A/N: Nick Robinson as Tobias ;) And a lovely Holland Roden and Dylan O'Brien gif below ;)

Enjoy!
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It was almost noon by the time Ari, Max and Tobias arrived at the safe house. It had taken them almost five and a half hours to get there after sneaking their way through the Front Line then flying across the countryside as discreetly as possible.

The safe house a small farm just twenty miles from Oldmere but was completely isolated. It was old, the timbers well weathered from years of exposure. The ground was churned up by dozens of tyre tracks that led both onto the main road and also down a dirt track to the fields where the seeds was just beginning to sprout. The sky above was flat and grey, the sound of thunder grumbling and echoing in the distance. A storm was rolling in, making Ariana's already jumpy nerves even more on edge.

Despite agreeing in the car before they arrived to be careful in case the house was being watched, Ari couldn't hold herself back as they drew up. She had kicked open the door and was out of the car even before Tobias could cut the engine.

"Ariana!" Max shouted as she ran to the door. "Hold on, just wait a minute!" She froze with her hand outstretched for the door handle. Of course, she had to wait. They had no idea what was in the house and so rushing in wasn't the best idea.

Tobias and Max were out of the car by this point, both with guns in their hands in case whoever they found wasn't Oscar. Wordlessly, Tobias passed her a revolver which she took silently, clicking the safety off.

"Someone's obviously here," Max said, staring up at the chimney which was smoking and then at the battered truck that was parked just to the right side of the farmhouse. "But it might not be Oscar."

"It has to be him," Tobias said although he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"There's only one way to find out," Ari muttered. She reached out a hand again and concentrated on the lock, using her telekinesis to turn the mechanism. When it went click, she pushed the door open glancing around the hallway carefully before entering, her boots not making a sound on the tiles. The stairs were straight ahead while the door to the living room was to the right.

Ariana jerked her head to the stairs, signalling for Tobias to check that there was no one on the first floor. "Call if you need us," she told him through the telepathy link. He nodded, carefully climbing the steps with his gun out ahead of him. She watched him turn on the landing and disappear into the first bedroom.

"Living room," Max said to her. She nodded and quietly opened the door, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of life. The two sofas that were positioned to face the fireplace looked as if they had been untouched for years. Dust lined the mantelpiece and the fake photos that were placed carefully upon it. The curtains hung limply from their rail, their colour worn and faded. Weak, grey light filtered in through the grimy window, casting a ghostly, pale shade over everything in the room. Ari thought it almost looked like the old black and white photographs that she once studied back at the mansion.

So far, it looked like no one had been here for decades.

Max pointed to the kitchen, signalling that they should search there next. Ari went first, her gun ahead of her as she trod slowly into the next room. The kitchen definitely had been used recently. The table was scattered with first aid supplies, the box open in the middle, disturbing the thick layer of dust. Dozens of used antiseptic wipes littered about the floor and countertops, all looking bloody.

"Someone's been-" Ariana started before a shockwave that came from her left snatched her gun out of her hand, sending it skittering across the kitchen tiles. A fist came sluggishly at her head which she easily ducked, blasting a wave of telekinetic energy to smash her attacker against the wall. By this time, Max had ran into the kitchen and placed his gun right against their back, pinning him in place.

"Don't move," he said coldly to the boy. "Or you will regret it." The boy suddenly stopped struggling and fell still.

"Max?" he asked uncertainly. Ari took a breath.

"Oscar?" she gasped. Max looked shocked and immediately moved his gun away, grabbing Oscar by his good shoulder and helping him into a chair. Oscar was pale and ashen, his shirt stained and sticking to him with dried blood from his shoulder and side.

"Jesus, Oscar," Ari said, kneeling next to him as his braced his elbows on the table, his head tipped back. His hair and skin was shining with sweat as he did so. "Oh my God, are you okay? What the hell happened?"

"Hello to you too," he panted, breathing hard. "Sorry about attacking you by the way...the motion sensors outside were triggered...thought you were Unity." Ari looked up at him but only nodded, understanding completely.

"You gave us quite a scare, mate," Max said, setting his gun down on the table. "You doing alright?"

"I've been shot twice and almost died in the past few hours," Oscar said, his voice monotone. "But otherwise, I'm just dandy." Max chuckled and shook his head.

"So what happened?" he asked, his voice more serious. Oscar glanced at him as Ari slowly peeled off his shirt and then the rough bandage work, exposing the ugly bullet wounds.

"They knew who I was," Oscar growled while wincing as Ari examined his wounds. "I only just managed to get out and make it here."

