Lost and Found - 2. Chapter 2

Riley

I stare across the vast emptiness of the San Francisco Bay as the ferry trudges through the cold waters. I look at the city with disdain, its towers that survived the earthquake standing tall and proud against a blue sky.

In twenty-twenty-five, all the bridges and the tunnels out of the island city were demolished to contain the Clayton Outbreak, and so far they hadn't been fully repaired yet. In a twisted way I was glad for that, I want to take my time to get to the city.

It wasn't that I hated San Francisco necessarily, but what was contained within it, a certain large and muscular, Latin-American man. Did I even hate him? I didn't even know anymore, but as the ferry trudged closer to the city I felt my skin crawl even more.

"Monroe!" A bark pulls me out of my self loathing. I turn around to see Russo giving me an annoyed look. I apparently had missed something important.

"You with us?" He asks.

"One hundred percent."

He gives me a stern look, his smokey eyes staring right through me. He was actually a pretty hot guy, when he wasn't being a dick.

"Anyways," he turns his gaze to the rest of the team. "General Tucker seems to think that the soldiers here could use our skills in finding the remnants of The Order scattered across the city. Our orders are to capture and detain."

"Why can't we just shoot the bastards?" Kasper speaks up. She was our demolitions expert, and more trigger happy than a rookie.

"Easy Ghost, I'm sure you'll get to blow something up." Rabbit, our Medic, shoots her a teasing look.

"I swear," her face goes stern. "The next person that calls me Ghost, is gonna get pistol whipped." I believed her too, even though I snorted back a laugh.

"It's just a nickname, they call me Stamos but you don't see me bitching." Jon grumbles from next to me.

Russo rolls his eyes and places his hands on his hips. "Get over it Kasper, there are worse things to be called."

"Like Guido?" I shoot back, grinning mischievously at the redness creeping into our leaders cheeks.

"Anyways," he continues with an annoyed tone, even though there's a little quirk in his lip, where I could swear he was about to smile. "They want them alive to question them, and find out where the others are."

"Their terrorists, they're not just gonna give up the location of other members just because we ask nicely." Kasper argues.

Russo shoots her a stern look. "These are our orders, and we're sticking to them. This isn't just some small organization, there are Order members everywhere, even in the US. If there's even a chance we can find more of them, then we might have a real shot of taking these guys out for good."

Kasper mumbles something under her breath, and leans back into the railing. Jack gives her a challenging look and she throws her hands up in defeat.

"You got it boss."

The conversation appears to be over, so I turn back around. I begin studying the water, the boat cutting through it's cold depths. I would rather jump into the water and swim back to shore then go back to this city.

"Yeah, but if you did that you would be in even worse trouble."

I adjust my Flyers cap and groan at the validity of my thoughts. It wasn't just being back here that had me in a sour mood, it was being part of this team. I miss my old team, my family, these soldiers weren't anything like them. I know that not everything can stay the same forever but damn how I wish this one thing could have.

"I understand now why you were always in a piss poor mood when you were CO."

I snap my gaze up to see Russo standing next to me, looking thoughtfully at the approaching city.

"You wanted to be CO." I point out, not taking the edge out of my voice.

"Someone had to." He responds, and I had to admit he was right about that.

I couldn't imagine having someone outside of this team trying to manage us. Someone who didn't know a thing about its members.

"Look," he takes in a sharp breath and my muscles tense, knowing where this conversation is headed. "I know how difficult this mission is going to be for you-"

I hold up a hand and he clamps his mouth shut. "Let me stop you right there." I turn to face him, my muscles not losing their tension. "Don’t pretend like you know anything about me. I'll follow your orders, I'll have your back in a shit storm and hell, I'll even fall in line when you tell me to. But we," I gesture between the two of us with my finger. "Are not friends."

He stares at me for a second, his lips pursed together like he wants to stay something. Instead he scoffs and shakes his head, slapping his hands against the railing before pushing off from it.

"Good talk Monroe." He turns on his heel and walks away, taking a seat on a bench away from the rest of the group.

A pang of guilt hits my belly, and I curse at myself under my breath. He was only trying to be friendly and I treated him like a total dick.

The thing about it though is that I didn't want to talk about how I felt. The closer we move towards the city, the more my skin crawls, and the more I wish I wasn't here. I glance over at him, he's staring out across the bay, the sun catching his jet black hair in a way I couldn't describe.

"You should go apologize."

I didn't want to apologize though. What gave him the audacity to bring up my wounds, like he knew anything about them, and god dammit why did everyone seem to be walking around me on eggshells?

"Maybe because you put yourself in that situation."

