"Ten-hut!" One of the soldiers shouts, and Commander Stanton nods.

"Thank you. Carry on. Sargent Adebayo and I are escorting the prisoners to a secure chopper pick-up. Don't expect us back today."

The soldier frowns in confusion. "Ma'am?"

"You have your orders, Corporal. Open the gates."

Still confused, the corporal nods. "Yes, ma'am."

Lawrence and I say nothing as the gates open. My heart thrums in my chest. The man standing beside Stanton, Sargent Adebayo, looks ahead with a stony face.

"Walker, Lawrence, get moving," Commander Stanton instructs, her voice low but stern, nonetheless. "We've got a lot of ground to cover. Want to be as far away as possible before they realize I'm not coming back at all."

My steps are quick, nervous. Lawrence keeps pace with me, and Adebayo and Stanton are a step behind to make it seem like they've got eyes on us. To those watching us leave, they'll see it as a way to make sure we don't run off, since they've got handguns with them that they could easily use if we tried to start running now.

Honestly, I couldn't care less what they think. I just want to leave. The Burn is onto us. Of course, they might think us dead since Andy said we were supposed to be on that helicopter, but I can only wonder how long until they realize we're not dead and come for us again.

My stomach twists and my throat burns at the thought of the helicopter. I didn't see it, only some smoke coming from the wreckage a few miles off in the direction to London. Jo betrayed us by ratting us out to Commander Stanton, but in doing so she saved our lives.

But her and Andy...

My chest tightens until it's painful to breathe, fear grabbing at my heart like a bony hand and squeezing excruciatingly. I barely knew them, but it still hurts to think about how they died so unnecessarily...

And yet, despite the grief swirling in my chest, I can't help but feel like I'm not as shaken as I should be. I always thought at seeing someone die, especially in the way that people have been dying lately, I'd be more of a mess–unable to calm down, going into fits of hysteria, have stress-induced hallucinations like I am sometimes prone to. While I'm panicked, I'm not completely broken down into a useless heap.

I'm unsure if I should be proud of myself for that, or concerned.

I glance over at Lawrence, who seems shaken. I can't blame him. Out of instinct, I reach out and touch his arm, smiling apologetically when he jolts.

"It's going to be okay," I mouth out to him, and he smiles softly. It doesn't reach his eyes.

Again, I can't blame him for not believing me. I'm not sure I believe it myself, not with the sinking feeling in my stomach and the anxiety that ripples just under my skin.

Although I suppose there is some good in the bad. It appears that Stanton didn't thoroughly check my bag, because she still calls me Walker even though 'Evangeline' is written on every single paper I have in there, and she hasn't seen my pills either.

"They're going to think I've gone AWOL," Commander Stanton murmurs, prompting Lawrence and I both to look back at her.

Sargent Adebayo's green eyes flicker over to her. "Both of us, ma'am. They'll know the truth eventually."

She sighs sympathetically. "You shouldn't be mixed up in this, John. Your record's exemplary."

"Broken crown situation, ma'am. I'm more likely to keep my record clean by coming with you."

"After what's just happened, can't say I'm against being constantly accompanied by two trained soldiers. Not to mention these very useful backpacks," Lawrence pipes up.

I grab at the straps of the backpack. I didn't like the idea of giving up my bag in exchange for this one, but it has more room, something useful since this could be a long trek to Edinburgh.

Commander Stanton narrows her eyes at us. "And what has happened, exactly? Who took down one of my birds in the clear blue, in the middle of a Scotland-wide power cut? If it's classified, it's classified, but I want to know everything you can tell. Forgive me, but you don't seem like Intelligence to me."

I almost laugh at her words, mostly because she's completely right. With the way I'm dressed and both my and Lawrence's personalities, it's not hard to see that we're not Intelligence.

Still Lawrence sighs, biting his lip as he debates what to say. "Uh, well, I suppose I can tell you... how I got involved? I mean, that's like, civilian life, right?"

"Guys," Charlie announces. She sounds tired. "I've got to go get some rest. Been on duty here for more than twenty-four hours and... but yeah, you can tell her that. She deserves to know as much as we can reasonably share. And thank you. You've seen what the stakes are now."

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious it was always serious."

