Fatal Technology

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(( >:D ))

Marcus watched the doctor leave with a smirk and he slipped down the hallway, casual as you please. It helped that he'd disabled all the cameras in this place. The intern - or at least that's what he was posing as - had been here for a year. A year of blending in, gathering what information he could on this place, a good little mole for those he worked for...and now they were ready. The injured agent was just a distraction, same as the bomb threat that the Director would be alerted to in about ten minutes.

No, what they wanted was the best agent in this place and Marcus smiled as he punched in the code on Raven's door, opening it quietly and moving to where the sleeping woman lay. It was rather easy to inject her with a sedative. She barely stirred before she was slipping off again and the man lifted her up, taking her down the hallways that had been pre-mapped out for months and toward the emergency stairs that led up to the roof.

He pushed it open with foot and the alarms didn't go off, disabled as well. About halfway of the staircase, he chuckled, hearing the blaring alarms that set off below due to the threat of the bomb delivered via a phone call. That should keep them busy for a while.

The spy kept up the stairs, the black-haired woman limp in his arms and a helicopter greeted him on the roof.
 
Silas had heard of the shot agent, and wondering who it was, he stooped out of his room and waited, analyzing the area around him. Something seemed... off. Perhaps it was because of the slightly rushing doctors waiting for the shot agent, but the male couldn't exactly lay a finger on it. In about ten minutes, a loud alarm blared out through speakers in almost each room of the facility and in the handler's knowledge, this was the alarm for something definitely wrong. Not knowing exactly what it was, the agents that became startled were trying to be calmed by their handlers and soon all were directed to get out of the building, a few of the more trusted handlers being informed of the cause for the alarm. Silas looked all around for Dr. Adah and for his own agent, but he didn't spot either of them and quickly ran down the halls filled with inwardly panicked people. Soon he was at Misha's door; however, she was nowhere to be found. Allowing himself to panic a bit now, he ran to where he last saw Adah, hoping dearly that the two sisters were together.

Who would dare to call in a bomb threat on ESIA?
 
Adah swore as they had to relocate, the agent under them in critical condition, but they wheeled him out as quickly as they could with all the equipment trailing around and behind them. There wasn't enough room on the elevator, though, so the more experienced doctors went with the patient and Adah took this opportunity to look around for Silas and her sister. She assumed he would have gotten her just like all the handlers were doing with their agents, but when she finally laid eyes on the man her heart plummeted.

Where was Misha?

She surged toward him, catching hold his arm in the chaos, brown eye wide with fear she was trying to control and it wasn't for the bomb threat. "Misha? Where is she?" He wouldn't have left her in her room, would he? No...no, Silas was a good man....she was sure of it...

"Everyone evacuate in a calm and orderly manner, please. Agents, stay with your handlers and everyone meet at the safe house outside the city within the hour. Come people, let's move!" Allen's voice rang out rather clearly and everyone heeded him, calming a little as they kept flooding out of the lobby and then down the building and into the parking garage.
 
In the midst of searching for Adah, Silas felt a hand on his arm and he turned around to see that its holder was the person he had been looking for. But... Misha wasn't with her. The two sisters weren't together, and in the handler's eyes before and during the mess of people, he hadn't spotted his agent anywhere. He clenched his teeth together, grabbing onto Adah's arm and running with her past all the people in the opposite direction.

"Misha wasn't in her room when I went to go get her, and I haven't seen spotted her at all," he finally answered the doctor, eyes scanning every new room they passed. "If Raven was still there, she wouldn't have just ran off without trying to find me or you first." Where was his agent?? Pieces of the puzzle were still missing and that wasn't something Silas liked.
 
Adah felt her heart race and plummet all at once at Silas' words and she ran with him, desperately searching the rooms they came across. "Maybe she went with another handler? She's rotated with a few of them, she'd trust them if they told her to come. Maybe they already made it out." Adah felt frantic, her words almost desperate as if she were trying to convince herself of them. The truth was that she had no idea where her sister might have gone and one of the handlers here was not good for Misha...and it seemed strange and oddly, dreadfully coincidental that they'd have a shooting of an agent and a bomb threat all within minutes of each other.

Something was wrong here.

