hope you're all having a lovely weekend! make sure you get some good rest! 

i just tried nerds gummy clusters for the first time, and now I cant stop eating them lol

anyway, enjoy the chapter lol x 

and don't forget to comment & vote!!!

064. GOLDEN // COSMIC 

... 1:00.00... 0:59.59... 0:59.58... 0:59.57...

Harry watched the video play on the monitor.

Even with the pending text messages on his phone, it neared impossible for Harry to look away. It felt like an addiction. His eyes glued to the screen, watching the torturous footage on a loop.

The clip was short - about fifteen seconds or so of footage. Two people stood in an unidentifiable hallway. One split second near the end, exposing the glimmer of light, forced the man into a frozen silence.

Harry could remember just enough to know the two individuals standing in the hallway were important. He knew why they reflected pain and betrayal - two things Handler wanted him to harm Rory with.

If it weren't for the timer running down on his phone, Harry would never have known exactly how long he stood there. What felt like hours turned out to be a few minutes. Whether that was a good thing or not was still up for debate considering his night did not conclude once he finally looked away from the monitor.

Harry's night had only just begun.

And his mission was to betray the sole person that brought a sense of safety and warmth.

Clenching his eyes shut, he forced his attention not to resume back at the monitor. He couldn't do this. He couldn't hurt her. Harry had to tell her.

Neck twitching with pain, he gripped the edge of the table to find some relief.

There was no plausible choice but to tell her. The last thing Harry wanted was to hurt Rory and destroy what they were building together. They were a team - something he reminded her of barely twelve hours ago. He couldn't go against that now.

Another twitch of pain caused him to release a constricted breath.

Harry couldn't hurt her.

Nothing, not even Handler's bullshit mind games, could force his hand.

Harry had to go against the mission.

He had to-

The pain shooting through him forced his thoughts into silence. An agonizing groan escaped, echoing throughout the room, and his body slumped forward. Quickly pressing the palms of his hands against the top of the table, he forced himself not to collapse. Fists clenching, he slammed a hand against the wood, attempting anything to find relief.

Harry knew this was self-inflicting - the part of him he couldn't turn off. Even thinking about not following orders could still cause this. He feared what would happen if he didn't complete the mission.

Turning his head to the side, a glimpse at the cell phone provided some relief. Picking it up made it earlier to breathe again. And looking through the images from Handler caused the pain to evaporate completely.

Harry couldn't hurt her.

He couldn't tell her.

And he couldn't go against the mission.

She will understand, the voice in his head taunted.

Harry's eyes narrowed at the monitor, watching the footage that continued to play on a loop.

Siren knows what she signed up for.

Straightening his posture, Harry pocketed the cell phone and slowly rounded the table. His eyes scanned all the cords plugged into the back of the monitor. One line plugged into an outlet while two more, red and blue, trailed back to the far wall before disappearing behind it.

Skimming his finger across the top of the machine, Harry chuckled to himself, a smile playing across his lips. Handler had thought everything through. And yet, one simple tug of the wires could turn everything off.

Handler must have gone to great lengths to have this set up. Maybe someone sat on the other side of the wall, pressing play whenever the footage ended and was watching his every move. It must be entertaining to watch - seeing how his pain and suffering could still be turned on like a switch.

Harry could never be inherently good. Even when he tried, how he was permanently wired would always force him to stop. No matter how hard he wanted to be good and avoid inflicting pain, a part of him still craved it. And good people didn't act or think that way.

In reality, who could be good?

Was anyone ever fully a good person?

Handler wanted to be the good person - the one saving the world. And yet she blamed Harry for something he had no control over and forced him to hurt someone that had no part in this.

No one was good. Not Harry nor Handler... probably ninety percent of the people inside this establishment weren't good people.

Harry wasn't a good person. He couldn't be. Not now or ever. It didn't matter how many therapy sessions he sat through confessing his sins or promises he made to Rory. All he knew was how to be bad and hurt those who did nothing but make him a better person.

... 0:50.04... 0:50.03... 0:50.02... 0:50.01...

