I growl, grinding my teeth as I throw a punch at Archer. But he only smirks and dodges out of the way, hopping on the heels of his feet as he taunts me. Another week and a half has passed, and we'd begun training again

"C'mon Holland what happened to the feisty girl who I fought all those months ago?"

I looked at him deadpan. "Fuck off"

Archer's head falls back as he laughs.

Now I'm the one smirking as I lift my leg and forced it at his side.

The smirk falls quickly as he catches it in his grip, raising a condescending brow at me.

"Kick a man while he's distracted, why don't you?" He pulls my leg, so I hop towards him, his eyes twinkle as I narrow mine.

"Give me my leg." I warn.

"This leg?" He pulls it again. "This is my leg." He taunts as he pulls it once more, my body careening into his as I lose my footing.

His arms wrap around my waist as he looks down at me with those hazel eyes as I wince.

"Shit, sorry. Is your back okay?"

I let a pained grunt escape my lips and he let's go of me, letting my leg fall back to the ground.

"Here, let me look at it."

He takes a step forward and I grasp the opportunity, swinging my leg into his side.

He grunts as it makes contact, staggering back and glaring at me.

"And here I was thinking you were actually hurt." He grumbles, rubbing the side of his body.

"Too bad, so sad." I pout and nod my head toward him. "Get in position."

"You're very bossy today."

"You're the one that wanted to train."

"To strengthen you, not to give you a bigger ego."

I roll my eyes, turning my head to the door as it opens.

An elbow wraps around my neck, my back softly landing against a chest.

"Never turn your back on your opponent." Archer whispers mockingly and I smirk at Cleo as she shuts the door behind her.

Shoving my elbow into his abdomen, I grip his forearm and turn, twisting his arm with me.

"Shit."

"Never get to get too cocky with your opponent."

"Really, you are saying that?" He coughs.

I smirk, shoving my knee into his unprotected ribs. He staggers back, coughing and I see the slight limp in his leg. Using it to my advantage, I hook my foot around it and pull.

He drops to his knees on the mat in front of me.

"Rule number one darling, do not show weakness."

He narrows his eyes at me but chuckles. "Fine, you win."

I don't turn my back on him as I walk backwards away from him and towards the door.

"You look good on your knees, Archer." Cleo says through a laugh before turning to me, "Hair looks good."

I lift a hand to the strands, feeling them brushing my collarbone, the ends cut smoothly and in a straight line, the workings of Cleo fixing my impromptu haircut.

"Thankyou." I grin, my attention shifting to Clay as he walks into the room, his eyes finding mine, before moving to Archer's.

"I found the ship."

I stop still in my tracks. Breath leaving me in a rush.

I feel Archer step up behind me, hand coming to rest on my hip before he walks past me.

"Do you think they're still there?"

Clay shakes his head, "I have no way of knowing, but we go with the information that they will be."

"When are we going?"

"We'll leave once everyone is ready." Clay answers.

• • •

It feels like the walls have eyes and they are piercing through my back and lighting my scars on fire.

Of course, I'm just being paranoid.

Archer's heat is soothing to my tense muscles as we turn another corner, my nerves skyrocketing.

I can feel my team following behind me, their steps as silent as my own.

I try to ignore the sting of the salt air on my nose, of the rocking of the boat as the waves crash against the hull, the ghost of memories whispering along my every forward step.

I tighten my grip on the gun in my hand, turning another corner but still, no one makes an appearance.

"It seems to be abandoned." Clay says out loud, mirroring my thoughts.

I breathe in deeply and continue down the corridor, my gun ready to shoot if anyone should appear. The metal is welcoming in my grip and calming to my heart beat.

I glance over my shoulder at the four people following me, my eyes connecting to Archer's. I nod my head down the next corridor, eyes on the first door. Awareness prickling at the back of my neck, my senses recognising this particular hallway.

Archer moves to step up beside me, silently taking up position at my back, his own gun ready in his hand.

Clay stays across from the door, hard green eyes on the thick metal, Cleo scans the rest of the hallway, listening for any movement, keeping position outside the room. Liam walks towards us, eyes on the door we stand by.

I reach forward, the metal warming under my hand and twist, pushing the door open, the strong sense of iron assaulting my senses.

I almost gag from the overpowering stench.

"Gruesome." Liam says in awe as we stare at the pile of dead bodies decomposing in the middle of the room. The many pair of unseeing eyes turned our way and a fountain of blood dripping down their clothes. The floor painted in their scarlet blood, and I know it's only covering up my own blood stain.

I grind my teeth but make my way further into the room, a warm shoulder brushes mine and Archer steps in beside me.

He crouches to the floor, and I look over his shoulder as he picks up a piece of rope. The same rope he had been bound in.

He drops it like it burnt him.

Maybe the memories did.

"Guess she was tying up loose ends." Clay utters as he wanders around the room. Liam follows him but stops in front of the human fountain. Crouching in front of it and tilting his head curiously.

"Do you recognise them?" Clay asks, his question focused on everyone.

I look at the people, tracing their faces, ingraining them into memory and searching my mind for a piece of them.

I come up empty.

"No."

"I do" Liam mutters, turning towards us. He points towards the bottom of the pile.

"I used to see him a lot when I was younger, growing up at HQ." He whispers and points to two other bodies. "I saw them at The Division sometimes."

Bile rests in my stomach looking at the pile of agents and others decomposing like trash, who know where these people came from.

I look toward Archer, and he walks over to me, fingers brushing mine. I take his hand, squeezing it. Willing for the comfort to reach my heart.

"Do you think they were here willingly?" Clay asks Archer, his eyes clouded.

"Hard to tell. Possibly. Or they were held here too." He shrugs and goes back to examining the room. Completely bypassing the metal table pushed to the far wall with a pool of dried blood on it.

Footsteps echo outside the room, and we all turn as Cleo enters the room.

"Woah, that's....artistic." She whispers as she stops at the door.

I turn out of the room, hand falling from Archers.

I can finally breath again when I don't see their eyes on me, but I can feel them.

Heat at my back has me turning around and I glance at Archer and then the others.

"We should split up, cover more ground."

"No." Archer says, reaching for my hand.

"I'll be fine." I whisper but he doesn't look convinced. "She's here, I know it."

Archers' hazel eyes widen a fraction but a hand on his shoulder stops whatever he was going to say.

Clay shakes his head silently at Archer.

"She's right, we need to split up. It's getting dark and it'll be harder to find her then."

Archer grits his teeth together but refrains from saying anything. His hand clenching around his gun, his annoyance noticeable.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No, you don't." I whisper. "But that's not going to stop me." I say before spinning around and starting to walk down the hallway, away from that room.

His hand encloses around my wrist, and I turn back slightly towards him. A confident and reassuring smile on my face.

"Promise you'll be careful, don't be reckless."

"I'm never reckless."

An eyebrow lifts in mockery of my words and I breathe out a loud sigh.

"I promise but only if you hold yourself to the same regard."

He rolls his eyes but nods his head once, nonetheless.

"I promise I'll be careful."

"Don't worry guys, I'll be careful too. But thank you for your concern." Liam adds in mockingly, holding a hand to his heart.

I shake my head with a smile. "Nobody die tonight."

"No promises." Liam sings before swaggering off in search of Scarlett.

Clay and Cleo walks off together, arms brushing as they stalk the hallways.

I tune back to Archer, opening my mouth to say something when he swoops forward, capturing my lips in a searing kiss.

"Please be careful." He mutters against them, before pulling back. He walks backwards, eyes on mine as we separate.

I smile, "See you on the other side."