.
The understanding in her eyes was telling me enough about the depth of things she just heard.
'Zachary...' She started quietly. 'You were my boyfriend?'
So...
A bit of Zammie's waiting, since she's gonna find out.
Or maybe not, depending on where I decide to lead this too.
It's up to me... ;)
Btw, It's gonna be a while till the next chapter comes up...
Hope you're patient enough to wait :)
Until then...
See ya!