"I hate you."

"I know," Harry replied after sliding down the ladder to land at Mila's side. She knew it had taken longer for her to climb up then down each carriage only to do it all over again but after her first jump, she'd decided against trying it ever again.

"See? It's a lot easier to use the ladders," she informed him as he moved past her to tug open the fifth carriage door. They'd covered four, like he'd said and the new one sounded safe enough to enter. Mila followed close behind Harry, her hair now hanging loosely around her shoulders after the wind had tugged it from its confines. The same had happened to Harry, and she was surprised to see the full shoulder-length of hair.

"A lot more time-consuming," he told her, flashing her a grin. "God knows if Louis and Zayn have made it further than us yet."

"Don't you carry phones?" Mila asked. "Walkie-talkies maybe?"

Harry gave her a confused look. "Why would we do that? They'd just take up unnecessary space that could be used for weapons."

"But how will you know if one of you is in trouble? What if you need to send backup?"

"We die before calling more troops in to help us. It's a term of being a part of the Association. We're strictly forbidden to call for backup as it would only put more of us in danger."

Mila's jaw fell open. After everything she had been told about the spy corporation, she began to wonder just how hard everyones' lives were. It seemed to be a sad, lonely life. Trying to imagine a life where she had to isolate herself, live alone and live under harsher laws of being a spy was too awful to bear.

"Do you still keep in touch with your family, Harry?" Mila asked.

"Yeah, I do. They know what my choice was. They don't blame me - helping the world in whatever way possible is all it takes to get a smile from them. I never mention them to anyone though - their lives are my life. If anything were to happen to my family because of me..." He looked down all of a sudden, as if finding the right words to say. "If my spy status was the reason they were harmed, I'd never be able to live with myself. I'm discreet; I only visit them a few times every month so not to bring them unwanted attention. Never, have I told their names to anyone either. Names is all it will take to track someone down nowadays."

"Don't you find it hard?" Mila wondered. "Being unable to live a normal life?"

"In some ways I suppose. My Granddad was part of this corporation. He joined the Association at sixteen and told me all the great stories of being an agent. It sounded cool at the time, so I decided I wanted to try out."

"And your parents were OK with that?"

"Strangely so. My Granddad was very persuasive. Besides, I'd shown an interest int he spy life from a young age - buying toy guns, ski masks and such."

Mila laughed, amused by the enthusiasm Harry showed not only in his adulthood but his childhood also. People like Zayn had had no choice but to join - his family were ex spies and so the Association had been led to believe they had to train their son too.

"It must be hard living like you all do. I never could do that."

"Which part?" Harry asked, opening a compartment door and peering inside. It was empty apart from some pink clothing and a blonde wig. "Oh look. Liam's been here."

"Liam?" Mila asked, confused for a moment. "Oh, Liam."

"Yeah, another friend of ours. Don't shoot him too, for the love of God."

Mila bit her lip, remembering the pain in Louis' face. He'll get over it, she thought to herself as Harry closed the compartment door again. "So, were you all disguised before boarding the train?"

"Ha-ha! No, just Zayn, Liam and Niall. Louis jumped on and into a compartment just before the doors closed and I was on the roof. You see, these bad guys didn't know we'd changed everyone tickets, so they wouldn't have suspected anything."

"Yeah, what exactly was the deal with the tickets?" Mila asked.

"Well, we've been following these guys all over the UK for a long time now, so we had them under surveillance. They'd spoken about a Glasgow train departing for London today, so we realized that's what their next move was. A few months in advance, we made sure all tickets were diverted to another train heading to London so we could single them out on this one. So, somewhere on the road down to England, there's gonna be an insanely busy train."

"I'm started to think this may have been for the better," Mila laughed suddenly. "So, how did you manage to change everyone's ticket but mine?"

"Louis' fault - you'd have to ask him," Harry said. He pushed his hair out of his face, groaning when it fell back in front of his eyes.

"You should get a hair cut," Mila stated. Harry only chuckled at her comment and gestured for her to move forward.