That was true. Ever since last year I had been in this weird funk, a dark hole that I couldn't seem to crawl my way out of. Is this what depression felt like? Was I depressed? Or was I just being dramatic? I had never been one to stray into the dramatic side, so that couldn't be it. So then why did I feel like a ticking time bomb, and why did everyone seem to treat me like one?

"Maybe because your temper gets the better of you."

Fuck, wasn't that the truth. Court mandated anger management proved that. I used to have control over my temper before, though now it was like the smallest things set me off.

I had changed a lot over the past year, though not for the better. I could only imagine how disappointed my parents would be to see who I've become.

I glance back at Russo, who is now looking over a tablet with Jon. No doubt going over intel about where the latest sightings of The Order were. His brows are furrowed, and his square jaw set as he concentrates and mulls over the information. He asks Jon something but I can't hear what it is, and Jon answers with a nod.

My curiosity is piqued, so I begin walking towards them but I'm stopped by Rabbit's voice calling me over to him.

"Monroe, can I get your help with something?"

I look at him, he has a helpless look on his face and is holding his sidearm. I look back over at Russo who meets my gaze. There's a pain behind his eyes that makes the guilt grow even larger inside of me.

Fuck, I did that, and why did I feel so bad about it? His face is expressionless as he slowly turns away and begins talking to Jon again. My shoulders drop slightly and I turn, making my way towards Rabbit.

Why did I all of a sudden care if I hurt someone's feelings, especially Russo's, who wasn't opposed to being an ass hat every now and then.

"Maybe because he isn't such a bad guy and really you're the ass hat."

Yeah, that's probably true.

"What is it Rabbit?" I grumble as I approach him.

"Can you help me focus my sight?" He asks, that helpless look never leaving his face.

"Sure." I take the gun from his grip and stare down the barrel. "Jesus, no wonder you can't hit shit."

I take the small screwdriver he hands over to me and adjust his sight. It takes me several attempts but then I manage to get it focused to my specifications.

"Try that." I hand the gun back to him and he peers down the barrel.

"Much better, thanks man." He gives me a grin.

"No problem." I give him a slap on the shoulder. I actually like Rabbit, he was a good kid, quick on his feet, and smart as a whip.

I turn around to go and talk to Russo, but he's nowhere to be seen. He must've went to get coffee or something, that man can put more coffee down then Elliott.

"Guilty conscience?" Jon stepped up beside me, almost making me jump out of my skin.

"No." I lie.

Jon raises an eyebrow at me, the green speckles in his hazel eyes shining brighter than usual.

"Yes." I grumble, taking a seat on the bench. "Maybe I feel like a dick for being harsh to him."

"Harsh isn't the word I would go for. More like you gut punched him and then spit in his face." He takes a seat next to me.

"Aren't you supposed to be my friend?"

Jon chuckles. "I am, and part of being your friend is calling you out on your shit."

I nod in agreement, he wasn't wrong. Jon was always quick to tell me when I was in the wrong or being an asshole, which was a lot lately.

"He's actually not a bad guy once you get to know him. You guys actually have a lot in common." Jon adds, and I shoot him an incredulous look.

I found that hard to believe, there was no way that Russo and I had anything in common. Or maybe he was just better at hiding it then me.

I open my mouth to reply but am cut off by the loudspeaker on the ferry.

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to San Francisco. Please disembark at one of the two exits in an orderly fashion-"

I let out a groan and Jon shoots me a grin, nudging me with his elbow.

"C'mon brother, it won't be so bad."

I give him a stern look and stand up. I hardly believed that.

"Alright guys let's move out." Russo appears, as if out of thin air, bag already slung over his shoulders and resting comfortably on his back.

"Yeah-yeah we're going." Kasper grumbles, heading for one of the gangways.

I follow behind Rabbit, Jon and Russo behind me as if sensing that I would refuse to come off the boat. I would be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind.

Once we made it to the pier it was like stepping into a whole new world. What was once a quiet and desolate city was now bustling with activity. People on the pier were haggling their merchandise, dump trucks could be heard moving debris and hauling stuff away. What surprised me most was the amount of people, there had to be at least a thousand.

"Different from the last time you were here?" Jon asks, taking notice of my shocked expression.

"Yeah. Just a little." I respond slowly, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the city seemed habitable again after only a year.

A few months after our successful attempt at stopping General Dreyfus and his plan to release Genesis on LA, we handed the thumb drive Gray gave us over to a local news affiliate and exposed the secrets of San Francisco.

Once the story aired and there was proof that survivors were still inside the city, government relief quickly swooped in to help, much to the outrage of its current citizens, who had taken to calling themselves The Citizens Republic of San Francisco.

