I'm sorry. I know I made you wait for a very long time. It's because of our exams then after that, I had this massive writer's block. I couldn't really decide what would happen next and I had to edit this for like 3 times. So that took a while. Finally I ended up with this. So please enjoy and am terribly sorry for my bad sense of time when it comes to updating on time :P

Sinead woke up to the high-pitched whistling of the kettle. She sat up and was surprised to see that Jonah and Atticus were still sleeping soundly despite the deafening whistle of the kettle. To her right, she saw Fiske's bed empty and the sheets were neatly folded. Fiske must be outside making them breakfast, she presumed. She sat up and shuffled out of the room.

As she got closer to the kitchen, she heard the sound of oil boiling and crunchy toast reached her. She saw Fiske with his back facing her. The table was already set with plates and utensils. In the middle was a plate of pancakes and some toast. There was a big jug of milk beside it. She walked forward to take a seat.

"Good morning." she said as she sat down.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Good morning."

"Where did you get the pancakes?" she asked.

He continued to make some more pancakes. "Africa is not that far behind, you know."

Sinead snorted. Sort of. That made Fiske chuckle. "I've got contacts." he answered her.

"Yeah, yeah." she said as she took a toast from the plate.

Crunch!

Oh, that was crispy. she thought. It had been several days since she had a good meal. Because of the others. It's not like it's their fault they got kidnapped-slash-hostaged. Since the day they went missing, they had been trying to hack into the Vesper's database and well, things weren't going very well.

First, they stayed at the hotel for too long. Moshi is a small town. People started to notice and getting noticed was a very bad thing. Second, with the secured database of Vespers, they needed more equipment. Though they managed to get some info which took about two days or three. Third was space. The room they got was really not that big. Enough for them but after the fourth day Sinead started to feel claustrophobic. So moving to this safe house was a very very good thing.

She hoped Amy and the others were okay. They all know it's going to be dangerous but they weren't careful enough. They were stupid. She should have seen this coming. She knows that there was no building in the forest. They can't have a base in the forest and certainly not in town so why not underground? Sometimes she just wants to punch herself for being so blind at that time but sometimes Sinead just can't help but think that Ian was somehow part of this. Ever since he came back, Sinead always got this nagging feeling that something was not right. Something just felt very off and she couldn't point it out. And now that some of them were taken by the Vespers, her mind just points to Ian.

"Sinead." She heard Fiske said.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Have you seen Jake?"

"No... Though he the sofa was already empty when I passed by." Jake had volunteered the other night that he would take the couch instead while the others slept in the room. "Maybe he went to the CR?" Sinead guessed.

Sinead can see that Fiske hesitated. She knew what Fiske was thinking but after their talk that seemed a bit impossible. Or she hopes so.

"Can you check for me?" he asked.

She stood up. "Already on it." She walked out of the kitchen.

Fiske tried to multitask. He listened to the footsteps of Sinead as he flipped the pancakes over. He was aware of Jake's opinions about his decisions. Yes, he knew they were careless. No. He was. But there's no point in blaming anyone at this point. They've got to focus on the matter at hand which was to find a way to save Amy and the others. The other Madrigals were still busy. The Madrigals were not just the balance for the Cahills. They also try to help with the happenings around the world with all the political rallies and massacres. Rendering them nothing at this point.

"Fiske!"

He turned around at the panic in Sinead's voice. His heart beat fast. No...

"Jake's gone."

"ARGH!" Amy shouted in frustration.

She stopped at another intersection. Another intersection! She had been walking for hours but all she saw were endless rows of dark corridors. She was starting to feel dizzy from just seeing dungeon-like corridors. Being in that forest was better. At least she got to see different things, not like here. All she saw were torches and cobwebs. Nothing else.

She leaned against the wall. She was tired and hungry and thirsty. All at the same time. She slid down the wall. She winced in pain. Her back was fine but sometimes the scar just hurt. She groaned as she sat down. She closed her eyes. Her body and mind immediately relaxed. That feels good. After what seemed like a few minutes, she opened her eyes but they were just so heavy. Her mind started to fall into drowsiness. No. No. She told herself. But sleeping just seem so nice. Suddenly she heard a voice in her head.

"You don't just see things. Look at them."

