A/N: Most of you are just telling me that you love the story so far, and all I can say to everyone is thank you for your kind words and encouragement!
Nina Vale: You're right, Aiden wouldn't be the reasoning type, but he has changed, I can say that much. When Jacks was scared of him, and Aiden wondering if he was a cold-hearted killer, I interpreted that he was going to change, and now he had. You'll see what I mean soon enough!
This is the first story that I'm writing chapter by chapter. Usually I finish a story, and then edit and publish by the weeks, and for some reason I'm taking things differently. I hope I don't accidently mess up, because this is new for me! And school is now officially over, so expect the updates to be, if not once a week, every other. I know it's short, but I'm giving you what I have so far because it's been so long. Enjoy! (Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I only re-read the first half, and will finish the rest some other time)
Aiden woke to being punched in the face. He knew, because once he startled awake, he felt the blood in his mouth. He must have bit his tongue. He also felt the sudden burning on the left side of his face, and part of his cheek go numb, He immediately tossed his head to the side and spit out his blood before he could choke on it. Then he groaned against a bright light.
The hacker most certainly had been knocked unconscious, because he felt the dull ache in the back of his head, and a throbbing across his body, probably from landing on the floor without catching his own weight.
Once he came to his senses, he groaned from the light again as he tried to take in his surroundings. He was in some warehouse, a very old one. There was rust on all the support beams, and to the side, from where he spit, he could see rows of machines. Some were covered in thick sheets and dust, where others Aiden could see the giant holes from where parts had been taken out. It was like a graveyard of machines.
Beyond the machines, however, was life. There were people, silhouetted and lit by beams of light, and Aiden immediately recognized it as drugs. They were making drugs, cutting and weighing out sizes, and placing them in packaging. And there were guns.
He sighed, turning back to the large figure- silhouetted by the light- that had woken him. Then the man moved, leaving the area, and that was when he saw her.
Aiden immediately struggled, which was when he realized that he was strapped down to a chair by his ankles, wrists, and shoulders. He had thought the men last night had come for him, not Clara, but there she was across from him, similarly tied down.
She was probably six feet away, staring at him with this look of guilt and worry. He did a quick look over of her, and determined that she wasn't hurt, at least not on the outside and she didn't seem in pain.
What had he gotten them into? He couldn't think of anyone he had pissed off lately that would do this, not at the moment anyway. He had worked so hard, so long to change things, and now-
"Aiden," she said, cutting him off, catching his attention. "I can see the gears turning, but you did nothing wrong. I got us into this." Aiden frowned, confused for a moment. "This is what I needed your help with."
"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, Clara, what have you been doing?" He asked, confusion and worry leaking out of him as he stared at her, trying to figure everything out. "I thought you said you had started over. A fresh start. You were safe."
She shook her head softly, looking to the floor between them. "They're called VicTECH. I've been gathering intel on them for weeks, trying to take them down. Let's just say that they've hurt a lot of people."
Aiden blinked, looking down to the floor, trying to remember if he knew anything about VicTECH. And why- why would she put herself in danger if she had had a fresh start? He nodded, still looking to the floor, feeling the pain in his head grow. "We'll get through this," he told her, and then he suddenly coughed. "We'll get out of here, and then we'll leave. We can-"
Seeing her shift out of his peripheral vision caused him to pause, and he looked up at Clara. The woman was shaking her head, turned away, looking off past the lifeless machines. "They're… powerful. Even if we did get away, they'd find us again. And-" she cut herself off, turning back to him, searching his gaze. "They've hurt too many. They need to be taken down."
Aiden looked away, processing what she was saying. They did have to get out of here, but she wanted to come back and fight whoever they were, stop them. She wanted to become her own vigilante. Aiden would love to help take them down, help Clara, but he didn't know anything about VicTECH. Plus, they needed to get out of here first- wherever here was.
Aiden looked around, trying to spot a guard that might be watching them, but before he could begin to work up a plan, a voice, along with footsteps, interrupted him.
"Clara, my dear, it's been too long. Who's your friend, here?"
The man's voice was low, but it was also the type of voice that, without seeing their face, sounded really creepy, like he was going to burst into evil laughter at any moment. Aiden looked up to see a man in a white suit, with white hair, and he was clearly at least sixty, yet still in goof physical health. He was grinning from ear to ear, eyes gleaming as he took in Aiden strapped to the chair. Two men followed behind him, one in a well-dressed yet casual outfit, while the other looked like a gang member.
Clara struggled for a moment in her chair. "Don't hurt him, asshole."
The man's grin deepened, and he stepped between Aiden and Clara, his back to Aiden. "Tell me where the drive is, and I won't have to."
There was a long pause, one of which Aiden thought was a very, very bad sign. Pauses like that meant a stare down, and in this business, those never ended badly.
And then suddenly the man in the suit turned, shifted his feet, and swung his fist towards Aidens face, all in one swift motion. Pain radiated from his right side of his face, opposite where he had been punched not five minutes ago. Man was his face going to be bruised tomorrow.