Now the city was an autonomous zone, hosting both the United States and Republic armies.

"Chinatown is our destination. That's where the rest of the military is holding up." Russo explains, dodging a heckler who was approaching him with a pair of gloves.

"Chinatown?" There was a slight panic in my voice. Because of course that would be the one place where everything was centralized. Right where Grayson was.

"Problem?" He inquires, shooting me a raised eyebrow.

Problem? How about problems, and a plethora of them. The idea of running into Gray made my stomach turn and bile threaten to make its way up my throat.

"Nope, no problem." I reply rather quickly, which makes Russo give me a quizzical look. He shrugs his shoulders and turns, walking down a street in the direction further into the city.

Maybe Gray wouldn't be there. With how much development was going on, The Colony was bound to start expanding outside of the walls. Though the more we trekked into the city the more I believed how stupid that sounded. Of course Gray would be there, that's where his family was, and his family had to be there because his brother was The Commander, and that's where The Commander resides. Plus even my luck wasn't that good.

"If we keep heading down this street it will lead us directly into Chinatown." Jon informs pulling his eyes up from the GPS.

"Sounds good." Russo responds shortly.

I look ahead and see the road slope upwards at a sharp angle, forcing a frustrated sound from my throat.

"Something wrong Monroe?" Russo barks giving me a sideways glance.

"Hills." I grumble.

"Yep, welcome to San Francisco." Rabbit beams at me, and I desperately want to slap that grin off his face. Gray had said the same thing to me when I mentioned my dislike for all the hills the first time I was here.

"It's a small one, you'll live." Russo adds in a gruff tone.

As we climbed the hill more people began to appear on the sidewalks. My thoughts about The Colony expanding beyond their walls must have been accurate. There were people working on houses and disheveled business, swinging hammers and nailing boards into place. The city was starting to show signs of life again, something that I didn't think was possible.

After a good hike up three hills, we walked through a makeshift gate and into the main square of the town.

It looked relatively the same as last year. Brick and stone buildings bordered the large cobblestone square, which contained a tall and narrow obelisk in the center, casting a long and pointy shadow across the ground. The only thing that was different was the fact that everything was clean and maintained, it didn’t have that post-apocalyptic wasteland vibe that it had before. If anything it looked pretty similar to how it did pre-earthquake, or from what I had seen in pictures.

"You okay?" Jon asked under his breath so the others couldn't hear.

"Yeah, I'm uhh…" But I couldn't find any words to describe my emotions in that instant. Was it anxiety I was feeling? What if Jon just appeared out of nowhere? I don't know if I could handle that right now.

"Just breathe."

I take some deep breaths, counting back from ten. Where the fuck was this anxiety coming from?

“Seem’s we stick out.” Rabbit points out as people were bustling here and there, going on about their daily routines. Some of them however, giving us sideways glances at the fresh faces clad in Republic uniforms.

“We definitely seem welcome.” Kasper glares back at a man who shot us an upturned expression.

“Just keep your heads down, remember these people aren’t exactly in favor of us.” Russo informs, leading us further into the community towards the square.

"Welcome to San Francisco, you must be fresh from the Republic?" A familiar voice asks from behind me, making all my muscles tense.

Fuck, what were the odds that the first person to approach them was Gray? I turn around, the whole square seeming to spin in some weirdly slow fashion.

When I finally turn all the way around I'm met with, not Gray, but someone who looks just like him. It was Griffin, his twin brother.

He was wearing a heavy, knee length jacket with a lapel pin the size of a quarter fastened to the collar. His curly hair was pulled back into a loose and wild bun, and he had the face of a hardened soldier, which was contradicted by the crooked smile he gave us. If it wasn’t for the long hair and the scar that cut through his right eyebrow, you wouldn’t be able to tell him apart from his brother.

"Yes, we're Team Alpha from Fort Bakersfield. We were told The Commander would be expecting us." Russo held out his hand and the man shook it firmly.

"Ah yes. I figured it would take longer for you guys to show up." His brown eyes glinted with enthusiasm as he took us in. His gaze lands on me and his eyes soften a bit. "I recognize you." He gives me a warm smile.

"I'm Riley, Riley Monroe. I was with Team Alpha last year." I respond.

"Ah, Riley." There’s a disappointing tone to his voice, a tone that suggested that my name had come up a few times in conversation between him and Gray. Maybe that also meant he knew about our unresolved issues.

"You're The Commander?" Russo asks with a shocked tone.

"Sure am," He places his hands on his hips and gives a lighthearted sigh. "Griffin Torres, but you can call me Griffin, or Griff."

