~𝟮𝟯~

(Third person, Lee Know's perspective)

Lee Know tiptoed out of Ava's room, trying his best to keep quiet. He softly closed the door behind him, leaning against it as his thoughts started swimming. He didn't feel tired yet, so he went downstairs to get himself a glass of water. His mind wandered back to Ava and how she helped him. How his skin tingled whenever she touched it. Then he thought back on how she pulled his hand off of her thigh, and how she almost shut down after that. It boggled his brain how she seemed so calm around them sometimes, and other times she would just completely freak out. And how she would assure them she trusted them, and yet still wouldn't tell them why she seemed so unsure around them. He was so enamoured in his thoughts he almost dropped the glass of water he was holding. He shook his head and went back upstairs. He headed to his room, hoping Chan, his roommate, was asleep. He didn't want to explain the scratches on his skin. To his surprise, and disappointment, Chan was still wide awake when he opened the door. His eyes were fixed on the laptop screen in front of him, the light illuminating his face and part of the dark room

"Hyung, shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, switching on the lamp next to his bed.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Chan closed his laptop, turning to Lee Know to hear his answer. Lee Know took a sip of his water before putting the glass on his nightstand, trying to avoid his Hyung's piercing gaze.

"Are those scratches on your face? What happened to you?"

Chan got up off of his desk chair before moving over to Lee Know. He made the younger male sit down on his bed.

"Did you get into a fight?"

"Yes, but it wasn't my fault. The other guy came at me first, I was just protecting myself."

"Were you drinking?"

"Just one drink. I just wanted to clear my head."

"Okay. I'm just glad you got home safe, and it wasn't too bad... You did a pretty good job of cleaning these up," Chan said as he examined the wounds.

"Actually, Ava did this. When I got here, she was in the kitchen. Almost like she waited for me."

"She probably wanted to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I don't really know. You should ask her that."

Lee Know nodded. He got dressed into his pjs and slipped into bed, head suddenly feeling heavy. Just as he had started slipping away into sleep, the alarm went off through the house. Him and Chan jolted up in their beds, quickly getting up and moving into the hallway. The rest of the boys had started coming out of their rooms, all still groggy and hair messy.

"I swear, if this is a prank, I am going to kill someone," Jeongin said, dragging his feet as he walked.

"Not if I do it first," Changbin commented. Lee Know looked over his shoulder to see Ava come out of her room, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, going over to her. She nodded her head and yawned.

"Just confused and tired. Why the hell do we have a mission at two in the morning?"

"I have no idea, but I guess we should go find out."

(First person, Ava's perspective)

Lee Know followed me into the operations room. The commander had just popped up on the big screen, making most of the boys groan from the bright light.

"I'm sorry to wake you all up so early. But at least you all made it," the commander said.

"I would curse at you, but I'm afraid I would lose my position if I did, Sir," Jeongin said, making us all laugh.

"Yes, sorry about that. Now, you all probably remember the prisoner that escaped not too long ago."

I took in a breath at the mention of him but shook it off.

"We have a location on him. I have sent you all the coordinates on your comms. I want you all to go pick him up. I will send someone to interrogate him later today. I wish you all luck."

Then the screen went black. Jeongin went over to a computer on a table at the back of the room. He had pulled up the location we were going to. I went to stand next to him. It was a warehouse not too far from the dorms. I read the location in my mind. Why does that sound familiar? I asked myself.

"Ava, you good? You're frowning at the screen."

I looked over at Felix as he spoke, smiling inwardly at the way his hair stood up.

"Yeah, the place just sounds familiar."

I brushed it off and slipped down the pole, the boys following me. We got ready and got into the van that had pulled up outside the house, the location being near enough to not have to fly. My eyes were wide at the interior of the van. It was covered in tech and computer screens. It still amazed me, the number of cool gadgets my new team had compared to my old team. When we got to the location, we all got out of the van and started discussing our game plan. When I looked over at the warehouse, it finally struck me why the place sounded familiar.

"I came here on a mission with my previous team."

I only realised I said it out loud when everyone looked over at me.

"Really? We could use that. Do you still remember the layout of the place?" Chan asked.

"Partially. But I should remember more when we get in there."

"Okay, I want you leading this mission then. The agents who spotted the prisoner didn't canvass the building and didn't see where he entered or if he exited. So, it will be helpful to have someone who knows what the place looks like."

