Carter's words snapped them back to reality. They broke apart and strapped on their gas masks. Carter tried to ignore the sparks coursing through her, focusing all her thoughts on the task at hand, and not the feel of Donovan's lips on hers.

She placed her hand on the dusty button by the door. She looked back, meeting his gaze. He pulled the gun out and held it downward with both hands. He gave her a nod. The gray wall slid aside, revealing half of a bookcase, part of a desk and a winged chair.

Carter took a step back and Donovan moved forward, raising the gun, his face lined with concentration. As she followed him out, she felt her body humming with adrenaline. Every sense alive and burning with awareness.

They took off down the hall. They kept their footsteps as soft as possible, but the sound still bounced off the floor. At the first corner, Donovan did a quick check before proceeding onward. Carter gave frequent looks behind them, straining to hear any sign of pursuit.

They made it to the second hallway. The radio remained silent, though this seemed to only intensify both of their nerves. Their luck wouldn't hold for long.

As they hurried down the next hallway, voices made Carter's heart falter. The deep resonant sound was muffled, but close. Donovan waved her onward. The chemistry room lay a few feet ahead.

He rushed for the open doorway, Carter right behind him. Along with the deep voices was the incessant beating of footsteps that belonged to large, muscular men. The sound filled Carter's ears.

She smothered her fear, burying it beneath layers of anger. As they ducked into the chemistry classroom, the voices rose. Donovan tilted his head. Carter looked at him.

"Hide," he whispered, pointing to a half filled table. "Don't make a move."

She didn't argue. Mimicking how the rest of the class looked, she slipped onto a stool at a half empty table and rested her head in her elbow, hiding her gas mask. Her other arm dangled at her side. Donovan took a seat further down, and turned off the radio, his gun in his lap.

The vibrations of the men's treads rattled the floor, crawling into Carter's ears. She clamped her eyes shut, hating the feeling of being so exposed. Her fellow students' deep breathing around her felt deafening.

The men stepped into the classroom. Carter stayed rooted to her spot, not moving a muscle. She forced herself to keep breathing.

"Yes, sir. We're at his homeroom now," a deep voice said. "We're checking it again."

"Copy that," another bass voice replied.

Both men went silent as they walked down the rows. As one of them drew closer to Carter, her body screamed with nerves. With every step, she willed herself to remain lifeless. Her mind ran rampant. There was no doubt that Donovan's thoughts were the same.

Seconds stretched on, feeling like years. The man went around her table, checking faces. She felt his bulk brush against her back. It took every ounce of self control to keep herself pinned to her stool.

She tracked the men's movements through the room with her ears. Every so often they would raise a student's head then lower it, the thunk making Carter grit her teeth. Eventually the men met up at the center of the room.

"Correct," one of the men said. "Chemistry room. No sign."

They both listened.

"Roger that."

They moved to the doorway and Carter let out a tight breath. But the breath was snatched away by the squeak of a stool.

The sound of Donovan standing up.

"What the-"

Carter moved on instinct as Donovan fired at one of the men. Men built like boulders. Somehow the man narrowly avoided Donovan's dart. Carter's focus was the second man, who was momentarily surprised. Racing towards him, she jumped onto the man's back, wrapping her arms around his thick neck in a choke hold. She hooked her feet around his stomach.

Even as she struggled to keep her place, she knew her grip wasn't strong enough. The man reached behind him and grabbed the back of her neck. Carter changed tactics and reached for the man's gas mask. She had barely gotten hold of it when the man bent forward, ripping her from her perch and throwing her to the floor.

Carter tucked into a ball as she collided with the hard surface. A spasm of pain ricocheted through her spine. She rolled and pushed herself up, as a new stab of pain shot through her. She ignored it, her heart rate spiking.

The man reached for the gun on his hip. Without his mask, his movements were slowed. The gas had dissipated enough to weaken his reaction, but not cause unconsciousness.

Carter rose as he raised his weapon. She rushed forward, and with both hands snapped the wrist holding the gun. The gun went skittering across the floor. The man punched Carter in the side, the shock sending her staggering into a nearby desk. The man pulled a blade from his belt, took a step forward and swung at her.

Carter jumped back. The knife grazed her chest, but cut into her arm. A cry of shock was torn from her throat. Blood blossomed on her sleeve. The man charged forward drunkenly, his balance compromised from the knock out gas.

Adrenaline coursed though Carter, dulling her pain. She ducked the man's sloppy swing, grabbed the knife hand and spun so her back was against him. She brought the man's forearm down hard against her shoulder. She heard the crack of bone as the elbow was rammed upward. The knife clattered to the ground. Carter smashed her elbow into the man's face, breaking his nose, blood bursting from the extremity.

Her body reacted on instinct. She kicked the inside of his leg, sending him crashing to one knee, then punched him in the face, hit his temple with her elbow and kicked him in the chest. The force of the blows sent him sprawling onto his back.

Once he was down, Carter raced for the gun. As the man staggered up, she spun around and shot him twice in the neck. One hand reached up to the darts, but quickly the tranquilizer dragged him under. His body crumpled.

It was only then Carter became aware of the other fight taking place in the room. Across the room, Donovan punched his opponent's face, taking a hit to the ribs in the process. Carter leveled the gun at the man. But he moved and Donovan was in her line of fire. Clenching the handle, she waited.

Her chance came a second later when the man slammed Donovan against the wall, one hand on his throat. Donovan brought his elbow down on the man's arm, but the hand clamped on his throat didn't budge.