Zayn and Louis had covered five carriages, easily fighting off Tony's men that approached. It felt as if the train went on forever, and Zayn was becoming agitated. Where the hell is that bastard? he wondered as he roughly threw open a compartment, gun poised and ready to shoot if necessary.

"I wouldn't blame Harry if he ended up throwing her over the side, to be honest," Louis said suddenly. "She's awfully annoying."

"Shut up, Louis," Zayn said. "She's just scared."

"Excuses, excuses," Louis sang, patting Zayn's shoulder. "You've always found it difficult to resist feisty women, mate. I can see the longing in your eyes for her."

Zayn halted and turned to face Louis, confusion written in his every feature. "Louis, what is wrong with you? First you get shot in the foot now you're acting like a prick."

Louis shrugged. "I can just tell you want some affection. You've been in the Association halls for as long as you can remember, no family or friends. I can't even begin to imagine what that's like and I feel for you - we all do. I think Mila has become someone you can converse with and enjoy it. We don't get to socialize that often, you know that. It's a change - a good one - for you."

Zayn listened to Louis' every word, nodding slowly as he realized how correct his friend was. Yes, he longed for the tiniest amount of a normal life he could get but he also loved his job and couldn't throw everything back in his superiors' faces as if it meant nothing. They'd cared for him in his youth and loved him like a son. The many friends Zayn had made in the spy Headquarters was immense.

"I want what we all long for, Louis. A normal life where we can settle down and enjoy living without having to worry about the bad guys chasing us through the night. You, Harry, Liam and Niall have had it easy - you come from loving families, you've had your fair share of a normal life and chose to be what you are. I had no choice. I love you all, I do. You're like my brothers but I just wish I'd had the chance to be with my family like you all have."

His chest was tight as he spoke, his voice hoarse. Zayn hadn't shed a single tear for as long as he could remember - a spy had to be tough, fearless and strong. Thinking about the family he never had the chance to be with, always brought an undeniable sadness within him, a sadness that not even his best friends could help to remove.

He'd never truly felt at home inside the walls of the Association; a large underground hideout that stretched under the majority of London with blindingly white walls, large, spacious rooms and weaponry at every turn, pinned to the walls. It was quite a sight to behold and remarkable to be part of, yet the Association was like a prison more so than a haven for Zayn. Each spy had a home outside of the underground Headquarters, whether they were small detached houses or a flat somewhere in the city and yet Zayn could never truly feel like he was home. Like he belonged somewhere.

"I-" Louis began, a frown on his face. He was silenced however when the door opened behind them and a windswept Mila and Harry stepped inside the carriage. Mila's eyes were glassy, her cheeks rosy. Harry was smiling.

"We made it," he said, looking back and forth between his friends. Upon seeing the sorrow in Zayn's eyes, the smile slid from his face. "What is it? Is it Liam? Niall?"

"It's nothing," Zayn promised, stepping forward and taking Mila's hand. He pulled her into a swift hug, a surprised squeak coming from her mouth. Louis' words about wanting a normal life swam through his mind, hugging Mila reminding him of what he could never have - a woman in his life. "Thank God you both made it." He stepped back and smiled at Mila before patting Harry on the back. "Good job, Haz."

Harry faked a bow.

"Get on your feet!" a voice shouted suddenly from the next carriage. Mila's eyes widened as she glanced over Zayn's shoulder at the door before them. All four of them took a step back as the door was flung open and a body flew through the carriage to land in a heap at their feet. Zayn's gun was held high.

"Liam," Zayn started, looking down at the brown-haired arrival. "What have you done this time?"

He fired at the man who had thrown his friend backwards and he fell to his feet. Mila glanced down at Liam who looked bruised and battered, his nose bleeding and lip split.

"Jesus, that was a big guy," he grumbled. Zayn helped Liam to his feet carefully and he winced ever so slightly at being pulled upright. "That was awful."

"You look awful," Louis added.