"All persons are to leave the building immediately. The building will be in lock-down in fifteen minutes. All personal report to the safehouse. The building will be in lock-down in fifteen minutes." came over the speakers and the doctor looked to Silas, eyes wide, but trying to stay calm. "Maybe she already made it out." It was quieter this time, hoping more than anything.

---

Raven woke feeling groggy and with the sound of a whirring engine in her ears, deafening. She looked around at the people nearest her in a calm manner, though, just searching for a face she knew. When she didn't find one was when she panicked, instantly bolting up. She was pulled back down, restrained even as she fought, her programming telling her she was in a hostile environment and that she should get back to her handler.

"Let me go! Let go!"

She fought and struggled, but they restrained her and she was sent back into sleep with another injection into her arm as the helicopter headed toward an island about two hundred miles from the ESIA building.
 
Silas couldn't help but be a little uncertain over Adah's words. It was true that probably the majority of the floor got out with him not seeing it, but... it just didn't feel right thinking that his agent got out of the building without him seeing it. Something was definitely wrong. A shooting of an agent and a bomb threat... there was definitely a master plan to all of this.

The speakers blared out a voice that said everybody should leave the building immediately due to it being on lock-down in fifteen minutes. He clenched his teeth again, looking over to Adah and seeing how panicked she looked. If anything, Silas looked quietly angry. But he was panicking on the inside, too. He had to find Misha.

"Fine," he said after a few seconds of debating what to do. "Let's leave, then." The handler walked quickly to the elevators and down to the parking garages. Mostly everybody was getting ready to go to the safehouse outside of the city, but a few were looking at the ESIA building with worry. "Do you see her?" he asked Adah, looking around every which way.
 
Adah shook her head as she looked around, eyes wide and searching, but she didn't see her sister. Cars were already leaving and the doctor pulled Silas to one, not about to let him leave her sight. If there was anyone Raven's programming would draw her to, it was her handler and Adah was going to be with him if and when her sister made her way back to the man. They drove to the safehouse, the hour it took to get there seeming like an eternity and once they arrived at the sprawling mansion with more security measures than the White House, Adah got through said security quickly and inside.

She immediately went to the person keeping an updated checklist of anyone that came in. The flood of people was starting to slow, too and everyone that came after Silas and Adah, the woman recognized having seen before. No, if Misha was here, she'd have come before them, should already be registered. She asked where Agent Raven had been assigned in the large house but was met with a puzzled frown as the woman went through her list.

"Agent Raven has not yet been registered in the database. In fact...all Agents are here but Agent Raven."

Aah felt the color leech from her face even as the anger in her spiked. "Were any people directed to another location?"

"No, I don't believe so."

"You don't believe so?! We have an Agent missing and you don't believe that another location was given!?" Adah's voice had raised, drawing attention can Director Allen walked toward her, frowning. "Dr. Ben-Horin, I am going to ask that you calm down. What seems to be the trouble?" He glanced from the fuming Adah to Silas, expecting an answer.
 
Silas kept a groan inward. He couldn't see Misha either the longer they stayed there, but soon Adah pulled the handler to a car and they drove off to the safehouse, both hoping that their sister and agent was there.

The male had never been to the safehouse before; he read about it but had never even seen pictures of the building and when they got there an hour later, he was amazed that the building had more security than the White House, their own presidential residence. They got through the security rather quickly and Silas followed slightly behind Adah as she went to the person keeping the checklist of everyone there. While they spoke, his brown eyes scanned the large room. Handfuls of people were there and he looked at each person. Not one of them was Misha. She wasn't here. He knew that before Adah had even raised her voice.

When she did, though, he looked back to her and stepped forwards as Director Allen walked to them and asked what the trouble was.

"Raven, my agent, is missing," Silas answered first. "When I went to get her during the first of the bomb threat, she was not in her room nor with any handlers as far as I could see. Dr. Adah and I searched several rooms, but we could not find her and she is not here." He turned to the checklist keeper then. "Is only Raven missing? Is she the only person not on the list; everybody else is here?"
 
The woman nodded, looking back at the computer. "That is correct. Agent Raven is the only person not in our database." She said it as if the information had just occurred to her, as if she was just realizing that was a bad thing and Adah's hands itched to strangle the woman. Of course, such a thing would go against her oath to 'first do no harm' so she refrained - barely - and turned to Allen who was looking decidedly troubled.

