Young Writers Society

A/N: Previously, Skylar, Issac, Darien, and Kiersten infiltrated a government building with the goal of seizing some important files. They've split up, and Skylar and Darien were just caught by a security guard in the middle of a hallway. Enjoy!

Skylar froze, holding her hands up and staying perfectly still. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Darien taking the hint and barreling straight at their assailant, but the guard spun around and knocked Darien to the floor with one punch. Darien landed flat on his back, his baton flying out of his hand and skidding across the floor. Skylar sprinted straight for the guard, ducking her head down and attempting to ram straight into his ample stomach, but he saw her coming just in time and hit her across the face with her gun.

After that blow, the guard seized the opportunity and tackled Skylar to the ground'. The fall knocked the wind out of Skylar, and she felt blood trickle down her cheek from a cut right below her eye. She was in a position of complete helplessness, and now she could only hope that Darien had managed to get to his baton or draw his gun in the commotion.

Twisting around, she saw Darien frozen in the middle of the hallway, his baton halfway across the floor and his hands up in a gesture of surrender, His eyes flickered down to meet Skylar's, and she saw desperation in his watery blue eyes. He shook his head gently, and Skylar's heart dropped. There was nothing they could do.

"Hands behind your head! Drop your weapons! On your stomach!" the guard bellowed at Darien, and Darien obeyed, moving as slowly as he could to buy them both time. The guard tapped Skylar on the back of the head with his baton. "You, too."

Skylar couldn't help but roll her eyes as she maneuevered onto her stomach, letting her face lie against the cool tile floor. This is the end. She closed her eyes as the guard removed his handcuffs from his belt and clasped them around Skylar's wrists.

Moments after he had started to fit them on Skylar, the stairwell door flew open and Issac and Kiersten stormed in. The guard whipped around, surprise written all over his face, and Kiersten swung her baton at him, and Skylar heard a crack as it connected with his head. Issac offered her a hand up, and Skylar accepted it and let him pull her to her feet. "Thanks for that," she whispered to him, and Issac just nodded. Issac grabbed the lockpicks from her pocket and handed them to Skylar, and Skylar thanked him with a nod and a grin. She was able to pop the handcuffs off after a moment and handed them to Kiersten. "Think we'll need these?" she asked.

Kiersten shrugged. "Can't hurt. Let's go."

The four of them made their way down the stairwell, spreading to either side of the steps and making their way up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible, all of their hands shifting from their batons to their guns. They climbed 3 flights of stairs until they reached the 8th floor and then flanked the door, splitting up like they usually did.

"Wings 1, 2, 3, and 4 are at the top of the staircase. Awaiting directions," Skylar whispered into her com device as the rest of the wings caught up to her. They paused for a moment to catch their breath and wait for headquarter's response.

After only a moment, there was a short crackle and then "There are 4 people standing directly outside this stairwell. You're approved to incapacitate them. There are no security personnel in the nearby area. Wait for further instruction once that's completed."

"Copy that." Skylar adjusted her helmet and turned to look at the rest of her group. "Ready?" They all nodded, and Skylar mentally counted to three and then kicked the door open and baged into the hallway with her gun drawn.

A group of four men and women in business outfits jumped and stared at the door, but weren't fast enough to stop the four powerful blaster shots that ripped through their chests. The squad pressed their back against the wall, with Issac closest to the hallway perpendicular to the hall they were in at the moment. "First obstacle breached. Waiting for further instruction."

They waited for a few moments, the suspense building every second, and then finally the response came. "All clear. Proceed to the final destination, but keep a sharp lookout."

"Copy that." Skylar nodded to the three others intentionally, and the three of them sprinted down the hallway, took the first left, and barreled down the hallway until they reached a thick black door labelled "Classified Files".

Skylar immediately set to work picking the lock while the other three kept a sharp look-out, their guns drawn. As soon as the pins were all aligned, Skylar gently tested the handle, and the door swung outward, the four of them quickly stepped inside and then closed and bolted the door.

"Wings 1, 2, 3 and 4 are inside the designated location. Beginning the second part of mission," Darien reported, and Skylar couldn't help but grin.

"Excellent work, team. Work quickly; there are a few security guards making their way towards you."

"Copy that," Darien replied, and the four of them paused to survey their surroundings. They were in a room that was perhaps 30 feet by 40 feet, with shelves lined with folders filled with paperwork. Each of them immediately flocked to a corner; Darien and Kiersten began to navigate the back half of the room, while Skylar and Issac worked their way through the shelves on the front of the room. The shelves were metal and had gaps between the bars, so it was easy for them to keep a lookout while they browsed through the files.

For a few minutes, it was silent as they hunted through the folders, combing through every paper as methodically as possible. The four of them worked quickly and efficiently, but after a few minutes, Issac slammed his folder shut in frustration.

"We're not getting anywhere. It could be anywhere in here, and we might spend all day here. Any second now, the security personnel are going to burst in here, and then we're all going to be screwed."

Kiersten walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Listen to me. Whatever happens, we're going to handle it. You hear me? So pick up your head, shake it off, and keep fighting. We're going to push through this."

Issac nodded and picked up his folder, gently shaking his head. Kiersten moved back to her little corner of the room, and everyone else returned to their work, the mood greatly solemned.

"Any progress?" HQ asked, and Darien replied immediately.

"Nothing. We've been moving at a solid pace for almost 10 minutes now and have no idea what we're going to find. You got anything?"

"Based on the order we've deduced, I think that it'll be somewhere in the center of the room, closest to the door. Try there, and if there's nothing, return to your original posts."

The four immediately shifted over to the center of the room, where they eagerly flipped through pages of the files until Kiersten slammed the file on the floor. "Got it!"

Skylar, Darien, and Issac immediately dropped what they were working on and moved to look over Kiersten's shoulder. The document she was holding contained the full and complete budget, which might not seem like the type of information that was worth killing for, but Skylar was convinced that it would change the world.

"We got it. Let's go," Kiersten whispered to the three of them