6:53pm Alex's watch read as he checked it before taking off his helmet, standing up right to keep his motorcycle from falling over. It looked like he'd made it on time, Alex was grateful that he hadn't been held up by anything and had told Archer that he would catch up with him either much later tonight, or tomorrow morning. He had not changed into anything different, he was still wearing the black boots, cargo trousers and jacket. Slipping his keys into his pocket and his helmet under one arm he walked over the the door, looking at the intercom he saw a number of different buttons each with a number next to them. He sighed trying to remember which one was the number Riley had told him. Alex may have had a superb memory but sometimes even he did not remember small things.

Pressing the buzzer that Alex was convinced was the right one, he took a step back and waited to either hear something or have the door unlock. He checked his watch again. 6:56pm, nodding he looked into the glass pane on the door to the building. Running his free hand across his stubbled face, he hadn't shaved in a few days, it had just slipped his mind. Also noticing his unkempt hair he thought about how maybe it wouldn't harm him to make an effort to look decent some days. He shrugged and thought about his work-load tomorrow. It was a low-paying job but hey, money is money, right?

Riley smiled when she heard the buzzer. It had to be Alex. She walked over and spoke over the intercom, "Come on in." She pressed the button to open the door. She opened her door to her room and smiled, greeting Alex with a welcoming hug. "Hey, come on in." She said, closing the door behind him. "Dinner it almost ready." She said, heading to the kitchen. She had wine setting out and two wine glasses. She took the food over the stove and started preparing the plates. "I'm glad you came, Alex." She said, rinsing the pans off in the sink. "I hope you're hungry- made your favorite." She said enthusiastically. She had called her mom earlier to tell her she ran into Alex.

"Mom says you better come visit soon, they miss you a lot." Riley said, pouring the wine in the glasses. In one are of the loft there was an art easel with a half finished painting displayed, beside it a table stood with different art utensils on the top. "I've really taken a liking to art." She said, pointing towards the easel. "It is actually very relaxing. Oliver always tells me if I'm ever feeling stressed out, to do something that takes my aggression out to relieve stress, and painting does that." She said with a shrug. "After we eat, I'll show you more paintings I've done." She said. On the other side of the easel as a stack of different sized paintings she had completed over the years,

"Thanks." He replied, following her over to the kitchen. He saw wine set out with two glasses before glancing over at the stove. She didn't have to tell him what was cooking, he'd recognize the smell anywhere. He gave a thin smile before looking down at the counter, composing himself and looking back to Riley."I'm glad you found me." He teased. "I'm starving." He wasn't going to lie about it, he laughed quietly as his stomach rumbled, "See?" He asked rhetorically.

When Riley brought up that their parents missed him a lot as well as Riley, it was both heartwarming and a little disheartening at the same time. While his expression did not show it, that's how his emotions were feeling right now. "I'll go and see them when I get the chance, I promise." He told her. Honestly, Alex didn't know when he would have the chance with how hectic things had been, especially his own personal 'mission' with Archer. "I've thought about it before I just, haven't had the time." He told her, sincerely. Alex also thought about how he even had their numbers on his phone but he had never bothered to call, this time his expression did break into a frown.

"I've really taken a liking to art."

"I can see that." Alex replied, looking at the painting that sat on the easel, nodding his head in approval, they were good. He approached the easel and took a closer look a the painting that was perched on it. "Sure, I'd love to see more." He added, peeking around behind the easel and seeing a stack of them, he smirked.

Riley laughed and shrugged. "Well, I aim to please." She joked. She nodded when he promised he'd go see her parents. "Good, you better keep that promise." She said, attempting to be menacing by waving her finger at him. She nodded at his comment. "I barely have time. When I'm not at work, I'm at work." She said, laughing softly. She noticed he was staring at the stack by the easel. "I get stressed a lot." She said, smiling. "Now, come on, lets eat." She said, going to sit down. When she did her phone buzzed on the counter. "Hold on." She said, grabbing up her phone. She smiled to herself when Oliver's name popped up along with a picture of the two in the park. "I'll just be a minute." She said, answering the phone.

"Hey, baby." She said, going into her bedroom. "Hey, babe. I'm calling to let you know I'll be working late, so I won't be coming by tonight, but I'll see you tomorrow. We've got a bunch to do in the office, big case coming up next month we're getting ready for." He said. Riley frowned, but didn't let her voice reveal to much of his disappointment. "Oh, okay. Well I'll see you tomorrow, remember we've got to search for a venue then go sample some cakes." She said. Oliver chuckle on the other line. "I'll be there to pick you up around lunch time. We'll go eat then do wedding chores." He said. "Okay, I love you." Riley said and when he returned it back, she hung up.

"Sorry about that, it was Oliver. He's working on some big case right now." She said, sitting across from him. "Well, dig in." She said, taking a bite of the spaghetti followed by a sip of wine.

Alex sat down at the counter on the stool beside Riley's and whisked her off with the wave of a hand when she said she'd only be a minute, "Okay." He mouthed with a friendly wink. Alex couldn't help but overhear the conversation even when she was in the bedroom, the pros and cons of having 'super' hearing. It sounded like Riley was disappointed, obviously at the fact that Oliver wasn't going to be coming home tonight. Alex raised his eyebrows, he had a thing with mistrusting anyone who gave him a reason to, especially when he didn't know the person.

