Running through the halls of his dormitory, Jasper rushed to Brenan's room, not wanting to delay going after Sydney any longer than necessary, but also refusing to leave without some plan formulated on how they were going to get Lucas back. The mere thought of his childhood friend brought up so many memories, but one stood out amongst the rest. One that had solidified their brotherhood for a lifetime.

"Just this once," I told myself as I ventured out of the neighborhood my mother strictly told me never to stray from. I was twelve years old, but far from a child.

Walking down a street I'd never been down before, I felt independent. The wind only seemed to agree with me as it ruffled through my shirt, making me feel like I was capable of soaring.

This small act of rebellion gave me a little taste of adventure, even if it was in the confines of a harmless Eastern town. I pretended the uniform buildings we called our homes were the jagged treacherous rocks of Shadows Peak, and that I was braving their crippling, fear-inducing might.

Everything up to this point had existed in my mind, but when a scream broke the usually still air, cracking the facade of sustainable peace, the imagery of my imagination dissapated, and I was left just a boy, listening to the cries of a woman.

No, of a woman and a boy.

Dashing down the road in search of their sources, I nearly fell at the sight I stumbled upon. A large man stood on his lawn, his legs spread in an agressive manner as he growled at the petite woman in front of him. She laid on the ground, her face cover in tears with her leg bent in an unnatural angle.

"Tommy, please, stop this!" she begged, frantically scooting away while keeping her eyes on him.

"You always make a fuss of the littlest things!" the man barked, stalking toward her threateningly. "Since you insist on crying, I'll give you something to cry about!"

In seconds, he was kneeling beside her, gripping her medium-length strawberry blonde hair. Her wails of pain reached my ears and went even further, pulling at something in my heart. A need for some kind of justice.

"Leave her alone, Dad!"

My eyes darted to the boy sprinting across their yard, his dark blonde, almost brown, hair blowing into his face as he raced to get to his father. Wasting no time, he started pummeling his fists into the monster's back, but it wasn't having the affect he wanted.

"Buzz off, you brat!"

Without releasing the distressed woman, he backhanded the kid in the face, the sound resembling that of a whip snapping in the air.

The hit knocked the boy off his feet, and as he held his stinging cheek, he looked up, his eyes connecting with mine. It was then that I realized I knew him. He was a nice guy, and I saw him a lot at school, but he was hardly approachable. The bruises he sported often tended to keep others away, including myself. But, now, seeing the situation of his homelife, I couldn't turn a blind eye.

Looking back at the man he called "Dad", I bunch my young fists, my face hardening as I decided what I'd do next. The man was still yanking the woman up by her hair, her screams only fueling his insanity, but when he raised his hand as if to hit her, I took off, attacking the distance between us.

Before his hand could connect to her already beaten face, I jumped onto him, knocking him off balance. He grunted at the unexpected impact, but started to recover quickly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled back, trying to cut off his air, but he gripped my arms and started prying them apart.

"AHHHHH!" the boy shouted like a battle-cry as he ran up from behind with a large branch in his hands.

Swinging it along with the momentum of his charge, he connected the branch to his father's kneecap. A loud crunching sound echoed around us, and a sweet satisfaction swelled when the man cursed in agony.

I stepped back to give his son room to continue, and watched as he lifted the branch up just to hammer it down on the abuser's body. Up. Down. Up. Down. He repeated the process until the stick of nature had broken into pieces, and still, I could see that wasn't enough.

Kicking him in the gut, he screamed, "Coward! You are nothing but a coward!"

Turning his back on the poor excuse of a man, the boy knelt at the woman's side. "Mom! Mom, come on! Let's get out of here!"

When I saw how he struggled to bring his mother to her feet, I rushed over to help. We exchanged a silent head nod before slinging one of her arms over our shoulders and lifting her up at the same time.

She was tired, weak, and terribly injured. One of her legs were definitely broken, but that didn't stop us from marching off, hauling her in the direction of the nearest hospital.

"Thank you...for helping my mom. For helping us."

At the sound of his voice, I looked over at the boy and smiled weakly.

"I had to. But, I'm pretty sure you could have handled him on your own."

Nodding his head, he chuckled, "Yeah. I'm Lucas, by the way."

"I'm Jasper."

That was the start of their friendship, and it quickly became stronger than that word could fully encapsulate—they became brothers. Back then, something in Jasper made it impossible for him to turn his back on Lucas' plight, and that something hadn't left. Even now, as he raced to Brenan's room, there was a tug for him to make sure Lucas would be okay. He couldn't live with himself if his friend was executed.

