Defector

The flames are wildly dashing around the room and time is of the essence. I force my way down the flight of stairs hoping the boys took care of the ground floor. I almost make it when I hear the click of a gun and the word freeze echoing throughout the stairwell. He wouldn't dare to fire his gun now, but I'm not going to test that theory. He walks up behind me pressing his weapon to the back of my head. He instructs me to open the door which I willing do so leading the two of us into the main lobby.

We come face to face with Hunter and Gabe who automatically get ready to fight. The man behind me uses me as a shield as he directs his gun toward the two of them. My ear begins to violently ring as I jerk aside gripping onto it. I glance toward my comrades and notice Hunter is on the ground unresponsive. I forget about my ear as I turn around and grab onto the man behind me. I shove him into the wall and follow after him with a forceful punch. He grips onto my shirt and pushes me through the door and onto the concrete outside.

He leans over me planting his fist into my cheek multiple times before I kick my foot up and send him flying over my head. I lean over to assess the damage done, if any. The man cracked his head on the stairs and appears knocked out. I glance toward the building and see the lobby becoming covered in flames. I force my way back inside as Gabe struggles to drag Hunter's still body. His shoulder is drenched in blood and continues to rapidly drip the liquid.

I yell for Gabe to move quicker getting smoke caught in my lungs. Gabe shakes his head at me dropping Hunter. I scowl continuing to move our lifeless friend out of the building. He's making it. He has to make it. I cough out the toxic air trapped in my lungs as I rest Hunter safely on the stairs. I attempt to go back in for Gabe, but all I see is fire. Part of the ceiling collapses and I know it's too late. I look back over at Hunter, shaking my head. I grab onto him, throwing him over my shoulder moving as quickly as I can to the car.

"I'm not losing you, too." I huff to an unconscious Hunter.

It isn't the sunlight streaming in from the window which wakes me up, but rather my phone vibrating excessively on the coffee table. I extend my arm as far as it will allow which happens to be just enough to grab onto my device. I press it against my ear groaning into the receiver which my caller takes as a hello. I make out the voice to be Draxer Owens, the weapons specialist at The Tunnel, who demands I drag myself down there immediately. I sigh dropping my phone to the floor and cracking my eyes open. I slowly sit up and feel my spine realign with a pop!

Kyra lifts her head uninterested in the fact I'm awake. She's been moping around the house for awhile now, but I've been blaming it on old age. I throw my legs off the couch which I inadvertently fell asleep on the previous night. I force myself up and sluggishly drag my feet down the hall to my bedroom. I pull open the drawers to my dresser to grab fresh clothes to change into after I shower. I stare at some of the clothes left behind by the spunky red head who used to spend the nights here. They've mocked me every day since she left almost two years ago. I should've gone with her regardless of what she wanted, but trying to convince the stubborn ginger to change her mind would've been impossible.

I've tried to shake her from my thoughts, but she's always there lurking in the back of my mind whether I want her there or not. I haven't heard from her since the day she left and I've been kidding myself thinking she would keep in touch or notify me that she's okay, let alone alive. I bury those worries away and try to focus on the day ahead of me.

My morning routine has become so repetitive where my body just goes through the motions and before I know it I'm in my car driving to The Tunnel to see what hell I can raise that day. Our numbers at The Tunnel are dwindling which is due to how risky our assignments are becoming. If you go out in the field, you have a fifty-fifty shot of returning. Casandra's security is top notch and no joke anymore. Her technicians have made hacking nearly impossible. It takes Hunter a full day just to hack through two levels and he's an expert.

Since the accident, Hunter hasn't been himself. He's been opinionated and vocal on a lot of matters. It seems he only knows how to be angry these days and I can't say that I blame him. He put up with so much bullshit in the past few years and I think he's finally had enough. Losing Gabe has been the hardest for him. I tried to explain what happened to help him cope with his death, but he refuses to listen to it. The whole thing has haunted me since it happened, almost like Gabe's taunting me from the afterlife.

Gabe and I were never going to be friends again after everything that happened. I agreed to stay on and help with rebellion which we all started together. This was our job and I wasn't going to quit, even if I was having problems with another leader. We barely spoke. He made no effort to apologize or fix things between us; there was no way he could. He knew what he was doing and once Gabe made a decision, he wouldn't go back on it regardless of who it would affect.

It's quiet in The Tunnel this morning. Quela doesn't train as much since Hunter can't help her. She occasionally will train with me since her eyesight seems to be getting better from her treatments. She still prefers to fight blindfolded, but she's attempting to learn without the blindfold. I walk into the office where I'm greeted by Drax, Hunter, and Quela all waiting patiently for me. I silently have a seat in my desk chair as Drax clears his throat.

"Now that we're all here," Drax starts out, "I think it's time we talk about the --"

"No." Hunter plainly states from the corner not bothering to look up from his computer screen. Drax folds his arms across his chest annoyed by the interruption.

"It's obvious," Drax continues, "we can't handle the arson jobs." He sighs. "So what are we supposed to do about the remaining buildings?"

