A/N- It's been a while.

How are you? It feels like forever since I updated. Or, maybe a few weeks. It's still a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Happy reading.

~Missing Puzzle Piece

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Floor 1- Main Floor

21 August, 0028 A.V

22:40 (10:40pm)

~~Audra~~

A steady blast of air conditioning blew into Audra's face as they climbed down into the final floor. It was only slightly different from the rest, with no doors whatsoever. The hallway owned the traditional bleak gray floors that served no contrast to the dark walls and ceiling.

At least, that's what Audra expected.

Instead, when she stepped cautiously from the cold, hard concrete slab stair into the final hallway, she was blinded by the luxury before her.

The decrepit florescent lights had been changed into a beautiful chandelier-like light fixture on the gold-framed ceiling, reflecting the tiny bits of light that hit each glass piece that hung upon it like the sun to a plant. It overlooked a broad hallway that could easily fit thirty  or more people, with cushioned seats built into the walls on the sides.

There was extravagant, aureate wallpaper adorning the room, neatly covering every square foot of wall space. Shockingly, it wasn't peeling off, or even slightly damaged. It looked as if it were looked after daily.

A table sat at the other end of the room that seemed to belong to a receptionist. It looked more like a desk really, with pens and other writing utensils scattered across the counter in an organized mess.

They certainly weren't on Floor 53 anymore.

"Oh, God no," Audra heard Lennon nearly swear from behind her. She swiveled on her feet to see that she was several steps in front of her newest companions; they had stopped before their feet even touched the velvet carpet that Audra was sinking her bare feet into.

Sena seemed to know what Lennon was talking about. Her hand rested on her gun holster, tightening every few seconds, as if an enemy stood mere feet from her face.

Audra only caught up when Eve did.

"Why are we alone?" Eve asked bluntly, her pale blue eyes flickering around the empty room anxiously.

Cassidy haltingly answered her, upon seeing that both Lennon and Sena weren't going to step up and take the responsibility. "I- We don't know," She began, obviously stumbling to find words to explain her shock. "This room... it's usually packed with people. Guards, foreign politicians, supervisors... you name it. It's usually booming with noise."

"So this is what the Alliance spends all of their money on." Conan hopped down from his concrete stair and landed softly beside Audra. She shifted over a few inches to stay clear of his arms as he suddenly motioned towards the room in front of him. "It's like a mansion or something."

"You haven't even seen a mansion yet," Lennon whispered in retort, almost not paying attention. Her hazel eyes flitting around the room anxiously.

What are we supposed to do? Audra thought as she backed away from the room, getting closer to Eve and the others. Is it a trap?

"The Alliance wouldn't be this neglectful." Cassidy took out her gun. It was the closest thing to an answer that Audra could get. How does she know so much about the Alliance?

Lennon followed Cassidy's actions, her gun going into her left hand. Sena remained motionless. "Maybe they're waitin' for us." Lennon's voice pierced the sudden silence, her theory eerily making sense. Cassidy shook her head instantly.

"That's not a standard tactic with these kinds of breakouts. Usually, they'd clog up the exits with-" Her voice cut off suddenly, almost in realization. Before any of the others could stop her, she walked forwards, as if in a trance. Audra noticed that she wasn't confused anymore, in fact she looked more confident then she had ever been.

Cassidy strode cautiously towards the front desk of the room, her boots silent against the thick carpet. Nimble fingers pulled aside the endless pile of pens and paper, and fell the floor with an oddly satisfying thump. Audra could see her reach down into the desk, behind the marble counter. Cassidy's eyes widened as she seemed to find what she was looking for. Pulling her arm back slowly, she turned towards Audra and the others.

She held up a single small coin-size object. It shined in the reflective light of the chandelier above her, and Audra noticed it must be made out of some sort of metal. It had a slight glint to it, as if it were blinking light every few seconds. "A voice recorder." She looked at it for a split second, before dropping it to the ground and crushing it with her foot.

Silence stretched throughout the room, the tension piercing everyone's heart and causing them to glance around the room suspiciously.

"Why would they leave a recorder behind?" Audra questioned, causing everyone else to jump as if they had been entranced.