Russo's expression goes slack as he sizes Griffin up. "I was just expecting someone a little more…"

"Qualified?" Griffin's eyes dazzle with amusement.

"Sorry, that was probably rude." A dark flush roves over Russo as he rubs the back of his neck.

"Don't sweat it bro, sometimes I even wonder if I'm qualified." He gives a chuckle and I wince at how much that chuckle reminds me of Gray.

“Get it together Riley.”

"You okay Monroe? You look like you're gonna be sick." Rabbit asks, snapping me back to reality.

I grunt and give a sharp nod, Jon must have been sensing my distress because he shuffles closer to me slightly. His nearness seems to calm me slightly, like a giant emotional support animal. I give him a weak smile showcasing my gratitude, and he gives me a knowing look. That was the great thing about friends, they were always there for you.

"We have a place set up for you guys. It's not much, but it'll be a good place to rest your heads while you're here with us." Griffin flags down a handsome looking man in a police uniform, who immediately comes striding over.

"We appreciate any hospitality you can provide." Russo states in a professional demeanor.

The man approaches us, giving Griffin a solute and standing straight with his hands behind his back.

"Yes sir?" His voice is a deep baritone, which matches both his bearded face and stature.

"Grady, can you show our guests to where they'll be staying? They'll be in the barracks on Pine."

"Of course sir." Grady responds stiffly.

Griffin turns his gaze back to us, the sun catching his honey colored eyes. "I apologize but I have some business to attend to. In the meantime enjoy our community, and I apologize in advance for any negativity you might receive. I’m trying to get everyone on board with you guys being here.” He gives us an apologetic look.

“We’re used to it.” Russo admits.

He wasn’t wrong, ever since that news story about San Francisco, people weren’t exactly fond of either the Republic or US. It was such a scandal in fact that the former POTUS stepped down and Vice President Hanover took over. I mean I couldn't blame their dislike for us, I would be pissed too if I felt like my government had abandoned me.

"You should come to The Square next Friday night for our annual Liberation Day festival." Griffin adds. "There's food, beer and music. Might be a good way for you guys to relax and get to know our community." He gives us another warm smile, before turning around, and heading towards a large church on the opposite corner of the square.

"Liberation Day?" Kasper wrinkles her nose with confusion.

"Maybe it's like their version of Fourth of July?" Jon offers, as we begin following Grady down one of the roads.

I notice Rabbit looking around in awe at the bustling community around us.

"You okay there kid?" Jon asks, giving him a sly grin.

Rabbit gives an excited smile. "It's incredible. It's like they've formed their own culture, even their clothes are different."

I didn't notice before, but he was right. The more modern styles of the Republic and the US were not seen here. Instead people wore clothing styles that were more popular a decade ago. Colors that were fading from years of being worn, and pants that had rips in them, which was a style popular when I was in high school. It made sense that they wouldn't have more modern tastes, I mean up until six months ago these people hadn't been exposed to the outside world for over almost a decade.

"Stop gawking at the locals Rabbit." Russo barks and he immediately bows his head shamefully. "Sorry."

It didn't take us long to get to our barracks which were contained in a squat, three story, red brick building. It almost reminded me of the old warehouses in LA that they refurbished and turned into trendy lofts.

We walk through the front door and into a musty smelling entryway. There was a single staircase towards the back of the room, but Grady led us down a narrow hallway instead. He pushes open a door towards the end of the hall, stepping aside and making a welcoming gesture with his arm to let us in.

The room was rather large, with many windows and a high ceiling, which I realize is only due to the fact that the floor above the room must have collapsed, creating a more open space. There were six beds in total, and by beds I mean actual beds. They were twin size beds, but nothing like what we have in the normal barracks. They look comfortable and have heavy quilts on them that look to be hand-made and stitched from different colors of fabric.

"There's a communal bathroom and shower through there." Grady points towards a tall and narrow door. "We have meals served for the soldiers in the mess hall on the second floor at seven, twelve, and six. If you don't make it to any of them then you're on your own for food."

Russo turns around and extends a hand towards him, which Grady accepts. "Thank you. Grady, right?"

"Yeah," He gives Russo a wolfish grin. "And what do they call you? With that accent I'm guessing Jersey?" There's a mischievous glint sparkling in his silver eyes. I snort back a laugh and Jon elbows me in the ribs.

A pink flush creeps up into Russo's cheeks as they release hands. It was a look I had never seen on him before. Russo was usually calm and stoic, but somehow Grady had found a hole in his armor and was using it to his advantage.

