Li. FUCK RESPONSIBILITIES

Having to save a civilian is not fun. Especially when you're a) contractually working for the CIA, b) you're wearing heels, and c) you're barely trained. Let me just emphasize point c), the fact that my background is an English major and most definitely not an agent.

Adrenaline rushes in my veins, instigated by the panic in my mind. All the breath was sucked out of my lungs by the sound of Katrina's voice. "Listen to me very carefully, you're giving me that ring."

"What's going on?" Chase says over the earpiece. "Where are you?"

"Upstairs bathroom," I whisper.

"Don't do anything stupid," Ace seethes. "Your life is most important."

Charlene Cho freezes in place. The ring on her finger was the decoy, and the real ring with the database was in my possession. Thirteen's people were late to the game. A smirk tugs on Katrina's face, and Charlene shakes her head. Katrina grabs Charlene's hand, locking it against her back, then prying the ring from her finger.

Katrina puts in the suppressor on her gun with the smirk growing larger. I know that Ace cared for me, but the Thorned Kings have killed too many people. Hell, Ethan practically died in my arms due to the dark-eyed woman. My top priority as of now was to make sure Charlene survives.

"Hey Bert and Ernie muppet!" I yell.

Katrina flinches. When her dark eyes flicker to meet mine, she smiles. "Snow. Long time no see. Should I put on another show like with Ethan?"

I held out my own gun and the real ring. My limbs refuse to move to show her how much that comment bristled my fire. "Let her go, and it's yours."

Katrina smiles. "What if I don't let her go, and just kill you as well?"

Tears start to pool at Charlene's eyes. My gun points, unwavering. Shit. I needed to keep Katrina distracted until there others got here. Think brain think. "What font is alphabet soup in?"

She lets out a dry chuckle. "You're kidding, right?"

"If you get it right I'll give you the ring you... you mailbox that's awkwardly too far out into the road so it creates a risk of car crashes."

Katrina laughs. "I see why Ian's kept you alive for so long."

"Why do you help him anyway?" I spit. "He doesn't care about anyone except himself."

She softens. "I love him. And he loves me."

But Thirteen said he was looking for his Queen... How could he also love Katrina? My hand flinches. I wanted to say more but nothing came out. In that moment, Chase arrived on the other side of the hallway. I quickly fire near Katrina's foot.

"You can't aim, Snow," she smirks, barely reacting. The sadistic look in her eyes was the same gleam in that of Thirteen's.

"I wasn't aiming for you, Wolverine shit," I spit.

Immediately, Chase fires at Katrina's wrist, making her drop the gun and curse into the air. She didn't seem much affected by the gunshot. I suppose adrenaline does strange things to your body. Katrina lunges at us, ignoring Chase, and he tackles her down the the floor. Charlene gives me a terrified look. I pull her up from the floor and run down the other way.

"THE ANSWER WAS TIMES NEW RAMEN BY THE WAY," I yell down the hallway.

Charlene and I run down to the elevators while a soft rumbling of footsteps charged down the hallway. We freeze, listening into the thunder grow louder and louder. Shit shit shit.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Charlene pants.

"Uhh... yeah sure. I mean if I didn't I wouldn't have survived this long right?"

"What the hell did you get on the assessment to become an agent?"

Negative 2. "Ten out of ten."

Mrs. Cho nearly faints from stress. I click the close elevator buzzer again and again and again. A mob of three people in suits appear in the hallway, firing at the elevator. I push Charlene into the walls to prevent the gun wounds. We were stuck in an impossible situation—if we upstairs, we'd die, but if we went downstairs—people would undoubtedly be waiting there too. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"We need backup!" I shout into the earpiece. "Chase is in the upstairs bathrooms handling Katrina. We're stuck in an elevator. We've encountered three members of the Thorned Kings so far."

Charlene starts to cry. Not just regular crying, but like crying as much as drunk people with shelter puppies. I slam against the emergency elevator button, making the elevator jerk to a stop before we reach the bottom floor.

"Hang on tight. We'll get Nathan's ring later. Keep her calm and we're headed your way," Ace states through the earpiece. "Xavier and Skye, keep Mr. Vega safe. Daniel, meet me by the lower elevator."

"Am I gonna die?" She sobs.

"No, I'll protect you," I state.

"But you have the body of a middle schooler."

I tighten my lips. If she wasn't already crying, I'd slap her for sure. Bullets combusting on the other side of these metal doors jerks me from my prepared verbal assault. Moments later silence is on the other end. Everything slows. My heart beats rapidly. In that moment, a heavy weight flattened my shoulders. Silence was the most terrifying sound.

What if something happened to Ace?

"You can come out now, Cupcake," he suddenly says while knocking on the doors.

The doors open to once pure marble white walls now splattered with red. Ace's golden eyes soften as his chest rises. Tears begin to pool at my own eyes, and I tackle him into a hug. He embraces me with arms tightly wrapped around my waist, saying nothing.

Daniel helps Charlene up from slumping on the ground. Daniel comforts her and she cries onto him, staining his shirt with mascara.

"We need to get Charlene and Nathan out of here," Daniel says. "We don't know how many assailants are here."

"We've secured Nathan Vega," Skye's voice says over the earpiece. "Headed your way."

Moments later, Xavier, Skye, and Mr. Vega run into the bloodied hallway. Charlene and Nathan embrace one another with trembling limbs. The only person gone was now Chase.

"Chase where are you?" I state.

Static is on the other line. My fingertips dig into my palms.

"This chick is fucking insane," Chase's voice pants. "I'm running to meet you. She just won't fucking die. There are about ten more with her."

Suddenly, Chase's blond head appears in the hallway. Katrina, along with a group of other people are running after him. Katrina has about three bullet wounds in her but she still refuses to pass out. She is actually the terminator.

Katrina fires the first shot, almost hitting Ace in the heart. The bullet hits his arm instead. It causes him to fall back and curse out loud in pain. Ace just as quickly draws his own gun but can't fire before someone kicks his wounded arm. We were lucky that the CIA provided us with the best technology—lined in Ace's suit were carbon nanotubes that blocked the majority of the impact.

I see Xavier trying to shoot at Katrina but he is quickly attacked by a woman wearing a red dress. Chase and Skye are preoccupied with fighting off three other men. From the corner of my eye, I count at least five aggressors.

Daniel tries to lead Charlene and Nathan into the elevator; in the moment, two people attack him while grabbing Nathan's ring. Katrina and Ace are locked in hand to hand combat, and both are equally matched. I take the closest thing I find, which happens to be a fire extinguisher, and smash it over her head.

The extinguisher barely phases her. It just makes her angrier instead.

Ace was losing too much blood and energy too fast. This had to end now; I needed to end this now. First, I attempt to claw at her back, but the endeavor is useless. Lined against the back of her blazer was the same bulletproof material that lined Ace's suit.

Finally, it takes both Skye and Ace to pin her to the ground. There's a maniacal look on her face. Just as we were going to arrest her team, the lights cut off. When the lights come back on they're gone.

So was Nathan Vega's ring.

Ace: "Vote if you think I'd vote win a fight against Katrina."

Octavia: "Lol we saw. You almost died."

Skye: "Vote if you think I'd win in a fight against Katrina."

Daniel: "...I'd vote."

Sophie: "Ok. I can't actually believe you guys actually bought the merch. Please pm me and give me your feedback on the quality! Also warning for next chapter."