Locality

/lōˈkalədē/

noun

the position or site of something

Melissa's POV

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One room, two people, three seconds, and four blue eyes.

That's the last thing I remembered before retreating to my room in a fit of tears. My chest heaved from the weight I feel compressing on it as I took deep, labored breaths. The only thought in my mind was that I had to pull myself together and not show weakness. If he could be stone cold, I could show him I had the same ability.

All of a sudden the intercom attached to all of the Core members rooms went off, calling an emergency meeting. I rose from my bed and walked towards the hallway, meeting Ashton about halfway to the meeting room.

"Hey Mel," Ashton said in his normally obnoxious voice that I always appreciated, except during times like these.

I smiled while saying hi, trying to keep my head low and my communications to a minimum. It was during times like these when I realized the full extent of this world's depravity as I observed the inner Brain in me coming out and taking over. Most Brains never spoke, they assumed that being in control of their twin was saying enough in itself, which I guess it was in most cases. After being exposed to a life free of that responsibility though, I found myself wondering why anyone would ever feel alright believing that lie engrained in their mind.

A dull ache settled into my heart as feelings of missing my friends and acquaintances back at the laboratory set in for the first time in months. I used to see that place as my prison keeping me from living in the outside world. Now it was almost as if I escaped, only to be placed back in a prison, this time it was only more high tech, there were bomb threats everyday from the White Coats, my best friend was less than half my age, and the person I had come to trust betrayed me and made me feel like the dirt under his feet. I thought it was fair to say assume that I wanted to go to the place I knew as home right now.

Ashton respected my silence as we walked towards the Core meeting room. After a few twists and turns, we finally arrived at the same time as everyone else. Everyone shuffled in, a few jokes being told between the boys as the awkward tension between Luke and I rose as the meeting was officially called to order.

"Okay we have a couple of issues. First of these being that Michael's twin now knows his location, that gives him a headstart on us. If little miss Brain over here would've just kept her mouth shut...." Bob started, leaving me to erupt in my own defense before he can finish his accusation.

"Well maybe if you wouldn't have kept secrets from me, then the playing field could still be tilted in our favor now couldn't it?" I sneered at him, standing up as I spoke.

I found it odd how things had turned on me so quickly. After I had been found and taken back to the infirmary, questions had been asked about what happened, and I answered all them with every detail I remembered, which led to my confession about Michael's twin. Only after I had told them what happened did the group choose to trust me with the information that Michael's twin was always searching for someone who knew him, knowing fully that where Michael was, there was the main group of the rebellion.

"Now you little girl will learn your place here, and stop sassing me before I put you back in that infirmary bed," he seethed as his frame walked slightly toward me, our eyes meeting and his mouth turning upwards to give a devilish grin as if he assumed he had already won.

"I am well aware of my place here. I think it's actually you who doesn't understand where they stand."

"And why would I not understand that?" he asked incredulously, spitting his words like knives designed to impale me.

"Well sir," I snarled at him, throwing his injustice title at him, "you need me. So I respectfully advise that if you don't want me telling the White Coats your exact coordinates and leveling this little civilization to the ground, you won't touch me again." The words escaped my mouth, with an extra emphasis on 'respectfully' as if making fun of him, without my head registering them.

"You wouldn't. You aren't that stupid."

"What do I have to lose? Nothing. You're the only one with anything to lose here, and I would die with a smile on my face knowing that you are dead too," I smirked while saying, knowing that I was making him tick and it was only a short time before his fuse would burst and I would win.

His face turned fifty shades of red as his teeth grind and fists bunched together. Eyebrows furrowing, he gave up holding his anger inside and lunged at me. Everyone at the table, except Luke, stood up to come hold him back, but immediately stop when they saw  I had gripped his arm midair to protect myself from the punch as I restrained him.

I pushed him toward the makeshift table that they placed in here until the workers were finished with the new office equipment. His face was pressed up against the rough wood as he groaned aloud in pain.

Mercilessly, I twisted his arm, making him squirm and scream out in pain as I leant down to his ear. "You're going to thank me sometime for that because I just saved the colony from getting blown to bits."

Bob made a vain attempt to move, which only caused him more pain.

"Maybe you shouldn't underestimate me. Look where you are and take note that this is just a warning, next time you'll be watching the people you promised to take care of scream and beg for mercy," I whispered so only he could hear me. "And just know, I'm not above that. I can, and I will burn this entire city to the ground without a thought."

He didn't respond in anyway, only grunts and sighs emitting as he realized I had the upper hand.

"I'm sorry, is that any type of way to respond to a woman Mr. Thornwall?" I scoffed, enjoying my position of authority a bit too much.

"I understand," he spoke flatly, gritting his teeth as if he weren't accustomed to losing.

"I'll take that now, but maybe for future reference, you will lose that attitude towards me. Afterall, I've never done anything to hurt you, only help you."