What does that mean? Ian. Her eyes suddenly shot open. It was he who told her that when he came to drug her. That thought made her angry. She's been so blind. Always so blind. But now was not the time to think about Ian. Or think about what he did. She looked around. He's right. She saw things but she didn't look at them.

All this time she was walking through corridors that almost look the same. Almost. Because they were really not the same. She stood at the center of the intersection. She looked closely at the walls.

She tried to compare two corridors first. Failing to get any answers, she looked at the other two and tried to compare them. Still nothing. She thought it was the walls but it wasn't. It was not the floor too. She even checked the ceilings. The more time she spent trying to find the difference, the more she doubted what Ian said. Well, he did trick her. Again. When she felt anger bubble up inside her, she quickly shoved that thought away. She was trapped inside a labyrinth. Not just any labyrinth. A Vesper one. Who knew what kind of creatures they had in here. And thinking about her issues with people was not going to help her escape. With one last time, she looked harder.

Not the floor and walls.

The ceiling? No.

Size? Nah...

Just when she was about to give up, she noticed something. It was just a small detail. Her heart beat fast. She walked towards a corridor and looked at the torch on the wall. The fire gave off warmth that threatened to lick her skin as she stepped closer. She noticed there was a mark. A mark that was a bit too deep for it to be natural because we all know wood have lines on them naturally. This one is just deeper so it must have been marked there for a purpose.

She walked to another corridor and looked at its torch. There was no lines! Her heart almost stopped. She grinned. She checked the others. Two with lines and two without. Then her grin faded. She wasn't supposed to celebrate yet. She spoke too soon. Now the problem was...which one is the right way? The one with the line? Or the one without? She knows she came from one with lines but how can she be sure that was the way? She's not sure but she doesn't have time. She estimated that she already spent 12 hours or so in the labyrinth. She spent half day and she wasn't even sure if she was halfway there.

She sighed and tried to be logical. Most people would probably choose the one with the mark because why would anyone put a mark if it wasn't needed? Some people might think of reverse psychology. They'll think maybe the marks were there to make them make the wrong decision. And very few will think of reverse-reverse psychology, making them think that reverse psychology is used, not on the decision but on themselves.

Ugh! Stop! she told herself. It's starting to get more complicated and she's not moving forward in this situation. Fine! Without further rationalizing, Amy headed towards the one with the marks.

Maybe picking the one with the mark was wrong?

Again, she had been walking for hours and nothing had changed. She always made sure she was going to take the path with the mark. Doubt was starting to fill her heart but she knew this was the right path. Or she thought so because there was always only one path with the mark whether it was a T-junction or an intersection. Maybe it was just that she was deep inside the labyrinth that's why it was taking so long.

At the same time, she heard something. Footsteps. Her first instinct was to hide but where? All there was was just walls. No doors. No trapdoors of some sort. She just flattened herself against the wall. Breathing as quietly as possible, she waited as the footsteps grew louder.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

She forced her curiosity down. She wanted to check but they might be armed. So she waited. After a few minutes, she finally made out a silhouette. It seemed a bit too small for a man so it must be a woman. As she walked, Amy could see that she is armed. She was carrying a rifle and, most probably, Kevlar too because her clothes looked baggy in the dark. A few more steps and she was close enough for Amy to see her when she walked past a torch. She was a woman. She was wearing Kevlar and helmet. She was wrong about the gun, though. It was not a rifle but a shotgun. She wasn't sure what model it was but knowing that the woman was armed was enough to prepare for her attack.

The woman stopped. Amy knew she was spotted. Then as if everything slowed down, Amy saw the woman raise her gun to aim, ready to fire. Moving on instincts, she ducked. Gunshot echoed off the walls. Everything slowed again before Amy's eyes. The woman loaded the gun. Without warning, Amy tackled the woman before she could aim the gun. She grabbed the woman's gun and threw it away. It skidded a few good feet. She pinned the woman's hands above her head, straddling her lap. But the woman's right hand was able to escape her grip and sent a powerful punch on Amy's face. The woman pushed her and stood up, resolving to hand-to-hand combat. She tried to punch Amy while she recovered but Amy was able to sidestep in time and send an uppercut to the woman's gut. She stumbled backward, giving a chance for Amy to kick. But she was able to block it in time with her arms, grabbing her leg. She pulled Amy close and punched her. Amy grunted as she toppled over. The punch was powerful enough to break her ribs with the momentum of her pull. A few, perhaps.