Carter fired. The dart embedded itself into the man's neck at the base of his skull. His hold on Donovan loosened as he fell to the floor. Carter lowered the gun as Donovan took a deep breath. Their eyes met. She could see the bruises forming on his cheek bone and jaw.

"Thanks," he said.

She looked at the two unconscious men. For a second, they both stared at them, reeling.

"We should tie them up and keep moving," Donovan said, his strength returning.

Carter winced, as she tucked the gun into her pants. Donovan's eyes narrowed, seeing the stain of blood. He crossed the room in a few strides.

"What happened?" he asked, reaching for her arm.

"Guy had a knife."

Donovan gently tugged her arm out of her jacket sleeve. Carter forced her face to remain stoic.

"It's deep," he said. "You'll need stitches, for now all we can do it bandage it."

Carter slid the rest of the blazer off and let it fall to the floor. She eyed the wound and the blood that already coated her shirt.

"Hold still."

In one easy move, Donovan tore the sleeve off and used it as a makeshift bandage. Carter grimaced as he knotted it securely.

"That should hold until we find something better," he said.

Carter nodded, her eyes locking with his. "Tie them up and I'll work on our distraction."

Donovan gave a nod and moved to the men. He made quick work of searching their pockets and retrieving anything useful. Carter moved to the supply closest and found the items she needed for their next move.

As Donovan zip tied the men and dragged them into a corner, Carter worked on combining powders on a mesh square. Somehow doing such a simple task, calmed her and dulled the ache in her arm.

When Donovan was done, he joined her, zip tying a lighter so it remained open. He anchored it to the bottom of a stout beaker with a wad of chewed gum. In under a minute, they had their distraction.

In silence, Donovan handed Carter a knife, which she strapped to her belt, as well as an ear piece and radio. She hooked the small device into her ear and slipped the radio into her pocket. Before they moved, Carter pulled her gun. She released the clip and checked the amount of remaining tranquilizer darts. Satisfied, she reloaded the clip and cocked the gun.

When she raised her head, she found Donovan staring at her. In his eyes was a look she couldn't quite decipher.

Before she could question it, he was pulling out his own gun and the look vanished.

"You ready?" he asked.

She nodded and took hold of the beaker. They moved to the open door. In her ear, Carter heard the faint hum of static. Beyond the doorway, there was no sign of anyone. Donovan stepped out and motioned her to follow.

In a crouch, they hurried down the bare corridor, heading towards the security room. The signal jammer would be there somewhere near the monitors showing feeds from the school's security cameras.

At the corner, he stopped and held up a closed fist. Before them were the school's front doors, shut and sealed. Carter's gaze landed on the entrance, wondering if anyone outside knew what was going on. She pushed the thought away.

Donovan crossed the hall and guided them along the wall. He kept his eyes trained on the security door at the end of the hall, his gun raised. As they approached, Carter aimed her gun behind them. She kept her breathing steady, willing her heart to remain calm. The gun's handle was imprinted on her palm, as her finger rested on the trigger.

The steel security door lay locked, only a few feet before them. Surrounding it were concrete walls. The only way in was past the twelve digit keypad. What lay inside was anyone's guess, but Carter had an idea that it was more men built like mountains with military training.

Donovan slowed their pace to a crawl as they covered the last few feet. He took one side of the door as Carter took the other. They squatted, getting into position. Donovan made eye contact with her. He pointed to himself and then to the right. She mimicked the gesture, pointing to the left. He gave a nod and rose to face the key pad, his gun leveled at the door.

His hand hovered over the numbers as he looked to Carter. Her heart hammered in her chest, blood bumping in her ears. She clicked the lighter and a flame burst out, licking the air above the beaker's lip.

Donovan went to work, punching in the numbers as fast as his fingers could go. Carter set the mesh over the beaker's opening, just as the key pad blinked green. Donovan pushed the door open and she slid the glass container inside.

"What-"

Both Donovan and Carter turned away, shielding their eyes. A flash of brilliant white light exploded in the room. Shouts of surprise echoed. Before the light had time to dissipate, Carter and Donovan raced inside. Sitting before rows of computer screens were three men, trying to rid themselves of their momentary blindness.

Carter fired her gun at the man on the left, while Donovan took the right. Then they both shot the man in the center.

All three men were unconscious before their eyes had time to clear.

Donovan turned and closed the door, locking it. They tied up the three men, storing them against a far wall. Turning back to the computers, they went to work. Donovan pawed through the multiple machines on the desk looking for the signal jammer. Carter took a seat in one of the vacant chairs, looking at the screens.

"Found it," Donovan said, pulling out a metal device from behind one of the monitors.

He yanked the cable out and reached for his phone.

"Now let's get the military here," he said.

Carter reached for him. "I don't think that's necessary."

"Why?"

"Because they're already here."

**********************************************************************

Blueberry Slushie ice cream!

(That sounds baffling but alright!)

What did you think about that? Carter kicked some serious boo-tay! Basically, she's a ninja and no one stands a chance against her!

Thoughts? Throw them at me! (Haha this should be interesting)

Do you hate me for all these cliff hangers?

Perfect first date outfit?

(I say really good jeans, a cute top, light sweater and Vans, because they are classic and you can still run in them if need be.)

Lo lus nug sij hawm! (Hmong) This question is from brilliant : Sunset on the beach, or sitting in a forest with perfect fall colors?

Answer: You literally have no idea how hard this is to answer! I'm a SoCal girl by birth and a New England girl by life, how could I possibly answer this!!!! Fine, I must answer and so I will force myself to choose! Gosh dang it this won't be easy, two sides of me are torn with indecision! OH CRUEL WORLD!!! Here goes....I say it's....*heart burst from so much anxiety over decision*

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