…I have nothing to say for myself other than I'm sorry in advance…..
memcfall: You really shouldn't have second guessed yourself….
The compound is filled with people who either give her pitying looks, take the situation out of proportion or doesn't understand what's going on. Issy feels too cramped and shut way staying in her apartment all the time when she's home.
When Issy's on the Front or the barracks, she's constantly reminded of Eric and the rumours going around by soldiers that don't care about her feelings but rather the gossip they can spread.
Issy breaks into a run just as the train passes her and jumps into one of the carts.
Issy needs time away – from everybody, and maybe once she's sorted through all her emotions, she'll come back…
Issy had gone the full circuit of the city and back around to Dauntless when she had jumped off.
It was about seven hours later when Issy walked back into the compound from the ground entrance. There were no guards on the doors but sometimes it's like that for a couple of minutes for shift change.
Instead of going straight home, she decided to walk around a little bit longer. She took the outer paths around the Pit, huffing to herself when she heard loud bangs coming from the centre of the Pit. No doubt someone was enjoying themselves completely drunk out of their head.
But then something from Issy's pocket started ringing and she pulled the gadget out, staring at the screen.
The blue of her eyes came flooding to the surface as she feels a jolt of fear.
There was no location.
No other information –
– Except one word –
INTRUDERS!
Issy's heart leaped from her chest and her head whipped back towards the Pit….
Those were…gun sho–
Issy sprinted back towards the Pit and she came to an intersection.
Just as Issy was about to run down another corridor, something forcibly tugged her back. She struggled to get free, kicking and throwing her fists out but something hard was slammed against the back of her head.
Issy went down like a tonne of rocks.
Her head felt heavy, the pain pounding in her ears.
What Issy wouldn't realise until much later was that the pounding was actually explosions rocking through the compound.
Her vision darkened as someone stepped in front of her. "You're a hard fucker to ground Beta." A female voice hissed. There was something odd about it. Something familiar... "If I had my way, you'd be the first one dead." Someone else kicks her in the stomach, making Issy groan and curl up, and the figure stops them. "Leave her. We have a mission to complete."
The last thing she sees is the female traitor walking away, leading a large group of Factionless behind her...
xXx
When her senses return to her, Issy coughs and spits blood from her mouth. It was quiet around her and in the distance she could hear the roaring of the Chasm.
Issy lays on the ground for a moment, wondering how long she's been out for before attempting to move. She groans lowly as Issy gingerly pulls herself to her feet. The ground beneath her feels like it keeps on tilting wildly back and forth. Issy staggers, bracing her forearm against the wall as she tries to find her bearings…
The meeting – Eric had walked out and Issy needed to get some air…
The train ride where Issy thought about what she really wanted and tried to understand other peoples' actions other than her own.
The patrol alarm –
…Intruders
Issy gasps and immediately regrets it as pain shoots from her ribs.
Dauntless had been infiltrated. A feat that many people believed would never happen.
Footsteps echo against the ground and Issy squints at the incoming figure, still clutching at her ribs.
A man halts in front of her, carrying a large sack. Still dazed, Issy thinks she's hallucinating when the bag squirms. They stare at each other for a long moment and Issy frowns, her hand twitching above her gun.
"HELP!"
Issy ducks, looking for where the scream came from and a moment too late, Issy realises it came from the sack. The traitor was already running away from her and Issy swore as she took off after him.
"Stop!" Issy yelled, her breathes coming out in harsh gasps as she tried to ignore her ribs screaming at her to stop. Her hand fiddles with her gun and she takes aim just as he hits the bridge across the Chasm. Issy shouts in frustration. She couldn't get a clear shot, not without hurting whoever he's kidnapped. "FUCK – oooomph!" Issy lets out a surprised noise when she's tackled onto the walkway across the Chasm. Her head slams against the metal and her vision darkens.
The guy pushes her to the ground, kicking at her ribs. Issy's hands shoot out and grab his ankle, yanking him back and he growls. "You killed my wife!" He yells, gripping Issy's arms as she squirms, kicking out.
"I didn't kill anybody!" Issy shouts back, bucking against his grimy hands.
He laughs. Anger makes his eyes wild and sadness makes his behaviour rabid. "You threw her off the bridge a month ago." Her eyes widen. Oh… He tries to punch her in the face but Issy moves just in time for his fist to hit the walkway. "Now let's see what happens when the tables are turned."
"What –"
Issy doesn't have time to understand what he means.
