The first thing Wren did when they reached HQ was show Alex the bunk he would be sleeping in. Thankfully, he got a small room to himself. Wren never explained why, she just told him the schedule, and then disappeared down the hall, leaving him alone in his new bedroom.

He didn't have a change of clothes with him, but he found a couple of identical uniforms in the closet that fit him okay, so he switched into one of those. The room was empty, except for a small bed and the closet, so he exited the room and went to find Zephyr. Now that he was away from Mersor and his government men, he needed to tell her the whole story.

Halfway down the hall, he ran into someone he knew. "Ethan," he muttered.

The other man crossed his arms. "I go by Bear now, but you can call me Dylan if you like." His eyes flashed dangerously. "Look at you. I see you managed to find someone to help you escape."

"Did you really think Mersor could keep me chained up forever while you paraded around pretending to be me? Something would have happened, and I would have gotten free," Alex responded, clenching his fists. "It's over, Ethan. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

"Oh, but it really isn't over, Alex. As long as I'm here, I have access to your precious Wren. If you say a word about who you really are, I'll end her, and it won't be quick. Think about that before you try anything. Her life is in your hands," Ethan answered, giving him a cold smile.

"I could tell them and you wouldn't have a clue until they came to get you," Alex ground out, his anger mounting.

Ethan laughed. "But you won't risk that, will you? You won't risk losing her. I'll see you later, Alex. Enjoy your stay. It'll be short, as I'm sure Akram will be wanting you back very soon."

Alex stared at Ethan's back as he strode away, resisting the urge to pummel him. Not for the first time, Alex thought back on the day he'd allowed them to figure out exactly what it took to make him cooperate. That day had been less of a victory for Akram than it had been a defeat for Alex.

But maybe now that he was free of Mersor and Akram, he could protect Wren. She was in the same situation he was in, and he couldn't let his older half down.

When he'd woken up in a small lab, he'd found himself in a thirty-six year old version of himself, surrounded by folders and documents. He'd found a complete explanation about what had happened to him sitting on the top of the first box, marked 'Read Me' with a sticky note. He learned that another version of him, the one that belonged in the body he was currently occupying, had found a way to go back in time twenty years. He figured out that his older self was working with Wren's older version to try and take down Akram before he could destroy the world. There were only two orders on that document. Don't let Akram catch you, and keep Wren safe.

He stayed in the lab, watching security footage of the rebels. A lot of it focused on Wren, and although he figured it was probably because she was, apparently, their leader, he couldn't help but think that maybe his older self (who he decided to call D) had a thing for her.

After watching so much about her, he was starting to see why. She was smart, sarcastic, and she knew how to take care of herself. D had hacked into the rebellion's security system undetected, and kept it untraceable to the government while creating his own security footage. By the time a week had passed, he felt like he knew her, and he could see what D saw her.

She was smart, sweet, and she had a sense of humor. People loved her and she loved them back. Even though no one knew she was their leader, they respected her, and a lot of them still listened to her when she asked them to do things. She never demanded anything from people, and was constantly apologizing for things. He saw her continual forgiveness, and how stubborn she could be too. She would take forever to admit she was wrong about something or someone, but when she did, she didn't try to save face. She would have the occasional angry outburst, but she always apologized afterwards, and he could see her containing a lot of them.

It was the second week when he ran out of supplies and ventured out to find a village or something. That had been when the government found him. Somehow they had known exactly who he was and they'd taken him straight to some crazy guy they called the Interrogator. He was tortured for weeks, and then the guy stuck him with some serum, like he expected Alex to talk. He didn't, and the look he'd seen on the Interrogator's face had been murderous. He did, however, extract a name from Alex. Wren.

That had been when they began to realize they had leverage over him. They sent in Ethan to take his place in the rebellion and make sure that Alex would conform to any government rules. He became their own personal chess piece, and he still hated them for it.

A tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. A tall, black-haired man stood in front of him, eyeing him up and down. "I see you've met Bear," he said with a smile.

The smile gave Alex goosebumps, and he moved away from the man's touch. "Yeah. He's intense," Alex muttered.

"I'm Ghost. I'll show you around the place if you want," he offered.

"Uh, no thanks... I've got someone else who already offered," Alex lied. "Thanks anyway."

Ghost nodded. "Well let me know if they miss anything and I'd be happy to give you a tour. And don't mind Bear. He's an interesting fellow, once you get to know him. He's just tough on the new kids. What do they call you now?"

Alex considered that. "Nighthawk."

***

Two Weeks Later:

The moon rose early that day. Alex found Amanda staring out a hallway window at it. Ethan was next to her, chatting. His hands were on the window sill, but when he spotted Alex, he casually slipped an arm around Amanda's waist.

The action might have seemed possessive to anyone else, but Alex saw the threat beneath it. I can kill her any time and she won't even see it coming.

His fists clenched, and he let out a breath. Fine. I'll play nice. For now. He had no way to defeat Ethan right now, and he wouldn't stand a chance unless he worked on his fighting skills. It gave him some satisfaction, however, when Amanda pushed Ethan's arm away and walked off.

He was about to go to the gym when Zephyr approached him. "We need to talk," she said.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked.

"You've been here for two weeks, and all of your information has been invaluable, but I can tell you're holding back. You know a lot more than you're telling, and we need this information." Zephyr crossed her arms, fixing him with a hard stare.

"Just... give me time. I can't tell you everything yet. I swear there's a good reason, you just have to trust me."

She shook her head. "We're running a rebellion here. Things are dangerous, and I won't risk lives because you're holding back important information. I want to know everything, and I want to know it now."

"I can't. Especially not here. Please, just let this go. I've told you as much as I can," Alex repeated, his stomach clenching. If she pushed this too hard, Ethan would start to suspect something.

"I don't accept that. You have a choice here, and I won't take no for an answer. Either you give me your reasons, or I'll sit you down in my office and make you talk."

Ethan was watching them, leaning against the wall and making sure that Alex didn't slip up. Glancing around the room, Alex did the only thing he could think of. Crossing his arms, he raised a brow and put on a confident look. "Alright, I'll accept that wager. If you beat me, you get your choice of a reward. If I beat you, I get to choose what job I do here."

Everyone around them perked up at that, and a crowd quickly gathered. "Well played, Alex, but this isn't over. I'll accept your wager, but you'd better hold up your end of the deal when I win. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"How about a race?" Alex suggested. "We each choose someone and they can work together to set up an obstacle course. Whoever makes it through first wins."

She grinned. "And when, exactly, did you want to do this?"

"How about right now?" Now that everyone knew about the challenge, she had no choice but to accept, which would give him a bit time to think up a good reason why he couldn't give her the information she wanted.

"Fine, but try not to be too disappointed when I beat you."