"When was the last time you saw Agent Raven?"

The doctor answered. "Right before I got called away to the shot Agent. She was in her room, locked in securely."

The Director pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, we have a software malfunction in the part of the building right before the bomb threat." he nearly mumbled and Adah felt the icy fingers of panic wrap around her. "Director, who sent that bomb threat?"

"Dr. Ben-Horin, you are not at an appropriate clearance to know such infor-"

"My sister is missing, Allen! I don't give the first flying crap about your clearance levels! Who sent the threat!?" Adah didn't care about the completely startled look on the Director's face. She just wanted the information she sought and was about ready to choke it out of the man before her if she had to. She wouldn't lose Misha again! "Dr. Ben-Horin." Adah turned her head to see the Founder, Robert, beckoning her and Silas into his office.

"I'll take it from here, Allen."

He shut the door behind the doctor and handler, speaking soberly. "You should not have revealed such information, Adah. Your father taught you better than that."

The doctor blinked. "You know-?"

The large man gave her a look, sitting down on the edge of his desk. "I've known for quite some time. You and your sister both look like your mother. We will discuss that later, though. Now for the threat; it was sent by an organization called VIPYR. They have been after our Agency for years and only recently have turned their attention to our agents themselves. It seems they have succeeded in taking one."
 
Silas felt as just as angry as Adah, but he managed to keep himself cool. He always managed to keep himself cool. It was one of his 'skills'. He did, however, give a very small shake of his head when the woman confirmed that Raven was the only one gone. But the director spoke, asking Adah when she last saw the missing agent and he pinched the bridge of his nose at her answer, telling them that they had a software malfunction right before the bomb threat.

Silas was right. Everything wasn't as it appeared to be; there was a master plan to the shooting, the bomb threat, and Misha being taken. Adah was asking who sent it and Allen remarked that she didn't have the clearance for that type of information. But the doctor lost it and revealed to anybody near enough that Agent Raven/Misha was her sister. Silas stepped in to say something, to maybe lay a gentle hand on Adah, but they heard her last name and they turned their heads to see the founder of ESIA, Robert.

Once they made it into his office, the handler was afraid of bad consequences, but he, along with the female doctor, was surprised to learn that the founder already knew of Adah's and Misha's relationship. He claimed that he knew for some time and indirectly mentioned that he knew their parents. But he went back to the subject of the bomb, informing them that it was sent by VIPYR, an organization that had been after them for years. And now they had Misha.

"Why Misha?" Silas asked, looking a bit harder in expression than usual.
 
"Because she's a good Agent. However, she's one of many and once her chip needs reprogramming, she won't be of any threat to us. There is no need to go after her."

Robert said the words calmly as he stood and went around his desk, apparently done with the conversation, decision made, but Adah's expression darkened and her fingers curled into her fists. "You liar." she hissed and the founder looked up, expression warning. "Excuse me?"

"You're lying! You've been lying to everyone. Misha isn't just an Agent and you won't leave her with VIPYR. You'll get her back without making it known and stick her away somewhere. You can't afford to let her be terminated, which is why you brought in him." She pointed at Silas and Robert looked like he wanted to strangle the woman before him but Adah didn't back down, her brown eyes fierce and furious. "Misha is ESIA. She is the first successful Agent and you know that somewhere in her mind lies the access code to deactivate and render useless every single piece of ESIA equipment and programs. My father's fail-safe. He built ESIA, he could tear it down and made sure of it."

Robert said nothing, neither in confirmation or denial and Adah, for all her soft nature and gentle ways, appeared hard and cold at the moment, fighting for her sister. "Now, how is it you plan on getting Misha back? You best inform her handler because I highly doubt he's going to let your men go in after her alone so you can spirit her away."

Robert finally bit out an answer, but it wasn't aimed at Adah. "Handler Haven, this does not need to concern you. Agent Raven was yours for a test trial and unless you'd like to make her your Agent permanently, you can walk away from this and be assigned someone else. This does not have to be your problem."

--

She woke in a bed, an actual bed with a soft mattress that dipped and bounced slightly when she moved. Hazel eyes looked around slowly, taking in the simple yet nicely decorated room...and then the bars on the window. So she was still a prisoner. But where was she? What had happened? The last thing she remembered seeing through the program known as Raven had been the ocean and then she'd slipped away into the darkness again.