He shoves her aching body off the walkway and Issy screams, only just managing to catch the rail.
He grins down at her. "Darwin has wanted you for a while but I'm sure she'll live when the news breaks out. How do you think he's gonna cope when they find your body floating in the river?" His boot hits her hand, forcing her fingers off the rail. The grin shifts into a deranged smile and he sings: "Bye, bye Beta!"
Issy blinks, and the traitor is tackled away from her.
Her fingers hook back around the rail and she lets out a whimper, pulling herself up just so she can see the commotion on the bridge. A vicious roar comes from a huge monstrosity of a man slamming hits into the Factionless. With a quick movement, the Dauntless shoulder barges the guy off the bridge, hissing something quietly.
When the Dauntless turns, she should have known. The maze tattoos are comforting but Issy doesn't remember his body being that large…
Issy whimpers as her hands slip from the water. She catches a hold of a bar running under the bridge but she's too low down to climb up by herself. "ERIC!" She screams and the bridge vibrates as he runs closer.
"Fuck!" Eric grunts, gripping onto the railing while he reaches out to her with his other hand. "Grab my hand!" Fear floods his eyes as Issy reaches to him, their fingers just brushing. Issy cries, her limbs are burning, and her hand slips again. Eric lurches forward and grips her hand in his, lacing their fingers tightly together. The wild look in his eyes says enough: if you go down, I'm coming down with you. His skin burns against hers and he pulls her up. With a forceful yank, her body collides with his and they collapse on the bridge. His hands runs over every part of her body, checking to see if she's hurt. "Shit! Baby, are you okay?"
Issy pushes herself away from him, and she staggers back on weak, shaky legs. Eric stands up, eyes watching her carefully. His voice, his body against hers – she shakes her head pushing it all away. "Don't!" His hands fall away, and a scowl scrunches up his features.
Don't remind me how nicely they fit together, or how soft your mouth is. Don't remind me how your warmth seeps into my body, warming me up at night. Don't remind me of all the hurt and sadness you put me through.
She hears enraged shouts and her head darts up, watching as soldiers – Factionless – all wearing a white armband with a broken circle sewn on swarm at either end of the bridge. Issy's mouth falls open, her eyes quickly glancing to Eric. He snarls, settling into his stance and faces one end of the bridge.
Fear freezes her limbs.
Fear for the outcome of this situation.
Fear still lingering from almost falling from the Chasm.
Fear for Eric, who stands protectively in front of her, always willing to die for her.
Fuck fear! A snarl rips through her internally. Her eyes close momentarily and in the darkness she sees the fiery eyes of the wolves pacing. Wolves do not bow to the orders of sheep. We have fire in our hearts and burn for those we love.
Her eyes open, burning with fierce determination as she steps up, covering Eric's back.
Her eyes glow in the darkness of Dauntless as she pulls a knife from her sheath and holds it out in front of her.
The colours shift from blue to white-gold before something clicks inside of her – a thought she's never realised before. The white-golds of the strong soldier, her indifferent persona, blurs with the deep blue of the scared girl she still is, no matter how hard she tries to bury it deep within her and pretends that it doesn't exist.
Issy accepts that she's still the nineteen-year-old girl that's terrified of losing her family and still traumatised by her uncle. She keeps on trying to meet the bar of those much older than her, causing Issy to sometimes forget that she is a child, even if the system of the city tells her different… Issy forgets that fact too often, just like the people around her expect too much of her.
She doesn't have as much battle experience as the warrior guarding her back, just as she's guarding his, but fuck! Issy will protect Eric for as long as he gives a damn about her.
Eric's back brushes against hers and his body tenses.
The walkway vibrates under their boots as Factionless begin to walk on from either side.
Issy grips her knife, snarling when the first of them rushes at her. She swipes the knife forward, slicing where she knows are important arteries and pushes them away, ready for the next incoming attack.
Behind her, Eric wrestles with a Factionless man, hooking his bulging arms around and tips him off the bridge. Eric grabs a slim man who had slipped past his guard and yanked the shit back a step, headbutting him hard. "This is exactly why I don't want you on the Front!" Eric shouts as he lifts his arm up and shoots a dude before turning to glare at her.
Really Eric, really?! Issy thinks to herself with a small laugh of disbelief. You're gonna start this argument NOW?
"We're not on the front lines right now!" Issy throws her knife past Eric, the blade just grazing his cheek, before hitting a Factionless about to jump Eric. He rolls his eyes but taps her hip in silent thanks. "We're in Dauntless!"
