"Can't this thing go any faster?" Exclaims Asher, sitting in the backseat of our black van.

All of us are equipped with stun guns, our mission packs, and weapons. My gloves are secured tightly on each hand, Mara has her staff at the ready, and Kalen has his throwing knives strapped to his belt. Asher has a weird little device that looks like a gun, fitting perfectly in his hand, almost like it was tailor-made for him and him alone. It's oval-shaped, with a short handle at the end of it, and a trigger wedged in between it and the body of the gun. A transparent barrel on the top glows with white electricity, and I can't help but wonder if it is some sort of fancy taser.

"I'm going as fast as I can," says Kalen through clenched teeth, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white.

We are currently speeding down the highway, following the GPS to the location Asher found on his computer. With any luck we will get there in less than five minutes, but if we get stuck in traffic, it might take a while.

I contacted Christian before we left, telling my friends that even if we were going, we needed someone to know what we were doing and why. Christian was not pleased with our decision, but he knew he could do nothing to stop us when we told him what had happened. We were not leaving our teammate behind, danger or not, we were going to help her. So, instead of trying to talk us out of our decision, he assured us that he would be sending a team to the location, and Daniel would be with them to make sure everything went according to plan. They are supposedly in one of the compounds helicopters, on their way over as we drive down the road. But even traveling by air will still take them a good ten minutes to get to us. And Ana may not have ten minutes.

"Guys," says Mara, speaking up for the first time since we got into the van. "I think we finally have our proof that the President is the man we are after."

She gauges our reaction nervously as we drive, ignoring the various car horns that go off because of us, going way over the speed limit.

"What do you mean?" I ask, not taking my eyes off the road for a second.

"Jayson told me that Khan dismissed all of his bodyguards for the day, except for one of them that would accompany him to an unknown location. He didn't have anything scheduled for today, so it wasn't a meeting or a press conference, nobody knew why he was leaving. But Jay overheard them talking about the abandoned factories near the Mar, and thought that maybe that was where they were headed."

So the President is going to be in the same place that our killer is. Coincidence? I think not. I will try to contact Diana, see if she knows anything, but I know she won't answer me. Either way I decide that I have nothing to lose for trying, so I take out my TekPad and write her a quick message on Dove.

"Diana, I know you are mad, but I need your help. Do you know anything about your father that may seem out of place? I know you probably don't understand why I'm asking, but I don't have time to explain. Has he ever seemed weird to you? Disappearing without telling anyone where he was going? Anything you can think of, just let me know. And, I'm sorry, for what happened at the cemetery."

I close Dove and go back to staring out the window, feeling myself jump when we fly over a ditch in the road.

"Be careful." I tell Kalen, grabbing on to the safety handle with an iron grip.

"Choose, I can either be fast or I can be careful, I can't be both."

Asher is practically vibrating in his seat, eyes wide as he looks down at the GPS and then at the buildings we whiz by.

"There! That's it." He exclaims, pulling on his seat belt to lean over the front seat, pointing at an old building a few feet away. Kalen slams on the breaks, and the tires skid on the concrete, the van swerving for a good minute before we come to a full stop in front of the abandoned medical center. Asher is out of the van in seconds, nearly flying out of his seat as he runs towards the  courtyard.

"Asher, wait!" yells Mara, looking at us before rushing after him. Her white sneakers slam against the concrete, little pebbles flying as she runs after our friend, who has already rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Stop! We can't just run in without a plan!" I scream after them.

"Well it looks like we can, and we are," says Kalen, grabbing two knives from his belt and waiting for me to sling my mission pack over my shoulder, as we follow our friends into danger.

"Anna!" I hear Asher shout, searching for his friend. The sight that greets us when we round the corner looks like something straight out of a horror film. How did Anna come here alone without asking for help? The walls are all nearly collapsed, graffiti covering every surface of the place. The windows are cracked, and it may be a trick of the light, but I could swear I sew something move in one of the rooms. I shudder. I do not have a good feeling about this place.

"Stay close to me," says Kalen, standing in front of me protectively, and for once, I don't mind the gesture.

"Anna!" Calls Mara, searching behind an old shed.

I try to concentrate, blocking out my friend's voices, and focus on my thoughts. I picture every moment I spent with Anna, what she was like, everything I learned about her in the short time we got to know each other. Her fear of letting people down and her need to feel useful. Her pride about her Gift, about being allowed on this mission. A picture starts forming in my head, and I will myself deeper into the vision, hoping it will show me where she is. It's dark, too dark to make out anything clearly, but I can see the slight outline of a hunched shape hidden behind an old closet door. Said door is nearly in shambles, it doesn't even close properly, covering the frame awkwardly. I can't tell if there is anyone else in the room with her, all I can hear is the sound of her ragged breathing, stifled sobs making their way to my ears. Somehow, Anna has found her way into the old building. I can hear Asher's voice in my vision, and Anna hears it too, whispering something that I can't quite make out. Her whispering turns to mumbling, getting louder by the second, desperation making its way into her voice.