"They're watching us, and we don't even know it," Conan added in, not answering anyone's question but simply adding to the tension that was evident in the room. His blonde hair had been ruffled even further, and Audra didn't have the heart to tell him that it was matted with blood. Audra heard a soft whimper behind her that could only have been Eve, along with a loud thump that could have only been her backpack falling to the ground.

"It's not on purpose," Cassidy interjected before anyone started to get riled up even more. "These are usually placed on a uniform of the Allied. It's sort of a radio, just a one-way connection. Nobody else can hear this except for those in charge of the soldier. It's mostly the Tower Control Room."

"Why would they take it off?" Sena asked the obvious question before anyone else had the chance. She was sitting on the stairs, tending to whatever wound she had suffered on her leg. It was hard to tell- she wasn't bleeding. Cassidy shrugged without hesitation. The group behind them, about ten to twelve armed men and women that had come along with Lennon and Cassidy, began to chatter worriedly among themselves. Lennon gave them one warning look and they fell into a dormant state once more.

"Well then, what's the plan?" Sena questioned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Lennon ignored her completely, still watching the army that was eerily quiet now.

"What's the plan, Lennon?" Sena demanded when she wasn't given an immediate answer. She stood up quickly and limped towards the young woman in charge. "I didn't abandon Fool's Hope to just die here without pay." The words slipped off her tongue with a surprising fury. Audra didn't even have time to ask what Fool's Hope was before Lennon turned sharply and glared at the sharp-eyed woman that crossed her.

"I'm not goin' to explain again why you volunteered to come here, especially not in front of the kids. Now, we're going to stomp out there like idiots and we're going to get out of here, whether it's in a nice comfy bed or a friggin' hole in the ground. You came along with us as willingly as you possibly could, so your fate ain't going to be no different than ours, believe me that." Lennon spat, then whirled around and stormed to the metal door that separated them and the outside. "Now, who's ready to go kick some ass?"

No one said anything, though the forceful tone of Lennon's voice almost scared Audra into nodding quickly. Sena cocked her gun solemnly, apparently gathering up her dignity that had been scattered across the carpeted floor by Lennon's rant. The tiny army behind them just gathered up their weapons quietly, not even looking at Audra or anyone else in particular.

What Audra did know was that in mere minutes, no, mere seconds they would be outside, sunlight piercing her skin and grass tickling her ankles. Impatience built up in her gut. Or was it nervousness? What if it's not what you expect? Her inner thoughts hisses at her, making her rethink this whole mission, if that's what it was called now. She didn't seem like the only one- Conan's eyes were restless, not meeting anyone's eyes, and Eve couldn't stop fidgeting with the t-shirt that clung to her body.

Audra glanced at the front of the room, noticing how Lennon watched them all with morbid curiosity as they prepared. Audra noticed how her hair was out of its ponytail, bounding down her shoulders. If it weren't for a scar down her cheek and bloodstained clothes, Lennon could almost be described as beautiful.

Audra wondered how Lennon- or even anybody here- had gotten into this mess. She'd only known all of them for an hour or so, and already she felt closer to them than almost anyone she had ever met.

Lennon noticed Audra's staring, and had begun to give her an intense glare. "Whatcha lookin' at, kid?" Her voice owned a harsh tone, but her eyes betrayed her sympathy.

"Nothing," Audra muttered under her breath. "Nothing at all."

The Converse-owning woman said nothing in response, either.

The loud, gut wrenching sound of a throat being cleared echoed throughout the room. "Are we leaving yet?"

All eyes turned to the source of the sound. Cassidy rolled her eyes at the newfound attention that was given to her. "Well?" She pressed on, even more impatient than Conan, Audra, and Eve combined. "We don't have all night."

All night?

"Let's move!" Lennon barked at everyone, turning the door handle roughly and pointing her gun to the scene before her. Audra followed Cassidy on the way out, a protective arm shooting out from the taller girl, to protect her, she assumed.

As she stepped out of the Tower hat had sheltered her the entire course of her life, Audra realized that she hadn't just walked out of a prison- she had walked away from family.

The moon glinted horrifyingly over the bloodshed below.