"Are the bullets out?" Ari asked.

"Yeah, managed to do it a few hours ago," Oscar said, gesturing to the medical supplies on the table then to the silver tray with the two bullets in. "It wasn't pleasant, let's just say that." Ari nodded. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

"Well, the blood flow has stopped at least," she said. "But they'll need cleaning and sewing up before we get you to a Regen." Regeneration machines, or Regens as they called them, were rare and extremely high tech. They could heal and regenerate even the worst of injuries in a matter of hours. They had one back at the mansion but Oscar had to get to it first.

"Where the hell is Tobias?" Ari said, sending a telepathic message to him upstairs. "How did he not hear us down here?" Tobias' voice suddenly popped into her head, saying he was on his way.

Oscar opened his eyes at the mention of Tobias' name. Ari could see something flicker behind them but with him being Oscar, it was almost invisible. She couldn't tell if it was worry or anger or happiness or sadness. But she decided not to ask; Oscar didn't need to be interrogated right now.

"Tobias is here?" he asked, his voice indifferent.

"Yeah," Max said. "He's going to take you back once we're done here." Oscar raised his hazel eyes, studying her under their intense gaze.

"What about you guys?" he said slowly. "Are you not coming with us?" Ariana glanced at Max.

"We're going into Oldmere," he said. "Loop and the Flame leaders think there's an opportunity to get Flint Lark so they're sending us in." Oscar's eyes widened.

"You have got to be kidding me," he spat. "They're sending you in when I just got out?! That's suicide! Why the hell did you agree to it?!"

"We have a plan," Ariana reassured him. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. But when you get back, you have to tell Loop and the others everything you know." Oscar opened his mouth to argue but Tobias bounced into the kitchen before he got the chance. Yet again, Ari noticed that mysterious look in Oscar's eyes appeared but it was now coupled with a small smile.

"You look awful, mate," Tobias laughed but not unkindly as he perched on the table next to Oscar.

"I'd like to see what you look like when you've been shot twice, Tobes," Oscar replied, still with his weak smile. "It's good to see you, though." Tobias grinned but looked like he had just had the weight of the sky lifted off his shoulders.

"Yeah, you too, buddy," he said more seriously. For the next hour, Oscar explained everything that happened in Oldmere while Ari cleaned and re-bandaged his wounds. He told them of the meeting that he snuck into and how Lark somehow knew exactly where he was. Ari listened quietly but her mind was restless.

How could Lark order to shoot Oscar? Yes, there was a war, but when it really came down to it, they were just kids; they weren't even eighteen yet. But ordering soldiers to kill a teenager, enemy or not, that was something Ari couldn't forgive or forget. It just added to her ever growing list of reasons for why she wanted to send Lark and the rest of the Unity right back to hell where they belonged.

"So that's how I ended up here," Oscar finished his story, wincing again as Ariana pulled the bandages tight. "I dumped the bike I stole miles away and stole a truck to get here. There's no way they can track me, although we should probably get out of here soon just in case. I've really had enough surprises for today."

"Yeah, you and me both," Ariana muttered. She and Max helped Oscar stand and supported him as he hobbled towards the door. Just to be on the safe side, Tobias checked that there was no one outside before they led Oscar out, getting him into the truck that parked just by the side of the farmhouse.

"Tobias is going to get you back," she told him once he was comfortable and buckled in. "Then you take some time out, okay? I want you to be fully recovered by the time Max and I get home." He nodded and smiled weakly but grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a hug.

"Be careful," he whispered into her hair. "Don't trust anything you see. Not even anything to do with the Flame. Promise me." She pulled away, looking at him with concern. What did he mean? He had never seemed this scared before and something told Ariana that she should be too. Oscar's hazel eyes searched hers, begging her to promise him.

"We'll be fine," she said eventually. "Don't worry, okay?" He only grimaced but nodded, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the headrest. Tobias hopped into the driver's seat, turning the keys to rev the engine.

"I'll watch out for him," he said through the telepathy link, his green eyes locked to hers. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Just keep an eye on him," she replied. "I get the feeling he's more shaken up than he's letting on. There might be something he's not telling us."

"I'm on it." Ariana nodded her thanks, shutting the truck door and stepping back to stand next to Max. He took her hand, squeezing it tightly as they watched Tobias back out onto the road then disappear at full speed, leaving only a trail of dust behind them.

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So Chapter 4 done! Let me know what you think of the characters and plotline so far!

Hope you guys are enjoying it! Don't forget to comment and vote!

Love y'all!