ten ◌ a princess and her rules

✗

Harry was abysmally more intelligent than I gave him credit for. In the last two years I've known him, he showed no evidence; nothing to verify a wide range of intellect. Harry was always asshat Harry, sipping kombutcha and drowning my mother with dessert ideas.

I found him to be annoying and condescending, a terrible mixture that only told me one thing: Harry lacked depth. Yet here I was, standing at the LA Port with this green-eyed fuckboy, who impressively developed a piece of tech with the ability to detect some heinous, synthetic drug.

"I found the freight ship containing the Psilofetamine," Harry announced. The grin spreading across his face like wildfire showed pride and accomplishment. His eyes were combusting with an insatiable determination, like a mother lion's gaze latching onto her prey. Harry was the predator and the massive steel ship was his feeble target.

"Which one is it?" I asked, trying to follow his beam of focus.

"Red ship at the end. Seventy yards, straight ahead," Harry answered. He stared at the carrier, a half smirk planted on his face and I could feel the electricity surging across his skin, crackling with excitement.

A grin of my own materialized and I looked at the green eyed boy with mischief.

"What?" Harry's eyes squinted in suspicion.

"Race ya."

The smug expressions decorating both our faces immediately disappeared, and suddenly we were cannonballs blasting towards a bullseye. Without another word uttered, Harry and I bolted straight for the gargantuan carrier ship. Sprinting across the dock, my body swaddled itself in blurry wisps of the surrounding environment.

My evening panned into a thrilling, heart-pulverizing, and stimulating night. I took it moment by moment; executing the plan without deviation. I plunged headfirst into ANTI's psychotic agenda at face value. I didn't put any emotion into it besides focus and unwavering determination. I couldn't be emotional. At least ones of sadness, weakness, and fear— they were a distraction.

"Tash and I are flying into target. One-hundred yards east of our start," Harry disclosed.

"Copy," Niall responded.

Harry and I were neck in neck as we both rushed towards the boat. On flat grounds, without obstacles, the curly-headed douchepants almost impressed me with his speed. However, throw in an unexpected impediment and Harry dissolved into a bag of dicks.

Upon approaching the massive vessel, we were met with an intricate piece of machinery blockading our path. Harry diverted his trail and rounded the machine, sloppily climbing over metal barrels. For me however, I leapt onto the contraption and grasped onto a heavy duty hook attached to a chain. The momentum garnered at the point of impact, allowed my body to swing like Tarzan on a vine.

"Au revoir, Kitson!" I yelled at the boy who was navigating himself through the cluster of barrels. He and I locked gazes for a quick moment and I knew he was pissed.

I cackled. Like evil villain cackled. I loved competition and loved it more whenever I won. This harmless race across the port; sprinting the expanse of a football field, was just another medium for a confidence boost.

My landing wasn't perfect. I flopped onto the hard ground with an oomph, rolling my body forward and rising into a continuous run. Despite it though, I was still ahead of Harry.

"I win!" I whooped happily the moment I approached the red ship.

Harry, who was only short a few yards from actually beating me, came to a sudden halt in front of me. His feet ceased its movements, but his torso teetered while his arms flailed in the air to gain back stasis.

"In your face asshat!" I shook myself into a goofy dance, relishing in sweet victor. Looking over at Harry, I expected him to be sporting an angry scowl, but to my dismay, he showed no ounce of disappointment. Instead, he was silently calculating to himself.

"There's gotta be an efficient way to climb this thing," Harry tilted his head back, the nape or his neck kissing his shoulder blades as he scrutinized the metal ship.

I fell into a state of calmness as I too, tilted my head back to gaze at the looming ship. It was a daunting thing, floating atop the dark ocean and I shivered in its presence.

I pursued my lips in concentration, darting my eyes around the ship for some kind of solution to our small dilemma. The hefty ropes anchored to the dock would take ages for us to climb up, in addition to exerting ourselves excessively. Then I noticed a steel crane perched on the dock, its arm hovering right above the ship.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," I hinted, jogging straight for the crane.

