A/N: Shelley Hennig as Danielle ;)
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"Oscar!" Oscar looked up just in time to see Danielle rushing towards him. She had hardly waited for the lift doors to open before she came crashing into the garage to pretty much attack him, crushing him with a hug.

The truck that Tobias had driven back was now sitting behind him in the workshop and Oscar leant back on it, clutching his side with his good arm. He groaned slightly at the impact which made Dani jump back. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He only chuckled slightly.

"I'm fine, Dani, don't worry," he said. She raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down.

"Yeah, right," she said sarcastically, making Oscar smile weakly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tobias busying himself with unloading the truck and signing off a few papers for their engineer. But he knew that he was secretly watching them, he just didn't make it obvious. The worry was clear in Tobias' eyes: worry for him, worry about what happened, worry about Ari and Max. But like always, Tobias hid it almost from everyone.

"We better get you up to medical before you collapse," Danielle continued. "Tobias, can you report to Mr Loop in his office? He wants to know that Ariana and Max went off okay."

"Yeah, sure," Tobias said, not looking up from his work. "I've got it." Oscar wrapped one of his arms around Dani's shoulders as she supported him to the lift. Before the doors closed, Oscar looked up again only to find that Tobias was already gone.

***

Two hours later, Oscar was in a hospital bed on the medical floor, his shoulder and side healed after spending two hours in the regeneration machine. Nurse Linda had inserted a drip into his wrist, flooding his veins with painkillers. To be honest, it was making his head feel a bit woolly, but he was glad of them. The regeneration machine healed the majority of the wound enough for it not to be a problem, but internally there was still some damage that would have to be healed naturally.

Oscar leant back on the pillows with a sigh, closing his eyes. Now that he was alone and out of danger, it was the first time he could really focus on his thoughts. It was only now that he realised how close he was to being captured by the Unity. They wouldn't have been nice because he was only seventeen. They would have tortured him to get the information they wanted. Oscar wasn't sure if he could have coped with that. He wasn't sure if he had the strength to deny them their answers.

But the important thing was that he escaped and that the others came for him. Knowing that you had a family like that who would back you up did make going into mission easier, especially when they were dangerous ones. Then again, would they have rescued him if he was captured? Or would the Flame deem it too much of a risk? He knew that, if it was Max, Ari would have stopped at nothing to get him back despite the Flame. He didn't have anyone who loved him enough to do that.

Stop it, Oscar, he chided himself. Even if the Flame did deem it too dangerous, the others wouldn't have listened. They all would have come for him, no matter what.

It was times like these that Oscar really questioned what they were fighting for. In their history lessons, Mr Loop always told them of how there were always two sides to the original Parliament. He told the story of how the Royal Family tried to keep the peace as much as they could but eventually, the more radical Unity grew tired of being overruled. They slaughtered the Royals and stormed the military, crushing them all in the space of a week. The Flame, the other side of the Parliament, were hastily put together to fight them, and ever since they had been locked in a battle that no one could win.

That was until Project Midnight.

A soft knock on the door interrupted him and he raised his gaze, seeing Mr Loop standing in the doorway. "Sir," Oscar greeted, pushing himself up a bit more against the pillows. His mentor only smiled slightly, shutting the door and turning the lock. Oscar was slightly confused but he didn't let his smile falter.

"It's good to see you, Oscar," he said, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. "I was worried for a moment that we weren't going to get you back. I'm glad you managed to escape before they captured you."

"You know me, sir," Oscar tried to joke with a faint smile. "I'm not that easy to catch."

"But easy to compromise, it seems," Mr Loop said quietly, raising an eyebrow. Oscar blinked at him, his lips parting in surprise.

"I-er-I don't know what you mean, sir," he replied. Mr Loop sighed and he walked around the bed, his hands clasped firmly behind his back.

"I think you do, Oscar," he said. "Your position was compromised. Marcos and I have already checked the mansion and compound so we know it was no one here, and the Flame Leaders have done the same with their staff. Therefore we know there isn't a spy with them either. So there's only one conclusion-"

"You think I made a mistake," Oscar finished, his voice cold. "You think that I messed up."

"I'm afraid so," Loop answered. "I wanted to believe it was a spy. I really did, Oscar. But after going through the procedures and finding nothing...well, I can only report to the Flame the facts. And the facts are that you were critically injured during your mission after you were discovered. I just wanted you to hear it from me before the Leaders put you through testing once you've recovered."

"But the spy could have left once they knew they were compromised!"

"But no one is missing, Oscar," Loop said softly. "Come now, you know that I'm right."

Oscar couldn't believe this. They seriously thought that he had made a mistake? Flint Lark himself had said there was an informant and the only person that could be was someone inside the mansion itself. So how did Marcos and Loop not find them? How could they believe it was all his fault?

"Is there anything that might have given you away?" Mr Loop continued. "Anything that you want to tell me that you saw or heard?" Oscar looked up and found Mr Loop's eyes boring back at him, watching him carefully. He was waiting for a lie, Oscar realised. They didn't trust him.

Should he tell Loop what Lark said? It might save his own skin but also alert the spy that he knew they were still here. Besides, Loop and the Flame Leaders wouldn't believe him anyway even if he did. They had lost their trust in him.