Before Amy could stand, she felt an arm wrap around her neck tightly from behind. She groaned as she felt her windpipe being crushed. Her breaths became shallow. She tried to escape, punching and kicking, but her vision started to tunnel. No! Giving all her strength, she sent her elbow crashing down the woman's ribs. She heard a few bones crack. The woman's grip started to loosen. Quickly, she gripped the woman's arm and pulled her over. The woman grunted as she landed on the floor with her back. As expected, the woman turned to her side. Immediately Amy wrapped her arm around the woman's neck, engaging a guillotine. The woman tried to stop her, mimicking her move a while ago. The woman's attack managed to hit the bruise on her chest. Her grip loosened as she winced in pain. But when she saw something on the woman's wrist. A simple letter V. This enraged her. She resumed the tight grip she had on the woman.

Anger bubbled inside her as she remembered what the Vespers caused her. They kidnapped her friends. Her family. They hurt them. They almost killed them. Kill. Her eyes flared. From dark green, it started to brighten into yellow. They killed innocent people. They killed people who had nothing to do with them. All just to get their revenge for something that was hundreds of years ago. Revenge. Her eyes burned into golden yellow. The pain she felt suddenly faded. She felt strong again. Faces of people flashed before her.

Hamilton. Jonah. Sinead. Atticus. Jake. Fiske. Dan. She smiled.

Suddenly the face of Isabel Kabra smirking popped up. Then Ian Kabra came by. She paused. She started to feel something inside her. Anger, guilt, sadness, happiness. All at the same time. Happiness... Then Grace Cahill was suddenly in front of her. She was smart enough to know that it wasn't real. But it felt real. It felt like Grace was really watching her. She felt a shiver went down her spine. Her eyes started to fade back into its green shade. She was starting to be aware of where she was again. She started to feel pain here and there. Her arms started to feel heavy. She realized it was because of the woman who was now not moving.

She quickly placed the woman down on the ground. Her heart beat fast in anticipation. Her hands shook as she tried to find her pulse. Blood rushed to her ears. She sat down beside the cold body in defeat. Tears started to fall down. She looked at her hands as if they were not her own. She killed someone. Killed. An image of Isabel Kabra laughing flashed in her mind. Congratulations! You are now one of us! HAHAHA!

No...

Yes, you are.

No!

My girl, you killed her.

Amy glanced at the woman's body. She suddenly remembered a while ago. She felt different. She felt strong but bad. She felt evil. Then her mind showed her how she killed the woman. Her arms around her neck, crushing her windpipe causing her to faint. Her heart grew heavy. She felt something going up inside her stomach.

See? That's you.

Shut up!

There's no point in denying, girl. You know that was you.

...

You've changed, Amy Cahill.

Even inside her head she can hear the way Isabel said her surname like it was venom on her tongue.

You think you're all innocent and good but the truth is your not. Your heart is full of hatred and anger. You lost your parents. Then you lost Grace who sent you and your brother on a mad treasure hunt that could get you killed. Now you've lost yourself but don't worry. I'm here. We're here. The Vespers. I think you could even qualify as a Kabra...

"STOOOOOP! STOP IT!" Amy screamed as she clutched her head, trying get everything out of her mind. Isabel Kabra's laugh echoed inside her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook as she rolled down the floor."Stop it. Stop." she muttered under her breath. She was a murderer. She killed someone. She was just as bad as the Vespers. Maybe she was right. What if she was born to be a Vesper? What if her parents were actually Vespers? What if...

Suddenly she heard footsteps again and it's coming fast. She couldn't be caught. She's sure they would kill her. They wouldn't hold back. She found her breathing came back to normal. Her mind suddenly became clear again. It's like her body just rearranged itself, readying for combat. But, no. She wouldn't fight head to head. There's got to some other way. Trusting on her instincts, her body moved towards the body. She's got absolutely no idea what she was doing but it felt right.

This job of his was actually very simple. Just follow the path with the mark. Look for the "players" and try to knock them unconscious. Simple enough. Bad part? It could get very boring at times... Most times, actually. But doing this would probably help him too. He had always wanted to get a promotion to Bronze and hopefully after that everything will go smoothly.

