Elena
"Woah, easy there. Take her," Louis says, motioning toward me while lifting his hands up in surrender. "She's the brains."
"Wow, thanks," I say flatly. "I need to speak to your leader." I barely manage not to laugh since this is the second time in less than two weeks that I'm saying this line.
We were lucky enough while driving through the city, managing to drive through it without much hassle. However, the minute we drove into Rogue's territory, rows of armed soldiers have welcomed us, pointing their weapons at us. Lovely.
"And why?" One of the female soldiers asks me, eyeing me. Her hand harshly grips my jaw, keeping it in place while she steps closer to me, her dark eyes glaring into mine. "Hazard bitches are not welcome here."
My face remains emotionless, not showing any sign of panic or pain while I stop myself from pushing her away. "Well, this bitch needs to have a word with him about the events from earlier today. I'm offering a truce."
"El, what truce, what the--" Tori starts, but I shoot her a glare. Let me do the talking, I warned them. I know what I'm doing, I stated. I obviously wasn't clear enough.
After a few minutes of ass-kissing sweet talk I detest and an excessive check up for any weapons we might carry, the soldiers have let us go through, toward Rogue headquarters. We're walking with our hands lifted, with a few armed soldiers behind us, and a few in front, leading the way. The rest of them are lined on each side, standing and eyeing us skeptically.
The base is smaller than Hazard, but equipped with much more advanced vehicles and almost equal number of soldiers, so it's safe to say they'd make a fierce enemy. Unlike Hazard, Rogue has an electrical fence on top of the walls surrounding the base and even a small mind field in front of their main entrance. The soldiers know exactly where are they hidden, but if any intruder were to try to sneak around the base, they'd be blown into pieces.
We're completely in their willpower, defenceless and weak. Or that's exactly what I want them to think. They might have their weapons, but I have knowledge. I know everything there is to know about each base and each leader, every advantage and disadvantage. If something remotely dangerous were to happen or someone was to threaten us, we'd be out in no time. You just have to know where to strike. The greatest weapon is the one no one can see – your knowledge.
The walk toward Ace's office is awkward and tension-filled, with Louis' constant sighs in annoyance and Tori's stiff posture which sends off a vibe she might attack at any given second. And to think I told them to act natural.
The moment we reach the office, we're pushed inside, the door abruptly closed right after. A few guns are pointed our way immediately, but my eyes are set on the person in a leather chair in front of us. His skin is dark, with a clean shaven face and a military buzz cut. His legs are lifted on the mahogany table and crossed at the ankles, his hands clasped in his lap. Suspicious expression, piercing dark eyes, and arrogant smile; Ace.
"I thought I'd have a meeting with Hazard soldiers," he says, no thick accent laced in his voice. I believe he's somewhere from North America. "I know for certain this one's not theirs." He points at me, his head tilting aside skeptically. He remembers me.
"I am now," I say. "We're here to--"
"Oh, have a seat then," he interrupts, gesturing to a chair opposite of him. "Want a drink? A cigar? Maybe a knife to stab me in the back?"
"Pfft, what?" Louis says. "You attacked us."
Ace's smile falters, a hard line replacing it as he glares at him. "That's not what eighty-seven of my dead soldiers would say. That's not what nine severely injured ones would say." He drops his legs off the table, pushing himself up to his feet. "And that's not what cameras show."
"Are you saying Hazard attacked you?" I ask.
"Playing dumb, are we?" Ace tells me. "Funny since I remember you as the smart one."
"We never attacked," Tori says coldly. "We had a truce which you broke a few hours ago."
"I broke the truce?" He raises his voice. "Your soldiers came at early dawn and killed almost hundred of my men! They came to my territory and threw bombs at them!" He slams his palm against the table in anger. "But of course, it was me who broke the truce."
"How do you know it was Hazard?" I ask calmly, not wanting to rile him up more.
"Who else wears black uniforms like the ones you three are wearing, hm?"
"But that's impossible, we never attacked!" Louis exclaims. "Whacked shit, that's what this is."