Taking the lead, I grasped onto the metal bars and began climbing upwards. Harry followed close behind, imitating my movements as we both ascended the crane. I took slow breaths, in and then out, concentrating on my organ's innate behavior, rather than the fact that I was gradually getting higher and higher.

Upon approaching the arm, parallel to the ship's main floor, we no longer scaled the crane in an upwards manner. Instead, our grasps tightened and we crawled across the cool metal. I kept my gaze forward, not daring to take a quick peek down.

Here's a secret— I'm terrified of heights, but I'm in love with the view.

And the one before me, was picturesque. The dark sky melted into the dark ocean, and all that distinguished the two elements of Mother Nature's work, were the fluctuating waves illuminated by silver beams of the full moon.

"Almost there," I told Harry, but really, I was just assuring myself.

"Good. I wasn't expecting a full moon tonight," Harry snorted. He couldn't go one second without spewing some snarky comment, and this time, it was about my non-existent ass.

"I will push you off this crane and will not feel an ounce of remorse," I threatened.

The end of the metal arm led straight to a prime location on the ship. The tip of the crane just about kissed the top of a pod, and after giving myself a moment to gather myself, I jumped off. I crashed against the steel, and rolled my body to buffer the blow. Harry did the same, however lost his balance and tripped on his own feet. I chuckled in expense while he shot me a flick of his middle finger.

"Oh how classy of you," I teased, gasping to add to the theatrics.

"Says the girl who curses worse that a sailor," Harry retorted. He turned away from me and looked over the edge, "I'm heading to the center."

Carefully, Harry inched himself off of the pod and climbed down. I heard him land with a heavy thump and grunt. To resume a better vantage point however, I decided to stay higher off the ground and examine the vicinity from the top. I saw the entire port without struggle from where I stood, the Pacific Ocean gleaming beneath the moonlight.

Through the shadows, Harry swung his backpack off, and pulled out a collection mechanical fragments. I kept an eye out for any strange occurrences while Harry worked with extreme focus to piece together the explosive. Twelve minutes later and everything was going by swimmingly, but when Niall's voice percolated through our coms again, it wasn't the greatest news to hear.

"Houston, we have a problem," Niall broadcasted, his voice pumped with concern. "Tasha, Harry; I've got eyes on four officers heading in your direction. Do you copy?"

"Copy," I stated, crouching down on the pod. Niall was right, there were four officers running straight for us.

"How is that fucking possible?" Liam questioned in irritation. "I took care of all the guards and hid them behind the dumpsters."

"I don't know. Maybe there's a silent alarm we accidentally set off," Niall postulated.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Isn't it your job and expertise to know these kinds of things before an operation?" Liam seethed through our ear piece.

"Hey! I usually have more than sixteen hours to do recon and develop a solid strategy," Niall argued. "You can't pin this all on me."

"You're supposed to be a professional, Horan!" Liam jeered. "Sixteen hours or sixteen weeks, doesn't matter. You make it work."

"Guys!" I hissed. "This is not the time to be arguing. Niall, do you have eyes on the officers. How far away are they?"

"Yes, I have eyes on them. They are less than twenty yards from target," Niall disclosed.

"Ten-four," I spoke, snatching the reins from Niall. "Liam, get your ass over here and help me disarm these fuckers while Harry continues to work. Do you copy!?"

"Yes, flying in for back up," Liam responded with urgency.

"Keep me covered for a few minutes. I'm almost done," Harry updated.

Rapidly, I climbed down the stack of pods till I was hanging onto the second to last one from the ground. I made sure to stay within the shadows, striking the guards when the time was foolproof. Liam scurried from around the corner, crouching down within the shadows. The beams radiating from several flashlights casted a long, narrow glow into our surrounding areas.

"Niall you're fucking lucky I have backup tranq," Liam wouldn't let it go, and spat out another petty comment.