Misha's first thought was that she was back home. She was a little girl once more and at any moment her sister would walk in and tell her it was time to get up. But no. This room wasn't right. She couldn't remember what her own had looked like, but it wasn't this. She got up, noting that she was wearing new clothes, shorts and a t-shirt and Misha frowned, trying to think. Had Silas brought her here? Was he here? He was the first person she thought of and part of her wondered why when she didn't exactly trust him, but she didn't question it beyond that because at least if he was here he was someone she knew.

"Misha."

The agent whirled, eyes wide and she pressed back against a wall, looking at the smooth-headed man who was standing at attention, calm as he studied her. She didn't speak back to him, mind racing. Where was she?!

"There's no need to be scared. You are not with ESIA anymore. My employer had you brought here to offer you a way out of the lifestyle you've been forced to live. Do you understand?"

"Where...where is Silas?" It was the only thing she could think to say because her mind was whirling, finding it hard to understand anything between the memories of events she didn't remember that kept flashing forward, the odd desire to strike out at the guard and escape this place with skills she wasn't even sure she had and then the headache developing behind her eyes. Not in ESIA anymore? That meant no drugs. No drugs was good...no...no bad...Adah had said she couldn't just stop them.... Her head hurt.

The man frowned. "Misha, you are no longer being controlled by a program. You don't need your handler."

Misha only shook her head, backing away, her heart starting to pound like the beat of a race horse's hooves. She wanted her handler. He'd make this better. She didn't know him, but Silas somehow made everything more tolerable even in the week he'd been with her.
 
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No need to go after her? That's a damn lie, even if it appeared that Robert was telling the truth, that his decision was made. Misha was just as important an agent as all the others, if not more. And it seemed that Dr. Adah agreed, for she actually claimed that the founder was a liar and he looked up at her with a warning gaze and tone. But Adah wouldn't have it and as she fought for her sister, Silas stayed back silently and observed, listened, finding out things that he probably wouldn't have found out for a long time.

There was no possible way for him to stand idly by and watch Misha get taken back with Robert's own men and have her completely rendered useless, to be stuck away somewhere without anybody knowing. So when told that all of this didn't have to be his problem, he took a few steps forward and looked directly at Robert, not looking to Adah or anything to show just how sure he was of his decision.

"I am Raven's handler, so it concerns me greatly. It seems that I have been the only one making progress with Misha, and she is my responsibility. I would like to have her permanently as my agent."
 
For a long moment of uncomfortable silence, it seemed that Robert might actually refuse Silas' request and Adah bristled, but the founder finally sat back in his chair, looking between the two and he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Very well. Since Misha has been showing progress and more stability, you will be allowed to continue as her handler until as such time that the Agency decides what we are going to do with her."

He shot a warning look to the doctor, but Adah stayed quiet. She wasn't stupid. Some battles had to be fought when they arrived and not sooner. She merely crossed her arms and Robert looked away from her warily and back to Silas. "I greatly suspect that the man who took Agent Raven is known as Alec Romanoff. He is the third most powerful leader in the VIPYR's organization and he has great influence, security and technology. VIPYR is an organization that deals in assassination and subterfuge to achieve their goals."

"And what are their goals? What do they want Misha for?"

"Their goal is to have control over anything they deem should be theirs. Money, power, technology, lives. Anything and everything." Robert answered quiet calmly, his fingers steepled. "I suspect they desire Misha because she is one out of two Agents who has successfully destroyed their plans a total of five times. The other Agent is now dead. I believe they desire to convert her. We must get her back before they are able to."

Adah lifted a brow. "Right, because you know she has nothing here that she'd want to come back to. You've made sure of that, doing what you have done to her mind."

--

They gave her a sedative and Misha struggled to focus and make the world stop moving so slowly, tried to jerk away from the hands that 'escorted' her down the hall. It was futile as she was brought into an office with floor-to-ceiling windows, giving a spectacular view to the sea and the man - red hair and cold gray eyes - who sat behind it gave her a smile that was almost friendly as she was forced down into a seat across from the desk.

"Ah, Agent Raven...or do you prefer Misha? I am Alec Romanoff. I trust my men have treated you well?"

