It's been a long time since Ashton felt like he feared death.

This type of life that he lives, death is at his welcome mat every time he opens the door. He's become content with the fact that, one day, he will go to sleep and not wake up. Maybe that day has come sooner than he expected, but that doesn't mean that he's not prepared for it.

Ashton held a smirk on his face as the guards led him into the chamber room where a doctor was standing, fixing up the restraints on the chair that sat in front of them. He scoffed lightly, causing the doctor to look toward them, his emerald eyes contrasting nicely to his dishwater hair - both the hair on his head and that on his face.

He gulped slightly, causing Ashton to smirk at the fear that was evident in his features. "Y-You must be Mr. Irwin," he said softly, his eyes not meeting him as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Can we get this over with," Ashton said in a bored tone, just wanting to get the show on the road.

The doctor nodded, still keeping his eyes away from him as the guards placed Ashton in the wooden chair and began clicking his wrists and ankles under the metal restraints. He winced as his skin was slightly pinched under the arm restraints, earning a low and proud chuckle from one of the guards. Ashton scowled at him as he walked away, going to stand behind the glass with his partner so it was just Ashton and the doctor on this side of the glass.

The doctor hooked up every wire to every connection point the chair had to offer and Ashton let himself relax in the wooden seat. "Is this going to take long," he said in a bored tone. "I'm going to miss my bus if you keep taking your sweet ass time."

The doctor nodded and looked up to Ashton, clenching his jaw as he looked at him with hard eyes. "Any last words, Mr. Irwin?"

Ashton shrugged to his best ability, smirking as he looked at him.

"Goodbye, I suppose."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a low rumbling was heard as the rest of the prison building began shaking violently and the two guards looked at the man for just a brief moment before the doctor pulled a pistol from his waistband and shot them both directly through the eyes.

He turned back to Ashton quickly, shaking his head as he stuffed his gun back in his waistband and pulled off the lab coat. "You've still got such a fucking mouth on you, Ashton."

Ashton rolled his eyes and tugged at his restraints. "Whatever," he grumbled hastily. "Just get me the fuck out of this chair, Mike."

Michael helped him out of the restraints, pulling him from the chair just as the prison alarm went off. The two men looked at each other, nodding before walking over to the deceased guards and trading out their attire.

"Don't say I wouldn't have made a fine ass cop," Ashton said as he buttoned up the shirt and slipped on the gear belt.

Michael just rolled his eyes as he pulled the pistol out of it's holster and cocked the barrel, slinging a supply bag over his shoulder. "I've only got my eyes on one man, Irwin," he said with a smug smile, "and he's probably already waiting for us outside, so let's fucking go."

Ashtib nodded quickly, following Michael out of the observation room with their guns held out in front of them, checking every corner as they ran to the East exit of the prison. Each guard they saw, they immediately dropped, taking out cameras along with them. Once they were completely outside, Michael reached into his bag and tossed a grenade in Ashton's direction.

He caught the small explosive, pulling the ring out and tossing it directly toward the generator room right by the East entrance, jumping in their moving vehicle just as the grenade went off, taking the entire East end of the building with it. Ashton found himself grinning widely as he slammed the van door closed and leaned back into the floorboard.

"You look weird in a guard uniform, Ash," Calum said from the front seat, his voice filled with disgust. "You and Mike both do. Get those damn things off."

Ashton began stripping himself of the guard uniform watching as Michael pulled out a pair of Ashton's own clothes, making him sigh in relief as he changed into them as they drove down the highway. "So, where are we off to now," he questioned as he slipped on his black t-shirt.

"Just outside of Fraiser Woods," Calum said, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove, detouring off onto a hidden road that broke just off of the highway and the beginning of a hiking trail. Ashton relaxed back into the seat, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "What went on in there, Ash? Any information?"

"One of Andrew's goons was posed as my chaplain," he said, still running his hands through his hair. "I didn't figure it out until I was being taken to the observation chamber, but I doubt he made it out of the building alive. Even if he did, I'm not scared of him or any of Andrew's men."

He watched Calum nod, making eye contact with him through the rear view mirror. "We're on the brink of a war now, Ashton," he said seriously, pulling up next to what looked like an abandoned shack. "He's already taken out a few of our men; enough that we had to pull some from the Hulen crew in Ann Arbor."

Ashton groaned as he nodded, his head still leaned back against the seat as they stopped and Calum killed the engine. "The basement under the premises has been in our crew for years, but it's never been this bad that we've had to retreat here. We'll be safe and undetected - at least for a few days to gather our bearings."

Ashton nodded, climbing out of the van with the guard uniform he had stolen, throwing it onto the ground along with Michael's, watching as he pulled lighter fluid from his gear bag and dousing the clothes in it. Ashton followed suit by taking a pack of flip matches from the back and striking one before throwing it on the clothes, watching as they quickly incinerated.

Calum then led them into the very small building and took them to a staircase that descended to the basement. Once they were downstairs, Ashton was kind of taken by surprise at how large and completely set up it was. It was very well illuminated, a gear and weapons table in one corner, the computer station completely wired and working and the whole place seeming to be more fit for their operations than their previous headquarters.

And, in the opposite corner, was the boy he had left behind months ago, unwrapping Ashley's ankle from a splint and helping her to move it. Her gaze caught Ashton's immediately and she smiled widely before tapping Luke on the shoulder and nodding over to him. His head shot in Ashton's direction, and as soon as their eyes met, his face heated and a large smile made its way onto his lips. He stood up slowly, still being sure to be careful with Ashley's ankle, and began almost vibrating with excitement.

Ashton smirked softly as he stared at him, and he lifted his hand, motioning for Luke to come over to him. Ashton hadn't seen him move that fast in the whole time he'd known him, catching him fully as he jumped onto his waist, wrapping his legs and arms around the older man. Ashton chuckled softly, letting him pull back and grab his face, pressing a hard kiss to his lips.

"I knew you'd come back," he whispered, his voice laced with a slight wave of emotion.

"I told you I would," Ashton said, a smug smile placed on his lips. "Don't worry about me leaving again, love. I'm not going anywhere."