When Brenan's room came up, Jasper barged in, knowing that Lucas' wasn't the only one with their time winding down toward a dangerous fate. Sydney was also in danger, and the longer it took for him to get her back, the more harm could be done to her.

"Brenan!" he called out as he entered the dorm.

Standing in the middle of the room, speaking it tense voices was Brenan and his cousin, Margot. She looked upset, her face growing harsher when she looked at Jasper, and her dark black hair was a reflection of her flustered state.

"What were you thinking?!" she questioned. "You just marched down to Centre Park and accused the president of treason! Do you realize what can happen?! What she can do to you guys!?"

"Mo, I already told you, we didn't have a choice. We had to—"

"No, you didn't, Brenan!" she snapped, turning her anger on him. "And you!" she accused, pointing a finger at Jasper. "You let this happen!"

Calmly, Jasper closed the door before walking further into the room, knowing he had to calm the woman down before he could address the reason he came.

"I know that it was reckless for us to go through with our plans so suddenly," he began, holding her dark, distrusting gaze. "But Sydney's presence was compromised. Someone spotted her, so we had to adjust. We couldn't lose the upper hand while we still had it. And now she's been taken by the mercenaries—"

"Do you honestly think I care about what's happened to that girl!?" she interrupted. "I've already lost Parker! I will not lose Brenan, too! This whole little operation will be traced back to him!" Gripping her younger cousin's arm, she pulled him close, hugging him in an almost protective manner. "I know you care about Brenan, but I can see that your priorities are elsewhere. Mine are here, with my family, and I refuse to let him be a forgotten factor."

Jasper was at a loss for words at her statements. The undertones were detectable—she didn't think Jasper cared about Brenan's protection as much as he did for Sydney's. Shamefully, he had to admit that she was correct.

"I didn't come here to argue," he concluded to say, finding it hard to look the two in the eye. "I came to say that I'm leaving. Some of the westerners are coming with me, and we're going after Sydney."

"Of course you are," Margot scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

I have to.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Brenan asked, his countenance different from that of his cousin's. Where hers was hostile, his was concerned. "They'd most likely be taking her back to their settlement, where their numbers are unknown. You'd be walking in blind. You can't possibly expect to get her out of there alive."

"I have to, B. I have to."

"Okay," Brenan nodded, fully  understanding. "When do we leave?"

"Oh, hell no!" Margot growled, mentally shooting daggers into Jasper. "NO! You are not taking my cousin across the region to his death!"

"Mo, I can make my own decisions," Brenan said softly, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.

"I know you can. But, not this one. This one, I won't let you make."

"I won't let him, either," Jasper said firmly, causing Margot to look at him with suspicion, while Brenan looked over with confusion.

"What?" the relatives questioned in unison.

"Where we're going is dangerous—more dangerous than infiltrating a building full of security. These mercenaries...the moment they recognize we're not one of them, they'll shoot first and ask our corpses the questions. I don't want you anywhere near that, B."

His desires seemed to pacify Margot's fuse, now that she knew he hadn't come to drag her cousin along his borderline suicide mission. But, Jasper proceeded with caution when he shared what he actually wanted Brenan to do.

"This is crazy, Jasp," Brenan sighed, looking torn. "We're a team. I mean, I know I'm not the soldier-type, okay? I quit the first day of conditioning, I'm no fool. But, you can't expect for me to just stay back and not do everything I can to help—not after everything we've already gone through."

"Uh, yes he can," Margot argued, not liking what she was hearing. "Yes, he most certainly can, Brenan. You have done enough for him and that girl. You should-"

"Mo, enough," Brenan asserted.

Her lips closed to a tight frown, but she listened, much to Jasper's surprise. Still, time was ticking, and he had to finish his business here before the westerners tore his truck apart in impatience.

"I came to talk to you about Lucas."

As his captured comrade's name left his lips, it was clear the two cousin's could conclude the reasoning for him being brought up.

"Lucas can't be helped," Margot said somberly. Looking down at the ground, she sighed. "He's in prison. No one has ever broken into that place, or out, for that matter."

That much was true. Galdon Maximum Security Prison was not only heavily guarded, but it was miles away from the city, in the abandoned outskirts. Anyone coming within a mile of the place would easily be spotted and had zero chance of evading questioning. If Lucas was there, there was no way to get to him.