"EXACTLY!" Eric roars, swinging her behind him as he punches another in the temple before fending off two others. In the process, Issy gets hit with a bullet to her shoulder that was meant for Eric. She seethes quietly before shooting the fucker back. "Dauntless is meant to be impenetrable! If they managed to get in, what do you think they'll be like out in the field?!"
Issy stops to stare at him. "That doesn't even make sense! These bastards had help to get in, they didn't do it by themselves!" When Eric opens his mouth to argue, Issy snaps at him. "Oh just shut up Eric!"
As they continue to fight back to back, Issy's amazed that even without a word, they can sense each other's thoughts and move around each other, fluid like water. There's a small tap on her hip and Issy moves, twisting around as Eric moves with her to stand where she just was. He lifts his arm up and fires bullets at a beast of a man that had charged at her. It takes nine shots to bring him down and he slips between the bars of the railing.
It's like they all share one mind, because suddenly the Factionless stop climbing onto the bridge and disperse.
"The fuck?" Issy gasps, gripping her bleeding shoulder. She looks to Eric, who's also confused at what just happened. "Where'd they go?"
His eyes settle on her shoulder before he shakes his head. "C'mon, let's find out."
Issy follows Eric off the bridge. "I heard gunshots coming from the Pit and –" Then she got knocked out for however long… She stops walking and carefully reaches around to feel the back of her head. Eric turns and stops a few feet away from her. Issy hisses when her fingers find a lump and when she pulls her hand away, her fingers are covered in semi-dried blood.
Eric steps up to her side and his fingers reach out to her, but Eric pulls away and motions down the tunnel. "Let's go."
As they walk around the compound, her heart clenches seeing rubble littering the hallways. Some of them are blocked up from cave-ins, and the closer they get to the Pit, the more bodies they see, Dauntless and Factionless alike.
Issy moves closer to Eric, wanting the comfort he offers and to know he's still with her. Eric must feel the same because he tugs Issy closer to him as they walk, stepping over bodies as they go.
She stops suddenly and she inhales as her eyes find two bodies.
There on the ground with their hands entwined together was Vera and Leo, soldiers Issy had trained.
Tears slip down her cheeks as Eric gently moves her past them, guiding her away.
The Pit is chaos when they finally arrive, and for once completely quiet. There is rubble from collapsed ceilings, metal stairs entirely unusable…and more dead soldiers. There are Dauntless searching the debris when Harrison's voice echoes throughout the compound on the PA.
All available squadrons report to the cafeteria.
Issy doesn't even glance at Eric as she moves forward, and he follows after her quietly. When they reach the cafeteria, Eric steps forward and opens the door for her. Instead of walking inside, Issy gets slightly distracted by the bulging muscles flexing in his arm.
"Your arms are bigger than they used to be..." The words fall from her mouth and Eric snorts.
"I've been working out a lot recently."
Issy smiles up at him slightly before entering the room.
Her eyes connect with Kenna's, captain of 167, and they smile grimly at each other. Further down, Issy sees the unique colourful head of hair. Issy gasps, looking back at Eric before she runs to them, colliding with Rainbow and Lani.
"I was so worried!" Rainbow sobs into her ear. "You weren't answering your messages! And we didn't know where you were! Issy," Rainbow looks at her through blurry eyes. "My sister died in one of the explosions – she –" Rainbow hiccups, breaking into more tears.
The thought just struck her as Issy stepped away, allowing Lani to hug Rainbow.
Where's my family?
Her golden eyes dart around the room until she spots the person she's looking for.
"URIAH!" She shouts and his head snaps up.
"ISSY!" He runs forward and pulls her tight against him. He pulls away when Issy hisses and tugs her injured shoulder away.
"Uri! Where's the rest of our family?!"
He shakes his head. "I don't know! Our crew literally got back from patrol when we heard the explosions in the Pit." His eyes, which are normally so light and happy are dull and glassy. "Do you have your phone? Mine's still in my locker…"
"Mine died…"
"Shit!" Uriah kicks the table then swears loudly again and grips his leg. In spite of the situation, Issy laughs and she feels better for it. Uri grins slightly. "Why don't we go find them?"
She laughs again. "Uriah Pedrad, are you asking me if we should go against orders?"
