Journey - REVISED EDITION

The Beginning of the End (Pt. 2)

"And you guys are just okay with this? What kind of operation are you running here, anyway?" Zayn was livid, stepping up close into Wolf's face.

"Watch it, newbie." Wolf clenched his fists, and Snake didn't notice, so lost in his work.

"Wolf, was it? There must have been a mistake in picking your code name. Lemming fits a conformist better, don't you think?" Zayn spat, and Louis felt a small flicker of pride show its face at the outright disregard of authority. Zayn certainly hadn't changed much.

Wolf's face went beet red, and Lion left the room, presumably to go get backup in case of a fight. Which seemed very probable right now.

"You think you know everything about this situation, don't you? Let me tell you, I've been called worse by better men." Wolf spat back.

"I'm not insulting you. I'm describing you." Zayn replied, a fire in his eyes.

"Oooo, getting feisty." Louis smiled, his voice harsh and mocking.

"That's enough, Fennec." Liam's tired form appeared in the doorway, the only indication of his recognizing Zayn being a sharp intake of breath and a slight nod in the man's direction.

"I don't know about Wolf, but I think I can speak for the rest of us in the room when I say, what in the world is going on? If we're going to function as a team, we need to be able to stand each other. You three obviously have history, and whatever is wrong needs to be resolved. I can't have you fighting with each other, or with us, all the time. And asking for a replacement team is out of the option. So suck it up and deal with it or figure it out on your own time. This situation isn't a simple one, and there are lives already at stake because of incompetence." Snake said softly, but stern and reprimanding.

Liam sat down on one of the beds with a sigh, and put his head in his hands.

"Okay?" Snake asked.

Liam just nodded, and Louis felt a rush of guilt. He sat down gently next to Liam, as Snake continued to clean Alex's wound.

"Sorry." He said softly. "I overstepped my bounds and I'm sorry."

"It's not me you should apologize to." Liam's voice was muffled by his hands. Louis didn't say anything, but avoided Wolf's stare. "Look, I know this wasn't your idea, but I gave you the option of leaving and you stayed. So if you're stubborn enough to tag along, at least try and make an effort to respect your elders. You're not eighteen anymore. I can't keep cleaning up the messes you make." Liam looked at Louis with bloodshot eyes.

"I know." Louis whispered.

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Snake really didn't like giving orders, but it was obvious to him that Wolf wasn't in a good enough mental state to be in command, so it was with reluctance that he temporarily took over the whole operation.

"Bear, you and Cheetah are on perimeter duty. Wolf and Fennec, surveillance. Lion, find Eagle. You two need to find some food for dinner. Zayn?"

The man in question raised his eyes, and looked questioningly at Snake.

"I don't know your code-name." Snake replied, trying to read this black-haired enigma in front of him.

"It's Panther."

"Right. I need you to tell me everything Mrs. Jones told you about us. I know questions are usually off limits when it comes to mission instructions, but as you can see right now, we aren't exactly manning a standard operation. If you have any questions, now is the time."

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Voices brought Alex back from the depths of slumber.

"And that's basically it. I saw Alex on the side of the road and when Mrs. Jones called, I knew immediately it was him."