STRONGER. |Completed|

26 Kitchen Vents and Broken Glass Bottles

"So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless"

Athena's PoV

It's been a week since the memorial. Nothing much has changed, other than Ray constantly teasing me because Noah doesn't train with us. It's been a tough week. All we did was train and sleep. We were trained with guns, knives, sniping, etc, and honestly, it was so fun. I was probably enjoying it the most.

Today we were going to hack into their system and take the information needed cause today was a break day. Everyone was in their rooms, too tired to come out other than for eating. Ray was getting trained for hacking and was shown their computer room. We were going in today and get the information needed, and then leave this place. And the next sunset, they wouldn't know what hit them.

Noah has been the sweetest and it turns out he is a cuddler. And everything he does now seems to make my knees go wobbly. On the other hand, I haven't seen Ace once this week, neither did Noah. He wasn't there during their training sessions too and Luca was in his place. Maybe he is busy.

"Once we get the information, we transfer it to Jack and head to the kitchen and get out of here." Noah says after lunch. As expected there weren't many people around. Angie usually doesn't come out of her room during break days.

"We will leave this room at exactly 11. It will take 2 mins to reach the computer room. It would be locked, which I will pick in a maximum of 1 min. Then we go in and Ray does his work and hacks into the data, which will take 2.5 mins" Noah says and Ray nods.

"And then the data transfer will take 3 mins. Then we do up to the kitchen where there is a vent that we climb. That will lead us to the trash chute outside."He states sitting on the bed.

"We need to be as fast as possible and no matter what stay together," He says looking at me.

Everything was planned, we just needed to go there and get the information. I am weirdly confident that we could do this. After Ray left the room, I looked at Noah who had his hands on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask concerned. he looks at me and I was taken back when I saw the worry in his eyes. He sighed and took my hand in his.

"If anyone saw us, we would not be alive to see the light of tomorrow. We have to be so careful" He says rubbing my hand.

"You weren't worried when we came here, what's wrong now. The plan is still the same and the same is the danger. We knew that from the beginning Noah" I said.

" I don't know," he said. "Hey, look at me. We are gonna be fine. We will go there, do our thing, and leave this place. No one will know" I say him in the eye.

"And then we can finally go back home, to Eva, Aiden, Jack, Hunt," I say and pull him into a hug.

We stay like that for a while. I decided to finally ask something that I have been thinking for a while now. "Noah," I say and he hums.

"Can we..can we not kill Ace. When they come for the attack, can we tell the guys to clear Ace out?" I ask hesitantly. He pulls away slightly and cups my face.

"I already did. Eva has been instructed to take Ace and Angie out at the beginning and then fire. But if he shoots, then I won't be able to do anything." He says. I was beyond surprised. I was shaken to the core.

Why would he do that on his own? "He is a good person Athena, and he didn't choose the life he got. He doesn't deserve death for his father's evils. Ace hates his father as much as we do. He killed his mother after all" He says and I gasp at the end.