"Next time you can deal with complex security systems and I'll be out on the floor. Since that's all you fucking do— all muscle, no mind," Niall sneered angrily.

"Yo! Fuckfaces, calm the hell down and drop the subject," Harry scolded. "It's difficult enough to build a bomb, much less trying concentrate with you two fucktards bickering like an old married couple"

For the first time, I had to agree with Harry. He made a valid point. Chaos was imminent, and any fury we had towards one another can be dealt with later. Right now and then, our attention was needed to apprehend a group of approaching officers.

"Do you see anything?"

"No, but we're in the right area. This is where the alarm went off."

The thumping of the officers' heavy boots to concrete gradually faded into soft rustling. That's when Liam struck— right into the larynx of one officer. He coughed violently, stumbling on his feet for a few moments before crashing backwards. Liam pulled out a syringe from the side pocket of his backpack and with full force, jabbed the needle into the fallen officer. Another officer was below me, waving his flashlight aimlessly till its brilliance landed on me like a spotlight.

"Hello there," I smirked from above.

The officer reached into his holster to grab his gun, but before his pinky could even graze the weapon, I leaped into his direction with my right foot forward. I brought him down to the ground with great impact, causing the officer to screw his eyes shut in pain.

"Liam!" I yelled. "Tranq!"

The rapid, balletic movements as Liam fought off officer #3 was elegant as fuck. The guard catapulted himself towards Liam who ran forward, dropped onto his knees, and slid through the cop's legs in stunning athleticism. With another syringe in his hand, Liam smacked it into the open palm of mine. The officer behind Liam pulled out his gun, and my eyes widened.

"Payne, behind you!" I warned, cueing Liam to jump back onto his feet, and roundhouse kicking the officer's hand. The weapon tumbled onto the ground with a crash.

"You make this too easy, mate," Liam boasted, clearly enjoying himself.

I uncapped the needle and pushed it into the neck of the disarmed officer at my feet. I seized the gun in his holster and swung it around my finger swiftly.

"Hope you don't mind, I'm going to borrow this," I jested satisfyingly.

Meanwhile, Liam threw a couple of flawless punches into his cop's face— his impeccable aim highly impressed me. With a confident grin, Liam grasped both wrists of the guard and easily flipped him over his body.

"What's happening out there?" Niall asked, panic in his voice. "You're out of CCTV view. And all I hear from your coms are heavy breathing and grunts. I hope this assignment isn't turning all Fifty Shades."

"Yes, Niall," I sarcastically deflected. "I'm doing Liam in the bootie hole right now."

"She's not being gentle either," Liam added. I looked at him and snorted.

"You lot are barbaric," Harry mocked. "Are all the guards apprehended? I'm connecting one more wire, and I'm done."

"Yea, all three," Liam informed.

"Three?" Niall repeated with curiosity. "There are four guards."

"Where'd the fourth go?" I asked, gazing in every directions. All I saw were pods upon pods, with no sign of another guard.

"Guys," Harry spoke lowly through the coms. "I found him."

Immediately, Liam and I split up, heading towards Harry from two separate angles. With my newly acquired gun in hand, I sprinted at full speed to where Harry was piecing together his bomb. After a few strides through the maze of metal pods, I found him with his hands in the air, the fourth cop's gun pointed straight for the green-eyed tech geek.

"I have eyes on Harry," I announced, before cocking the gun in my hand. The clicking noise echoed loudly, capturing the attention of officer #4.

"Put the fucking gun down," Liam appeared from the other side, his weapon brandished towards the cop.

"Two against one, bro," I spoke, my hands steady as my finger grazed the trigger. "Drop the gun, or big Payno and I drop you."

"Can you be anymore cliche?" Niall scoffed, an unimpressed chuckle tickling my left ear.

Yes, Niall. I can be.