Commander Stanton scoffs, mistaking his reply to Charlie as one to her. "Yes, there's no doubt about that."

"We're being followed, ma'am," Adebayo states. His jaw tenses. "Two miles off, northwest."

My eyes go big in shock. "Two miles? How can you possibly-"

"Someone's wearing body armor."

When I don't give any reply, Stanton explains it to me. "It has a distinctive dull shine with the sun catches it."

Lawrence swallows. "That's... not good."

"It's not a bother," Sargent Adebayo states casually. "I'm from around here. Know these hills well. Qe'll head for a croft I know, and if I can't lose them on my own terf, well, then we're in trouble."

He forces a strained laugh. "Yeah, trouble."

The glance he casts at me shows his worry, but I simply smile as assurringly as I can. I follow Sargent Adebayo as he takes the lead, taking us off the path and into the woods. I keep my eyes down on the shape rocks and tree stumps, stepping over them with ease. I'm thankful that Lawrence and I were given different changes of clothes even though like my bag, we had to leave our original clothes behind.

The change of clothes allows for better mobility. Although from how Lawrence has to hold onto my arms to keep from toppling over every thirty seconds, I don't think it's helping him much.

It has, however, given me some entertainment.

Still, I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing since I don't want to embarrass the clumsy man. Instead, I just let him keep ahold of me as I try to match Adebayo's pace.

His steps are quick and silent, face void of emotion. Stanton's eyes are a bit harder, more determined. They're everything you would imagine when thinking of someone in the military-hard features, intimidating, closed off.

Lawrence trips again, nearly dragging me down with him as he winces in pain. He sends a glare to the tree root that caused him to stumble before sighing in exasperation.

"Look, as nice as it is for Walker to let me use her to keep from falling flat on my face, this is getting ridiculous. Can't we slow it down a bit?"

"Not if we want to get away from your enemies, this Burn," Stanton replies in a clipped tone, ignoring Lawrence's huff. "How're we going, John?"

"We're making good time, ma'am," Adebayo replies. "I think we'll have surprised them. Unless you know these woods well, you'd not know this pathway leads down through the cliffs. They'll be expecting us to come out the far side of the forest. With any luck, they'll wait there, and we'll have lost them."

She nods in satisfaction, before stormy gray eyes focus on us. "Time for some explanations then, Lawrence. What is this package you're carrying and how did you come by it?"

Lawrence coughs awkwardly. "I um, I work in a university lab in Inverness."

She quirks a brow. "A lab? Medical research?"

"Nah, we do um, we're working on a special project. Potential of self-evolving algorithms in the involvement of real-time special speech recognition."

My eyes widen in interest, although Adebayo simply frowns in confusion.

"You'll have to slow that down for us," He says.

"We, um..." He sighs. "I know there was some joint project with the government in the department led by Pro. Emmanuel. I'm just a PhD candidate. I don't get invited to those meetings, but yeah... Right before the lights went out, Prof Emmanuel found me, shoved this thing in my hand and told me to get it to Edinburgh, to a big lab there. 'Even if you have to walk,' he said. 'We've got a constant in SIS to help you if you're stuck.' And uh, well, here I am."

Stanton frowns. "That's it? He told you to do that and you just did it?"

He sucks in a sharp breath and rubs the back of his neck. "He um, has a daughter... Soleil. She's..." He chuckles, a faint blush painting his cheeks, "super, super cool. Really cool, and pretty. She's a sort of uh, techno-artist. Really smart and funny and kind and... well, yeah."

"And he said he's put in a good word for you." She nods, finally seeming to understand.

"Uh, well yeah. And get me transferred for a semester in Berkeley. That's where she is now, which would be great for my career anyway, and he promised me he'd-"

"He probably wanted someone young and fit to take it."

"And when he couldn't get one of those, I'd do, I suppose," He jokes, smiling when he gets a laugh out of me. Stanton and Adebayo are less amused. "I mean, i-it seemed like a good idea when I thought I'd just have to get on the train, and now I'm in too deep to get out now, with people searching for us. They've seen my face, and there really were quite a lot of explosions. Have you noticed that? And then what happened to Jo..."