He clears his throat before speaking, his voice coming out in a husky tone. "Actually, I'm from Queens, and it's Russo." He answers.

"Alright," That grin never leaves his face as he begins to back away. "See you around, Queens."

I stood there, a little amused at the events unfolding in front us. Was Grady hitting on Russo, and if so, did Russo actually enjoy it? I didn't know much about him, but I would be surprised to find out he was anything other than straight. Then again, I'm sure people say the same thing about me.

Grady exits the room, closing the door behind him. Though not two seconds later the door cracks back open and his head pokes through the narrow crevice.

"Oh I forgot to mention. These barracks sit on top of a lab, so if you hear any loud booms, don't be alarmed." He gives a mischievous grin before disappearing into the hallway.

"Loud booms like I might get startled? Or enough to bring this building down on top of us?" Rabbit asks no one in particular, his eyes wide and a little fearful.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Kasper rolls her eyes.

“He’s probably just fucking with us.” Russo chuckles, but his tone seems to indicate the opposite.

I walk across the room to a bed near one of the windows. The building we were in was situated on a steep hill and I could see the point from the obelisk poking over a building in front of us. From inside the building the community looked rather peaceful and vibrant. Two words that didn’t seem to go together when I thought of San Francisco.

“Alright guys, pick a bed and get settled. Here shortly we’re gonna go investigate The Order’s old compound.” Russo tosses his bag on the bed across from mine and I give an inaudible groan. The idea of sleeping across from him was not one that I looked forward to.

“What are we expecting to find there?” Kasper cocks an eyebrow.

“Clues to where they might have gone next.” He informs us.

"I'm sorry." Jon throws his hands up in a halt sort of motion. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that that dude was just majorly hitting on you?"

We all turn to look at Russo with amused expressions, except for Kasper, who just looks annoyed.

The tips of Russo's ears begin to brighten from embarrassment as he tumbles over his next words.

"What? No he wasn't."

"He kind of was." I chuckle.

"Yeah, we would know." Jon confirms, making a point at our sexual orientation.

We were totally fucking with him, even though Grady was one hundred percent flirting with him. However, it was amusing as hell to watch as Russo's face went from confused, to shocked in a matter of seconds.

Jon and I started snickering as a bright blush began to creep its way into Russo's cheeks.

"I'm gonna go see if they have any vehicles we can borrow for our scouting." He decides, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.

"We're just playin' boss." Jon laments, an apologetic expression set on his face.

Russo doesn't say anything, instead fleeing the room rather hastily and shutting the door behind him.

"Whoops." Jon stated, looking rather

"I think we struck a nerve." I admit, feeling rather guilty.

"You think?" Kasper gives us a shrewd look, before dropping her bag on the floor.

Kasper and Russo were rather close, both coming from the same unit before joining the team. They had this uncanny way of communicating without words. With the look that she was giving us I wouldn't be surprised if she knew something that we didn't.

Honestly I couldn't get wrapped up in that right now. I had to figure out how I was going to avoid Jon while we were here. Which was probably going to be near to impossible but who knows, crazier things have happened.

Gray

I stare intently at the monitor as the simulation runs, hoping beyond hope that the formula I wrote works.

"C'mon, work for me." I anxiously drum my fingers on my desk.

Simulation Failed

The words flash across the monitor, taunting me.

"Fuck." I run my hands over my buzzed head out of frustration. "What am I missing?"

I had been going over a formula for this new sealer I was working on for the better part of the day. Oh how I missed working on explosives, that was my bread and butter. But this?

"Did you account for Boyle's Law?" Adam walks into my office, carrying a mug in his hand.

"I have my PhD in Biochemistry. What do you think?" I snap back, immediately feeling guilty afterwards.

"Sorry I asked." He replies, looking a little wounded.

I give a defeated sigh. I shouldn't have snapped at him, it's not like it's his fault. "No I'm sorry. I'm just a little frustrated is all." I give him an apologetic look as I take the mug of coffee from his hand. "This formula is not working. I've ran over every equation, every variable, but it keeps failing." I let out a frustrated growl as I take a sip of the coffee, which calms my nerves to an extent.

"Mind if I take a look?" He asks, folding his arms across his chest.

"Be my guest." I pull the formula up on the monitor and Adam takes a step closer, examining it carefully.

Watching Adam work reminded me a lot of myself when I was an undergraduate. So eager, so full of inspiration, so desperate for all the answers. He scratches the back of his head, messing his ashy hair even further.

"There's your problem." He points at a compound on the screen.

There was no way he figured that out so quickly. I take a step closer and observe the compound myself, going over what it was missing in my head.

