Paige's Story

A day after arrival in Tanzania and Paige already found herself waiting at an entrance of Harrison's base, seconds away from breaking in.

As Zera had suggested, Lincoln sat out on the action but worked hard as the watch. He spoke to them through earpieces, guiding their every move.

"Paige in," he spoke.

With the others, he'd tell them every single detail like how to get in, what they'll see and the direction they should move in. He didn't give her any of that. And she knew it was also because of what Zera suggested.

Paige entered the cold, dark hallway, guiding herself in the direction her gut commanded her.

She tried listening down corridors for footsteps or talking or breathing. Anything. But there was nothing. Almost as if they were expecting an attack.

"Linc," Paige whispered.

Nothing.

"Linc."

Again, nothing.

"Linc?"

"Yeah," he answered but he sounded worried.

She gulped.

"Is this an ambush?"

Nothing.

"Linc, please respond."

Nothing.

She started to panic. This was her first mission and it was possibly an ambush.

"Linc," her voice cracked. "Is this an ambush?"

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her earpiece screeched then gave her an electric shock. She yanked it out if her ear and began to fuss over the warm but pain electronic waves coursing through her body.

Once it stopped, she looked up and her eyes met a furious Chan. He had his hands balled into fists on either side of his body. His head was slightly tilted down, intensifying his glare. His eyes were filled with pure hatred and he was practically quaking with anger.

Paige took a couple of steps back.

"H-hey," she stammered.

He didn't respond.

"What a beautiful day, is it not?" She tried again, words lacing with utter fright.

"Shut up." His voice was cold and hard like a brick wall in winter and his glare got scarier, if that was possible.

She took another step back but this time, Chan took a huge one forward. He was about two metres away now.

Paige panicked some more, taking several steps back before bumping into something. She turned around and saw I.N mirroring Chan's exact expression. I.N was so cute and smiley. She had never imagined him looking so scary.

"Oh, hi," she stuttered, walking back in Chan's direction but before she got there, I.N punched her right on the left side of her face, making her fall.

The two boys hovered over her before each pounding into her side and kicking at already sore body parts.

Taken aback, Paige let it happen. She let her legs meet her chest, forming a ball as neither boy paused for a second.

After she was clearly bloody and in immense pain, Chan pulled out his gun and aimed it at her.

Like a wave of realisation, Paige's fight or flight responses kicked in and she remembered this was what she had been training her whole life for.

Flicking her leg up with as much force as she could, she kicked the gun out of Chan's hand and made him double over in pure agony.

I.N took a while to respond, much to Paige's delight. She picked herself up and bashed her fist into his stomach, expelling all the air from his lungs. He gasped for oxygen before pulling out his own gun.

"I don't want to kill you, I.N," Paige glared at him. "Don't make me."

She felt a slap against her skin, which she figured was from Chan's direction.  She didn't wince, didn't get any angrier.

She just chuckled before grasping Chan's collar and pulling him towards her, ripping it in the act. The slight rasp of sound from the tear echoed around the room. She got hold from her own gun and pounded it into Chan's left temple, leaving a circular red mark from the mouth of the gun. She repeated the action until he started to bruise.

I.N's grip on the gun began to falter.

"Leave him!" He yelled.

Paige glanced up, pausing her actions with a smirk.

The upper left side of Chan's face was terribly bruised and beginning to swell up. Despite the dim lighting the black, blue, purple and red adorning Chan's temple was obvious.

I.N regained his composure and concentrated his aim on her face.

She held Chan in a choke hold, the mouth of the gun kissing his temple as Paige strangled him.

"Tell me, I.N. Are you two misfits working for the Rebellion?"

"Let him go."

She repositioned her finger at the trigger, pressing it but not enough to shot out a bullet.

"Answer me first."

"Let him go," his voice cracked, clearly starting to panic. His hands were trembling.

Paige pulled tighter at Chan's neck making him start to turn blue.

Behind I.N, a crowd started to form but she couldn't care less. She needed the truth

"Answer me." Her voice was deadly and her rationality was clouded over with hatred. The Rebellion killed and made fun of her parents and sister. Chan's squirming and struggling started to die down as he was losing consciousness. "Or I'll kill him."

It was obvious to I.N, Chan and everyone behind them that she wasn't bluffing. She meant it. She was going to kill Chan.

Before I.N got to answer, a gunshot went off and Paige fell to the ground as a bullet pierced through her leg. Chan also fell, having lost consciousness.

Woojin was beside I.N now, gun still aimed at Paige.

"Betrayers!" She yelled. "You betrayed us all!"

"Shut it!" Woojin snarled.

Paige picked up her gun and shot at I.N's arm then the side of Woojin's stomach. She had meant to kill them but it's hard to concentrate on your aim when your leg feels like is being ripped apart.

"My family died because of you! You killed them!" Paige screamed, getting back on her feet. "I'll kill you! Traitors!"

"Paige, calm down," Changbin ran to her. "Relax. You aren't thinking rationally. Calm down."

"Get out of my way! I'm going to kill them! Do you have any idea how hard it is growing up as an orphan? Losing both your parents before you could even realise what death actually was! I thought they went on a flipping long business trip! Only to grow up and realise they're gone forever. Didn't even get the chance to say goodbye! I lost everything! Everything! All because of your stupid Rebellion! My parents, my brother, my sister, myself! I lost it all. I'm just a fragment of a girl that used to exist! Do you know how lonely I got? Do you have my idea how many nights I had to cry myself to sleep. Or all the suicide attempts that started since the day turned twelve? Do you have any clue how hopeless my life has been? All because of this stupid Rebellion! All because of you! I'll kill you and everything important to you! So you at least have an idea of how worthless any life is!"

"Paige, take a deep breath," Changbin tried.

"I swear if you don't get it of my way, Changbin, I'll kill you too. I-"

A cloth was draped over he rose and mouth. Paige breathed in the drugs infused in it and instantly unconscious.

Kyla removed the cloth from her nose and placed it back inside a bag.

"Let's get them out of here. We need to leave before the Head of the Rebellion arrives," she explained.