"Detope." Hunter mumbles rapidly typing on the keyboard. Quela shifts uncomfortably next to him knowing it's a sensitive subject for me.

"No." Drax barks.

"Why?" Hunter's monotone voice sounds uninterested in the answer.

"Well for starters," Drax rolls his eyes annoyed with the question, "no one knows where she is or if she's even alive." Quela looks in my direction with a sympathetic look. "And secondly, she is too much of a ticking time bomb to be allowed back in here." Hunter groans rising from his seat, clutching his shoulder.

"I don't remember voting you as the new leader of the rebellion." He scowls. "I do remember you voting her out of it though. Was it because she wouldn't let you fuck her?"

"Hunter." Quela shyly touches his lower back as warning that he should be more sensitive on the subject.

"Excuse me?" Drax takes a step toward him.

"Give it up, Drax. We all knew you were pissed when she rejected you. Let's face it, you don't have the appeal or the dick to compete with Logan. So, you got your revenge by climbing on that bandwagon to vote her out."

"Really? You're so quick to have her come back even though I remember you cursing her name when she ratted you out to Gabe about all that cowardly work you did for Casandra. Even I would've taken torture over betraying the rebellion." Drax fights back. Quela looks between the two then over to me, hoping I'll intervene or make them stop. I lean back in my seat pursing my lips together.

"You don't know what it was like." Hunter's voice is louder than I've ever heard it before. "I had a gun to my head every goddamn day. I was forced to do that shit. What was worse was hearing those poor people around me screaming in agony, getting mutilated in the room down the hall from mine while I didn't have a scratch on me. You have no idea how guilty I felt looking Detope in the eye and telling her I was completely fine while she appeared worn down and physically destroyed." I look away from the two of them which Quela notices.

"Hunter." She says louder trying to get his attention, but she goes unnoticed.

"I had no idea she was there until it was too late. I let that happen to her. I didn't give her the time of day whenever she made an effort to talk to me. I only found out it was her when I finally crouched down to the grid separating our rooms to tell her to shut the hell up." I'm not looking at him, but I know he's confessing this to me even though he's addressing Drax. "Detope was strong, stronger than any of us in this room. If anyone could do the arson jobs, it's her and you know it. Why even limit her to the arson jobs? Detope could win this war for us. She looked our enemy in the eye everyday and felt no fear. That's the type of leader we need for this rebellion. It was never Gabe and it sure as hell isn't you, either. So I say we get her back."

"Hunter!" Quela yells finally standing up behind him.

"What?" He screams turning around to face her.

"I think you've said enough today." She keeps her voice mellow and calm. "Maybe let Fierce have a chance to speak." Hunter and Drax turn to me with stunned looks as though they've forgotten I'm in the room.

I move my gaze to each of them before rising to my feet. All eyes fall on me expectantly, but instead I brush passed them opening the office door and slamming it behind me. I storm toward the backdoor and thrust it open. The frosted wind smacks me in the face chilling my cheeks. I reach up to the cigarette tucked behind my ear and slip it between my lips. I pat every pocket searching for a lighter and groan in frustration as I fall short of one.

I shuffle my feet to the stairs and slowly plant myself on a step. I rest my head in my hands taking in everything. Hunter was right. Detope is the most qualified for the job, I think she always has been. She was hired on for arson assignments, but she was always capable of doing more. She covered training sessions for me while I was recovering and she seemed to take the lead when we would go out to rescue the refugees. Then she broke everyone out of Casandra's captivity and took a moment to make sure everyone made it alive before she went back to ragging on Gabe. She has special leadership qualities I wish I possessed.

The backdoor opens catching my attention as a guilty Quela emerges from it. She lets the loud slam of the door dissipate between us before awkwardly sitting next to me. She keeps her hands folded in her lap slightly hunched over her knees to keep herself warm. She shifts uncomfortably unsure of what to say or how to say what she's currently thinking. I sigh rolling my eyes rapidly losing my patience.

"I'm sorry about what happened in there." Quela says so quietly I barely hear her. "Hunter is just crabby because his shoulder hurts and he's sad about Gabe and --"

"Just stop." I cut her off. "Why don't you tell me why you actually came out here. Perhaps it has something to do with Detope." Her head whips over to me looking as though I've caught her off guard. "How long has she been in contact with you?" Quela's mouth falls open, stunned and afraid to speak. Her mouth trembles and her eyes widen as she studies my face looking for some kind of confirmation on how I feel about the matter. "I had my suspicions," I state clearing my throat, "but I was never really sure until this exact moment." Quela looks away from me. "So you know where she is?" She hesitates before nodding. "Is she close by?" She confirms watching me rise from the step. "Then let's go have a chat with her." Her head pops up as I offer my hand to help her up.

"You're not mad?" She accepts my hand rising to her feet.

"No," her eyes find mine, "you were doing what you thought was best." She slightly perks up taking the lead to the parking garage across the street.

