Uncontrollable

➳ chapter six

 The car followed behind the van at a safe distance, several feet of road stretching between them, and each minute that passed meant that the plan grew closer to success. The second the transport van could be seen from the station's surveillance, Daisy would send the other Soldiers into action. The officers would panic, attempt to send Nik away as quickly as possible—only for him to wind up in their hands.

Two minutes away from the station.

Aaron leaned forward in his seat, his eyebrows furrowed. His demeanor had done a complete one-eighty: the bumbling, talkative boy had transformed into the weapon that sat beside her. The Attacker.

One minute away from the station.

Her breathing quickened, her heart pumping at a rapid rate, but she kept a tight grip on the wheel all the same if only to give herself something to ground to. If Aaron could push aside his nerves, then so could she.

The station appeared as nothing more than a blur in the horizon at first, and Astrid eased up on the gas as to not give themselves away. Beside her, Aaron attached his voice modifier through a microphone pinned to the collar of his shirt before yanking a mask down. Only his eyes remained visible. He leaned over to do the same for her, adjusting the modifier before concealing her profile from view. He tried his best to keep his arms from blocking her line of vision, so she saw the exact moment the van pulled up in front of the station.

There was no cue to wait for. All of the earpieces they'd owned had been given to the other Soldiers who needed a tighter leash than them. They had to trust that the Soldiers had provided the distraction.

Instead of pulling in behind the van, Astrid brought the car to a complete stop outside the parking lot. Before she could undo her seatbelt, Aaron had leapt from the car.

Just as Theo had expected, the transfer had erupted into chaos. Through the blinds, the station looked deserted, but the desks remained cluttered, as if their occupants had sprung up and run due to an emergency. Then—

A gunshot pierced the air.

Gritting her teeth, Astrid wrenched the seatbelt off and clambered out of the car. She whirled towards the station, in search of Aaron.

It felt like she'd been shot.

Her heart pounding, threatening to burst out of her chest, Astrid looked down at herself, expecting to find a bloodstain, but there was nothing. Nothing. Then why did it feel like her body had failed her?

Snapping her head up, she understood.

A young officer burst through the front doors of the station, his hair unkempt, his cheeks flushed, and his hand latched onto the arm of the person they'd come for.

Nik.

A few days in a cell had not been kind to him. Bleary brown eyes absorbed their surroundings, taking it all in as if it would be their last, and his frame looked smaller. He still wore his clothes, but they no longer fit him as they once had. Nik had always been slimmer, weedy. But anyone who knew him well enough could see the difference. All the fight had been sucked out of him, and as the officer prodded his back, all Nik could do was stumble towards the van. Towards hell itself.

Aaron? Where's Aaron?

The sound of a body colliding with the floor demanded all of the attention. Aaron stood at the passenger's side, looking down at the unconscious body with no small amount of amusement. Not dead. They wouldn't kill unless they absolutely had to—but knocked out. The driver's seat was vacant, its owner nowhere to be found.

The sight of the Hacker spurred Aaron into action, and he rushed forward. "Struggle, Nik!" The voice modifier deepened his voice, like rock scratching against each other. "Struggle!"