His neck twitched. 

Complete the mission, 001.

Harry thought about twisting his hand around the wires and pulling them out, ripping out the cord that powered the torturous loop to continue.

He didn't do that.

That would have been the easy route - the less impactful choice.

No, he didn't rip out the wires or unplug the machine.

Harry sent his fist through the screen.

Hitting the monitor with such a high impact sent it flying off the table and crashing against the floor. What sat on the table moments ago, torturing his thoughts, was now in a thousand pieces on the ground. Picking the shards of glass out of his knuckles, he tossed them into the rest of the broken pile.

Seeing it now in an undistinguishable form brought some satisfaction.

But nothing would satisfy him quite like the completion of a mission.

Complete the mission.

... 0:45.04... 0:45.03... 0:45.02... 0:45.01...

Exiting the room, Harry made his way back down the hall. Mission. Complete the mission. Mission. His head began to ring as the music from the floor below filled his ears - signalling he was nearing reality with the rest of the patrons. Mission. Complete the mission. Mission. The loop no longer had to play on a monitor (or what was left of it) to torture - the thoughts in his head easily made up for it. Mission. Complete the mission. Mission.

Making his way to the bottom of the stairs, his eyes surveyed the crowd. Mission. Complete the mission.

Satisfaction flowed through his body, spotting the target he needed for the night. Mission. Complete the mission. Mission.

Pushing his way through the sea of closely packed bodies, he easily approached the target. His target wasn't alone - not that was surprising. In fact, it didn't even bother him. He enjoyed grabbing the person by the back of the neck to pull them off. The weasel cried and tried to swing his fists to put up a fight - but Harry had already shoved them away, sending them flying to the other side of the room.

Now, he had full access to the one he needed.

Mission. Complete the mission. Mission.

The second his target turned around, Harry wasted no time. Raising a hand to her cheek, he took a half step forward - all that was needed to close the remaining distance between them completely - and pressed their lips together.

Mission. Complete the mission. Mission.

One kiss was all it took to become breathless - that was the effect she had. And god, did he love it. He craved it; he wanted to bottle it and keep it forever.

His target pressed her hand against his chest, breaking the kiss. With her chest rising and falling rapidly, Harry could tell she, too, felt its effect.

Over the sounds of music blasting through the speakers, she asked, "What was that for?"

"My apology for keeping you waiting."

"An apology?" A grin spread across her full lips as she purred, "It certainly took you long enough."

"Well, I'm more than happy to keep apologizing." He leaned forward, capturing her lips in another kiss. "We can put on a show for everyone to see?"

"Trying to draw a crowd, are you?"

"Something like that."

She accepted another kiss before stealing one of her own. "Does this mean I finally get my dance?"

"Of course." Harry grasped her chin with a gentle hold, angling her head up. "Anything for you," he murmured against her lips, "Anything you want, you get, Bambi."

"That sounds almost sounds too good to be true, Harry. I do know you, after all."

"Mm," he placed a hand on her hip, "you do," he hummed, fingers digging into her skin, "Which is why I know you're aware of how I like to reward you when you're a good girl for me."

The loud music took over, but Harry swore she whimpered. Based on the way she looked up with her large doe-eyes and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, he was willing to bet on it.

"You're going to be my good little Bambi tonight, yeah?"

She eagerly nodded and hummed her agreement against his mouth, allowing the sounds of her approval to vibrate this time around.

Harry quickly spun her around, pressing his front against her backside. His arm secured around the front of her waist, keeping her close. Kissing her exposed neck, his lips trailed up to her ear. "Such a good girl for me," he hummed before nipping the skin, "Going to show everyone else in here what they wished they had tonight, yeah?"

"Y-yeah," she stuttered as Harry guided her body from side to side to the beat of the music. 

"Your Bambi tonight... the one everyone wants - look at them," he turned her chin, allowing her lustful eyes to soak in all the attention on her, "all desperate for you - desperate for a chance with Bambi... but they can't have you? Can they?"

She shook her head.

"And why's that?"

"Because I'm yours."

