Unforeseen Circumstances

Chapter 10

After Faith had left the group standing just a little way away from Alexander's office, a brief argument erupted between the four friends. The men wanted to pursue Faith for a more detailed answer as to how she would be endangering their lives if she told them, whereas Naomi tried to persuade them to leave the matter alone, claiming that she would open up to them when she decided it was the right time to do so. Needless to say, her answer didn't satisfy the protective instincts of Devon, who huffed in frustration at her comment.

"So you expect me to just sit back and allow her to live her life in fear when I can do something to protect her?" Devon queried the blonde in front of him, knowing that that was exactly what she was asking him to do, but refusing to believe it.

"Stop being so stubborn and headstrong Devon, for once in your life!" She exclaimed in response, "I care for her wellbeing just as much as you and the others do, but if she wants us to leave it alone for our own safety, then I suggest we listen!"

"How does that solve anything? She is being pulled apart by this fear. Can't you see it?!" The raven-haired man retaliated, trying to get the blonde to see things from his perspective. The thing that was hindering his ability to act sensibly to this situation was the fact that his emotions were clouding his view and, subsequently, preventing him from thinking clearly and acting in a rational way. The blonde woman let out a frustrated groan at the stubbornness of her friend, struggling to see things from his point of view.

"I never said it'd solve anything, just that we need to also consider our own health and safety before charging into this situation blind," Naomi tried to reason with the man before her. Unbeknownst to the people currently arguing, Brent had slipped away to try and comfort Faith, knowing that all she needed at that current moment in time was someone to be there to support her and reassure her, even if they didn't know the extent of what she was going through.

Brent had made his way down the corridor in which he had seen Faith disappear down, when she ran off from the group in an attempt to put distance between herself and the interrogation she had been faced with. A couple of moments later he found himself outside of Naomi and Faith's room that they had been assigned upon arrival. He raised his fist to knock on the door and waited a while before knocking again, after no-one answered the door the first time. When no-one answered for what felt like, the seventh time, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he placed his ear up against the door to see if he could hear Faith. When no sound emitted from the room, worry began to consume him. If Devon had been telling the truth about Tristain, then Faith could be in real danger if word got to Tristain about the group's conversation after the meeting. Wasting no time, Brent took a few steps backwards and kicked the door, loosening the lock which enabled him to push the door open. Once he set foot in the room, he was met with the neat and tidy bedroom that had obviously not been touched since Naomi and Faith had left it that morning. Panic overcoming him, Brent took off running, retracing the path he took to get to the room.

"Brent? What on earth is the matter?" Naomi asked as the two people who had previously been arguing, took in the breathless appearance of the dirty-blonde haired man who had just rejoined the group.

"F-Faith, sh-she's g-g-gone," Brent panted as he tried to regulate his breathing after sprinting to inform them of the current situation. At the mention of what he had just discovered, both Devon and Naomi's faces visibly paled as they allowed this information to sink in.

"No, no, no, no! She can't have just disappeared!" Devon spoke as he paced back and forth, hands pulling at his hair in frustration and anger.

"Dev-" Naomi began, only to be shut down almost immediately.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! I knew she had a target on her back and instead of going after her, I've been here arguing with you over what course of action is the best to take!" Devon stated in a deadly calm voice. By this point Reece had rejoined the group and put his hand on Brent's back in order to provide some sort of support. A quick glance between the two men confirmed what Reece had already suspected.

"Guys! What if you were right Dev? What if it is Tristain who is threatening her and word got back to him of what you found out?" Reece enlightened the pair in front of them. If it was even possible for it to do so, Devon's face paled further at the mention of Tristain being the cause of Faith's disappearance.

"If that is the case then there has been a mole in our midst this entire time. Dear god, he knows every detail about the reverse, when it will happen, what is needed for it to be successful, etcetera." Devon pieced together, mentally face-palming at the revelation, knowing that the Myriad were one step ahead of the Resistance and now, they more than likely, also had Faith.

"We need to tell Alex. Now!" Naomi spoke up as the group wasted no time in heading back to the place where the events of the day had first been kicked started.

Without waiting for entrance to be granted, the four hurtled into the office and were greeted by a very startled looking Alex. The man behind the desk placed his pen down on the wooden plank that acted as the top of the desk and looked at the group with an inquisitive look, wondering what could be so important that they had all managed to neglect their basic manners.

"Alex, it's Faith, she has been taken and we believe that the Myriad are behind it." Naomi summed up the current situation, in order to get to the point without wasting any extra time. Alex's face morphed from an expression of confusion to one of shock as the news that Naomi had broken to him, properly resonated with him. This was not good.

"Did anyone act suspiciously or cold towards her during your time here?" Alex asked, needing more information on the matter before he could take appropriate action.

"A few days ago she mentioned that she got suspicious of Tristain when he cornered her for a conversation before she told you her decision about the reverse, and pretty much since then, she has been a lot quieter and reserved. So this points us in the direction of Tristain, which makes him the perfect candidate to be the Myriad's spy as he has been in every single meeting about the reverse." Devon explained the past few days to Alex in a shortened format. The man behind the desk nodded his head slowly before he said anything else. As he considered the various different courses of action, Devon's foot anxiously tapped against the floor.

"In that case we need to change our plans, immediately, in order to throw off the Myriad. Devon, how long do you think it will take you to gather a team to rescue Faith?" Alex summed up, knowing that they needed to carry out the reserve earlier than planned, if viable, in order to prevent the Myriad from disrupting it.

"The only people I need for a rescue mission are in this room. Naomi, Brent and Reece." Devon informed the head of the Resistance.

"Very well. Prepare to move out immediately, the quicker we rescue Faith, the better. I dread to think what the Myriad have in store for her," Alex finished the conversation. The four people in the room all nodded in response before beginning to file out of the office, off to prepare for the rescue mission they faced. However, before Devon could leave the room Alex called out his name and requested for him to remain behind.

"Whilst you're gone we'll prepare Faith's body so we can start the reverse as soon as you return," The man behind the desk spoke, causing Devon's heart to race in fear at the thought of not being able to get even a spare moment with the woman he cared so deeply about before she had to endure a potentially life threatening process. Fearing that words would fail him in his current situation, he settled for a firm nod, signalling to Alex that he understood and would do everything possible to make this mission swift and successful.

It was no secret to Alexander that Devon and Faith both cared greatly about each other and knew the struggle that they both faced, what with Faith being willing to sacrifice her life for others and Devon wanting to protect her from any harm that might fall upon her. As he watched the raven-haired man leave his office, he vowed to make sure that the reverse stood the best possible chance at succeeding; so that when all of this chaos was over and done with, they could have a life together if they so wished.