She's waiting in the passenger's seat by the time I reach my car. She informs me of the town Detope has been hiding out in which is roughly two hours away. Quela is quiet for awhile before she mentions I shouldn't get my hopes about Detope. She tells me she isn't the same person as I remember her to be. I heed her warning, but refuse to believe it until I see her. We've all changed over these passed few years, but I highly doubt she's changed all that much.

Detope was always an interesting character. When I met her, she was just a feisty teenager causing trouble in the area. After the death of her best friend, she grew up and got a clue about the world around her. I was there for her through everything. I trained her myself and kept a close eye on her. Yet she still managed to cause trouble with the government and even with some rebels.

Gabe and Detope never got along. Gabe always lacked faith in her even when she proved herself time and time again. I think he was more upset about the fact she was a huge distraction for me. I spent most of my time focused on her and he felt it was going to get me killed. Although against better judgement, he still paired us up for assignments knowing if something happened to the other we would never forgive him.

After awhile, she stopped listening to him. I was the only one she would really listen to and even then she would still do whatever she thought was best. She grew a lot over the four years she was in the rebellion and I've really missed her. I just hope she'll be as happy to see me as I am to see her.

The sun beats down on us as we walk down the street to a diner. I look around taking in the small town. It doesn't seem like a place Detope would settle in, but it'd be perfect for hiding out. Quela stops in front of the entrance before turning around to face me. She fumbles on her words as she asks me to wait outside. I roll my eyes crossing my arms in annoyance, but agree to her terms. Quela enters the diner without me as I lean on the wall of the building next to the diner. I stare in through the glass as I watch a blonde sit down across from Quela. I tilt my head unsure if I should be worried or not.

Against Quela's wishes, I enter the diner and head toward the table. I get a good look at the blonde and realize she's not as much of a stranger as I initially thought. I study her as I cautiously approach the table. She looks well and in much better shape than the last time I saw her. Aside from her hair and different name which appears on her name tag, nothing has changed. She appears to be the same girl I fell in love with. She peers up at me with a scowl.

"What the fuck, Quela. I trusted you." I stare at her stunned not expecting to this to be her reaction. She huffs throwing herself out of the booth, but I cut her off.

"Just sit back down, Phoe." I sigh defeated and worn down from the trip.

"Don't call me that." She snarls through her teeth. I glance down giving her name tag a read.

"Well I'm not calling you Hazel." I roll my eyes.

"I don't have time for this. I have to get back to work." She tries to storm off, but I push her backward.

"HEY!" A yell erupts from behind me. I look over my shoulder and see the large man behind the counter eyeing me down. "You two." He points his sausage finger at me and then toward the door. "Out of my diner."

I assist Quela outside and down the street where I parked the car. After just finding out today she is alive and well, I was expecting a happier reaction from Detope when she saw me rather than the pissed appearance I received. I guess Quela was right, she has changed. Trying to convince her to come back to The Tunnel is going to be nearly impossible, but I'm not ready to give up just yet.

We situate ourselves in the car discussing what our next move should be when Detope walks passed and continues down the block. Quela and I exchange looks and throw ourselves from the car to follow after her. We're not trying to be sneaky about it, but we also don't want to scare her off. We catch up to her rather quickly which I wasn't expecting along with her suddenly firm grip on my jacket. She swings around forcing me into the wall of the adjacent alley driving her forearm into my throat. My eyes lock onto her which seems to irritate her.

"I see you haven't lost your touch." I smirk even though she has me securely pinned to the wall.

"I see you can't take a hint. Leave me alone." She lifts herself up onto the balls of her feet to be at eye level with me.

"Phoenix, let him go." Quela appears behind her slightly startling her. "We need to talk to you."

"Talk to me about what?" She crushes my throat making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Gabe." I manage to cough out.

"What about that fucker?"

"He's dead." Detope's facial expression changes as she glances back at Quela truly stunned.

The pressure she has on my throat lightens and I take advantage of the opportunity. I snatch onto her arm and twist it around her back. She grunts whipping around caught in my grip. She leans her back against me struggling to free her arm, but I tug on it harder making it more uncomfortable for her. She elbows me in the side which proves to be more painful for her than me.

"Maybe you have lost your touch." I taunt pulling on her arm as she responds with a yelp.

"Knock it off. Both of you." Quela stomps her foot into the concrete causing water to splash upward. I release Detope teasingly shoving her away from me. She growls turning to face me looking ready to fight. She steps toward me with her fist clenched, but Quela intervenes. "Is there a place we can go to talk? You know, instead of out here in public." Detope drops her aimed fist finally looking at Quela.

"Come with me." She folds her arms across her chest. She takes a few steps before whipping around pushing me backward. "Not you." Quela shakes her head.

"We go together or not at all." Quela bargains which Detope returns with a laugh.

"Fine with me." She turns away from us and begins to walk away. "Have a safe trip back." She waves her hand in the air. "And don't follow me. I'll know if you do."

Quela appears less stunned than I am almost like she knew how she was going to react. I knit my brows together unaware of what I did to receive such a negative reaction from her. I peek over at Quela who appears to be deciding internally what we should do. I allow her to think that over while I watch Detope walk farther and farther away from us.