He makes a dramatic show of looking round the room. It was quickly filling up with squaddies, both of the Front and not. "I think whatever Harrison has planned; he has enough people for. What do ya say?" When Issy pauses, clearly torn on what to do, Uri flashes her a smile. "C'mon Golden Eyes, when was the last time you did something slightly mischievous?" He tugs on her hand. "Break the rules."
"I –" She hesitates, knowing that she hasn't done anything mischievous in a while and she does want to find her family… But she has to be here to give orders to her squadron... "– I'm a captain…"
Uriah rolls his eyes and pulls her the rest of the way out of the room. "And I work on the front lines."
Issy pulls them to a stop just out of the cafeteria. She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not… "What?!"
He shrugs, grinning a little. "Duncan and the rest of us made the decision while out on patrol. We were gonna go to Harrison afterwards but obviously we haven't yet."
Issy stands staring at him in disbelief before words tumble from her mouth. "Have you told your brother? Marlene? Your mum?"
"Marlene and I discussed it and she's happy with whatever I choose. After this, I don't think Zeke will have any objections… Mum's gonna be tricky… My dad died on the Front when I was little so…" He shrugged again. "Anyway, family, we were looking for family."
"Wanna try the control room first?"
"Sure."
While Issy and Uriah jogged through the compound with their guns in hand, Issy processed the fact that Uri's squad was joining the Front… It feels like she's a part of the reason, or at least 226 is… 226's transfer to the Front had sent a ripple through the average squadrons. At the time most were either calling them idiots for taking on more than they could chew or applauding their courage.
They saw no one on their way but when they get closer to the control room all they hear is someone crying between their words.
"– She's dead, and, and the last thing we, I did was shout at her and I, I'll never get to –" the woman breaks down crying and Issy and Uri frown at each other before slowly stepping inside.
Sitting on one of the wheelie chairs, crying her heart out is Bree.
She sits with her head in her hands and Noah's arms wrapped around her, hushing her gently.
"Bree?" Issy calls out.
Bree cries harder into her hands as Noah's head snaps up. He stares at her with wide eyes, his hands falling from his fiancée. "I –" Bree hiccups. "– I can still hear her now!"
Issy frowns, looking around the room.
All the screens are completely blank.
The whole control room has frozen and they all stare at Issy with wide eyes. Tris sits between Four's legs as he holds her against him tightly. Blake and Zeke stand around a generator staring at her with their jaws slack. Livvie's dark eyes peek out from Cody's arms, clinging to him tightly. Issy's long-time friend frowns back at Issy, Cody's mouth opening and closing silently.
Issy walks up to Bree and kneels before her sister. Gently, she grabs Bree's wrists and pulls her hands away from her face. Bree's face is splotchy with tears and her eyes are screwed shut.
"Bree." Issy calls softly. "I'm okay."
"NO!"
"Bree, when would I ever lie to you? Open your eyes."
Bree's face scrunches up slightly before her eyes blink open. Bree squints, her breathing coming out in heavy jagged pants. "Issy?"
Issy smiles. "Yeah, I'm here, I'm not dead." She smirks, her eyes slipping from the deep ocean blue to soft golds like sand as waves are drawn back onto the beach. "They're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."
Bree's silent for a moment, before she throws her arms around Issy and they fall back as Bree cries into Issy's shoulder. Thankfully not her injured one… "ISSY! Oh my god! I, I –" She hiccups again. "I thought you died! We all did! You fell off the Chasm and then the cameras cut out an, an, and the last thing I did was shout at you and not take your feelings into account and I'm sorry!"
"Shhh, it's okay." Issy strokes Bree's hair gently and over her sister's shoulder, Issy raises an eyebrow at the rest of them. Zeke grips Uri in his arms and hugs him close. "So, long time no see?" Issy offers with a slight grin.
Four actually laughs… Like, full on tips his head back and just laughs… He doesn't stop, and his laughter eventually is broken by small snickers.
"You alright there Four?" Cody asks with his eyes narrowed slightly.
Four sighed heavily, eyes glazing over. "I'll be okay."
Tris frowned up at him before sighing quietly and nuzzling her nose under his jaw. Issy recognises that action. In Tris and Issy's case, it helps calm down their protective – read: possessive in Issy's case – other half's… Issy offers Tris a small smile when Four moves his head away from her and hurt blooms on Tris' face.
"Has anyone called Max yet?" Cody asks.
"Why?" Blake asks from the back of the room.
"Uh, I don't know," Cody starts sarcastically. "Maybe because I've got his daughter?"
