I sat alone for most of the evening, unsure what to do. Melina was gone at least four hours before I started to worry and attempted to call her. The phone didn't even ring out, the answering phone lady just told me she was away.

Did she turn her phone off? Why would she need to do that?

I tried to drop it in the end. Melina was a big girl and I was just being paranoid about her being in harms way. Melina and I had been close since we were thirteen years old, we'd met at school and become friends there.

We were kinda seperate at first. She was in one group of friends while I was in another but soon enough I found myself migrating over to her simply because she was a better friend than all of the "friends" I thought I had put together.

We completed secondary school together then went on to college together and it was then that we were starting to worry about the future. Melina knew she was going to come to America. It had been a dream of hers for a long time, but I was more skeptical. I was afraid of leaving home to go somewhere so cut off and on my own.

But she was so convincing, the way she described the life we would have with one another, the way we would follow each other to our deaths. Maybe, the only reason I came in the first place was because I was so afraid of losing her that I would drop everything for her.

Maybe the reason I'm so afraid of her leaving now is because I'm so scared of being alone.

Tobias went out for a while but came back soon after with food in his hands and a massive grin on his face. 'I bought Quinkies.'

He might as well have said "I am god" because I ran to him like Usain Bolt in a race and practically grabbed the bag out of his hand and dived inside.

Although Tobias didn't know me very well, he managed to get the burger spot on. A delicious beef burger with cheese and bacon with extra mayonaise for the chips.

'How did you know?' I gawped at god's gift in my hands.

'I have a way of knowing these things.' Tobias winked at me, pulling out his own food and laying it on his desk. 'It is a gift, I know.'

Ray flew down from his little nest on the other side of the warehouse and grabbed his food out of the bag then smiled. 'You got Mister Pearce and Melina a salad each, are you trying to make enemies Frewer?'

'Salad's are great!' Tobias protested.

I snorted out a laugh. I didn't speak however as the aroma of my burger was too hard to control myself around, I scoffed down the food in a few minutes then practically threw all my chips to the back of my throat and swallowed.

'Clark, would you mind doing me a favour?' Ray mumbled through a mouthfull of food. 'When you've got a minute do you mind doing some research for me. I would do it myself but with the security looking for me, I'd probably be caught just for typing this person into google.'

'Sure, which person do you want me to look into?'

'Charlotte Gardner.'

'That woman from ctOS?' I frowned. 'How come? Don't you know anything about her already?'

'A bit, she's a fairly regular person or at least that's what Iraq's data told us. She hasn't done anything illegal, single, no kids, her family are all from the south. Nothing particularly sticks out, which bugs me. A lot.'

'I'll see what I can do.' I nodded though, I didn't think there was much I could do. I wasn't very good at top people like CEO's and manager. Charlotte Gardner was kind of a big deal. I just had to find a way to slip into her data. Ray was right, there had to be something on her. If all falls to shit then blackmailing Charlotte Gardner may be our only hope.

I was about to walk over to my computer when Melina and Aiden burst into the room and sprinted over to us. They zoomed through the room and straight passed us and right to their computers.

Melina was straight back on her bug, I could see that from here but Aiden quickly flicked on his screen and in moments was bringing up building schmatics of a large building I didn't recognise.

'Where's the marching band?' Ray rolled his eyes as neither of the two hackers spoke up about their behaviour.

'... I bought salad.' Tobias probably only meant to take a step forward to Melina but she turned around and snarled at him to stay back while she was working. The two tapped away furiously while the three of us just stared at them, bemused and confused.

'Got it!' Melina suddenly screamed and threw herself back and over to Aiden. She quickly, without a second thought, through her hands into the top pocket of his coat and withdrew something before running back to her own desk.

'Ray, I need you now!' Aiden snarled, suddenly switching to Tobias' computer behind his own and tapping in there.

Tobias again made a step forward but now Aiden looked up and told him to back away.

I watched Melina like a hawk as she suddenly jammed what was most likely a USB drive into her computer and tapped a few more buttons. I watched her computer as it showed a progress bar increase then ding. Upload complete.

'If you're going to do this Pearce, it has to be now!' Melina suddenly removed the drive and sprinted over to me. 'Clark, put this in the safest place you have, do not lose this under any circumstances.'

'Why are you giving this to me now?' I frowned, placing it in the zipped pocket of my jacket.

'We've been given a window by the same insider who sent us the snippet of the list.' Aiden grumbled while he suddenly was searching through his phone, abandoing the computers. 'He says ctOS are having a whole system reboot tonight in two hours, no one knows about it because it's when they will be at their most vunerable, only the bare minimal security is working. They haven't put on more staff just cause it'll cause suspision.'

'Wait so we're planting the bug now?' I gasped. 'Like right now.'