The officer lowered his weapon and slowly brought his arms down in surrender. Liam and I each took a few steps towards the man, our guns still pointed at him. Right when we believed we could capture this guy, he quickly turned the tables and took a shot at the bomb. Luckily, Liam was talented in catching the slightest deviation and immediately shot a bullet in the officer's leg. His eyes widened in shock and collapsed onto the ground, wriggling in pain.

Unexpectedly, a rush of guilt washed over me. I knew nothing of this cop. On the ground, wincing with great pain, was an obstacle obscuring my path towards success. But this guard— this human, wasn't a chain-linked fence, or a wall. He was someone's somebody, and judging by the gold band around his left ring finger, he was a married man.

"Shit!" Harry hollered. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"What's wrong?" I asked, staring at Harry with concern.

"We gotta run, now!" Harry howled, snatching his backpack off of the ground and strapping it back onto his body. "That shittard cop activated the bomb early. It's gonna blow in two minutes."

"Fuck," I cursed, quickly glancing at the deadly weapon. Wires weaved in every direction from the slab of machinery, as the attached digital clock blinked its red numbers. "Wait! What about these guards? They're not in a safe place."

"We don't have the time to chuck them where the other guards are," Liam explained. "We gotta leave them."

"Liam, he's married! He probably has kids!" I argued, at a disbelief that Liam was willing to leave these innocent people in the line of fire.

"If we carry them out with us, we lose speed. If we lose speed, we die," he predicted. "Tasha, I'm sorry but we have to go."

I looked down at the suffering cop at my feet, a puddle of blood surrounded his leg like a crimson lake. I didn't want to leave them— I couldn't leave them. I didn't want their blood on my hands, to be the reason why this night would be their last.

"Give me your ring," Harry was suddenly knelt down beside the shot cop, grabbing his left hand. "What's your name? What do you want to tell your wife?"

The authority figure gazed up at Harry with wonder, as did I. The scene before me was a tragically poetic moment, one that'll continue to haunt me in my dreams. Without struggle, the guard accepted his untimely fate with a simple head nod.

"My love will always last till morning," the fallen guard spoke eloquently through his pain. "Officer Tyler"

Harry nodded his head, slipping the man's wedding band deep into his pocket. He rose from his position and then looked at me.

"That's a compromise. Let's go."

I looked at Officer Tyler one last time, a heavy heart weighing down my chest, and then began to run. Harry, Liam, and I jolted across the freight ship, towards the point of entry. Leading the way, I sprinted to the bow of the ship where several of its anchors were casted and attached to the dock. Taking the time to climb down the crane was time we didn't have, and I was desperate for an alternative.

"Take your backpacks off and follow my lead!" I advised, swinging off my bag.

Nestling the main part of the backpack onto the anchor's sturdy rope, I MacGyver'd a zip-line. With both hands grasping tightly onto the straps, I leaped off of the ship's bow. A shriek escaped my lips as I zoomed through the air at rapid speed. The trajectory was intense, and landing consisted of falling onto the side of my body and rolling several times.

"You're turn!" I ordered. I still laid on the concrete ground, groaning from the pain before mustering the strength to stand.

From the dock, I watched Liam and Harry imitate my moves, whizzing down the rope at an accelerated speed. Liam, who was all muscle, darted downwards faster, and slammed onto the ground with a crash.

Harry on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

The strap on his backpack broke apart and his body flailed chaotically, trying to gain control. Fear flushed across my face as I watched him unable to troubleshoot the dilemma, and fall straight into the cold water.

"Harry!" I screamed aggressively. I felt my throat sting like antibacterial gel to a paper cut.

Concern prickled my skin, as my mind worked superlatively to devise a rescue strategy. The clock was ticking down at such an expeditious speed, it was as if I could literally hear time hum in my ears. I turned to look at Liam, whose face dropped with despair.

"Liam, go! Get Niall and find shelter. I got Harry."

"I'm not leaving you Tasha!" He protested.

"I promise you, Harry and I will be fine!" I insisted. "I have a plan. There's no time, get the fuck out of here, now!"