"We just have to get to Edinburgh," I tell him when I notice he's started to pale from worry. Glancing ahead, I ask, "How close are we to the croft, Sargent Adebayo?"

"Just up yonder, over the hill. Take a wee walk. Shouldn't be more than an hour or two from here and then we'll have a dry place for the night."

Charlie sighs in my ear. "Um, no you won't. Look ahead."

How did she... she's only been resting for about an hour. How is she back already?

"What?" Lawrence asks, obeying and then sucking in a sharp breath. "Oh. Stanton, look."

When he points ahead, I can see them. It's that dull shine Stanton spoke of-multiple. They're coming down to head us off.

Almost immediately, Adebayo switches directions, barking orders for us to follow him into a small valley, saying there's a burn there.

"A Burn? Isn't that the exact thing we're supposed to be avoiding?" Lawrence asks, and Stanton rolls her eyes at him.

"Burn: Scottish river. Not the Burn: shadowy organization that's trying to kill you to get those devices from you."

Sargent Adebayo chuckles. "I have to say, I'm impressed that two civilians didn't just give the devices to the Burn. You didn't think of that, either of you?"

I shake my head because honestly, I hadn't. I'd thought of giving it to the police, but never the people trying to kill me.

"Well, we're not terrible people, John," Lawrence says with a slight frown. "Plus, when people are shooting at you, it tends to become pretty obvious which side is which, you know?"

He doesn't answer, instead leading us down to the rushing water of the river. "If I know this stretch of river, one of my grandad's pals always used to tie his boat under this rock."

Just as he predicted, there is a boat tied under the rock he chooses. He mumbles something about it being either his or someone else's, but he seems to have no qualms over the idea of stealing it.

"That's incredible local knowledge," Lawrence says, impressed.

Stanton hums thoughtfully. "Get in, Walker, Lawrence."

We don't need to be told twice, and a second later after Stanton and Adebayo have climbed into the boat, we're casted off.

I find myself grinning with glee as we start moving, water rushing around us. A small feeling of relief washes over me. "Unless the Burn have brought boats, there's no chance of them catching us now."

"Aye," Adebayo agrees. "We'll get away alright. It's just, um..."

I sense his hesitation and cock my head to the side. "What?"

"Well, in a mile or two, we are going to come to some rapids."

•

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God!" Lawrence shouts, one hand clinging to his seat on the boat and the other gripping my shoulder. His fingers dig into my skin so deeply I can't help but wince, sure that there will be bruises from his fingerprints tomorrow. "T-this does... a-are you sure you can get us out of this?"

Adebayo's stony face has been replaced with a look of worry. "No. Can't say I'm sure."

Why did Charlie have to go back to rest now of all times?! She would know how to get us out of this!

I can't be sure of that, but it would be nice if she were here!

"Walker, Lawrence, if we hit a rock, bring your arms tight over your head like this," Stanton instructs, trying very hard to remain clam. "And when you hit the water, swim with the current, angling towards the left bank, okay? We are not going to divide the party. Left bank."

Both of us nod frantically as Adebayo desperately tries to maneuver us through the rushing water that throws us about. I'm slung into Lawrence, clenching my eyes shut at the blunt pain that travels up the side of my body. From the grunt that comes from Lawrence, I know it hurt him a lot worse.

I don't get to apologize because the next thing I know I'm jerked forward. Screams of the others echo in my ears as I'm tossed from my seat, and I barely have time to put my hands over my head like Stanton instructed before I hit the water.

I instinctively gasp at the cold sensation, water filling my mouth and stinging down my throat. My head breaks the surface just long enough for me to cough and sputter before I'm dragged under again. It stings my skin, the cold penetrating deep into my bones.

I flail my arms and kick as hard as I can, trying to get to the surface as my lungs burn and ache for air. I gasp when I break the surface once more, the cold air just as painful as it rushes down my throat. I cough, the water in my eyes making everything blurry. From nearby, I hear Lawrence coughing.

"I can't-" He starts, but I'm pulling under again. It takes all my strength to resurface and start swimming towards the bank. It's like the cold has sapped me of all my energy.

As I swim, I can hear Lawrence coughing and sputtering, as well as Stanton's shout.

"I've got you. I've got you, Lawrence. Stop struggling!"