"My what?"

Licking her lips, she replied, "Your Bambi."

"Good girl," he praised. "You're just Bambi tonight. Yeah?" Receiving a nod in agreement, Harry asked, "What's your name, baby?"

"Bambi," she answered without hesitation, "Just Bambi."

This was Harry's plan.

If Handler wanted to play her games, so could he.

He wasn't dancing with Rory - he was dancing with Bambi.

Just Bambi - she said it so herself.

And if that didn't fucking work for her, he didn't care. It allowed his mind to accept spending the night with his girl and stopped him from doing something that would destroy what was them.

Harry hurt others that caused her harm; he wouldn't hurt her.

Harry wasn't inherently good. But he would never risk hurting the good he had in his life.

He wouldn't tell her Handler's mission either. Rory was too good to him. He knew she would do anything for him. Even risk hurting herself by letting him sleep with someone else. And he wouldn't risk that.

Besides, he didn't want to risk ruining her night by bringing such a thing up.

He would accept whatever punishment he received for not completing the mission with open arms. It was worth it if it meant saving Rory from hurt. All he needed was to get through the remained of the hour. And thankfully, his little vixen proved to be quite an excellent distraction.

"You know," she spun back around and wrapped her arms around his neck, "for someone that hates dancing so much, you're not so bad at it."

"It's easier to not care about how stupid I look because everyone's too busy staring at you to notice me anyway."

"They're staring at me?" She spoke in a mockingly innocent tone, widening her large doe-eyes for dramatic effect.

"You know they are, Bambi." Harry rolled his eyes. "But I can't blame them," dipping his head forward, he added, "Because if I were them, I too would stare at you all night long, wishing you were my girl." His nose brushed against hers. "But thank fucking god I don't have to wish it. I get you all to myself."

"Keep talking like that, and you'll have to take me to Cheese's car, so I can show you how much I like hearing it."

"Oh?"

"I've been turned on from the second you grabbed that guy off me and threw him across the room like a rag doll."

"Is that so, Bambi?"

She nodded. "It was so fucking hot. I'm tempted to dance with someone else, so you'll do it again."

Noting the glimmer of desire in her eye, Harry tightened his hold around her. "As much as I want to please you, Bambi, you're not going anywhere."

"Am I not going anywhere because you're about to take me to the car?"

"Not exactly."

A pout formed as she pushed out her full bottom lip. "But-"

Harry quickly silenced her in the best way he knew - with a kiss.

If the desire written across her face weren't already evident enough, he would have known instantly by her action. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt to keep him close, she whimpered against his mouth, causing his entire body to pulse with desire.

... 0:30.04... 0:30.03... 0:30.02... 0:30.01...

"Car," she whispered against his lips, "Now."

That was the last place Harry wanted them to go, fearing what may happen if they were secluded from witnesses during the mission. "Not yet." He kissed her again before she could voice her displeasure. "Patience, Bambi."

It quickly became apparent the vixen in front of him would act in every manner, but once that included patience. With a final peck, her attention moved to his neck, kissing up to his ear before travelling back down. The second she mixed in the use of her tongue and nipped the skin, Harry's fingers dug into her hip. Harry may have known her weak spots, but she knew his just as well.

"Harry..." she drew out his name in a seductive whisper, "I need you so bad, baby."

The sudden rush of pleasure caused him to be lost in a haze leaving him unaware of Bambi moving his hand from her hip to the inside of her thigh. His hand was guided under the hem of her dress by the time he snapped back into reality.

"See what you've caused?"

Harry could feel the smirk crossing her lips.

"Feel how wet you've made me?"

Harry pressed his lips together as his hand was placed between her legs, suppressing the groan that begged to escape.

"You've turned me into quite the mess." Leaning back, she allowed him to see her proud, smug expression. "Why would you do this to me?"

It took everything in him not to give in right then and there. She had him wrapped around his finger. She knew it, too. And for once, he didn't care. He was happy to be at her mercy. It kept him from doing bad things - very bad things. The kind that wouldn't turn her on.