"Help me," she mumbles, still staying in her huddled position, hiding her head between her arms. Not a very smart move on her part, if her attacker comes back, he will catch her by surprise, but something tells me there is another reason she is hiding her face.

"Please, help me."

Her sobbing starts to get fainter and, try as I might, I don't manage to hold onto the vision.

I get thrown back into the present, the sudden blur of colors giving me a head rush, but I don't have time to acknowledge the fact that I managed to have a vision and didn't pass out as I run to my friends' side.

"She's inside!" I call, making the three of them turn around to face me, surprise written all over their faces "She's hidden in a closet in one of the rooms."

Asher nods, making a beeline for the building, but I manage to catch his arm before he makes it any further.

"Wait a second," I say, grabbing hold of his shoulders and forcing him to face me.

"We can't just go running in, guns blazing, when we don't even know if he's in there with her. Mara said that Khan was coming, and if Anna was right, then he's already here. We can't let him get away. Daniel should be here any minute with back up. Someone needs to stay behind to help him track down Khan."

He looks like the last thing he wants to do right now is listen to my words, fidgeting in my hold, itching to go find his friend. He sends nervous glances at the medical center, eyes shifting between my face and the building, but eventually he focuses on me. His desire for revenge is nearly tangible with how strong it is, I can practically smell his need for justice.

"I have to find her," he says. "One of you can stay behind, but I need to find her." He says that last part with such conviction that I know that there is nothing I can do to change his mind.

I wish he weren't so brave. I wish this boy, so young and full of potential, would stay behind and wait for help to arrive. Far away from harms reach. If anything happens to him, I will never forgive myself, yet deep down I understand he needs to see for himself that his teammate is okay. If it were Kalen, or Mara, or Cassie or Jay that were stuck inside that crumbling building, nobody would be able to stop me from tearing down the place, brick by brick. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to run possible scenarios out in my head, and all of them end the same way. With Asher going into that factory.

"Alright," I say, letting go if his shoulders, albeit reluctantly.

"You three go in and find Anna, I will stay and meet up with Daniel and the team."

I watch as Ash and Mara hesitantly agree with my plan, but Kalen seems to disagree wholeheartedly. He walks up to stand in front of me, a disapproving frown on his handsome face. His gray eyes bore into mine, and I find fear shinning in their stormy depths. My heartbeat quickens, and the only thing I can hear is the blood rushing to my ears as it pounds against my rib cage. Kalen shakes his head, a wrinkle forming in between his eyebrows, showing his worry.

"No way," he says. "I am not leaving you out here alone, not when Khan may still be here. We are safer together."

I nod, putting a hand on his chest, raising the other one to smooth out the wrinkle on his brow.

"We are," I agree, "but someone needs to find Anna. You have a greater chance of running into him in there, than I have of running into him out here. Which is why the three of you need to go together. You and Mara have the strongest Gifts out of the four of us, and Asher needs to go with you."

I look at the boy. His copper curls fall in front of his eyes like a veil, but it does nothing to cover the determination burning behind them. He is going in whether we like it or not, and there is nothing we can do to change that.

I push Kalen slightly, forcing him to take a step back, standing in between Mara and Ash. At his hesitant stare I sigh, holding up my gloved hands, closing them into fists.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," I say, smiling slightly, trying to ease his worry.

He watches me for another minute, battling between his feelings and his common sense. It seems the latter finally wins, because he gives a curt nod, clutching his knives tighter. But before he turns to leave, he leans in, closing the distance between us, and I close my eyes as his lips meet mine. The kiss is short, chaste, and so soft it feels like it's barely there. But the feelings are there, and it's all I need to understand everything that Kalen is too afraid to say with words. I make sure to pour all my emotions into the kiss, transmitting my fear and desperation. We pull apart, and he rests his forehead against my own, taking the sides of my face in between his large calloused hands.

"Stay safe," he whispers, before turning around and heading towards the factory.

If this were any other occasion Mara's jaw would have ended up on the floor, but the importance of our situation keeps her from doing just that. Instead her reaction is much more subdued, and she settles for pointing at me, mouthing "this isn't over" before following our friend into the old building. I manage a small smile and turn to Ash, who is still watching me with a curious expression on his face. I'm about to tell him that he should get going, Anna doesn't have all day, but I'm caught off guard as he wraps me into a hug, holding me tight.

"Thanks," is all he says, before rushing after my teammates, the sound of his feet hitting gravel getting fainter as they get further and further away.

I watch their retreating backs, taking a deep breath to settle my nerves, scanning the area one last time before walking back towards the front of the factory.

Waiting for a metal bird to come to our rescue.