Adebayo makes it to the bank first, grabbing my arms and helping me out of the water. I nearly collapse, just barely able to hold myself up on all fours. Stanton drags Lawrence to the bank and out of the water, panting harshly as Lawrence continues to cough.

"You saved my life," He breathes, and she nods.

"Just doing my job. Come on. Stand up. If we don't get moving and find warm clothes, hypothermia will get us before the Burn will."

I would suggest if we had brought our change of clothes, maybe we could've changed into them, but that wouldn't be true since everything in our backpacks are soaked as much as we are. After taking off my backpack to shake out the water dragging it down, I look inside, finding all my papers soaked with the ink stained and smeared.

Tears of frustration prickle at my eyes. I'm sure it's a good thing that it's happened, since no one will be able to know who I am if I were to somehow lose this backpack, but I spent so much time working on these papers, making sure all the forms were filled out correctly so I could start my job. It's such a small thing, but with everything that's happened, a small thing is all it takes to make sobs bubble up my throat.

I swallow them down, thankful that I'm dripping wet or else the few tears that slip past my lashes would be noticeable and my sniffles wouldn't be mistaken from the sudden cold. With shaking shoulders, I bite back my sobs, even though now all I want to do is just stand here and cry.

So much for not being as upset as I thought.

More tears slip past, and I wipe at my wet cheeks, my fingers starting to ache from the cold.

"Walker, are you okay?" Lawrence asks, and that only wants to make me cry more.

"I'm fine," I answer, hating how my voice cracks and more tears sting my eyes. "I-"

A phone rings, and I freeze. I imagine if I were a dog, my ears would be perked with alertness.

"Uh, Walker?"

"I'm fine," I say, more confidently, following the sound and ignoring the curious look he gives me. I find the source quickly, an old flip phone buried underneath the dead leaves, and yet it's still working. It's still ringing.

It shouldn't be ringing. It can't be ringing.

This isn't real.

It isn't. I know that, but I also I know won't stop hearing it until I answer.

And so I do, and immediately I'm somewhere else, back with that man, Dave, in some kind of bar-a place I avoid because alcohol and I don't mix. Just the smell, strong and pungent in the air, is enough to make me gag.

"I was back visiting a mate in Cambridge when she approached me," Dave says, sitting at a small, secluded table. He doesn't look at me. "It was the near the same place I got recruited. Elspeth swore that wasn't deliberate, but I never believed her. The symbolism is too perfect. She just came up and talked to me. Sat on a wornky barstool, set her diet coke down and started straight in."

As he says that, a woman with dark skin and black hair approaches him. She has a diet coke in her hand, which she sets down and then sits on the barstool. Her sapphire blues eyes shine as she looks at him.

"Hello. You got a minute or two to talk?" She asks, although he doesn't answer right away, instead continuing to monologue.

"I thought... 'you're in there, mate.' Only not really, because that kind of thing never really happened to me. And Elspeth's so pretty."

He's not wrong. The woman certainly is beautiful-glossy hair, clear skin with no discernable flaws even without makeup.

"She's very serious lookin', but when she smiles, it's amazing. Like her whole face changes. And I've always been a sucker for dark hair." He laughs. "So, I was totally waiting for the other shoe to drop. And yeah, it dropped pretty hard. She didn't pussyfoot around it. That wasn't her way. She just went right in with the whole-"

"What you're doing is wrong, you know that, right?" She glowers. "You're executing people without a trail. This is the 21st century, Dave. This isn't the middle ages. Aren't we better than that now?"

"It wasn't anything I hadn't already thought myself," He says casually. "I agreed with her, but it wasn't why I said I'd meet with her again. I didn't betray my country out of principle. I did it for a woman." He scoffs, looking down into his drink. "How pathetic is that?"

Click.

I breathe sharply, the cold hitting me all at once. I hadn't realized it, but during my hallucination, I didn't feel cold it all. It felt like I was actually in that bar.

Lawrence has ahold of my arm, dragging me along. Have I been moving this whole time? When I finally start to move my feet for myself instead of allowing myself to be pulled like a dog on a leash, he looks at me.

"You just stopped," He says. "You were staring at that cellphone, but you dropped it when I started dragging you. Are you sure you're okay? Did you-did you hit your head when the boat tipped?"