"No," Oscar muttered. "I've told you all I know. There's nothing else." Loop studied him for a moment but Oscar held his heavy gaze, never flinching once. Finally, he nodded slightly, pursing his lips.

"Good," he said. "Well, I'll let you rest now. If you remember anything, be sure to tell me."

"Yes, sir," Oscar mumbled. Mr Loop gave him one last look before unlocking the door and exiting, leaving Oscar wondering what he was going to do now.

***

Tobias was only just seven the first time he broke into Loop's office. He was caught within thirty seconds having forgotten to disable the alarms and cameras that lined the corridor leading up to the door. Of course, that earned him kitchen duty for a month but also a small reward for making it past the guards. His mentor had apparently found his antics amusing at the time but still wanted to discourage him from doing it again.

The second time he attempted, at aged ten, he managed to disable all the cameras and alarms, pick the lock on the door and even hack into Loop's computer before getting caught. According to Oscar, he had made the rookie mistake of not checking Loop's meeting timetable and so he had broken into the office just as Loop was finishing up a conference call with the Flame Leaders. He discovered him after coming down from the meeting room five minutes after Tobias has got through the door. Yet again, kitchen duty for a month.

But since those mishaps, Tobias had learned to be patient and careful. He had also learnt to be observant. He had seen Scarlett walking down the corridor after he had reported to Loop and so, naturally, he was curious to just why she wanted to see their mentor. Which is why he was currently lying on the ceiling tiles directly above Loop's office, listening in to his conversation with the red head.

Not that they knew that, of course.

"...I don't get it, sir," Scarlett was saying. "Hasn't Oscar already told you everything? Why do you want me to leave now?"

"Scarlett," Mr Loop sighed. "I understand that this is rather sudden and may seem like a betrayal of Oscar's trust but this is vitally important." Tobias inched forwards, crawling on his stomach and spreading his weight over the tiles. The last thing he wanted was to fall right through them.

"...Leaders have asked for you to do this and, considering your specialist skill set, I can't help but agree," Mr Loop continued.

"But Ariana and Max have just gone to find out what happened and to complete the mission," Scarlett said. "Why do they want me to do this now? Surely this is the time to stay and provide backup if needed?" Tobias raised an eyebrow, pressing his ear against the tiles. Why was Loop wanting Scarlett to leave?

"The others are fully prepared should Max and Ariana need assistance," Mr Loop assured Scarlett. "But your mission is very different and may even help Ariana and Max if you find what we are looking for. After speaking to Oscar, I am almost certain that the commander he saw will go back home and that is where you shall be to pick up the rest of the trail. I just need you to confirm Oscar's story."

So Scarlett was going after a Unity Commander? And one that Oscar came into contact with at that? Surely that was a risky play but then again, it was risky sending Ari and Max in. If the Leaders were desperate enough to put Scarlett on a simple reconnaissance mission to discover if Oscar was lying, then something big was going on – something that they clearly didn't want them to know.

"But Oscar wouldn't lie about something like this," Scarlett protested. "I'm sure he told you the truth. Ari and Max should confirm that too. Do you think he's holding something back?" Tobias held his breath. They might already be onto Oscar's ridiculous plan before it had even started. Hadn't he warned Oscar that Loop would know straight away?

Mr Loop sighed again. "I believe him, Scarlett," he said. "You believe him. But the Flame Leaders are more cautious. Ari may not be totally reliable to inform me if she does find out Oscar is with-holding information, and Max is sure to do whatever she says. The Leaders need you as an insurance policy."

"So you don't trust them," Scarlett said, her voice going slightly frosty. Tobias smiled, silently egging her on.

"Not yet," Loop said. "But I'm sure this is nothing to worry about. It will all blow over." Scarlett was silent for a moment. Tobias leaned forwards again, trying to pick up any sound from below.

"I understand, sir," she said after her initial hesitation. "I assume everything is in order?"

"Yes," Loop replied. "You'll find your mission papers in your room. Marcos is in the garage ready to take you to your mission location. I expect you back within two weeks."

"Yes, sir," she said. Tobias heard the shuffling of footsteps as Loop opened the door for Scarlett to leave.

"And don't forget," Loop whispered. "No one is to know of your true mission. Keep it quiet, keep yourself hidden."

"Of course," Scarlett replied before the office fell silent.

Being as careful as he could, Tobias shifted himself backwards to the loose floorboard in the corner of the study room that he entered the small space in, easing himself up gracefully before sliding the piece of wood back into place. He then quickly left the room, darting back down the corridor to the lift before pressing the bottom to the dormitories.

He worried his bottom lip as he rode the lift downwards. If Scarlett was leaving to confirm Oscar's story, that could only mean one of two things. One: it was just a precautionary mission. Or two: the Flame Leaders thought something was amiss with Oscar's story, which Tobias knew there was. They wanted to find out what was going on, meaning both him and Oscar were in deep trouble if they did.

Jesus, Oscar, he thought. What the hell have you got yourself into?

But more importantly, how the hell was Tobias meant to get him out of it?

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I'm backkkkkkk!

Yeah so if you're reading my other book, you'll know that I have been extremely ill for the past few weeks and haven't been well enough to write which is why I am late with all my updates. I'm really sorry but this was out of my control.

But, on the bright side, I'm better now! Which means I can write again! Yay!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one. Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love y'all!

CricketCat