'You got any better ideas, Clark. This is perfect, even more than perfect. You'll be able to sneak in completely undetected, the building will be even easier to hack your way through the doors and you don't have to go alone.'

'Wait what?'

'I'll be going with you.' Aiden suddenly switched off the computers and strolled over to me. 'I don't trust you so no way am I giving you the opportunity to mess this up for me. Let's go now. Bring a weapon, I doubt we're going to come out of here unscathed even with the help we're getting.'

Melina pulled out my hand and suddenly dropped a spec ops 1911 down into it. She'd pulled it from her back pocket like she was wearing it like a piece of jewelery and it was nothing.

'Be careful.' She growled. 'Don't get caught, be fast. Don't stay in one place for too long. Don't look directly into any cameras. Don't-'

'I dunno if I'm ready, Mel. I didn't expect to be doing this so soon.' I suddenly was having difficulty to breath and had to step back just to control myself. My heart was suddenly pounding in my chest and my head felt like it was going to explode.

'This is better this way, Clark. The building will be easier to get through, you'll have protection and you'll still have me cursing profanities down your loghole. Is that clear?'

'I- I-' I was about to protest again when Mel suddenly brought my forward and held me tightly in her arms. She squeezed me until the air was all but gone out of my lungs only then did she finally release me. Holding me by the shoulders and gently shaking me.

'You've got this down like Jay Sean.' She smirked. 'Now go while the window is open.'

Her words were comforting and I soon found a steady rhythm to my breathing again. I nodded my head and let out one long exhale before whispering. 'Bit gay.'

She giggled and pushed me back a little, then gently punched me in the shoulder. 'No hetero, Clark. Remember, you got this.'

I nodded as I pulled myself out of her touch and quickly ran to my bag in the corner, I grabbed out my neck warmer, beanie hat and diver goggles that I'd bought from walmart which were all named "hot for summer" not that I thought diver goggles were very good looking but there we are. I also threw on my studded gloves and pulled the hood of my jacket over my head and walked back. I tucked the gun into the inside pocket of my coat and gulped.

'I'm got this.' I gulped even though really, I think I peed myself a little.

'Then let's go, English, we've got a building to hack.' Aiden put his hand on my back most likely to push me forward but it felt a little reassuring to me knowing that at least someone was going to be with me. 'Take this.'

He placed an earpiece into my hand and I quickly shoved it in my ear. Ray took out his phone from his pocket and tapped a few buttons before mumbling 'Can you hear me? One two? Shit balls?'

The noise came from the receiver and I gave a thumbs up to the gang as Aiden continued to push until we were making our way through the damp dark corridor.

'Your car or mine?'

'Yours.' Aiden frowned. 'I'm getting sick of ditching cars everytime I break in somewhere.'

'Hold up, I'm going to have to ditch my car afterwards?' I stopped in my tracks. 'I'm not okay.'

'I'll get you another one.' Aiden rolled his eyes, pushing me harder this time. 'One that is better than the piece of crap, death trap you and Mel drive now.'

I smirked at him. 'Mel, huh? So, the two of you have talked.'

We made our way up the stairs and closed the steel door behind us then made our way over to my car which hadn't moved from where I'd parked it earlier. Had Melina walked to wherever she needed to go?

Aiden gave me eyes of disappointment. 'Yes, I've talked to your friend. What of it?'

'Did you two hit it off?'

'What are you talking about?' He growled a little under his breath.

'Y'know, did you… like her?'

Aiden jumped into the drivers side, forcing me to pull my set of keys out from my pocket and hand them to him.

'She's fine, I guess.'

'She's fine is she?' I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

'Shut up, Clark. You need to be serious now.'

'Is that a blush I see?'

'You won't be able to see anything in a minute, shut up so I don't drive us down the wrong road.'

The two of us fell into a silence and I was giggling on the inside. Who knew that the vigilante could get embarrassed? I sat on the edge of my seat, all too aware of the gun pressed against my chest.

We drove for a good twenty minutes down long roads and then across the highway and then down more long roads. Aiden was eerily quiet and statue-like still, he simply held the wheel and barely ever turned it, he never looked in his mirrors just straight ahead. I was starting to feel a little unsafe in my own car when he finally spoke.

'Do you still have the drive?' Aiden grumbled as he slowly began to slow down. I believe we were in Brandon Docks towards the edge of the district, right beside the highway that led to the Wards.

I gently fingered at my pocket then nodded letting out a breath of relief. 'Yeah, I got it.'

'Good, don't lose it. You're not coming out of that building until some sort of bug is uploaded into their system even if you have to make your own one while we're there from scratch.'

'Don't be a dick, Pearce. I may be young but I'm not stupid, talk down to me one more time and I will not be against shooting you in the foot.' I snapped. 'Now, what's the game plan?'