It's a good thing he's not there, yet.

"That part may be true, Margot," Jasper agreed. "But, with his trial a week out, they wouldn't hold him there."

"Oh my God! That's right!" Brenan exclaimed, a hopeful smile forming on his face. "They'd keep him in the jail by the courthouse!"

Exactly.

"I think that's a bit less daunting than Galdon Maximum, don't you think?" Jasper asked, the corners of his mouth lifting.

The look in Brenan's eyes burned with a flame of determination, and if he had that, no one could talk him out of it—not even Margot Lee.

"No man left behind," he said.

"At least not Lucas," Jasper stated.

Seeming flustered, Margot stepped forward, pushing Jasper back until she and him had a bit of distance from Brenan. When his back touched the wall, she seemed satisfied and leaned in to whisper her grievance.

"If he gets arrested, he'll blame himself. If he fails, he'll blame himself. No matter how hard he tries, and how much he gives, if Lucas doesn't make it out of there, Brenan is going to blame himself," she shared sharply. Each sentence stung as Jasper felt her jab his chest with her sharpened nails. "But, understand this clearly—If anything happens to him, anything, you are to blame, and I will never let you forget that."

Looking over her head at the guy already at work on his computer, Jasper couldn't imagine someone as gentle as him getting harmed, or worse, killed.

"Margot-"

"Don't," she cut him off harshly, taking a small step back. Crossing her arms, she looked over her shoulder at Brenan. "You've already put the idea in his head. Nothing'll stop him from at least trying."

Staring at the guy that had grown to be a close and trusted friend, Jasper couldn't stop the fear from growing that he may have just endangered him, and he wouldn't be there to protect him if need be.

Clearing his throat, Jasper spoke up, "I have to go."

"Stay alive, Jasp!" Brenan ordered, taking his attention off the computer screen and onto the 6'2" cadet making his way to the door. "When you get back, Lucas will be here waiting for you."

Exchanging a wary glance with Margot, Jasper forced a smile on his face. "I don't doubt it."

The run back to the parking garage was stressful. More people than before were piled into the halls, all frantically trying to make sense of the revelation he and his team had just unleashed on them.

"Excuse me," he would say as he maneuvered his way through. "Watch out."

It wasn't until a large guy stood in the very center of the hall, and was too busy calling the situation in the park the "work of a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists", that Jasper had to get more forceful.

"Move!" he shouted, shoving the man out of the way. "And wake the hell up! You are nothing but a pawn to Denali!"

After his outburst, people began to part, making a way for him to run more freely. When the door to the garage came into view, Jasper made no effort to slow down. Bursting through, he sprinted to his truck, noticing the way the westerners perked up at the sight of him. None of them looked welcoming however. Baron wasn't much better—he simply took his feet off the dashboard and sat up straight, preparing for the drive.

"Took you long enough," Casey grumbled as soon as Jasper got in.

"Look, I worked as fast as I could," he defended, making eye contact with the disgruntled westerner in his back seat. "Sydney's life isn't the only one in danger. She would understand."

"Can we just go, already?!" the darker haired man questioned, anger and sorrow swirled into one coating his words. "Brooke is-is..."

"Breathe, Reid. We'll get her."

With Casey's attention now on his distressed friend, Jasper pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and sped out onto the streets of Galdon, heading down the road he traveled just recently when he was checking Sydney's location, before she showed up.

"The mercenaries went the other way," that same nagging voice pointed out from the backseat as they passed by Centre Park.

"I know."

Jasper could feel the eyes of everyone in the vehicle on him, waiting for an explanation.

"If we want to find them, we have to know where to look. I might know someone who does," he clarified.

"Who?" Baron asked, interested.

"My uncle."

As he drove off campus and down the country road, Jasper's mind went to the girl he'd known to always be a fighter. He knew she'd do everything she could to defend herself and those that were taken, which made him proud and worried. The last thing he wanted her to do was provoke the mercenaries enough for them to no longer see use for her.

Keep a level head, Syd. Don't do anything stupid.

Author's Note:

Hi, my lovely adventure junkies! I think that's officially what I'll call you from now on 😘. I just want to thank you for your patience as I take some much needed rest. Your support has been phenomenal, and truly motivating. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next one is already on the way! We have to check in with our fiesty heroine 😉.

So, what did you thing of this chapter? Did you find Margot's reaction dramatic, or realistic?

-Mac