"Thanks." Liam's tone was that of anger and Mila flinched ever so slightly. "You try taking on a six foot monster with a dagger and I'll sit and watch while sipping a martini."

"Where's Niall?" Zayn asked worriedly. Liam paused for a moment, his eyes lingering on Mila for a second too long before answering. "He's collecting - what's he's good at."

"Of course," laughed Harry. He opened the carriage door just as a blonde boy appeared outside. His cheeks were tinted red and in his hands were two small pistols and three knives. "Oh!" Harry exclaimed upon seeing his friend suddenly appearing. "Talk of the Devil, look who arrived!"

"Are you OK?" Mila asked Liam, taking a step towards him slowly. The hardness in his eyes softened as she approached and he gave her a small - painful - smile. In the background, Mila could hear Niall chatting to Zayn and Harry about the extra weapons he had managed to steal from the enemies. "That looks painful," she added upon seeing his nose. Broken, she realized.

"Yeah, I'm quite alright," he said, wiping some of the blood from under his nose on the back of his hand. "I swear, I don't usually look like this," he chuckled. Mila smiled at him before looking down at the dead man Zayn had shot.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said before bending down and untucking the man's shirt from his trousers. She leaned forward and plucked a knife from Louis' weapons belt whilst he wasn't looking. She tore at the fabric and stood up, folding it neatly in her hands before standing in front of Liam once again. "May I?" she asked as she held up the torn fabric.

"I, er ... yeah?" he said, unsure as to what she meant. She gently dabbed at the blood still coming from his nose. She guided his hand up to hold it in place.

"Tilt your head back for a while, but not too far. Just a little bit," she said, making sure he was alright. Liam looked awkwardly over at his friends who had stopped their chat to watch his and Mila's interaction.

"Nurse in training," Louis said, repeating the words Zayn had told him before.

"Ah," Liam muttered around the fabric. "Thank you."

Mila smiled at the spy before handing Louis back his knife. He looked at it questioningly before glancing down at his belt. He swiftly returned it to its rightful place, a weary eye on the small nurse beside him.

"Did you run into McPherson?" Zayn asked suddenly and Niall frowned.

"As in Tony?" he asked. Zayn nodded. "Nah - I didn't even know he was on the train."

"He's the leader by the looks of it," Louis said, leaning against the wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Mila moved to stand beside Niall and Zayn, near the door of the carriage to be more involved in the circle of spies. They ranted on about who should have what out of the weapons that Niall still clutched in his arms.

"Can someone explain to me why there's a kid on the train?" Niall asked suddenly, focusing all attention on Mila.

She gasped, horrified at his choice of words. "I am a woman of twenty-two years, you prick!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Honestly, how much do I look like a teenager?" she demanded of the five men.

They all remained quiet, the silence conclusive enough for Mila to realize that they all thought she looked younger than she was.

"Wow," she muttered.

"Well, look at the bright side," Louis started. "Women like looking younger than older, right?"

Liam slapped his arm.

Mila listened to the five of them squabble over a 'much needed plan', as Liam had said. They spoke in hushed voices about the best way to advance on Tony and the remainder of his men while Mila listened with little involvement. The only thing she added was 'not the roof' much to Harry's amusement.

Liam still held the fabric up to his nose like Mila had told him, and she'd decided that he was a nice guy despite his slightly harsher words upon first meeting. Niall was an interesting lad too; his Irish accent stood out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other English ones and Mila couldn't help but smile every time he pronounced something a little differently from the way she would. He was very strategic, coming up with many different ideas that could be used to advance on the enemy.

All while Mila listened, her attention had been distracted from the sound of the door behind her opening and before she knew it, a pair of strong arms pulled her backwards, away from the circle of spies.

I'm having fun writing this - I feel motivated! :D

I may not update as quickly as I have been doing for the last few days because I'm going to London on Wednesday (3rd) until Friday (5th), so I'll be too tired to write as soon as I get home >.<

Let me know what you think in the comments! My favourite comment will get a dedication, thank you! :)

Cazza