Mel and I drove home in silence. We stayed at the shooting range until midnight, both in our lanes firing at the targets. I even shot a few of my own bullets just to let out some steam but my eyes were growing heavier by the second and my marks were getting further and further away from where I wanted them to go.

As we drove home, Mel made several attempts to strike up a conversation. She looked my way and took a deep breath in each time, but decided better of it and turned her focus back to the road. Which I was glad for.

I knew I'd overreacted. I knew that guilting Mel using my name was a cruel move. She'd always blamed herself for what happened but I'd always told her it wasn't really her fault and there was nothing she could do and that's the truth. I was just so angry at her, I couldn't stop myself, I needed something to use against her.

When the two of us broke into the hacking lifestyle, it wasn't as simple as I just cut my family ties and changed my name just like that. It was provoked. Mel was looking for information she could sell to people rather than computer programs like she does now. One man stepped forward to her one day and asked if she could find out as much as she could about a group called "DedSec."

I'd thought they were just a myth. I didn't want to believe that there was just this group of hackers who dedicated their lives to revealing secrets to the public. I actually respected them for a while since it's not everyday you find truth tellers. However, through digging Melina found that the group were actually "black hat" hackers meaning they illegally exploited information were personal gain was involved.

When Melina was preparing to give that information away someone approached her, a young woman, who told her that DedSec were watching and would not hesitate to ruin her if she continued to meddle in their business.

Melina gave the information to the man who stepped forward anyway.

At first, nothing happened. Mel was honest with me and told me she felt that she had to release the information which, I didn't blame her for. Then one day, Melina gets a call from her mother who explains that a woman turned up at her doorstep and started asking a lot of questions about Mel. Unknowing who the women was, Mel's mum told her quite a lot about where Mel was and that she lived with me.

Then I started getting texts, saying that I was in danger because of Mel and if I turn her over then it'll be okay.

Mel and I were afraid. We got in contact with DedSec and apologised, Mel stole the information back from the male who approached her and completely wiped it from the system so he couldn't use it against them. DedSec then agreed that we were fine and not to meddle again.

It was only then that I deleted my name from the system. Mel's mother had been approached, what if one day my mother was? My sisters? My friends? What could I do from all the way over here in Chicago?

I changed my name from Percilla Clark Chatsworth to Clark Dixon. I deleted all my social media sites then created new ones with this new name and new persona. I wiped any record of me from my family. My mother no longer had three children, she had two. No Percilla Chatsworth ever attended any UK secondary school or Sixth form college. I was gone.

I didn't hate Melina for that. I would've deleted it all eventually anyway, something was bound to come up.

I wanted to apologise to Mel the whole journey back for using such a low attack on her but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Eventually she parked up outside the foxhole and the two of us walked inside, Mel a few steps ahead of me. We got in and closed the door behind us.

The room was black except for one monitor that was blinking in the corner. Ray and Tobias were sat in front of it but were fast asleep, Frewer laying on Ray's shoulder as the two snored loudly. There was no sign of Pearce and no one went looking for him as Mel walked over to her computer and switched it on while I headed straight back to my mattress and threw myself down on it.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep this time and I was so happy that I did.

The next morning, I was awoken by a shove of the shoulder.

'Clark, get up. We have work to do.' Mel's voice smacked across my brain. She was using her passive aggressive bitter voice which meant that she was very mad at me but didn't want to start a fight.

I groggily got up to my feet like she told me and followed after her without a fuss. I already knew that I'd crossed a line last night and had to apologise as soon as possible. We entered the main computer room which was lit up from head to toe with new lights strung across the ceiling and in the corner.

'Aiden and I went shopping this morning to get more lights so we can all actually see where we're going.' Mel mumbled, still using her passive aggressive bitter voice. Let's call it her PAB voice.

'Okay.' I replied simply. 'What time is it?'

'Eleven am, we didn't need you this morning so I told the boys to let you sleep in after your day yesterday.' Her PAB voice softened for a second but not for long as she said. 'Now you're awake, you can try being helpful to us.'

'What do you need?' I asked.

'I need a fake ID.' She stopped me and turned to look me in the eye. 'I need you to clear all my history from the system, including from my family and my schooling and give me a new name.'

'Why?'

'So that you're not the only one who sacrificed your previous life for this one.' She spoke confidently.

'If you're trying to prove a point, Mel, there's no need. I'm sor-'

'No.' She held her hand up to stop me, the PAB was stronger now. 'It's clear that what you said was the truth and I needed to hear it. I don't blame you for thinking it was my fault because it was. What happened was my fault and you were trying to protect your family. I want to do the same now.'

'You want me to delete everything?'

'Every single thing you can find, I want it gone. I'm going to call my mother later today but after that, I need it all gone and I need a new life. Keep my first name but change my last name, delete my social media. I need it all gone before I truly dive into this life.'