I shake my head, mumbling out an apology for my behavior. "I'm fine. I just... sorry."

It's then I realized I haven't taken my medicine today. I thought about it, but I never got the chance. It doesn't work as well when I'm stressed, but not taking it at all won't be good either, especially since I didn't get a chance to take it yesterday.

I'll take it as soon as we find some shelter, I think, wrapping my arms around myself. I can't afford to slow everyone down when the wind is blowing, making what was once cool temperature feel like ice to our soaked forms.

"How much farther 'til this cottage, John?" Lawrence asks, shivering.

"Ah, it's nay far. There's a winter shepherd's hut in another mile or so. Should have warm blankets, makings of a fire, maybe even some tins of food if we're lucky."

Stanton tilts her head. "You must have spent quite some time here as a kid then."

Adebayo nods. "I come from Glasgow. That's where my parents lived, but my mum's parents live right here in the highlands, just north of Aviemore."

"Lucky for us," I say, forcing a smile.

Stanton simply hums. "Very lucky."

Adebayo points ahead to a little cottage in the distance. "Do you see there, ma'am? We'll get there soon, get these wet clothes off, safe and warm."

"How long since it was last occupied, do you think?"

"Well, there's no way to know for sure. Crafter who uses it comes up to look at his property sometimes."

"Has two jeeps, does he? Large military ones?"

He shakes his head, confused. "No. One old estate car."

At that, she grabs her gun, her face hard as stone as she points it at the three of us. I freeze, my eyes darting to Adebayo, but he seems just as surprised as Lawrence and me.

"All three of you, turn to your left, very slowly," She demands. "No sudden movement. Just keep walking, away from the cottage."

[]

"What the hell is this, Stanton?" Lawrence hisses, cold and scared and extremely pissed.

She doesn't seem fazed. "We have a traitor in our midst."

"What?" I cough, my wet hair sticking to my face.

"There were two lines of tracks leading to the cottage. Both made recently; both by military vehicles."

"But that could be anything." Adebayo frowns. "We have to get to that shelter. That hut's our best chance of keeping ourselves alive."

Her jaw clenches. "Yes, it's amazing that you found it. It really is amazing, John, that you know the area so well, especially since your personal records say that your grandparents are from Argyllshire."

His breath hitches. "I-"

The moment reality hits me, I'm grabbing Lawrence and pulling him away from Adebayo. "You were leading us into a trap! You... that's terrible!"

"No!" He insists. "I would never!"

Stanton only scowls at him, before turning to look at the cottage. We've got a decent view from where we are now. The door to the cottage is open, and eight people in dull gray body armor are leaving, most likely heading for their vehicles.

"Walker, Lawrence, move away from him," Stanton commands, which we've already been doing. Lawrence sends him a nasty glare while I just stare with wide eyes at the betrayal.

"You can't take those things to Edinburgh," Adebayo states. "You don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you're playing with. The whole of the human race is in danger-"

"And you're what? Here to save it?" Stanton sneers, looking at the man with disgust and a hint of hurt. His expression doesn't change.

"No government's gonna save us."

Lawrence's eyes widen, and he gasps. "You're with New Tomorrow! You're a terrorist!"

"That's only what people call us when they don't understand. There's a war going one, only none of you can see it. Technology is being infiltrated. It makes us weak, vulnerable. See what's happened when just a few systems have collapsed? When-when your people get ahold of the whole thing, there's no telling what they'll do!"

"Are you with the Burn?"

"Our aims are the same for now," is all he says, before trying to reach for his gun.

Stanton doesn't shoot him, but she does tackle him. I stand there, utterly useless, but completely frozen as if ice has encased my feet. Lawrence is just as fearful, watching with wide brown eyes as Stanton grab Adebayo's gun and holds it upward.

The crack of a gunshot fires off into the air, and I stumble back at the sound, finally regaining control of my body again. Adebayo manages to kick Stanton off and run. She glares daggers at his retreating form, but she holds out a hand to me and Lawrence when we start to go after him.

"Let him go. Firing will just let the Burn know where we are." She stands, eyes burning with anger before turning to us. "We've got to keep moving."

A/N:  Here you go, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!