"Wait, you mentioned cameras. Can we have the tape?" I ask. "Or at least watch it? There has to be some kind of misunderstanding here."
"Sure, you can have the tape. And you can also have the promise there won't be any truce this time," Ace warns me, circling around his desk and stopping directly in front of me. "We're ready to defend ourselves, even attack again. I'm letting you three go so you can give the message to your leader."
"Please don't do anything before we watch the tape and get to the bottom of this," I say. "I promise there's something behind this neither of us knows."
"I give you twenty-four hours before I officially declare a war with Hazard."
. . . .
"I cannot believe this," David says, his eyes trained on the monitors displaying the video from the tape Ace has given us, scenes of soldiers in black uniforms attacking Rogue flashing before our eyes. "How is this possible?"
Dozens of us are gathered in the conference room, trying to figure out this mess. I can feel H's harsh glare on me from time to time and I just know he's probably thinking of ways to punish me for my disobedience. I'll try to take all the blame, but I'm afraid everyone who's helped me is going down with me. I'd made sure they all know what are they getting themselves into before doing anything, though.
"Wait!" I suddenly shout. "Pause the tape!" I order Niall, who is sitting in front of the monitors, his finger quickly pressing one of the keys on the keyboard in front of him. "Can you zoom that group of soldiers looking up?"
I wait as he follows my instructions, my widened eyes focused on the monitors. Everyone is silent, unsure whether to look at me or the tape, waiting for the explanation of my sudden outburst. "Do you think you could make the image a bit clearer?"
"Sure, babe."
My teeth pull at my bottom lip as I stare at the screen, watching as the blurry image gradually becomes more clear, allowing me to see the faces properly. My lips part in shock as I barely find my voice to call my brother. "Alex, come here." When he stands beside me, I look at him in disbelief. "I need you to tell me if you recognise someone."
He squints his eyes for a few moments before widening them suddenly. "What the-- those sly motherfuckers!"
"Oh, for the love of God, what is it?" H asks, approaching the two of us.
"Both sides are right in this case," I say. "Hazard never attacked Rogue, but at the same time, it did. Those soldiers are wearing your uniforms, but they don't belong to this base. They belong to Vortex."
A few gasps are heard behind me, murmurs filling the room, hushed at first, then gradually becoming louder. I knew something was off in this case, but I wasn't expecting this. I should have, considering I know what kind of snakes are in Vortex. Even though Hazard and Vortex are already in war, the battles haven't been that extreme, but this will surely cause more damage between the two sides.
"All right, settle down," David says loudly, lifting his hands. "Are you sure?" He asks me.
"Yes. I recognise their faces. Trust me, this has Vortex written all over it."
"Then we have no time to waste," David says. "Ace needs to hear about this as soon as possible."
"They still killed dozens of our soldiers," Louis reasons.
"Those murders belong to Vortex," H says sharply. "And they'll pay for them."
The meeting is over after a few minutes, with David leaving to meet with Ace and talk about a possible alliance and everyone else going back to their duties. But anyone who was involved with my plan, myself included, has stayed – H's order. He's standing at the head of the table, his face completely emotionless as he stares at the six of us, pinching his lip ring between his thumb and forefinger.
I should be focused on the fact we're about to get punished yet my brain is working against me, reminding me of how attractive he is. I'm not exactly used to so young superiors and I've often wondered how is he in such a position considering his age. I don't think he's older than twenty-two.
"Okay, before you give us your 'I'm the boss and you're all grounded' speech, can you tell me how is Liam?" Louis says.
"He's not harmed. He forgot to turn on the mic, that bloke." H shakes his head. "Now that that's settled," he straightens his posture, clasping his hands behind his back while taking a few steps toward us, "I'd like to talk about what the six of you did."
"It was my idea," I say calmly.
"Don't interrupt me while I'm speaking."
"I'm just saying. . ."
"What did I just say?"
"Whoops," I mumble under my breath, knowing very well it will piss him off.
"Out," H suddenly says firmly. "Everyone out! Except you," he looks at me, green eyes burning with anger.