Right now he was just Wood. Yes, Wood. People say they purposely did that so that people will strive hard to leave that stupid rank. Being Bronze, of course, has its perks. Being able to brag and order some Woods around. The best part was getting a chance to taste it. The serum. They say, if you were lucky enough, you might get a taste of the serum from those Cahills. It sounds pretty stupid to him that they're using things from their enemy but he's got to admit. The effects were pretty cool. Super skills. Super senses. Some even said it could make you immortal!

He realized he was grinning like a crazy man. Good thing he was alone. He shook his head. He needs to concentrate. Then he heard a scream. He stopped. Without wasting any second, he sprinted towards the sound. He took every path with the mark backwards. Basically, all of the path with the marks cross every path without the marks, whether it leads to nowhere or not.

Finally, he found someone. He was sitting under the flickering light of the torch. It looks as if he...no, she was in pain. He quickly dropped down beside her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah." she groaned in pain as she tried to stand up.

"I don't think so." he chuckled.

"Shut up." she said.

He held up his hands in surrender, as if saying 'Fine.' He helped her stand up. Then she mumbled something that he didn't catch.

"What?" he asked.

"I said she got away." she said louder as she limped beside him.

"We should warn the others."

"Yes, and I need to go back. I think she broke a few ribs."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" he asked her.

"I can handle myself. I'm a soldier, after all." she replied.

"Sure."

Weird woman. He was just trying to help. But, hey, who was he to argue? If she didn't want his help, fine. They had been waking for almost an hour and it looks like she got better. She was only limping a little. Her breathing became normal again. Even under the helmet and dust on her cheeks, he could see that she was a beauty. He quickly pushed that thought away. What was he thinking? He was on duty. If he couldn't concentrate, then how could he reach Bronze?

Through their journey, he tried to distract his mind and stared at the cobbled floor. He didn't know how long they were walking after that. He almost bumped into someone if it wasn't for her hand on his shoulder. He raised his head and saw a bronze badge right in front of his eyes. He jumped a little as he realized he was standing in front of his commanding officer. He immediately saluted. His commanding officer narrowed his eyes on him then nodded. He watched as the officer walked away.

Then he realized the woman was no longer by his side. She was gone, actually. As in, he can't see her anymore. Maybe she went ahead? He sighed and scratched his head. Why was everyone leaving him behind? He took a deep breath and resumed his duty.

Amy removed the helmet from her head. That was close. It was a good thing that guy was a bit of an idiot. "Sorry." she muttered. But he really was. It was a good thing she managed to slip away when another man came. She presumed that was the man's commanding officer because he had a badge and the man didn't. She hoped the man wasn't going to follow her but she doubted that he would.

She continued to walk. At least now she was sure that she was going the right way. She noticed that further down the corridor the walls had started to change. What was once bricks became steel. The whole corridor started to become round like she was in a tube. She started to feel anxious as the hairs on the back of her neck raised. She tried to walk as quietly as possible. She walked down the corridor that seemed to go on forever. She looked in front and saw that it lead deep down somewhere she hoped was going to be an exit.

There were no corners only a straight path. She continued to walk. Her legs were already numb from all the walking and fighting she did. Her body started to hurt all at once. The scar on her back felt like it opened again. She suddenly felt the hunger and thirst. She realized she didn't eat nor drink all day. Not now. I'm so close. I can't fail. I can't stop. Her body continued to protest against her but she ignored it. With each step, she can feel the pain at the back of her mind where she shoved it away but she forced herself to focus on something else. Her friends and family. People she cared about. People who helped her. People she loved.

She didn't know how long she was walking but she saw at the end of the corridor there was a T-junction. She groaned. She needs to find another clue. But as she got closer, she realized it wasn't a T-junction. It was something like a room. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Maybe this meant she was close. She smiled then she ran, ignoring the pain she felt while she sped towards the room.

When she got close enough, a light in the middle of the room suddenly flickered on. There was a button. A big, red button. She raised her eyebrows in question. A button? She tried to walk around the room to see if there was anything else but there was none.

She walked back to the center. So just a button then. To press or not to press? she thought while a little debate going through her head. She sighed. Then she pressed the button.

Reviews or criticisms are welcomed. Thank you for reviewing and waiting patiently too ^_^

*Oooohh, the big, red button :D