It was around one in the morning when an emergency meeting was called in Andrew Grey's office. There was no ifs or buts, everyone was to get there straight away.

My heart is racing as Andrew finally enters the room and sits at the head of the table. Only the few remaining people who didn't go on the mission are here and I know that cannot be a good sign.

Everyone sits in silence as Andrew takes his seat. His face the epitome of distress. No one dares speak until he does. "Everyone needs to stay calm but... we have run into a slight problem," Andrew starts and everyone visibly tenses.

This can only mean one thing.

"We... we have lost track of the people who went on the mission earlier today. We don't know what's happened to them only that it can't be good," my heart feels like it has stopped. How could they have lost track of them?

"What do you mean you've lost track of them?" I say with utter calmness. It wouldn't be doing anyone any favours if I cause a scene, as much as I would love to.

"Every time we send people on a mission, they're sent with a tracker of some kind. With or without knowledge of it. The trackers only stop working when they have been disarmed or..." he trails off and my blood boils.

"Or what?" I whisper. I knew the words that were going to come out of his mouth before he even had a chance to draw a breath.

Everyone in the room is staring at us but I couldn't care less. Right now it's only me and this reckless idiot.

"Or... they're dead," he barely managed to choke out the word. That word will surely haunt me for the rest of my days on this earth. There has been too much death. The word is thrown around so carelessly it's as though it has no meaning whatsoever.

"Well they have to have been disarmed," I spit and he shakes his head. Everything in me is screaming at me to lunge at him and smack that look off of his face. They're not dead.

He is not dead.

"It's not that easy to disarm them... not when the rebels have no knowledge of them," someone says from the opposite side of the room.

"How do you know that they have no knowledge of them?" I counter. They don't seem to know much about what the rebels know so what makes them so sure of this.

"Because not even the people who wear them know, I'm sure you didn't when you went on the last mission," he says. They put a tracker on me? "By the look on your face that confirms it," a smirk covers his strangely beautiful face and I want to gauge out his eyes.

"Unless they have inner eyes?" I suggest and both of their faces drop. I'm guessing I should have kept that to myself.

"You really think that someone in this facility is working with the rebels?" the guy scoffs. What makes that so hard to believe?

"I wouldn't put it past them," I shrug and Andrew looks at the wall at the opposite side of the room. Clearly deep in thought at the suggestion.

"I think you're reaching girl," I make a point to ignore him. I don't need to feed his ego and want to get a rise out of me.

"So what are we going to do?" I ask and Andrew meets my eyes.

"Colton told me that you know things that you shouldn't," that little...

He promised he wouldn't tell anyone. It only confirms how much of a liar and manipulator he is.

"So you want me to tell you said things..." I huff and Andrew nods. I may as well have just signed my own death certificate. "If I tell you these things though... it's not going to end well," the call pushes its way forward. That dreadful call.

I can't risk Zach's life but then I can't risk everyone else's life. I can't choose.

"Yes... and we understand the risks of this but it needs to be done," Andrew says. I don't understand why everything has to be so hard. What is the need for everything to be so time consuming and hard with life?

I would do anything for an easy, normal life. Or at least some peace.

"If I do this you have to swear to me... swear... that you will keep Zach safe," I say, barely short of a whisper. It's then I realise that Zach isn't even in this room. Where is he?

"I will try with everything in my power to keep those that you love safe," Andrew says with nothing but seriousness in his voice.

"That's not good enough," I spit and he sighs. I'm not going to settle with trying. That isn't and never will be good enough. Not for Zach or anyone.

"I promise you that Zach will be safe," I want to trust him, I need to.

"Let's begin then," the guy says and I pray that this is worth it. If Andrew doesn't stick with his promises he is going to have more problems than missing soldiers.

***

I told them everything. I told them about Michael Hisan, where the base was, as much as I could remember about said base, the other people I saw there and just any random details that may deem useful. The only thing I left out was the situation with Haiden, how I had convinced him that I loved him and then killed him.

"The best option we have is to raid the place as a distraction to then find out where everyone is," a girl says and I nod in agreement. That's probably our best bet.

"Raid with who though? There's barely anyone here," says the guy - I have now learned his name is Marco.

"We'll have to make do with who we have... if Rose remembers correctly about the structure of their base we can form around the perimeter and attack from all sides," Andrew rubs his chin.

"What if they're not even there though?" Marco challenges and I pinch the bridge of my nose. My head is pounding from the stress and how late it is and Marco isn't making this any easier for any of us.

