A/N: So, how much do you all love me, then? I got this chapter finished and thought I'd set the scene for the rest of the story.

For those of you who don't know, this is the FOURTH in a series that starts with Past of Shadows, then Shadow of a Doubt and Reincarnation.

WARNINGS: For this chapter, none. But, most likely, given the general themes of this arc, extreme brutality, heart break, betrayal. SLASH IS DEFINITE. Possibly rape, but hopefully not. Essentially, this will start off as T but will no doubt move to M very, very, quickly. Also, language. For some reason I always forget the one.

And yes, another chapter of Dulce et Decorum is on the way, I promise. FFH is proving a little more difficult, but is coming. And Untitled is mostly mapped out now, I just need time to write it.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that you recognise.

-o-O-o-

The cell was small, moonlight washing everything out until it was a monotone grey and dull with it. There was nothing to focus on, nothing to keep his attention and without it, David found his focus straying.

How long had he been here now? It must have been weeks, at least.

They had had no idea how to treat him at first. He'd woken up in a hospital bed, with a man sitting in the corner of the room. David had immediately pegged him as an agent.

"It's good to see you awake," the man murmured. "We were worried that the soldiers had hit you too hard for a while."

David grunted noncommittally and sat up.

"Do you want to tell me your name, kid?"

David regarded the man carefully for a minute, then looked away.

"OK, how about why you were at the school?"

David simply sighed and looked down. Maybe if he could make him look pitiful enough, they would take his lack of communication for some disability?

"Can you tell me anything?" asked the agent, and David finally looked at the man, his eyes large and dewy, his lips twitching as if he were trying not to cry. Idly, he wondered if Thanatos would be satisfied with his performance, and then the image of Thanatos' still form hit him like a tonne of bricks to the chest.

He let out a single, painful whimper and the man frowned. "I'm going to get a doctor."

He should have escaped then, but he was too busy reeling from the shock, grief howling inside him like a storm on the sea.

By the time he had regained a semblance of control, they were back, his opportunity lost.

A few days later he had awoken in this cell, his ruse apparently played out.

No one had hurt him, he'd been fed regularly through a slat in the door and no-one had even asked him any more questions, but he hadn't seen a single human face since he was thrown in here, and it was starting to get to him.

He knew it was a favourite psychological torture tactic of MI6, designed to encourage the person to talk when they finally came into contact with people again.

Well, it wouldn't work with him.

-o-O-o-

Aimi looked around. The room was bare, and crowded.

She thought this might have been a hunting lodge once, but it had long stood abandoned. There was this room, a bathroom and a small kitchenette. The water and power had been easy enough to turn on and for the last two weeks, it had been a haven for the sixteen fleeing teens currently lounging in the room like so many sleeping lions.

Sixteen. Sixteen of them had escaped the school - all of her year were there, except David, plus a few of the younger years and one from the year above. Myles was as solid as a rock. Nothing fazed him and Aimi had found herself relying on him more and more over the past month. Even now he was pulling apart Madrid and another young student who had done nothing but fight each other since they fled. She sent him a thankful smile and then glanced down.

"We can't stay here," she said, quietly, and the room immediately fell silent. "The weather will turn soon, and we need to be gone when it does."

"Where do you think we should go?" asked Sasha, her voice still soft and musical, despite the hacking cough and sore throat she had finally admitted yesterday. Doc had torn her a new one for trying to hide it, then dipped into their rapidly dwindling supply of medicine to kick start the treatment for a chest infection.

As much as she valued Myles' unwavering support, she needed Sasha's constant watchful eye. The girl would not hesitate to call her out and more than once her intervention had saved them from disaster. She had quickly claimed the spot as Aimi's second.

"There's nowhere any less isolated than this that we won't draw attention," murmured Adam.

"I know," said Aimi, "and that is why we should split up."

"Why?" asked Sasha, but Aimi could tell she was playing the Devil's advocate.

"A group of sixteen teenagers without an adult, spread across different age groups will draw attention," said Aimi. "There are simply too many of us to fly under the radar - especially without an adult. But, if we split up, we can use any number of excuses. Most of us are old enough to pass without comment as long as we don't stay in one place too long. So, I guess, choose a partner."

Adan and Ciro didn't even bother to glance at each other, and no one sought them out. The fact that the brothers would be together was never even in question.

After what seemed to be an intense, silent debate, Marsha and Zahur nodded to each other, and Doc and Adam began talking quietly in the corner.

"I'll take the young ones," said Irryn. "The headmaster had a house in the South of France, under a pseudonym. I doubt he's alive to object, but if he is, I'll see him coming a mile off."

"How?" asked Aimi, raising an eyebrow.

