Classified || 2 || ✔️ mature

27 | Holland

The ground was shaking beneath me.

I groaned, feeling my hand behind my back, wrists rubbing together, an incessant ache in my shoulders from the way my hands are bound.

Grunting with the effort it take to open my eyes, ignoring the headache pounding behind them as I look around the room, nausea swirling in my stomach as the ground beneath me jumps.

My cheek slams into the floor from the sudden movement and I groan, rolling over and into a sitting position, blinking away the haze.

We're moving.

I scramble to find a good position to sit in as the van takes a sharp turn and I teeter to the side, scrambling for purchase with my bound hands before I crash into the body next to me, his deep groan washing over me.

Pushing back as much as I can, I trace my eyes over Archers face, smiling slightly when his eyes blink open.

"Archer." I whisper, and he grunt, pushing from the wall of the van with effort.

"Holland?" He murmurs, tracing my own features with his gaze, relief filling the hazel depths.

"Hi." I murmur.

He smiles back, the grin lopsided from the split in his lip and I wince at the echo of pain I know he's feeling.

"Are you okay?" He asks quietly and I nod. I look over his body, seeing he is bound to a anchor on the wall, his hands locked onto it and I look to where I was, finding my anchor but I wasn't attached to it. Or if I was, it wasn't very well done.

Shifting myself, I begin the process of moving my hands under me, curling my body as small as it will go and wiggle my arms under my butt, before moving them around my legs towards the front of my body.

Archer watches me in concern, seeing the pain in my face from the move.

"Holland-"

"I'm fine." I whisper, resting my bound hands at my stomach, glancing down in thought, absently playing with them hem of my shirt.

"Holland-" Archer calls my name, "Over there."

I look to where he's flicking his chin, noticing Clay and Cleo bound and shoved against the wall, Clays face bruised and battered.

An ache begins in my chest for my brother and friend and I crawl towards them.

"Be careful." Archer whispers and I nod absentmindedly.

I sit beside them, leaning forward to listen to their breathing and focus on the rise and fall of their chest, breathing out my own anxiety when I feel and see them both breathing.

Sitting up, I knock my foot against Clays shoulder, not stopping until he stirs from his unconscious state.

He moves quickly, sitting up and banging his head against the wall of the van, grunting from the pain.

"Be careful." I reprimand, looking towards the front of the van to see if they noticed anything, but the wall and window between us doesn't lower, the driver and whoever else none the wiser.

"Yes mum." Clay murmurs sarcastically and I narrow my eyes, flicking out a foot to kick his shin but he only grins.

Turning away from home I love to Cleo, rousing her from her sleep.

She hisses with pain, her shoulder shaking with exertion as she tries to sit up but fails and I move my hands towards her, "Grab onto me."

She does, and I pull back, helping her sit up before she leans heavily against the wall, gasping with pain as her back meets it.

I watch her with concern, and her eyes find mine before she smiles grimly. "I'm fine."

I don't believe her but I nod, letting her hide for just a moment longer.

"What's happening?" Clay asks as the van moves over another bump.

"They're moving us." I say, "I guess Liam's stunt scared Director more than he let us believe."

"What does that mean?" Cleo murmurs lowly.

I smile, the first genuine one in i don't know how long, "It means there's a good chance he got out. Director wouldn't be moving us if the location hadn't been compromised."

"But now Liam won't know where we are." Archer says.

My smile drops, "We'll figure it out. We always do."

"How many people are moving us?"

I shake my head, unsure. "At least one driver but there could be more. A passenger. Another car or two. No way to tell."

"Undo my binds." Clay mutters, knocking his hands ageism the wall were they're anchored to it."

"With what? I need something to cut the ties."

Shifting closer, I look at the anchor, seeing the thread poking out slightly from the bolt.

"Wait." I murmur, moving as close as I can before using both hands to try and twist the bolt free. It does but it twists the ties attached to Clays wrists, tightening them and I stop.

"The bolt will either come out first, or your ties will snap from the pressure." I murmur, "or your hands will fall off." I look up at my brother and he nods,

"Comforting." He says before shifting so he's more comfortable. "Try it."

I wince and twist the bolt, seeing what the pressure is doing to his hands and I stop.

"Holland."

"No." I snap back. "Can you move or twist somehow to untwist the binds?"

Clay thinks for a second before nodding, "Yeah, I'll have to move my body into position it shouldn't be in but yes."

"Do it."

He moves, putting his back to the floor and legs against the van wall before twisting again, back to his original position.

He continues until the twists in his binds undo, and I turn the bolt again, breathing out in relief when it finally comes undone.

Moving, he shifts, pulling his arms to the front of his body the same way I did before holding them informs of him and bringing them down harshly towards his hips and stomach, the ties snapping from the pressure.

He looks to me, my binds still on.

I swallow, "I don't have the strength right now, I can still work with them on." He nods and rushes towards Archer, beginning the process with him and I move towards Cleo, knowing she will be easier for me to help with my bound arms.

Within minutes, we're free and I breath out, feeling the van rocking over the rough tarmac.

"Whats the plan?"

"We don't even know what the odds are yet." I shake my head, "But we fight,"

I look at the three people staring back at me and they nod.

The van turns another corner before the wheels screech to a stop and I scramble to sit back in my spot, watching as Archer, Clay and Cleo do the same.

"Ready?" I ask my team and they nod, preparing themselves.

The ignition cuts off and I hold my breath, feeling trepidation fill me.

A minute later, the back of the van squeaks before it's pulled opens nda moonlight bathes the four of us in its silver glow.

Not wasting a second, we all jump up, rushing for the exit. Archer and Clay find it first, overpowering the man who opened the door before moving for the next guy, moving quickly and efficiently.

A shot echoes through the night and flinch, "Clay!" Cleo and I say at the same time, watching him crumble to the ground as another rings out, Archer following him.

My eyes fly to the shooter, anger and agony sweeping through me when I see my father standing there, five agents behind him.

And it's only then I really notice the building we're at, the familiarity like a punch to the gut.

We were at HQ.