"You need an aldehyde to bond with this. That's what you're missing." He sounds so sure, and god dammit he was right.

"How did you figure that out so quickly? I've been going over this for five hours." I ask with astonishment.

Adam nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders. "Sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of eyes. You taught me that." He gives me a cocky grin.

I point a stern finger at him "Hey, no teaching the teacher." I joke.

The sound of footsteps on the floor above us has me looking up and examining the ceiling tiles. There were barracks above us, but no one really used them. I wonder if they had new recruits for The Guard.

"Are you finally going to take a break now?" Adam asks.

I tear my eyes away from the ceiling and cock an eyebrow at him. "Why? Got something planned?"

"No." He's quick to reply, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Mmhmm." I narrow my eyes at him, but I don't press any further. "I need to go talk to Griffin, so yeah I'll probably be gone for about an hour or so."

"Okay." Adam grins, a look of excitement spreading across his face.

"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." I walk past him and head for the door.

"Which would be what exactly?" He gives me a mischievous grin. I smirk and shake my head, he had me there.

With my coffee cup in hand I exit the lab and climb the steps into the alleyway. It was a warm day, which I was glad for because that meant I didn't need to wear a jacket.

I turned onto the street and began making my way towards the Capitol, hoping that Griff was there. Lately his office had been "on wheels" as he liked to call it. Bouncing around the community, dealing with problems first-hand because that's the way he seemed to like it.

My mind uncontrollably wanders in the direction of Fort Bakersfield, more specifically Riley and the fact that I was surprised I hadn’t seen him yet. Now that San Francisco was back open and people were able to come in, on a case by case basis that is, I half expected him to just show up one of these days. Angry look on his face and wondering why the hell I hadn’t responded to his messages and calls. I wouldn’t blame his anger, even I was angry at myself for being such an idiot.

Last I had heard from Elliott, he was now acting CO of Team Alpha, which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Him being the last remaining member of our original team, he was the likely and natural successor to Elliott.

“Riley’s been trying to get ahold of you.”

“I know-I know.”

“You can’t just ghost him Gray. You need to at least explain things.”

“What do I even say? How do you break the heart of the person that means more to you than anything?”

“You're breaking his heart by not returning his calls.”

The conversation with Elliott plays through my mind, as I was passing by the front door to the building that contained my lab. At that moment something heavy and full of muscle collides with me, knocking me to the side.

I feel a pair of hands grab my bicep and side, righting me and preventing me from meeting the pavement. I was usually pretty sturdy, but I was caught completely off guard due to my thoughts.

"Shit I'm sorry." The man apologized in a gruff voice, thick with a New York accent.

"It's all good. You good?" I ask.

He turns his smokey eyes towards me, a look of confusion settling on his face.

“Either I’m hallucinating or I just saw you, but with longer hair.” He deadpans.

I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion wondering what the hell he’s talking about, and then it clicks, he was talking about Griffin.

“You must have met my brother Griff.” I conclude.

“No shit.” He chuckles. “You guys are practically identical.”

I nod my head and continue my walk in the direction of the capitol, the man falling in step beside me.

"Yeah, except I lack his enthusiasm." I smirk.

That gets a chuckle out of the man. "He does seem a little bit…"

"Like a big kid?" I guess his next words, shooting him a grin.

"You said it, not me." He throws his hands up in surrender, giving a deep laugh.

"He's always been like that. I actually kind of envy him for that."

I don't know why I was admitting that to this man, I just barely even met him, if you call literally running into each other "meeting".

"So then what side of the twin are you?" There's an amused glint to his eyes as he speaks.

I chuckle. "You mean like, whose the evil twin and whose the good twin?"

"Something like that."

Normally I wouldn't have fallen into such a casual conversation with a random stanger, but there was just something about this man. He just seemed easy to talk to, and I would be lying if I didn't say I found him the least bit attractive.

He had this sort of swagger about him, like he was the sort of man that turned heads whenever he walked into a room, but also was respected. His olive complexion, black hair, and New York accent had me guessing he was of Italian descent, or one of those Mediterranean countries.

I give him a thoughtful look. "We still haven't found out yet. The Elders of Twin Duality can't make up their minds."

"Seems legit." He smirks.

"Gray Torres." I extend a hand outward in greeting.

"Jack Russo." He shakes my hand firmly with a grin.

Russo, so I was right about the Italian thing.

"I'm surprised, most people who hear I'm an identical twin hound me about twin questions."

"Oh you mean like, 'Can you guys read each others thoughts?'" He mocks with a chuckle.

"'Do you guys have your own secret language?'" I mock back.