Misha blinked and then shut her eyes, shaking her head like she was trying to get rid of cobwebs. "Le..Lemme go..."

Alec chuckled. "My dear, you are not restrained." he chided and Misha opened her eyes, blinking as she frowned down at her wrists. No, she wasn't restrained. So why did it feel like she couldn't move? Her head pounded and Misha realized the man had stood and had set his hand on her hair in an almost comforting gesture. "There, there, Misha. We'll make the pain go away. Would you like that?"

She nodded slowly. Yes, she'd like the pain to be gone. Someone had told her they could help before. Who had said that? A man with...with light brown eyes and...a coldness to him....but not cold like this man...not cold like the hand on her... Misha jerked away from Alec's touch, her hazel eyes focusing on him for a brief moment, glittering with distrust and wariness. "Leave me alone." Not exactly forceful or threatening, but it got her point across and the man's expression darkened.

"Perhaps you need more time to think about it."

He gestured for the guards to take her away again and this time Misha was put into a cell that almost seemed very familiar. She curled into the corner and wished for the swirling chaos in her mind to settle.
 
Silas eyed the founder with something that couldn't necessarily be explained when a silence settled between the three, but it was definitely there and it was definitely not on a pleasant scale. Robert finally agreed as he sat back in his chair though, so at least Silas got through him with that. But he said that he could only have Misha until ESIA decides on what to do with her, and that made Silas feel strangely unsettled. But he, too, knew that some battles needed to be fought only when the time came, so he stayed quiet along with the doctor beside him.

VIPYR and Alec Romanoff neither sounded familiar, but the handler made sure to especially keep these names in special mind. He had a very basic idea of Alec: he was the third most powerful in VIPYR - which specialized in assassination and subterfuge to get what they wanted - and had great influence, security and technology. According to Robert, the company's goal with Misha was to convert her to their own as she had destroyed their plans five times over, making her the best agent out there. Silas looked to Adah at her remark and words of assurance flooded through his mind, but he kept them to say for when the two were just alone, because there was a possibility his words might give Robert comfort where Adah's words had possibly stung him. He needed to learn the wrong he had done to Misha, and to very well other agents.

Before the two could continue, Silas stepped in once more. It was time to get down to business.

"I need everything you know on VIPYR," he informed Robert seriously. "Everything. Anything on their company, the architecture, their security and technology, other important leaders. Anything and everything."
 
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Over the next few days, Silas was given the information he wanted. It took many meetings, though, and other operatives had to be briefed as well, some of them knowing more than others, but none of them knowing as much as Silas was privy to. This would be his mission and getting Misha back would be his responsibility.

The handler was told that VIPYR posed as a weapon's manufacturer. They provided agencies with the latest technology in weapons - or so they said - but on the side they sold to the blackmarket and terrorists. Of course, along with this deception was a deeper one; VIPYR was also involved with spies-for-hire and assassinations of their own choosing, and such skillful agents given to the highest bidder.

Their security was nearly as good as ESIA's own. They had the latest technology for everything. Cameras, automatic guns, sensors, fingerprint sensitive doors, retina sensitive locks, voice recognition passwords, full-body scanners, DNA testers and other such things. They were high-security, just as ESIA was. The only thing they didn't possess was the chip-controlled Agents, not having the technology for it, but with Misha in their possession...they might not need it OR they could use her mind to discover how it worked. Either option wasn't a good one.

The architecture depended on the building and VIPYR had many. However, they suspected that Misha was being held on an island close by, a place only accessible by air or water - and water was suicide, though, air wasn't much better - and looking more like a sprawling beach-house with floor-to-ceiling windows and an open floor plan in the main parts of the house, but with many labyrinth-like underground tunnels below the house itself.

Important leaders...were not disclosed at this time. Such information was not important to this mission. However, information on Alec Romanoff was provided, though, unfortunately there wasn't a great deal. He had been a skilled assassin for VIPYR for ten years before he was promoted. He was ruthless, hiding behind a face of charm and charisma. He was cold and rumor had it that he'd killed his parents at the age of eight. He'd lived on the streets then and by the time he was fifteen had organized the local gangs under his sole command. He was picked up by VIPYR when he was eighteen and had been with them ever since as one of their most successful agents and he was notorious for his ability in mental and, less frequently, physical torture.