Eyes turned to Cody and Livvie took that as her queue to pop her head out from Cody's arms.
Blake pauses before nodding. "I'll get on it." As he picks up the phone, Issy mumbles slightly.
"You okay Bree?"
Bree nods against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry." She whispers. "I didn't mean to make you sad and avoid me, I just wanted you to be happy."
"I know, but there are other ways to go about it."
"If it makes you feel any better, I ripped into Eric too?"
Issy chuckles quietly, imagining Bree screaming at Eric. "How did he take that?"
"He just…took it…and waited until I was finished yelling to explain his side… I've been sworn to secrecy, I'm sorry."
Issy sighed and rubbed Bree's shoulder. "It's okay." It wasn't, but Issy's used to it now… She caught Uri's eyes and raised an eyebrow at him. Uriah clears his throat, eyes darting around the room before looking back to Issy. She gives him a firm nod.
Uriah untangled himself from his brother's arms, even as Zeke made a small noise of protest. "Um," The young soldier started, and everyone looked to him. "My squadron has decided to transfer over to the Front," Gasps went across the room and Bree's head darted to Issy, who shrugged. "We made the decision today as a team and due to the current circumstances, I don't think it's that reckless compared to what happened today."
Zeke stared at his little brother in shock but wrapped him in his arms. "You be careful out there okay? Try not to do anything reckless." Zeke stared up at Issy.
"I'll look out for him if we're on the same missions."
"Thank –"
The door burst open and Max ran into the room, with Marissa, Lilah and Alec following him. "Where's our –"
"Papa! Mama!" Livvie ran from Cody's arms and collided with her parents. Max and Marissa collapsed to their knees as they hugged Livvie tightly to them. Lilah falls down with them, but Alec looks around the room.
"Issy?!" He quickly walks over to her as Bree moves back to Noah. "What are you – what were you doing on the floor with Bree?"
Issy glances to Bree, who shrugs. "Um, they thought I died."
"Why aren't the screens on?" Max asks from the floor.
"We're working on it sir." Zeke and Blake go back to the generator and Uri moves to help them.
"They cut out." Four says as he stands to his feet, dusting off his trousers. "We thought Issy had died when an intruder pushed her off the Chasm bridge and then the cameras cut out."
All eyes moved to Issy and she began to feel incredibly awkward. "So, yeah, uh, that happened… Next subject please?"
"No, n-no, wait!" Alec raised his hand up, staring down at her firmly. "Why didn't you say that first? Issy, you can't just brush these things under the rug."
Issy stood and frowned at her brother. "And what the hell am I meant to say? Oh hey Alec, so in the midst of today, I took a short trip off the bridge and nearly fell to my death if Eric hadn't been there. Then we proceeded to fight for our lives as Factionless swarmed from either end of the bridge and I got shot in the shoulder. How are you today? Got any plans?" Issy threw up her hands. "Because that's a great conversation starter!"
Quickly, the twins begin to bicker amongst themselves, much to the amusement of those around them. As they argue back and forth, Four helps Zeke, Uri and Black turn on the back-up generator and one by one, the screens turn back on.
Issy begins to slump slightly as her adrenaline slows down and the pounding of her head wound begins to kick in.
"That's it!" Four yells before turning to his staff. "Cody, turn your station on and see if you can retrace the group's movements. Zeke, find if there are any other groups that were around the compound. Start from the Pit and move out. Blake –"
"Four!" Eric storms in. "I need you to find –" He freezes when he sees Issy and Uri and then he scowls. His face darkens as storms collect in his eyes. "Where the hell have you two been? Nobody's seen you since you were in the cafeteria and when Harrison called rollcall, you weren't there!"
"Eric!" Max calls loudly and the younger Leader turns to look, his chest heaving with anger. "Calm down, they're safe."
Eric snarled slightly as he moved to stand near Issy. Alec eyed him and when Eric met his gaze, Alec shrugged and shifted Issy closer.
Issy frowned, confused at Alec's action. She had been under the impression Alec had avoided Eric for her benefit. Now she was unsure. She turned to watch Cody go back a couple of hours, a moment or two before the alarms went off.
"Oh!" Issy called out. "Go to around the time the patrol alarms went off. I kinda got ambushed by whoever's leading this shindig…"
"You're only remembering this now?" Four shouts at her from the other side of the room.
Issy scoffs a little. "It's not like I saw her face, I got attacked from behind."