Liam hesitated for a few short moments before letting out a frustrated howl. He turned on his heels and ran in the opposite direction to where Niall was. I however, ran straight for the water where Harry's head bobbed above. Snatching a large piece of scrap metal lying on the ground, I threw the makeshift armor into the water before I jumped into the cool Pacific Ocean.

"Harry!" I yelled, snapping his attention in my direction. "Follow me!"

I swam further into the ocean, Harry trailing behind. When he was close enough, I took his arm and pulled his body close to mine. Using the sheet of metal as a shield, I held it firmly from one side, while Harry grasped the other end.

"You're a fucking nutcase Tash," Harry huffed with knitted brows. "I'm supposed to protect you."

"Yea, well this princess doesn't play by the rules," I sassed. "Hold on tightly, bomb's going to—"

Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, an ear-splitting blast surrounded us like a destructive bubble. Not a second later, we were baptized with a shower of debris, while a monstrous plume of black painted the evening sky. A ball of red, orange, and yellow erupted like a vicious volcano, and its violent impact quaked the dark waters. The calm ripples turned into baneful waves, casting Harry and I further out to sea.

"Hold on!" I hollered, grasping the steel panel with a tighter grip.

The metal sheet came in handy, thwarting off pieces of rubble. The symphony of clangs and bangs, fusing together with the explosion's intense heat, caused me to wince and cower. I screwed my eyes shut, silently praying to myself for our safety. Then, I unexpectedly felt a different kind of warmth envelop me.

One of Harry's arms was wrapped securely around my shoulders, holding me into his chest. I could feel his chin rest on the top of my head, and instead of fighting him, I accepted his willing protection. I buried my face into his wet chest, concentrating on his rhythmic heart pounding like tribal drumbeats. This unanticipated gesture was quite peculiar because it went against Harry's very archetype, but at the same exact time, it was pleasant.

"Tasha, Harry! Can you hear me?" Liam sputtered.

"Yea," I was shocked. "How do our coms still work? Harry and I are submerged in water."

"Let's be real, like I'd develop anything that can't withstand extreme weather," Niall gloated. "It feels so good to hear your voice. You worried the shit out of me. How's Harry?"

"I'm here, and I'm good. Looks like the blast is easing up," Harry's eyes reflected the uproar of ferocious flames dancing from the large freight ship before us. "We're coming back to you."

With that, Harry and I hurled our metal buffer off to the side before proceeding to climb out of the water. Our wet clothes, bullet proof vests, and backpacks of equipment weighed us down, but the weight of the first task just about lifted. We had another minute to haul our asses across the dock and towards the point of entry, before the LA  County fire department made its presence. No words were spoken as Harry and I sprinted one-hundred yards to the chain-linked fence.

Liam and Niall waited on the other side of the gate, aiding us as we climbed over the barricade. In the distance, the resonance of sirens filled the air, and all four of us ran at top speed back to the car. We lingered within the shadows or hid behind dumpsters, as a party of police cars zoomed past us. Once in the safety of our escape vehicle, we all let out a heavy exhale.

"Fuck dude," I panted.

In the distance, the evening sky became a canvas for a masterpiece of delinquency. Opaque blackness masked the twinkling stars, transfusing with reds, oranges, and yellows of the colossus flames capering above the freight ship. It was a beautiful disaster— stunning, yet frightening and I couldn't look away.

"That was a lot more intense than I imagined," Niall commented. "I mean Tasha and Harry even took a dip."

"Yea, I'm surprised that I didn't have to do much to get her all wet," Harry snickered from the front seat. His raunchy joke jerked my attention away from the explosion, and my eyes were on him with a snarl.

"You're disgusting" I smacked him in the shoulder. "I should've just let you die."

And fuckboy Harry is back, my friends.

◌ ◌ ◌

» author's note «

Guys, my home is in flames. Not my literal home, but Southern California has fallen victim to vicious wildfires. My family and I are safe, but there are a lot of people who aren't. Friends who had to evacuate. Please keep them in your thoughts. Thank you.