We both laugh and Jack shakes his head. "Nah man, I have a twin sister, I know how annoying it can be."

"Well, at least your sister isn't identical to you." I point out.

"Yeah that would be… Disturbing." His face scrunches as if a mental image of that was brought up in his brain.

My eyes scan over him for the first time and I notice his uniform, and the Republic Army patch on the shoulder, then below that the insignia for Team Alpha. My pulse begins to speed up slightly at the realization that this man was part of the same team that Riley was in charge of. Riley was here.

"Say, this place wouldn't happen to have a vehicle my team and I could use for the day would it?" He asks with a hopeful expression.

I shake my head, dragging myself out of my internal freak out. "We do, but we don't have a lot of gas, so whatever it is has to be important." I explain and the hopeful expression on Jack's face quickly fades. "Go talk to Cruise, he has a garage over on Stockton and he manages all the vehicles. Maybe he can rustle something up for you."

He gives a wide grin and nods his head. "Thanks man, I'll do that. See you around sometime."

He turns around and heads in the opposite direction before pausing and turning around, pointing his finger around aimlessly. I point in the direction of the garage and he gives a sheepish grin.

“Thanks.” And with that he saunters off in the correct direction, disappearing around the corner.

I high tail it to the Capitol, my mind racing, and the only thing that could possibly calm it down in this instant, is talking to Griff.

How could he not tell me that Riley was here? He was The Commander, he knew everything that went on here. In fact, soldiers didn't come in or out without him knowing about it, and surely a high profile team such as this would have been on his radar.

I can see it now. Running into Riley, the hurt expression on his face, or more than likely the anger. The man had a temper like no other.

How was I supposed to face him? It’s been a year, what was I supposed to say? There was nothing I could say to make it better, no excuse that would be good enough. If I was being honest with myself I want him to be mad at me. I want him to hate me, to yell at me, hell even punch me if that’s what he needs. I deserve it.

I'm climbing the steps to the Capitol when a voice calls out to me at the bottom of the steps.

"He's not here."

I turn around to see Diaz, arms crossed, a stoic look set upon his stony features standing at the bottom of the steps.

Mateo Diaz was Griffin's second in command, and he was sadistic in ways that I couldn't fathom. It didn't help that he was attractive either; with light tan skin, short cropped hair, a lean swimmers build, and those piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through you, he also had this charm about him that usually entrapped his next victim.

He wasn't a psychopath by any means, but that didn't stop him from getting off on torturing people. I didn't trust him, especially ever since the extraction mission gone sideways last year, and the torture he inflicted on Elliott.

"Where is he?" I ask sharply, walking down the steps towards him.

"He's at the docks. We just got a shipment of fuel in and he wanted to oversee it." Diaz explains as I walk down the steps towards him.

I look him up and down. "Why didn't you go with him? Aren't you like his shadow or something?"

He gives me a blank stare. "Someones gotta keep an eye on things around here."

"I'm sure you're just loving that." I reply snarkily.

"Isn't hating me exhausting?" His question should come across with a bite, but instead he gives me a wolfish grin.

"No, not really." I answer easily, not letting his clear enjoyment break through my resolve.

It must have driven him nuts that I was the only person in my brothers "Inner Circle" that despised him. But if it did, he didn't show it.

No, instead he hid it below this weird cat and mouse game he liked to play. Constantly teasing, never taking my animosity seriously, placing a hand on me when he needed to "get by me". I cross my arms across my chest to hide the visible shutter that travels up my spine. True I could have landed him on his ass whenever he touched me, but I didn't want to deal with the fallout that would cause Griffin.

Because Diaz was second in command, it would be his word against mine. Even though I know Griff would have my back, but as for everybody else? That was a different story all together.

"Next time you see my brother tell him I want to speak with him." I grumble.

As I go to pass by him his hand lands square on my chest, stopping me in my tracks. I swat it away and stare him down, standing at my full height.

"Have time to think about my proposition?" He asks in a husky tone.

His "proposition" that he was referring to was one of many occasions where he hinted, no not hinted, blatantly commented that he wanted to sleep with me.

My muscles go tense as I shoot him an icy glare. "I would rather run a wire brush over my skin while taking a hot shower."

A mischievous glint forms behind his eyes. "That can be arranged."

I roll my eyes and push past him, feeling way more creeped out than usual, but like hell was I going to show him that.

"You'll cave eventually." He states cockily as a stalk away.

"Doubtful." I growl.

I would never, ever, in a million years sleep with that man. Just the idea of it makes my skin crawl and bile begin to make its way up my throat. It wasn't that he's not a good looking dude, actually the opposite. It was that there was this darkness behind his eyes, like an almost evil that lurked in its icy blue depths.

