A/N: Well, the update is actually on time! Yay! Haha, here's a secret... I forgot that I wrote part of this chapter last Tuesday since I had some extra time :) So it made it easier to get it out on time.

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02 - 07 - 2089

"What do you mean?" Enzo asks, taking a step towards us. I press myself closer against Cade, my eyes wavering between Enzo and the older man.

The older man straightens and clasps his hands together. "Don't you recognize her? She looks awfully like that miracle girl in the news report. The one that is missing." The man smiles a bit, putting me further on edge. Enzo peers at my face, and I hate it. I hate how they are looking at me.

"I don't think she really looks like that girl, Gunner," Enzo says.

"She's not," Cade says. "This is my sister."

Gunner scoffs. "Sister? Give me a break, kid. Do you take me for a fool? I may be a criminal, but I'm not stupid." Gunner motions towards Cade to Enzo. "Bring him to the back room. I've got the prize." He stares down at me with a glint in his eyes.

Cade's hand tightens around me. "No. She's not the girl. Just leave us alone."

Gunner sighs, as if this conversation is boring him. "Do you want to get shot? Or better yet, your girlfriend?" He gestures to me, and Enzo points the gun at my head. I hold still, but on the inside I'm shaking.

"Okay, okay. Just... don't hurt her." Cade releases his hand from me and takes a step away, my heart aching as his touch leaves me. I'm collapsing in fear, and him leaving me is only going to make it worse.

Enzo nudges Cade with the gun, and Cade sends me a glance before walking into the dark hallway. I stare at them for a moment before a cold hand wraps around my arm. I flinch and try to pull away from Gunner, but he doesn't let go.

"There there," he soothes. "No need to be afraid. Come on now." He tugs me towards the hallway where Cade and Enzo walked into. But I don't want to give up. I've come too far; in my mind, surrender is not an option.

When Gunner tugs on my arm to make me walk, I don't budge. I hold my ground, doing my best to resist as he pulls harder, his grip pinching my skin. He grabs my other arm, and I squirm, trying to wrench my arms free.

"Got a little fight in you, eh?" Gunner laughs and grabs my arm again when I manage to free it. I growl in frustration and rear back my leg. I slam my foot into his kneecap as hard as I can and am rewarded with a grunt as he stumbles back. The grip on my arms loosens just enough and I use the moment to wrench my arms out of his grasp. I don't know where these instincts are coming from, but I'm not about to question them.

I turn and peer around the room, trying to find something I can use to defend myself. I spot a metal pipe lying on the floor a few feet away and run towards it. I reach down, but when my fingers are inches away, a meaty hand wraps around my ankle and yanks me backwards. I let out a loud cry as my face smacks into the hard floor and I'm dragged back to Gunner.

He presses me to the floor, yanking my hands behind my back so they are immobile. "Guess I better be careful not to underestimate you, little girl," Gunner hisses in my ear, pulling my head back with my hair. Then a sharp pain resonates through my skull as my head is slammed into the floor, sending me unconscious.

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"...too good."

"Did you kill her?"

The voices fade in and out, along with the splitting pain in my head. I try to open my eyes, move around, or do anything to clear my head. Everything is so... very... heavy...

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"...Gis?"

This time when I wake up, the pain in my head has dulled some. I force my eyelids to open, slowly at first, then all at once. Dark. That's what I can see. So... nothing.

I swivel my head, finding I'm bound to a seat of some sort, my hands and feet immobile. The room is completely dark, and I wonder if I imagined the voice that I heard when I first woke up.

"Hello?" I try calling out, my voice quiet.

A loud exhale nearby causes me to jump as far as I can in my bonds. I stare in the dark, wishing I had night vision. "Are you okay?" The figure calls out, and then the fear fades away.

"Cade," I breathe, leaning forward and sucking in a breath. "I... I'm sorry."

Cade doesn't answer right away, and I hold my breath as I wait for him to respond. I wait for the frustrated and angry response I deserve, even though I don't want to hear it from Cade.

But it never comes. When Cade speaks, his voice is quiet and laced with regret. "No... no. Don't be sorry. This is my fault. All of it."

I'm not sure how to respond; my mind is whirring with a million possibilities. I should have fought harder. I should have gotten that pipe and knocked Gunner out.

Cade sucks in a breath, and I realize I said all of that outloud. "What happened out there, Gis?"

"I didn't fight hard enough," I say, barely above a whisper. I can feel tears stinging the edges of my eyes, threatening to spill over. I blink furiously, trying to pull them back.

"You... tried to fight?" His voice is thick with emotion.

I lower my head. "I'm sorry."

"No," Cade says immediately. "Don't be sorry. You didn't give up. I'm proud of you."

Before I can reply to Cade's words, a door opens behind him, shedding light on our prison. A figure is blocking the doorway, and enters, flipping on a switch to the room. Now that I can see, I glance about the small room. It's empty, except for the two chairs Cade and I are tied to.

Cade. My eyes roam over him, checking him for injuries. He has a bloody lip and a large bruise on the side of his jaw, but other than that he looks okay. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, and Cade seems to do the same as he locks eyes with me.

I glance over at the door to see Enzo staring at us. He notices me watching him, and shakes his head. "Have a nice nap?" He snaps at me, and I recoil. Enzo's eyes are hard and piercing as he stares at me.

"Don't talk to her," Cade growls, straining against the tough ropes. I can see several stains of red on the cement beneath his chair, and I find that the source is his hands. He's been pulling on the ropes so hard it has rubbed his wrists raw. I bite my lip so hard it bleeds, not able to tear my eyes away from the sight.

Enzo approaches Cade and I manage to look at him instead. He cuffs Cade on the back of the head. "I'll do what I want."

"What do you want?" I say. Enzo snaps his gaze to me and I force myself to stare back, even though my mind is screaming at me to look away. To apologize for speaking. But I don't want to be afraid. You are compliant. I hear Doctor Acosta's voice in my head, telling me I'm weak. That I'm complaint. But is it true? I wish I had the time to figure out the answer.

"I thought you'd like to know what we have planned for you and your boyfriend," Enzo says, stepping past Cade and walking towards me. He stops right in front of the chair I'm tied to and stares down at me. I'm not sure what to say, so I choose to keep my mouth shut. He cocks his head and raises a dark eyebrow slightly. I find myself intrigued by the movement a bit, but almost laugh at the thought.

"Are you really immune like they say?" Enzo says suddenly, startling me.

"What?"

He shrugs. "I just wondered if the things I've heard are true." I look from Enzo to Cade, but Cade avoids my gaze. When I look back at Enzo, he's smiling at me.

"What do you really want?" I ask, trying to get him to stop looking at me like that. I'm not sure what to make of it, but it makes me feel uncomfortable.

"Never mind." Enzo turns towards the door. He pauses just outside the hallway, as if he forgot something. "Don't try anything," he says before shutting the door behind him. I hear it click into place, then lock.

Well, at least he left the light on for us.

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