"It was nice knowing you," Louis tells me, grinning. "What a rebel." He shakes his head as his hand grabs Tori's, pulling her out of the room.
Jess smiles encouragingly at me as she follows them while Niall sends me a wink. Lastly, Alex rolls his eyes muttering "every time" before the door closes. I smile to myself because now I might get a chance to calm him down. H did exactly what I wanted him to do without knowing it.
"Something funny, soldier?" He asks me, taking a step toward me. "Whatever shall I do with you, hm? Is there a way to teach you to listen to me? Or anyone for that matter? So stubborn, so. . ." he makes choking gestures with his hands.
"With all due respect, I did help solve this problem," I say with a shrug. "Sure, I had to break a few rules, but now you're not in war with Rogue."
"You always have a response to everything, don't you?" His eyes narrow as he eyes me.
"I believe I do, sir."
"I don't understand how are you not at all intimidated by me?" He asks, stepping closer to me.
"I reckon you're what. . . one, maybe two years older than me? Also, you might have some authority here, but David is the leader. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I believe any punishment you give me could be undone by him, and simply because I broke the rules for all the good reasons. Not to mention the result is great."
He's staring at me with his signature blank face, but I know he's fuming inside. "Hm, smart little thing, aren't you? You're forgetting something. I can still punish you, regardless of what David might do. He won't be able to influence my every decision, tiger. In short, you'll fuck up again and I'll be there to drag you down."
"I'm a firm believer that sometimes the end justifies the means. In this case, that is," I state. "I don't deserve any praise, but I don't deserve to be punished, either."
He takes a few steps toward me, only a small gap separating my body from his. "You sought shelter in this base yet you have no intentions of following the rules. Tell me, what would you do in my place?" His green eyes search my face.
My heart starts racing at his sudden proximity, thick tension appearing between us. "It's hard to tell since I'm a person who honestly has troubles with authority in every way. I wasn't born to lead, but I wasn't born to follow, either. Unfortunately, I don't have much choice."
"The concept of rules is unfamiliar to you, isn't it?" He says in a tone much softer than before, I'd say he even looks amused.
"I prefer no rules," I reply. "Forget the rules."
I expect him to either make a remark, to punish me, or throw me out of the room, but he does no such thing. Instead, he laughs. And it's not a mocking laugh or a forced one, it's a genuine laugh, with his mouth spread widely, dimples in his cheeks, crinkles by his eyes, and his head tipped back.
What a beautiful sight, honestly.
"Something funny, soldier?" I repeat his earlier words, desperately trying not to laugh since his laughter is contagious. I don't understand what's so funny.
"It's just. . ." he mumbles, pulling at his lip ring with his teeth. "You reminded me of someone. . . of someone I used to know."
"I take it it's a good thing, yeah?" I ask, my eyes now focused on his dark pink lips. Damn him and his looks.
"Or very dangerous," he says quietly. "For me, that is."
"And why is that?" I instinctively step closer, gulping.
"You're dangerous because your actions should piss me off. And they do, but not to the extent they should. If anything, I find you interesting, amusing even," he admits. "None of my friends would even consider going against me and you made all of them do just that." He chuckles. "Bloody fuck."
His words surprise me, the sudden turn this conversation has taken hitting me like whiplash. "Does that mean I'm forgiven? You asked me to stay here to punish me for breaking the rules yet you're doing the opposite. Not that I'm complaining."
"Forget the rules," he mumbles, his tongue darting to wet his lips. "No rules."
I smile widely. "No rules."
And then he does something completely unexpected, confusing, and surprising. He closes the small gap between us and presses his lips against mine, one of his palms settling on the nape of my neck. I step back in shock, my lower back hitting the edge of the table, his lips never parting from mine.
His lower lip is tucked between my lips, not making any movements as if he's testing if I'm going to push him away, but the thought never crosses my mind. Previous thick tension dissolves almost immediately, a pure satisfaction replacing it as my arms wind themselves around his neck, pulling him even closer, my lips moving with his.