My stomach clenched at Chan's words. I would be leading them? A whole team of agents? I was playing with my fingers, not even trying to hide my nerves. What if something went wrong?

(Third person, Hyunjin's perspective)

Hyunjin stood next to Ava as they discussed the game plan, and he noticed her nervous fidgeting. He made a mental note to ask about it later. He listened intently as Chan explained how he wanted the team to split up into groups of two. Then he noticed Chan's eyes fell on Ava's hands, lingering there for a moment before flicking back up. He faltered for a second before going on with his discussion, but he seemed distracted. It bothered Hyunjin. But he trusted his Hyung. And he knew Chan would only do what was best for the team.

(First person, Ava's perspective)

I continued fidgeting, my mind not taking in anything being said around me. A flashback shot into the front of my mind.

There were six of us. It was still our early days, so we didn't have proper protective vests, just these flimsy plastic things. The warehouse loomed in front of us. We stormed the door and took out all the enemies we could find. We all checked the bodies for any explosives or triggers of any sorts when I found a number tattooed on one of the men's wrists. I took a picture of it as Rachel came to kneel next to me. Good job, she had told me.

The team leader at the time told us to split up into groups of two as we searched for the drugs we were looking for. Rachel stepped up next to me, claiming me as her teammate. We all split up and moved around the warehouse. Rachel and I ran into a door with a keypad. I looked over at Rachel. Do your thing, she told me. I took out my phone, turning my back on her and punching in the code. Just as I had finished it, I heard a gasp come from behind me, followed by what sounded like someone collapsing.

I twisted around to find Rachel at my feet, a knife wound in her side. A pool of blood was forming underneath her, oozing out of a gap in the plastic vest. I looked up to see the culprit running away. I moved to run after him when Rachel gasped. There was blood seeping out past the corners of her mouth, bubbling out whenever she tried to breathe. I radioed the others and knelt down next to her, removing her vest, and pressing my hand down on the wound to stop the bleeding. She kept gasping. The other girls got to us, and we all worked together to get her out of the warehouse and to the helicopter.

We got her to hospital, and they wheeled her into surgery. We all sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours. The other girls asked me what had happened, but I couldn't get anything out except desperate apologies. I felt so guilty. I felt like if I hadn't turned my back on Rachel, she would have been okay. I sat there, the girls still trying to get me talking when the doctor came out and told us she would make it. The other girls all ran to her recovery room, while I just sat in the waiting room, pale as a ghost. I remember a nurse coming up to me a few times, asking me if I needed to be checked out. I would just shake my head, my mind too shocked to register that she thought the blood on my hands was mine.

I inhaled sharply as the flashback ended, my vision clearing to find all the guys looking at Chan. I noticed that instead of Hyunjin next to me, Changbin was now standing in his place.

"Any questions?" Chan asked, making me look at him. When my gaze connected with his, my nerves came back. I started fidgeting again, making him look at my hands.

"You know, on second thought, I just had an idea. How about we wear body cams. For extra safety. Jeongin, can you and Seungmin stay and monitor the cams?"

"Sure Chan Hyung, but the cams can't connect onto our suits."

"Then we can wear additional vests, to connect them to."

As he said it, I felt slightly more at ease. We would have protection, unlike the last time. Jeongin nodded, Seungmin helping him to get the stuff out of the van. As they were busy, Chan walked up to Changbin who was still standing next to me.

"Keep her safe. I would want to be the one to stay with her, but I know you can protect her just as well as I can, if not better. So please keep her safe," Chan whispered, but unbeknownst to him, I heard every word clearly.

Jeongin had started handing out vests to everyone, Seungmin handing out the body cams. I fastened my vest, but I couldn't seem to get the body cam to stay put. It would just slip of. Changbin must have noticed, because when it fell off again, he caught it before I could.

"Can I help you?" he asked, looking at me for reassurance.

I nodded. He leaned down slightly, careful not to touch my body as he fastened it. I found it very endearing how he made sure I was comfortable. When he was finished, I smiled at him.

"You ready for this?" he asked me, getting ready to head out.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. And don't worry about the whole 'leading' thing. Chan just wants you to tell us where everything is. Easy."

"Thanks. You really know how to put a girl at ease," I teased, making him smile at me.