He wouldn't be easy to get past, though, he did tend to know when he was outnumbered and to disappear, only to reappear stronger and more hellbent on getting what he wanted. That was a risk ESIA was willing to take to get Misha back.

--

"Just...be careful." Adah wasn't sure what more to say as she faced Silas. It had been three weeks since Misha's capture and the doctor had been working herself ragged in an effort not to think about her little sister in the hands of the enemy. She had great circles under her eyes, but she tried to give the handler an encouraging smile and she looked like she might hug him before thinking better of it and touching his arm instead.

"Please bring her back to me if you can." She wouldn't make him promise. Adah would never be so naive as to think that anyone could keep a promise like that. She'd lost such innocence long ago.
 
Three weeks had passed since Misha's capture and Silas learned as much information as he could with the help of ESIA. With all the research collected from Silas and other people in the agency, he learned that VIPYR posed as a weapon's manufacturer and sold to the black market, along with terrorists. They sold their agents to the highest bidding and were involved with assassinations and had spies for hire. Their security was a pain in the a**, but not as advanced as ESIA's security - though that didn't make much of a difference unless Silas got extremely particular in his rescue plans.

With security came buildings, and unfortunately VIPYR had many. ESIA did manage to expect that Misha was being held on an island close by. The building she was being kept in looked like an entirely too expensive beach house but had a complete labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath it. One could only hope that she was truly being hidden there, otherwise if Silas were to breach his mission, Misha would probably get moved to somewhere farther away and they would lose her on the grid. Through all of this, Silas was completely confused and dumbfounded as to why the agency didn't put a tracking device in their agents.

No other leaders were discussed besides Alec Romanoff, even to Silas's aggravating debate. He would much rather know about all of the leaders, but he could hardly get any other names from VIPYR. Anyway, apparently Romanoff had lived on the streets when he was young and by the time he was fifteen, he had organized all of the local gangs under his control. He was picked up by VIPYR after three years and was a skilled assassin for ten years before being promoted; he was one of their most successful agents as he was notorious for both mental and physical torture.

And now it was the time for Silas to get Misha back. He had a carefully laid out plan with several other ones if anything were to backfire. He couldn't risk doing anything wrong, but there was always a chance of surprises along the way. If he got any blue prints on the architecture of the island building, they were already memorized in his brain along with the majority of his plans. He had a small team but they would be working on the outside, talking to him through a microphone in his ear.

The handler look to the exhausted looking doctor as she told him to be careful. He nodded to her, picking up right away that she hadn't made him promise to bring back her sister, but he would definitely try his hardest to bring her back. Dead or alive, Misha deserved to be back, and Adah deserved an answer. He laid a gentle hand on her own shoulder. "I will bring her back," he said, voice full of conviction. He had to bring Misha back.
 
Adah nodded back, grateful for his words and his confident tone. She had faith that if anyone could get her sister back, it was this man in front of her. He was a good man, the only truly good one she'd met in this place and he'd treated Misha decently. Her sister was better with this handler than any other she'd been witness to and he'd fought to be on this mission, to bring Misha back. Adah was certain Silas would do his best to make sure her sister was safe, one way or another.

--

"Misha. That's enough for today."

The black-haired woman looked to the balcony where Alec stood and she rolled her eyes, but handed the gun to the man standing by the weapon's table before she stalked back into the house and met the red-haired man coming down the stairs with her arms crossed. "I'm not going back into the tank." She didn't like the cold waters that suddenly turned hot, the medication they gave her. She knew it was to help with her disease and the pain it brought her, but she would rather endure the discomfort right now.

Alec was smiling however and she stayed still as he cupped her head and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Nay, Misha. You can go in later. I want to show you something."

Misha flinched, but didn't move back from him. She didn't like when Alex surprised her. More often than not, his idea of a surprise, of showing her something was not pleasant for her, but that was just the way Alec was and if she showed any fear of that, she was punished for it. She should be grateful to him. He'd taken her from a bad place - she didn't remember most of it - and had brought her here where she was able to train freely and get the help she needed. Her mind was her own again. ....right?

Misha knew she'd be in trouble if Alec knew she doubted his words sometimes, so she remained quiet and smiled, taking his hand when he offered it. "Well, take me to it."

The russian only smiled and pulled her down the hall.
 
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