"For future reference, when I get the chance I am going to kill you, Melissa Jennings. You just wait until I'm finished with you," he threatened, practically foaming at the mouth.

"I'll be looking forward to it, but until then, you need me, and I don't intend on letting you forget that," I spoke, letting him go as I calmly walk towards me seat between Michael and Ashton who were still standing from the previous scare and were ready to defend me at any time.

Bob rubbed his chin and glared at me from across the room. The look only made me feel more empowered as I took in the power I had in front of me. Despite having lost what I considered to be everything, I had become something I had never seen before and I was understanding Luke's need to not have anyone around him. I was experiencing the feeling of having nothing and it was giving me the power to do everything.

Luke sat on the other side of the room, looking at me almost as though he was reading my thoughts. However, his face conveyed no sense of emotion from the entire confrontation. He just stared with blank eyes with a hit of sadness dotting the blue irises.

"Next order of business is the location of the Code."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, not knowing where it could be. We all had our suspicions, but our only lead was to head to the Central Office. However, we also had reason to believe to there was something at East Wing. Either way, we would need technical teams at East Wing to take care of all security procedures, which was probably the most dangerous place to be due to the high level of security.

Luke glanced up with his beautiful blue eyes, which I observed were now dull as if he hadn't slept in days. His usually perfectly styled hair was a mess. The only thing that was normal about him was the piercing in his lip. The lip ring that he always chewed on when he was nervous or thinking about something deeply and the stubble that he always let grow out to make him look manlier reminded me of so many memories that we had in the short time that we got to know each other. They also made the hole consuming my chest and heart larger the more I stared at him and noticed his actions that changed so much since the day he broke my heart in two. However, that hole only stayed painful for mere seconds before turning numb and cold.

"We need to go to Central Office either way," were the first words I heard out of his perfectly shaped lips.

"I agree," Calum spoke up, "We need a group of techs on the ground there and, until we find out which site has the Code, we need a team there to search the building."

"But there isn't another place the Code could be," Bob started.

"There's another possibility," Michael chimed in, "although it is highly unlikely."

"Then why are we even considering it?" Thornwall almost screamed in anger, frustration taking over his body. "We don't have time for a wild goose chase!"

"The least logical place is where they would put it. If you weren't so stupid you would see that," I said with anger spiking in me again.

"This coming from the girl who threatened to flatten our way of life. You can see why I don't exactly trust you," he sneered. My eyes narrowed at him in a warning before my opportunity for another comment was diminished.

"I agree with her Bob," Luke commented, bringing shock to the entire group as this was the first time he talked, evenly indirectly, to me since that horrid night. "They don't expect us to be on the East Wing, that's why they have the Central Office stacked. They want to throw us off of their scent."

"Then we just go to East Wing, no ground soldiers needed for Central Office," Bob concluded.

"If you don't send those technical teams in with help, they will all die then all your precious soldiers will die at East Wing. We also need to make sure we are on the right track," I have to point out to the idiot as I sit back playing with a rubber band that was lying idly on the table.

"So you are proposing a two strike campaign against Central Office and East Wing?" he asked as if it's preposterous.

"No," Luke said solidly in a ground shaking voice. "I'm proposing a three strike campaign."

"Do you realize how many men I will lose?!?" he screamed at his son. "I need an army!!"

"And I need time. You wanted the Code didn't you?" Luke asked him in a steady voice.

This was the first time the group had actually seen Luke stand up to his father and not waver slightly. And in a way, it scared us, as well as encouraged us.

"The security will get rougher," Bob negotiated.

"Then we train," Luke countered.

"They'll increase with skill level," Bob pointed out.

"Then we send the weak in first and gradually send in better till we get to the elite," Luke planned strategically.

Looking at it from a non-emotional perspective, it was genius. But it was a suicide mission for some of the men going and everyone knew it.

"You're saying that I send some of my teenage fighters, who have never seen battle, in there to be killed in a bloodbath just so that you can get in those stupid buildings three times instead of just sucking up your pride and going in there only two times?" Bob asked calmly, thinking that when his son heard the outcome he will change his mind.

"If we go in there two times, I can guarantee that if we ever have to go in there a third time, it will be a bloodbath, and not of puny teenagers, it will be your elite dying. Which ones do you want to lose?" Luke challenged with narrowed eyes.

We looked back between the father and son duo a few times trying to picture what would happen. Finally Bob's head tilted to the side as he itched his head and sighed.

"Do whatever you need to Luke. You have full authority over these raids."

"Thank you," Luke said eagerly, rising from his seat to plan the attacks. I stared at him as he rose, my heart still longing to be with him and struggling to choose between the power I felt and the love consuming me.

"And Luke," Bob called him back, his voice booming as I looked towards him.

"Yeah?"

"You also have all of their blood on your head. Don't let them die in vain," he finished before walking out of the room and adjourning the meeting.

Edited: 10 January 2017