But unfortunately, for both of them, he couldn't give in. As much as he wanted to take her out to the car and fuck her like his life depended on it, he couldn't.

He couldn't risk it.

Harry cocked his head to the side, running his finger along the soaked material. "All of this..." he pushed the lace aside, "just for me?"

She whimpered and responded with a nod.

"Want me to make it better?"

Thankful that the crowd of people around them distracted from Harry's actions, her eyes widened with desire. "Please," she begged. "Please make it better."

"So polite," he said mockingly - one she didn't dare to snap a remark at due to Harry running his middle finger along her slit. "So polite... and so wet for me... aren't you, Bambi?"

Her hands rested on his shoulder to keep her body upright. Each stroke back and forth caused the material of his shirt to gather under her hands. Not only did the sea of bodies around protect them from onlookers, but the music muted her desperate gasps and moans.

"Naughty girl." In one swift motion, Harry withdrew his hand and raised it to his mouth, licking his fingers clean.

"What the fuck?" she cried. "You can't do that!"

"I told you to have patience," Harry reminded. Before she could release another word, he removed the small distance between them, pulling her in for a kiss. "Be a good girl," he whispered against her lips, "and I'll give you whatever you want when we get home."

"You better, asshole."

His hand went to the back of her neck and weaved it into her hair. With a rough tug, Harry cocked his head to the side and asked, "What was that?"

Far too distracted with pleasure erupting throughout her body over the action, she could only manage a lopsided grin.

"God," he whispered, "What on earth did I do to deserve you?"

She giggled. "Mm, I don't know. But you sure are lucky, aren't you?"

"Extremely." His Bambi had no idea just how lucky he was to have her.

"Now, come on, lucky boy. After your edging, I need a nice big drink."

"Yeah?" He snaked his arm around her waist, "Well, let's make sure you get just that."

Guiding her through the crowd, he ensured no one got near her. It was quite easy - no one had to be thrown across the room like a ragdoll (much to her disappointment, Harry assumed). With one look, anyone who wanted to try something instantly found themselves discouraged, cowering off to the side.

However, the second they reached the outskirts of the crowd and rejoined their group, Harry found himself (almost) wanting to do the same and cower away - all due to the buzzing phone in his pocket.

"Take Kip with you to the bar," Harry told her, kissing her forehead. "I'm going to head to the bathroom."

"Be back soon?"

He smiled. "As soon as I can, Bambi."

"Good." She turned and reached out her hand to the kid. "Come on, Kipper! Let's go get a drink!"

When the two were safely off to the bar (with Dallas thankfully following shortly behind them), Harry headed off in the opposite direction. He found safety in an empty hallway - nowhere near the bathrooms but quiet enough to allow his thoughts to be heard.

... 0:25.04... 0:25.03... 0:25.02... 0:25.01...

Pulling the device out of his pocket, he opened the new message.

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Attachment: 1 Video File

Thumb hovering over the play button, his neck strained. He didn't want to watch it - but he couldn't help himself. He already was successful with not viewing the photos Handler sent for his suitors. However, a video file was different. It piqued his intrigue, wondering if it would answer any of his questions from the footage upstairs.

Harry quickly looked over his shoulder, checking his surroundings. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he pressed play.

Security footage showed a hallway similar to the one in the video upstairs. Except, unlike the previous one, there were no people that appeared. And if it weren't for the subtitle that flashed at the end, Harry would have assumed the video was only of an empty hallway.

Waiting for the footage to replay, he quickly paused it once the subtitle appeared.

[ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? ]

Harry must have read the text over a hundred times. Frozen in a state of shock, he couldn't think to do anything else.

[ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? ]

The words rang in his head, and the person's voice wasn't one he could place.

[ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? ]

But just like the effect of the other video, there was something that he knew.

[ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? ]

He knew that question. He knew the voice that asked it.

[ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? ]

But he didn't know why it was asked or who asked it.

"Why would you do this to me?"

The voice.

The voice was talking to him.

However, the sound no longer came from inside his head. The voice was behind him. Harry spun around, eyes widening as he stared down the empty hallway.