"Then that's a risk we're going to have to take," I explain and the girl nods. At least someone is on my side in here. "The rebels have done something, and whatever that is we can't let them get away with it and do whatever they want with our people," I say and Marco glares at me.

"And we won't," Andrew cuts in. We are waisting precious time, god knows what's happening to them right now. What's happening to Colton.

I hate myself for caring about him but I can't help it.

"The only advantage we have is that they don't know that I remember," I say and the room falls silent. That must of been the reasoning behind them injecting me with poison. A way to get rid of a liability. And if I didn't die then I'd need a healer. Which subsequently made me lose my memories.

"That might be the only advantage we need," Marco says. "We could use you as leverage," I am not liking the sound of this.

"In what way?" Andrew asks and I can't believe they are actually considering this. I guess I am going to be taking one for the team then.

"They don't know that she remembers anything so essentially we could just... hand her over," Marco shrugs. As much as I hate the idea of going back to that place, it's not a bad idea.

"I'll do it," I say and everyone looks at me. I don't have much going for me and if it ends up saving everyone then I am fine with that. I quite literally have nothing else to lose.

"Are you sure?" Andrew asks and I nod. Not daring to speak because I know my voice will betray me. It will show my unwavering nervousness and fear of accepting this.

"We need to leave as soon as we can," the girl says and everyone nods before getting up. My limbs feel weak and I'm scared to get up out of fear of collapsing. This is for everyone else. I need to stop caring about myself and start thinking about the lives at stake.

What's one life compared to all of theirs? Nothing.

***

Everyone is suited up and ready. No matter who you are or what station you are in, you had to join otherwise we wouldn't stand a chance. It's all or nothing if any of us want to come out of this alive. It's around three as everyone is crowed into the auditorium.

"We will be leaving first with Rose... we will signal when you should start making your way," Andrew speaks into the vast room. His voice booming and echoing off of the walls.

The last time I had been up here was when my father was doing his speech, when I'd first seen Colton. First seen those evergreen eyes that were the most piercing colour I had ever seen and now... I'm not so sure if I ever will see them again.

"You know what you have to do?" Marco says quietly from beside me and I nod.

"Get there, act clueless, attack on command," I recite those words that I have been told countless times tonight.

"Good," he says and I want to slap him for the patronising tone he used. "You're friend will be fine," he assures me and I take his word for it.

"He better be," I huff and he chuckles. Not a good time for laughing.

"Let's go," Andrew says calmly and we follow his lead.

Marco rests his hand on the small of my back and his touch feels foreign. I had gotten so used to it being Colton's hand. I ball my hands into fists at my sides to stop their relentless shaking. The mere thought of being within reaching distance of that building makes me feel sick to my stomach. The fact that I actually have to go in there...

I swallow the bile rising in my throat and power on. "You'll be fine, nothing is going to happen to you," Marco says with surprising gentleness.

"I know," I breathe. My heart is thundering so fast against my chest I'm scared it's going to quite literally explode.

"You sure?" he furrows his brows and I know I look the exact opposite of composed. But I nod anyway and continue following Andrew.

***

As soon as my eyes meet with that awful, trauma ridden building my heart feels like it has stopped. My feet feel frozen to the floor and I'm sure my body is about to give up on itself. It's like I am reliving everything all over again.

"You're gonna need to get past whatever you're going through if we're going to put up a convincing front Rose," Marco says sternly. I don't think I can do this.

"Just... just give me a second," I struggle to say. My breathing becoming ragged and uncontrollable. Breathe, just breathe. I repeat to myself.

"We're kind of running slim on time here," Marco says and I have to use everything in me to not unsheathe my dagger in my waistband and use it on him.

"You think I don't know that," I spit and Andrew sighs loudly.

"We don't have time for this, let's go," Andrew says authoritatively and we both close our mouths.

As soon as we are in visible distance of the rebels base, Marco grabs my arm with a grip sure to leave a bruise. He's getting into character then.

"You don't have to grab me so hard," I grit my teeth and he shoves me a little. Idiot.

"You know what you have to do... so do it," he spits and I bite back my response. Deeming it to cause more trouble than it's worth.

"Well... well... well... what do we have here then?" a voice calls from a few feet ahead and my eyes meet with his. Don't show any emotion. Don't let him get to you. You don't know him. You don't remember. I remind myself.

"Michael... we have an offering," Andrew starts and Michael's face lights up with a grin only the sickest of people could pull off.