"What?" Eric, Alec and Bree shout at her.
Issy giggles slightly. "Yeah, there's also a possibility I have a concussion 'cause everything's getting a lil fuzzy…" She makes a weird gesture in front of her and yelps as she's pulled back a couple of steps.
Eric pulls her closer to him and angles her head so he can see the wound. "Fuck!" He hisses quietly and Issy giggles again. "I'm taking you to the infirmary." Eric starts to pull her out of the room when Issy tugs him back.
"No!" Eric stares at her oddly when she whines. "I wanna find out who it was." Though instead of turning back to the screens, she feels his arm up and the muscles under her fingers flex. "You have been working out, haven't you?"
"Issy!" Zeke shouts. "That's your apartment!"
Her head flings forward to the wall and her hand tightens on Eric's arm subconsciously. "What?"
On the large wall of screens, they watch as the female kicks Issy's door open and wanders inside. Four fiddles with the cameras in that hallway but none can see what she's doing there. After a moment, the woman comes back out again. When she turns to the camera, Eric snarls loudly behind her, tugging Issy back to him until her back is against his chest. Max swears loudly and others shout in surprise.
Taking a mocking bow with a grin on her face before the camera is Kim.
xXx
"Fuck! Issy, wait!" Eric shouts after her but she doesn't listen.
As soon as Issy had realised who it was, she was out of the control room and running towards her apartment before anyone could stop her. Eric, of course, had followed after her and kept yelling for her to stop.
Even as she tripped over her own boots and the haze settling over her mind fucked with her coordination, Issy didn't stop running.
Other footsteps joined thundered after Eric but Issy didn't turn to see who it was.
She swore when she noticed the lifts weren't working and so she took the stairs. A stitch formed in her side and Issy started to feel lightheaded. It was probably from the blood lost and the fact that she hasn't eaten properly in a while.
Issy tripped on the lip of the last step, bracing her arms out in front of her as she falls but she never hits the ground. Her eyes widen as Eric breathes heavily from behind her, his thick arms wrapped around her waist. Issy froze for the second time that night – fuck, it could even be morning at this rate. She swallowed. They fit so nicely together but –
Issy wormed out of his hold, even as Eric growled behind her. She tripped again but leaned her hand on the wall to catch herself from face planting the floor.
"Issy!" Eric hisses, striding forward and yanking her back. Issy continued to struggle against his arms until Eric shook her still. "Stop! She could have hidden a bomb in there! I'm not letting you go in there without having someone check it through!"
"Like hell is there a bomb in there!" Issy shouted back and twisted her body. The young soldier cried out suddenly when her shoulder sent searing pain through her body and she slumped in Eric's hold. "Ow."
"Fuck sake Issy!" Eric manoeuvred her so his body wasn't pressing against her shoulder. Issy still fought against his hold and against the pain that froze her. "Stop –"
"Call me a child again, I dare you." Issy hissed back and pushed his arms away when they slackened against her. She jumped away from him and bared her teeth. Though, Issy was surprised to see Eric's jaw slackened and his fists trembling.
"You know I didn't mean it." Eric whispered quietly.
"You still said it!"
"I didn't mean it." He repeats, eyes not on Issy but on the wall behind her.
"Because that takes it back!" Issy yelled and wondered why he wasn't yelling back. Eric just stared at her silently and Issy scoffed, continuing to her apartment.
"Issy, stop." Eric called after her. "I can't let you go in there."
Issy just shook her head while Eric followed behind at a slower pace.
She froze at her door frame, staring inside.
Eric was adamant there was a bomb.
Instead Issy's heart broke as she saw her violin smashed into pieces on the floor.
xXx
A message.
It had to be a message – her violin broken beyond repair, the strange gift that Jeanine had allowed Issy to have despite faction before blood. But as Issy sits against Eric's door as a unit of his squadron go through her apartment looking for a bomb that Eric was so sure was in there, she couldn't think of what it could be.
Eric stands with one of his commanders, Finnick, at her door. He had ordered – not asked – ordered her to stay away from the apartment while they searched through. Issy had shot Eric a defiant look when she sat down next to his door on the other side of the hallway.
He glances back to Issy and sighs. Finnick nods to his captain and Eric walks over to her. "Why don't you go sit down somewhere comfortable?" He asks her.
"I can't," Issy pulls a face up at him. "I'm banned from my apartment."
Eric sighs again, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "Why don't you go sit down in my apartment?"