That doesn't make sense... the voice was right... Harry shook his head at the thought. No one was behind you. You're just going insane. Fucking insane.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Harry tried calming the thoughts running through his head. At this point, he didn't know what was scarier: hearing voices or seeing the person behind them.

"Why would you do this to me?"

There that voice was again. Harry forced himself not to turn around. It's not there. It's not fucking there.

"Don't hurt her, H," the voice whispered. "Don't hurt her like you hurt me."

Harry sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop it," he muttered.

"Don't hurt her."

"Hurt who?"

"Don't hurt her like you hurt me."

"Who are you?"

His eyes searched the empty space around him, looking for answers that appeared nowhere in sight. His chest tightened as the unknown feeling caused a pit in his stomach to grow. A sense of unease was not common for him, making it all that much worse.

... 0:20.04... 0:20.03... 0:20.02... 0:20.01...

"Harry?"

The man in question blinked. No longer did he stand alone in the hallway - Dallas made his way over at some point, standing in front of his friend with a concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

Harry tried to brush off the question and force himself to return to an expressionless state. But he couldn't. It was written all over his face - something Dallas had noticed and was equally concerned about.

"Keep her busy," was all Harry managed to reply with.

"Why?"

"No questions-"

"No, fuck that," Dallas snapped, "What is going on, Boss?"

Harry's neck twitched. Hearing that question appeared to be what he needed to flip the switch. Taking a step forward, his eyes narrowed at the friend before him. "Dallas," he spoke in a low, warning tone, "Keep her fucking busy."

Brushing past before his friend could interject and attempt to stop him, Harry swiftly approached the end of the hallway. He ducked through the crowd hovering nearby and went to the stairs. There wasn't a proper reason behind this decision - it wasn't like Handler sent any further instructions. However, Harry wanted answers, and getting that meant he needed to think - privately, at least.

Unfortunately for him, the only privacy in this building was the one room where the mission started. Harry slammed the door shut behind him. Standing in an eerily silent space, he closed his eyes and tried regaining control.

His neck twitched.

His mission - the task he was ordered to complete yet spent all night ignoring.

His mission - the sole thing he was trained and moulded to perfectly complete without any issues.

But Harry wasn't doing that.

Not succeeding meant failure.

And Harry hated failure.

He hated it so intensely; it felt like his body rejected even a single thought of the word. A vast pit in his stomach formed, creating a sinking feeling he couldn't ignore. His skin burned, creating an itch so far under the skin that no scratch could solve. Sweat pooled on the back of his neck, and every drip down his spine became a torturous reminder.

Don't let him win, he told himself; he's not strong enough anymore.

The voice in his head menacingly laughed. Are you sure?

You don't control me anymore. His neck twitched, jaw clenching over the thought.

Care to test that theory, 001?

For the first time in what felt like forever, Harry couldn't risk testing it. His eyes widened over the revelation. He didn't believe he was strong enough to fight it off. For years, Harry worked to ensure he wasn't controlled by what they had done to him. But all it took was failing a straightforward mission to leave him questioning everything.

Was he strong enough?

Harry used to complete any mission without a second thought - it didn't matter who he hurt. He would toss aside even someone he claimed to love in the past if needed. He couldn't even think about doing that now - not to her. They had a future together. Something he never pictured for himself, let alone with another person. And the last thing wanted was to risk losing it - to risk losing her.

Her.

The sound of her laugh floated through his mind - the way her eyes widened when she got excited over something simple like opening up a new textbook, how she cared not just for him but for the other three boys (Colson included), and how she brought a missing warmth back into his life.

Thinking about his Bambi was the antidote he needed. Suddenly, the string around his lungs untied. His skin no longer burned, and the sweat on his neck and hands evaporated.

With his newly found strength, Harry stepped forward. Running a hand through his hair, his eyes scanned the space. Nothing had changed. The table remained in the center of the room, and the computer that was once placed on top was now on the floor, broken into a million pieces from his last visit.

"You're going to fail the mission."

