xv. RECOVERIES AND REALITIES

Sweat dripped down like rain from Ace's forehead as he pummeled the punching bag. His knuckles were bruised for all the anger he exerted relentlessly onto the equipment.

He was shirtless. I had to admit, the muscle ripping at his build made my face turn slightly red.

Jeez Octavia, you can literally think about this at any other time.

Ace's fist tightens. He suddenly slams into the punching bag so hard that sand starts to flow out.

The rattling of chains reverberates around the room, effectively silencing my other teammates' movements, and we all turn to stare at him. It's only now that I realize how much recent events had taken a toll on him.

The gold in his eyes seemed to dim, his dark brown hair became unkempt, and his stubble became more prominent. He was also training more than usual, as if he couldn't control the anger inside.

Ace was protectively hovering over me at all times like a parent. He blamed himself for everything despite how much I try to tell him otherwise.

It's only when he goes to grab a towel that he notices me, scrutinizing him.

"How are you doing?" He says while running over immediately.

I wrap my arms around myself. "I'm fine."

We both knew that was a lie, but Ace doesn't push it.

The truth was that for the last couple of days, I was seeing Thirteen's green eyes, over and over again, like a tortuous record on repeat playing melodies only to torment me.

He became the boulder to my Sisyphus.

Thirteen had made me fear the night. He made me dread the setting of the sun.

"Any update on the USB?" I ask.

I turned the USB into the CIA for them to investigate the contents. Eve died protecting it, and Thirteen was searching for it. It's safe to conclude that whatever is on the USB could link the pieces of this confusing puzzle together.

"Not yet. I'll let you know if anything happens, Cupcake."

Ace's voice is uncharacteristically strained. His chest was rising rapidly, which could have been due to the exercise, but the grit in his tone said otherwise.

"You look like shit, Banana Bread," I deadpan. "Now stop blaming yourself for what happened."

He chuckles humorlessly. "Do you have a tree shoved up your ass or do you just enjoy provoking me?"

My eyebrows shoot up. "It's fortunately the latter."

"And please, I never look like shit."

I scoff. "Your face is the reason why the gene pool needs a lifeguard."

"I wasn't born with enough middle fingers to express how I feel about you."

Ace flips me off with both fingers and throws me a smirk.

My eyes involuntarily roll to the back of my head as I slap his chest. "Thirteen. How do you two know each other?"

The request stuns Ace. He runs a hand through his dark, unkempt, hair and tightens his jawline.

Chase drops his weights and jogs over to us. "You have to tell her sometime," he sighs.

When I first told my teammates about Eve Miyazaki's death and Thirteen, they all exchanged concerned glances.

The Director had even increased all security measures around the penthouse and took off all agents working undercover like Eve Miyazaki was.

It seemed that everyone knew who the man was.

Xavier and Skye join us. "Seriously Ace—you can't protect her forever," Skye consoles.

"We need to interrogate Thirteen," Xavier spits. "Find out why that bastard tried to kidnap you, then kill him."

For once, all of us seemed to agree with Xavier's desire to kill someone.

A drawn-out intake of air permeates the air as Ace wipes off his forehead with a towel.

"Thirteen was once my partner."

~

All the air is sucked out of my lungs.

I become too scared to move, because moving means acknowledging the reality, and acknowledging the change in tension so clearly discernible in the room.

"We'll leave you two to it," Skye says. My teammates leave the gym, leaving only Ace and I facing one another.

"He was your partner?" I yell. "You must be shitting me, Banana Bread."

Ace chuckles humorlessly. "Thirteen's real name is Ian Lochland. We grew up together and we trained together. We were closer than partners, it felt like we were brothers."

A deeply rooted sigh had strained his voice. Judging by Ace's tone, he was conflicted when mentioning Ian.

I almost didn't want to continue. "What happened?"

"Ian...changed. He developed an insatiable taste for violence. He killed one of our targets once when it was a simple interrogation mission, and he was discharged from the agency three years ago."

Ace's golden gaze flickers away from mine.

"Ian then became vengeful," Ace continues. "He proved himself a worthy asset as an ex-CIA agent on the black market. Our intel now believes he's become the leader of a dangerous international crime syndicate called the Thorned Kings, though all the evidence currently is circumstantial. We've been trying to catch him for years."

"What do you mean by dangerous?"

Ace draws in his lips. "I mean things like assassination, billion dollar heists, and leaking government information. Think all the power of the CIA but with no laws binding them."

I bury my face in my hands. A groan that sounds like a dying animal escapes my lips; the entire situation seemed surreal.

"How did you know where I was last night?" I ask. My voice surprises me with its feebleness.

Ace runs a hand through his hair the way he always did when he got nervous. "I wanted to make sure you were safe so I tailed you."

I was mad that he didn't trust me enough to respect my privacy, but at the same time, what he feared had happened.

"Thirteen... Thirteen called me his fire. Do you know what that means?"

"I have no idea. But Thirteen will be back, Cupcake," Ace says while tightening his fist. "If he wants something, he'll get it. And what he wants right now is you." Ace's voice strains. "Perhaps it's best if we move to a more secure location while we sort things out."

"No," I state after a moment's pause. "He doesn't want to hurt me. If anything, I'm the agency's best chance at catching him once and for all."

Ace turns to me, stunned. In all honesty, I didn't care for being a hero or "doing the right thing". Instead, my sudden bravery was rooted in the fact that Thirteen had pissed me off.

I was driven by spite.

"You said it yourself, Banana Bread. Thirteen is dangerous. Now is our chance to lock that wankstain up."

Ace starts to object but eventually bites his tongue. "You're being stupid."

"I'd insult you back, but mother nature has already done a good job of that."

Ace runs a hand through his hair. "Knowing how stubborn you are, I won't be able to change your mind."

"Then let's do it." A sense of unwavering determination washed over me. "Let's catch this bastard."

Octavia: "Vote if you think Ace is a human trashbag."