"I'd rather not."
"The infirmary?"
Issy scrunches her nose up. "I'm not leaving until I'm allowed back inside my home."
Eric frowns down at her. "Look, I'm not just saying this because I want you to go, but Josh and Dec are in the infirmary."
Her eyes shot him to him. "What? Why?"
"Please? Just go." Eric stares down at her. "You need to get that shoulder checked out."
Issy stares at him for a long while. She didn't like the fact that men she didn't know where currently raiding through her apartment, but her shoulder was becoming increasingly numb. "Fine." Issy stands up, pushing away the hand that Eric offered to pull her up, and glanced back to her apartment. "Who's handling my room?"
The corner of Eric's lips kick up in a smirk. "If you're uncomfortable with one of the others searching it, I will if you want me to." When Issy slowly nods her head, his mouth shifts into a full smirk. "Maybe I'll find your armoury."
Issy snorts as she walks away. "Unlikely." She throws over her shoulder but pauses to look at him with a small teasing smirk. "And despite what Luke and Zeke said, it's not in my underwear draw."
As she begins to go down the stairs, Issy hear a soft dammit coming from Eric and she smirks.
xXx
The infirmary is madness when Issy walks in. Every bed is taken up with injured soldiers and nurse and doctors run about the aisles, mumbling about treatments and other things Issy makes no sense of. She can hear Vex bellowing about something on the other end of the room and Issy really doesn't want to see that man right now… She squeezes through those waiting for doctors to check on them and stands in front of the desk where the receptionist is sorting through files.
"If you have any injuries, you're gonna have ta wait." The receptionist calls without looking up.
"I'm looking for two patients? Declan Vince or Josh Reed."
The receptionist glances up at her before checking a sheet on the desk. "Room 308."
"Thank you!"
Issy runs to where the private rooms are and counted the numbers down. "305, 306, 307 – ah!" She pulls the door open and gasps as she sees an unconscious Josh laid on one of the beds with Hugo sat in a chair, holding Josh's hand in his. Declan lies in the other bed and jolts awake when the door opens.
"ISSY!" Her brothers yell and Hugo is quick to hug her.
"What happened?" She asked, then rolled her eyes. "Well, other than the small invasion…"
Hugo moved back to the chair next to Josh's bed and Issy curled up next to Dec on his. "We were in the Pit when the bombs went off." Declan explained and glanced to Josh. "We were with Ed and Lyra, you know Josh's friends from his initiation, in one of the bars when the first bomb went off. A piece of debris hit me on the head and knocked me out…"
Hugo let out a shaky breath before continuing on from him. "Josh and I picked Dec up and started running towards the infirmary. We were so thankful that Cassian was in the nursery for the night because we got cornered by a small group of Factionless. Anyway, Dec soon came around and we fought our way through them. Lyra, uh, Lyra got shot in the leg, so Ed picked her up and we just ran for the infirmary. Ed and Lyra ran in front of us while we covered the back. There –" Hugo broke off as tears started spilling and he struggled to speak, so Declan took over.
"When we were close by, one of the hallways was rigged and we shouted from Ed and Lyra to stop but it was too late…"
"They're dead?" Issy asked quietly.
"The hallway collapsed on them so –" Issy knew Declan didn't want to say it but her mind filled the gap anyway. Crushed… "Before Eric and I got to know the brothers, Josh and Jason's only family was Ed and Lyra. Josh broke down and had to be sedated for his own safety."
"Where's Jason?"
"He came in earlier, but he's gone to stay with Cas for a bit."
Issy nodded slowly. Cas was only three years old and already an orphan. "Well, Four, Tris, Cody, Zeke, Uri and Blake are okay. They're in the control room. Alec and Lilah I think are okay, as are Bree and Noah."
"Ah shit," Dec frowns. "Bree's wedding was meant to be in a couple of weeks… I don' think that's happening now…"
Issy sighs. "To be honest I think that's not a priority right now…"
The door opens and Marlene smiles brightly at Issy. "Oh thank god you're okay." The nurse shouts happily but then her gaze falls to her shoulder. "Take off your jacket."
Issy does as Marlene says and carefully takes off her jacket for her wound to be checked. "Oh, and I've probably got a concussion too."
Declan snort. "Snap sister!"
As Marlene cleans her shoulder, she looks to her brothers. "So what happens now?"
Declan and Hugo share a look. "We rest and wait for the Leaders to make an announcement on the next move."