His head whipped around, alert to the sound of the voice from behind. But as his eyes searched the empty space behind him, the sinking feeling reappeared.

"Who said that?" Harry called out into the void.

"Is that what you want to be?" the voice taunted, "A failure?"

"Stop it," he muttered, clenching his eyes shut.

"What a disgrace you've become."

Harry raised his hands, grasping the strands of his hair at the root. "Shut up."

"After everything I've done for you?" the voice sneered. "This is what you become? You're becoming a failure all over what? Her?" With a scoff, they continued, "You could easily replace her with anyone to live out your pitiful little fantasy life... yet here you are, risking failure. Just like the thought you can live a normal life, you've become a pathetic excuse, 001."

Rage consumed his body, leaving Harry unable to fully contain the emotions festering within. Breathing heavily, his nostrils flared with anger. The veins in his neck protruded as his hands balled into tight fists. "I SAID SHUT UP!" Harry's voice boomed throughout the empty room.

... 0:13.04... 0:13.03... 0:13.02... 0:13.01...

"Harry?" a voice squeaked from behind. "Are you alright?"

Harry met the glance of the frightened figure by the opened door. "Go back downstairs, Kip."

"No," Dallas interjected from behind the kid, closing the door behind them. "We're not going anywhere."

"I told you to distract her."

"I did. I made Colson take her outside to smoke because it was the only thing she'd accept doing without you being around." Stepping further into the room, he sighed, "What's happening? Why didn't you know where you were taking Rory,"

The muscles in Harry's neck spasmed from hearing her name out loud.

"When you asked me to tail you earlier today? Why did you get a sudden text on your phone and ask if she wanted to go out? Why do you keep coming upstairs? Why-"

Harry turned back around and gripped the edge of the table. His fingers dug into the wood as Dallas continued to berate him with questions. It was understandable he had so many - Harry couldn't remember the last time he kept anything from them, especially when ghosts from their past were involved. However, being understanding didn't make hearing every single question any easier.

"What is going on, Harry?"

His neck twitched. "I can't tell you."

"You can't? Or you won't?"

"I can't," he gritted through his teeth. "I fucking can't, alright?" Slamming his fist against the table, he could feel the wood crack underneath, splintering from the impact. "Because deep down in my twisted fucking brain, I'm still forced to follow orders."

"This is Handler's doing, isn't it?"

"Dallas, I can't-"

"I know," he calmly interjected, "I know you can't."

Kip stepped forward. "But that doesn't mean we can't figure it out ourselves... right?" He looked at Dallas. "Handler-" he noticed Harry fidget uncomfortably from the corner of his eyes. "She is clearly up to something... but she wouldn't set us up the night before... that doesn't make sense. Risk ruining things before we've even started? We haven't done anything yet to find the serum - she has no advantage with taking him out of commission."

"So you're thinking she's just fucking around with him?"

"Probably." Kip shrugged. "Playing a mind game seems like her forte."

"It's not just a game," Harry gritted through his teeth, "She's proving the control that I'm still fucking struggling to let go of." A buzz from his phone caused a frustrated groan to slip out.

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Tick, tock, 001.

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: 0:09.59... 0:09.58... 0:09.57...

"She's texting you," Kip pieced together. "That's how she's been controlling you...." Tapping his finger against his chin, the kid's eyes lit up. "Put your phone on the table."

Harry did as instructed - it was easy, considering his desire to look at the device was menial in the first place.

With a quick swipe of the phone from the table, Kip quickly scrolled through the messages - stopping only briefly as he noticed the two pairs of eyes cautiously looking at him. "What? A loophole always works!" he squeaked, shrugging his shoulders, "This way, Harry doesn't have to scramble his brain into telling us, but we get to figure out what he's been up to!"

A loophole was a stretch. It still caused a desire to tear his flesh over Kip searching for answers he wasn't meant to know. However, another desire to tear the entire room apart and send his fist into every surface imaginable overpowered him.