I begin to walk towards the direction of the docks, but think better of it. I didn't want to bug Griff while he was in the middle of dealing with colony business. I take a look at my watch and see that it's twelve. Liv usually takes her lunch break at around this time.

With that in mind I decide to change course and head for her clinic a few blocks north. If anyone could give me advice on this, it would be Liv.

I make it to the clinic after about ten minutes, stepping through sliding glass doors. The clinic was relatively empty, except for the receptionist sitting behind the counter.

"What brings you in?" She asks with a bright smile as I approach the counter.

"Is Doctor Torres in?" I ask.

"Gray?"

I turn to see Liv walking a patient out from the back, her expression is confused, probably wondering why I'm here.

"Thanks." I give the receptionist a polite smile before approaching Liv. "You have time to talk?"

"Sure, I was just about to take my lunch break. C'mon back." She jerks her head towards the double doors that part as soon as she swipes her badge in the reader.

We make our way down the hallway, past several gurneys that empty, fresh crisp linens draped over them awaiting their next patient. We step behind the Nurses station and she motions for me to sit, before taking a chair herself and crossing her legs in a casual manner.

"Whats up?" She probes.

It takes me a second to find the words, but once I do they come out, just above a whisper. "Riley's here."

She bites her bottom lip, the look on her face indicating that she already knew. Which if she already knew, then that meant Griff did know, and he didn't tell me.

"You knew?" I give her an incredulous look.

She sighs and takes a drink from her water bottle. "Griffin told me. He was supposed to tell you."

"Yeah, well he didn't." I could feel the heat from my temper start to reach my face, and Liv could see that too, a pained expression forming on her delicate features.

"You know how your brother is, these sorts of things slip his mind sometimes." She replies in a calm tone. I don't blame her for defending Griff, she is his wife after all.

"But Riley?" I gape at her.

She gives another heavy sigh. "Griffin has been… Absent lately. He's trying to get the city back up and running, and trying to get the community on board with all these soldiers being here. I hardly even..." A hurt expression settles on her face, indicating that she was feeling the brunt of it as well. That she was missing the man she loves.

A wave of guilt passes over me as I consider her for a bit. Here I was, whining and complaining about my Riley issues and Liv was having her own problems.

"I'm sorry Liv." I reach out and place my hand on hers, my large paw dwarfing hers in comparison.

"It's fine-just, take it easy on him okay? He's under a lot of pressure right now."

I nod my head in understanding. I knew that Griff was stressed about his duties as Commander, though I didn't realize to what extent. Now I was getting a look at it, through Liv's eyes which were fighting back tears.

She sniffs and shakes her head slightly, swiping at the underside of her eyes with her index fingers.

"So, I'm assuming that you didn't come here just for that." She gives me a knowing look.

"No." I drop my gaze to the tiled floor. "I was hoping you could give me some advice on how I could fix things with Riley."

"Grovel." She replies after considering the question for a second.

"That's it?" I chuckle.

"Okay, grovel and tell him the truth." She deadpans.

The truth. Now there was a whole can of worms that I wasn't looking forward to opening.

Liv must have seen the battle going on in my thoughts because she gives me an impatient look before speaking up, her tone matching her expression.

"If Riley really loved you as much as you said he did, then he will understand. He may not forgive you right away, and you'll definitely have to earn his trust again. But the truth is the best way towards that, and he deserves the truth Gray."

I think over her words for a second, weighing the pros and cons as I usually did with every situation. She was right about the truth being the only way forward with Riley, but what if that wasn't enough, what if I lost him forever?

"What if he never forgives me?" I whisper.

This time she places a hand on my knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Give it a chance, sometimes people will surprise you."

Yeah, sometimes people did surprise you. Like with a bomb strapped to their chest, or a good right hook. I never thought the best of people, but maybe it was only fair to take a chance on Riley and hope that he would understand.

I give her a nod of agreement and she smiles, giving my knee one final pat.

"Now, be gone. My lunch break is over and I have work to do." She made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Thanks Liv." I stood and she gave me a smile and a nod.

"Your welcome. Enchiladas for dinner tonight." She informs, turning back to her computer.

My mouth begins to water at the anticipation of her chicken Enchiladas. Did I mention that the woman can cook?

I step out of her clinic and into the moderate air outside, feeling a hell of a lot lighter than I did coming in.

I pull out my phone and scroll to Riley's contact, clicking on his name and opening a text dialog. I type out a quick message and hit send, before I can overthink it, and send up a small prayer that he doesn't ignore it.

Please let me be able to make things right with him.