Sorry this is really late guys, I've been on this whole course thing ready for my exams so I haven't had the internet but I have had time so I have a really long chapter ready for you guys. I'm really proud of but it's up to you amazing people to decide. Please review and enjoy!
His mind filled with heavy thoughts.
Matt sat alone in the main meeting room, staring at the marks and drawings on the face of the military map. He had been here for what felt like hours formulating his own plan, noting the weaknesses that only an insider would know and manipulating past battle plans to suit his requirements. It wasn't an easy job and Matt was struggling, cursing his youth and for once, his lack of education. The amount of time he spent just trying to understand the contents and meaning of the map, overshadowed his actual progress and hindered his completion; not to mention the occasional panic where he had to snatch up all his half-finished work and hide beneath the desk when someone threatened to enter. Twice now Anthony had come in to retrieve something and quickly left, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, and each time Matt just crawled out of his hiding place and would continue where he'd left off.
No one was talking about what had happened at the supposed negotiation but from the extent of Captain Weaver's injuries and the numerous casualties, it was obvious the discussions went sour. Whenever Matt asked about what had occurred, he would just receive a pitied smile or an awkward shrug and a hurried: 'It's not my place to say, go ask your father.' Dad and Ben hadn't left the room they locked themselves up in since they returned and from rumour it didn't sound like his father was in a particularly useful state right now. Even if Matt had the courage to interrupt their solitude to discover the circumstances of their deep depression and everyone's silence on the subject, he doubted that he could do it now; not when he was so close to finally finishing his plan.
His break out.
The route he would take was now drawn out on Matt's own carefully copied map along with a backup pathway-lest he come into contact with the enemy-and the layout of the Skitter's know defences and patrol patterns. Of course according to Captain Weaver plans go out the window as soon as they're put into action and so Matt decided to heed his wise words and did his best to memorise every inch of the map as a means of contingency.
"Matt?" a quiet, familiar voice echoed through the room.
Startled, Matt dropped the pen he had been holding, letting it clatter onto the floor as he stared at the figure in the open doorway. Ben stood there with a tired and confused expression, looking around the messy table and Matt's nearly completed map.
"What is all this?"
Matt was lost for words. Should he tell Ben the truth? With Ben's help he would have a better chance of achieving his mission, however it was a stupidly dangerous idea-though undoubtedly brave-and could possibly end in both Matt and Ben being captured or killed. Would Ben find that too high a price? Would he doubt their chances? And what about the group? What about Dad? All questions he would ask so that he would eventually talk Matt out of it, but Matt couldn't afford that. But it was better to know now rather than later. There was only one way Matt could do this.
Matt looked up at his older brother with a stern expression "I'm going to rescue Hal."
Ben didn't seem particularly surprised by the revelation, instead raising an eyebrow and donning an expression of 'oh really?'
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Ben asked plainly, his voice even and clam.
Slightly reluctantly, Matt handed over his version of the map and watched curiously as his brother's inquisitive eyes scanned over the document and his features morphed once more. He looked…impressed.
"So you're going out the side window in the dining hall when the guards change over, then head 'round the old graveyard through to the high street…clever, you've put a lot of thought into this." Ben nodded his appreciation and held the map out for Matt to retake "You have to be careful as you pass through into the last avenue, sometimes there's a few Skitters around there."
Matt couldn't hide his disbelief "You're not angry?"
Ben's eyes darkened "I'm not angry Matty. I expected you to do something like this…my spikey-sense were tingling."
They both giggled at the joke, Ben stepping further into the room and shutting the door behind him. The movement raised Matt's suspicions and he cautiously stepped back, clutching the map protectively to his chest.
Finally Ben let out a long sad sigh, "I'm proud of you Matt, but I can't let you go."
"Why not?" Matt whined, disappointed at how childish he sounded.
"We saw… Hal," Ben's expression became pained "He…wasn't the same; he wasn't like all the other harnessed kids."
Matt frowned in confusion "What do you mean?"
There were a few moments of tense silence as Ben chewed his lip nervously and obviously waited for the right words to come to him. Matt had seen this expression before. It was always bad."
"You know the injury that Captain Weaver had? The one in his stomach?" Matt nodded slowly "Hal did that…Hal stabbed Captain Weaver."
Matt gasped and he knew he could not hide his incredulity "He wouldn't…"
"Hal doesn't have a harness, Matt. There was nothing on his back; he has his own free will. He's like Karen…but worse…more ruthless, malicious. Hal's a killer; the enemy."
"No!" Matt screamed desperately, covering his ears to try and block out his brother's words "No! You're lying! Stop lying!"
"Matt," Ben said, his voice still composed and frighteningly relaxed "Calm down…I'm not lying to you. You have to accept things are different; Hal is gone."
"No he's not! Things haven't changed!" Matt cried, hot tears spilling down his cheeks "You've always been jealous of Hal! Always ignoring him and isolating him! This is all because he's better than you!"
Ben faltered, Matt's words having the intended effect as he averted his gaze in a blatant show of shame. The movement angered Matt even more and spurred on his words, fuelled his fury as he confessed his thoughts openly for the first time after so many years.
"He never gave up on you! Ever! Even after all those months and after the whole group rejected you!" Matt screeched, pointing his finger at Ben accusingly "You're a coward! You're not my brother!"
Matt surged forward, pushing Ben out of the way with an amazing burst of strength and shot through the door; almost crashing into Pope and Dai who were stood just outside, clearly eavesdropping. But Matt couldn't care less as his urge to escape Ben filled him once more and he completely forgot their presence.
The pair hurriedly stepped back as Matt stormed furiously past; rushing off down the empty corridor, map stilled scrunched up in his tightly balled fist.