"Okay... Hand-" he quickly caught himself, "She wanted you to keep Rory happy... take her to a book store... take her dancing and then...." Kip gulped, "cheat... on her." He looked up. "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Cheat on her. Is that why you're up here having a crisis?"

"No, I didn't fucking cheat on her," Harry sneered. "I can't hurt her - not again. And the fact that I won't let myself do that means I'm failing and failing-"

Dallas immediately stepped to his side. "Harry. Stop. Slam the table instead."

Without needing another invitation, he drove his fist down against the table, keeping himself and his thoughts occupied.

"But why?" Kip questioned out loud, continuing to piece together the puzzle, "What's the purpose of making him do that?"

Stealing a look over his shoulder at the man taking his anger out on the inanimate object, Dallas shrugged. "Not sure... Maybe so he'd break a bone over punching a table a thousand times?"

"Be serious."

"I am! Look at him! Oh," he paused, watching Harry cross the room, "Now he's punching a wall. You know," Dallas dropped his voice to a whisper, "Maybe we need to up his therapy."

"I can hear you, idiot," Harry snapped, sending his fist through the drywall.

"I know you can, buddy! And you're doing great over there!" Dallas added a thumbs-up before side-eyeing Kip. "See!"

Rejecting the notion of playing along, Kip sighed. "But why here? She could have picked anywhere, but she chose... this random place?"

Dallas spotted something while watching Harry smash his fist against the wall. In fact, he noticed it across every surface. "There's writing all over the wall," he commented out loud. Stepping forward (and avoiding where Harry continued his path of destruction), he ran his finger over lines, tracing the permanent marker that decorated the space in front of him. "We've been here before," he mumbled, eyes scanning every curve, "We know this place."

"What?"

"We've been here before," Dallas repeated. "I remember seeing this."

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: 0:03.59... 0:03.58... 0:03.57...

Kip pulled out his phone and began typing away. "Hm, new ownership took over this club a few years ago... Cosmic Club... ring any bells?"

That name forced Harry to halt his actions, saving another inch of the wall from destruction. "Cosmic..." Harry repeated, looking around. "Cosmic..."

The sound of her laughter rang through his ears. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, letting out an agonizing groan of pain.

"You know, for a place called Cosmic Club, you would think they'd do a bit more decorating aside from sticking these glow-in-the-dark stars on the wall," she said with a laugh, looking up at the decor. Golden blond hair brushed over her shoulder as she turned to the side. "What? Oh, don't tell me you're the owner of this place or something, and I just insulted your interior design skills."

"Harry?" Dallas leaned forward, snapping his fingers. "Are you okay?"

"It's her." He blinked, pausing to ensure the vision was gone as he looked around the small space. "It's where I met her."

"Who?"

Harry felt his mouth run dry as the delicate sounds of her laughter echoed off the walls. "Handler wanted me to bring her to the same place I met...."

"Who, Harry?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, his voice was hoarse as he replied, "Juliet."

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: 0:00.03... 0:00.02... 0:00.01... 0:00.00...

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Punishment Status - Pending

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Disobeying orders? Not a good way to start things off...

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Our time tonight is over. See you tomorrow for the real mission, 001.

"Real mission," Kip repeated. "So this really was all just a mind game?"

"I think she has too much time on her hands," Dallas scoffed. "Maybe if she put all this energy into finding that stupid serum, she would have found it by now."

Disobeying orders. Harry rolled his head back, looking up at the ceiling. He hated the disappointment that flowed through his body - the shame of disobeying. He still cared, and he hated himself for it.

At least the hour was up. He no longer had to think about the idiotic messages from Handler for the rest of the night - nor did he have to trick himself into avoiding completing the mission through a loophole.

Now, he was finally free to enjoy himself with Rory.

Rory. Not Bambi.

Rory.

God - it felt fucking good to say her name again.

But just when he thought he could free himself from the torturous mind games that were tonight, his phone buzzed with another message.

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: One more thing...

MESSAGE FROM HANDLER: Where's Siren, 001?

i mean, come on. haroldina is never cheating on rory!! that man is a SIMP. he already has his bags packed to move to the moo-moo farm.