'If you're sure.' I whispered. 'I'll get it all done by tonight.'

'Thank you.' She looked to her feet but decided against and snapped her neck back up again to me. 'Aiden needs to speak with you. He's over there.'

Mel pointed over to the other side of the room where the vigilante was bent over a computer desk, tapping the keys at lightening speed. I jogged over to him and peered over his shoulder at what he was doing.

'... I'm researching.' He mumbled as if he could read my mind. 'We have work to do today.'

'What kind of work?' I grunted back at him, taking a step away from him as he stood up properly. He was stood in his default stance, staring down at his phone with one hand slung in his pocket. '... You got a new phone?'

'Had to.' He grunted then looked up at me. 'I'm looking for the man we heard Charlotte Gardner speaking with. Jones. I want to know what information he was offering to Blume and why.'

'What information could be considered priceless?' I mumbled, remembering back to the conversation Aiden and I had overheard from the vents yesterday.

'... The kind of information that could bring someone down to their knees and sucumbing to your every desire.' Aiden handed me his phone and I stared down at the screen, a picture of the women Charlotte Gardner was lit up, in her arms she was holding a blue folder seemingly filled with paperwork and beside her, I recognised the man from yesterday.

'Same suit he wore yesterday.' Aiden mumbled. 'This picture was only uploaded online yesterday which means the two met out in public and must have gone somewhere more private when Jones made his offer.'

'Did you work out his name?'

'Not yet. That's your job. I need you to dig up everything you can. Melina told me you were good at finding and erasing everything about a person using the internet. I need you to do it to this guy now, only rather than erase it. I want you to send it to a hacker group called DedSec.'

'Why?' I asked.

'This man means nothing to me. If you find something despicable, DedSec will know what to do with it. Get it done as soon as you can, Mel and I are going to go find him. I need all the information on him on my phone screen before we come back here with him.'

'You're kidnapping him?!' I gasped. 'Why?'

'Because Clark, if he has information like for example, the location of this base somehow. He can tell Blume and they'll be on our asses in a second and we'll be thrown in a cell. I'm going to assume the worst until proven otherwise.'

'What if his sudden disappearance sparks Blume to go into code red? How on earth does this man bring us any closer to finding the code to the information?'

'I don't know… yet.'

'Well that's not good enough for me, Aiden. I'll do your research and I'll send what I find to the hacker group but if you kidnap this man, interrogate it with no motive then you don't deserve to be anywhere except in a cell.'

'Fine words from a thief.'

'Like you're any better than me, vigil-uncle.' I snapped, taking a threatening step towards him. 'You may have Mel fooled that you're some misunderstood prince but you're a monster in a hat and scarf and when all this is done at the end, we'll see who's walking away unscathed.'

Mel walked over at this point and leaned against Aidens shoulder. She didn't say a word to me nor did Pearce until she squinted her eyes at me and sighed. 'We've got a pick up to do, Aiden, come on.'

The two turned and walked off together looking like proper chums which sent my blood boiling. This guy swans in, talks shit and convinces my best friend that torture is okay sometimes. Not on my fucking watch. I'll show him.

I turned away instantly and stormed off to my computer getting to work immediately. Clearly I was just trying to have a fight with everyone today.

I got to work immediately, searching through everything I could think of. I started with good old google then searched through Charlotte Gardner until finally I found a name.

"Jonathon Jones."

I searched the records using his name and was smacked across the face with surprise. This guy was a miracle worker, he had been key members of teams that had discovered all types of cures and remedies for modern diseases and illnesses. The guy was also well known into his research about curing cancer and even leukaemia.

This guy wasn't some evil mastermind, he was a saint.

I continued to search, trying to find anything that could be seen as even slightly shady but there was nothing. The guy was spotless.

I quickly jumped from my seat and yanked my phone from my trouser pockets where it had sat since yesterday afternoon.

I dialed Mel's number in and bounced around on the balls of my feet until she picked up.

'What now?'

'You can't do this, Mel. Jonathan Jones is a doctor, a bloody famous one at that. His record is clean, whatever Aiden's thinks this guy knows he can't. He's got nothing.'

'He's made a deal with Blume we can't just ignor-'

'Freaking Walmart has a deal with Blume about their security! What? Are you going to go find the CEO of that company too and torture them as well?!'

'Clark, we can't just-'

'If you touch that guy I'm reporting Aiden's whereabouts to the police.' I snapped. 'Torture is disgusting and I will not sit back and just him get away with it.'

'If Aiden goes down they're going to link me in too, you want that Clark?'

'If it comes to that.'

Mel was silent for a second then snarled loudly. 'Fine! Have it your way! I mean it, if this guy has anything on us I swear, I'm done.'

'You're done?' I growled. 'What the hell does that mean?'

Melina didn't stop to explain, a second later I heard the dial tone again and was so tempted to throw my phone across the room.

Who was this girl I was talking to anymore? What was she becoming?