"I hacked into his files at the school. It's how I found out about the house, and it means I know all of his pseudonyms. I'll flag them on the French no-fly list, and keep an eye on the trains."

Aimi nodded. "Okay, so you take these six-"

"Eva and I will be fine on our own," interrupted Madrid. The hand of the girl he had been fighting with was clutched firmly in his, making Aimi hitch an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're just kids," protested Irryn.

"We're sixteen," argued Madrid. "And I was moved up to your class. We're old enough not to stand out on our own, and we can pass for older. As we're skilled enough to keep ourselves safe."

Aimi looked at them. Madrid, she had no worries about, but she hadn't had much contact with Eva. She was lithe, with dark olive skin, long brown hair and eyes of molten chocolate. She could pass for Madrid's sister if she had to, and her soft looks would help them out, assuming some pervert didn't try to kidnap her, expecting a submissiveness that could not have survived the academy.

"Okay," agreed Aimi. "Irryn, it will be easier to come up with a cover story without them anyway. But, you two stay in France, you hear? That way Irryn can help you out if you get in trouble."

Madrid and Eva nodded and Aimi moved on.

"Sasha..." she began.

"Forget it, Ai," said the girl. "I'll help Irryn get the younger ones to France, but I'm not sticking around."

"And then you plan to do what?" asked Aimi, impatiently.

"Head to England. We need Thanatos and that seems as good a place as any to start looking."

"We can't trust him, Sasha," she warned. "Someone at the school sold us out, and it could easily have been him."

Sasha waved a hand, carelessly. "I know. In fact, given the time between his arrival and the attack by the SAS, I'd say it probably was him. But, he taught us right. He didn't beat us, he didn't use us as his personal brothel - and god knows David would have been willing enough - and he taught us a lot in a short amount of time. He risked his life to save us from that man and gave us a way to escape the soldiers. Even if he did sell out the school, he didn't sell out us."

"And why England?"

"He was English," said Sasha. "He hid it well, but I've never heard anyone who wasn't English swear in the way he did."

"People are more likely to slip up when they're pissed off," said Zahur, pensively.

"And if he's English, he probably started out there. He'll know it best and he'll retreat there when he needs to hide out."

"Assuming he isn't dead, or in league with the SAS."

"The SAS are British, anyway. And I don't think he's dead. He got us out: he could get himself out too."

"Alright," agreed Aimi softly. "I won't stop you. But you keep in touch. And that goes for the rest of you too. We may be splitting up, but we're still working together. And if any of you forget it, I'll hunt you down myself."

The group nodded and split up, a few heading outside to enjoy the last rays of the evening sun, others going to fix themselves a drink in the kitchen or moving into new groups to talk.

An arm slipped around her waist and she couldn't help but smile.

"So," asked Myles. "Where are we heading?"

-o-O-o-

"Matt! Darling, you're home!" exclaimed his mother, as soon as she answered the door. "How was camp?"

Camp. Right. That was what his father had said, right up until he had been inspected by Mrs Jones.

"It was great, Mum," he said. "Do you mind if I go to bed? I'm really tired."

"Of course not sweetie. You've had a long journey. I'll bring you up some dinner later."

"Thanks, Mum," said Matt, with a tight smile.

His Mum hesitated. "Matt, are you sure everything's alright? You look upset."

"Everything's fine, mum. I'm just really tired."

"Well, if you're sure," she said, doubtfully.

"I'm sure," said Matt, hugging her and turning to go upstairs. At the bottom of the staircase, he paused.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, darling," said his mum, a small frown marring her forehead. Matt smiled again and headed upstairs.

His dad came to see him later that night. Matt couldn't even look at him.

-o-O-o-

Bear grabbed the final piece of pizza and leaned back.

"I can't believe the Lions lost," groaned Eagle. "They were the better team!"

"It's not about what you have," said Bear, philosophically. "It's about how you use it."

Eagle glared. "I hate you."

"You wound me," said Bear, dryly, eating the pizza. "Where are Snake and Wolf tonight?" he asked, after a moment. "It seems like they're never around anymore."

"Wolf took Rider dying hard," muttered Eagle, sullenly. "I think he felt responsible or some shit."

"They were close for a while, weren't they? Before Rider turned bad. He's allowed to grieve."

"He was a criminal."

"But you still knew him when he was a kid," Bear pointed out. "Surely you have some regret that it ended up like this."

"It was his choice," said Eagle. "I was through making excuses for him a long time ago."

-o-O-o-

A/N: So, yeah, I'm sorry, no Alex or Wolf in this chapter, but give me time! And what did you think? Any ideas for what is to come?

Review and let me know!

Oddx