"Sorry about that, it was Oliver. He's working on some big case right now."

"A case?" He asked, curious. "Is he Law Enforcement, or...?" He asked, taking the first fork full of food followed by a small sip of wine. He'd never been the biggest fan of wine but hid the cringe it put on his face well.

Riley nodded. "Yes, he's a lawyer, well he's an intern. He's still going to school for it, so we don't have a lot of time together, but he value the time we do have." She said, putting another fork full of spaghetti in her mouth. "He's super smart. They just finished a case a couple months ago, and he won. Even in his little pretend cases they do at school he wins." She said, shrugging. "A lot more interested compared to us, I guess." She joked, drinking some wine.

She finished her food and took her empty plate and Alex's, rinsing them off and leaving them in the sink. "Come, look at some of my paintings." She said, leading him to the stack. "This one is my favorite." She said. She felt a little embarrassed showing it to him, but she did anyways. It was him, fifteen year old him, standing in the forest where she met him six years ago. He was in the clothes she first seen him in, and the background was a mix of greens, blues, and black. "It was the first one I painted- when I first moved here." She said, looking at him. "Also, one of my favorites." She said softly.

---

OLIVER QUEEN

"Trouble in paradise, Oliver?" Jake Owen said, looking at his friend. They were both in gym shorts and tank-tops, training. "Not at all, Jake. The boss wants me to put extra training in, he thinks he's close to tracking that solider dude they made awhile ago." He said, throwing a couple punches at a punching bag. "When do we go out? Surely not much longer." Jake said, taking a drink of water. "He wants to find him first, then we go. From what I heard, this dude isn't no human being. For god sake, man, he was created, and not the way we were." He said, looking over at his friend. "He's just basically a robot, it shouldn't be that hard." Oliver joked as they continued their training exercises.

Listening to what Riley had to say about her partner, he smiled, impressed if he could say the least. "Sounds like he's doing really well for himself." Alex looked to Riley and grinned, "Hopefully he's going to fighting for the right side of the law." He teased, joking at Riley and Oliver's expense. Alex thanked her when she took the plate and stood up to and help her but realized there wasn't much for him to do in that line. He scratched the side of his head while he waited for Riley to finish rinsing the dishes and occasionally sipped on the wine, every time scrunching his face a little less.

"Come, look at some of my paintings." Riley had chirped. Alex smiled thinly, nodded and followed her lead over to the easel and the stack of canvasses, eagerly awaiting to see Riley's works of art.

Alex stared at the painting, he hadn't recognized right away what it was but then it clicked. He smiled, running the fingertips of his right hand along the canvas. "It was the first one I painted- when I first moved here." He listened to her, nodding his head. "You're talented." He replied, he'd never been a huge fan on art but here he could show appreciation. "It's great." He added, carefully moving the canvas and leaning it against the wall. "What else you got?" He teased and sipped from the wine glass he had brought with him from the counter. Alex had noticed one thing with wine, even a bad wine starts to taste okay after the first few sips. This definitely wasn't a bad wine but for Alex it was becoming more palatable.

Riley nodded. "He really is, and he's treats me amazing." She said, compassion in her voice. She blushed when he complimented her painting. "Thank you." She said and laughed, nodding, showing him all her paintings, one by one. One was the whole family, Alex included, and another was at one of his baseball games. The rest were of flowers and other outdoor things. "Here... have this one." She said, bringing out the last painting. It was of them, sitting on the porch swing, when she made him that promise- the one promise she didn't keep. "Remember that night?" She asked, smiling up at him, but then her smiled faded.

"I told you I'd always be around if you needed me.. but I wasn't." She said, looking down. After that night she wasn't as close to him, especially in school. She wanted so bad to fit in she actually cut him out a major part of her life. "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm sorry about everything." She said softly, looking at the painting. They were looking at each other, a smile on their face. She had his jacket around her shoulders, wearing the outfit from that night, and he was sitting next to her, staring at her. She included the moon and stars behind them.

The last painting that Riley showed Alex was one that hit him more in an emotional sense. She wanted him to have it and so he took the painting from her and looked at the scene painted in front of him. He did remember that night, leaving Rick's parents with a large medical bill for their son, the ensuing trouble with the police until charges were dropped and the promise Riley made to him which he had taken to heart. His thoughts then rushed to how their relationship hit a slump after that night. The anger he felt at how she treated him differently for coming and helping her, as if he had done the wrong thing. He raised his eyebrows at the thought and shook his head. After that day, Alex's performance in school declined, as far as his track record went at least. He began being bullied by others and would often "get" into fights when he was really trying to defend himself. Not only at school but even at home Riley began to talk to him less and less and they spent less time with each other. Mentally, he shook off the bad thoughts and looked up at Riley, "Thanks." He told her in regards to her gifting him the painting, "It's great." He added, commenting on the craftsmanship.

Alex placed the canvas down against the wall, separate from the others, he would take this one home with him. When Riley began to apologize Alex stopped her, shaking his head and gesturing with his hand. "You don't have to apologize." He paused, "We were just kids." He added. Alex walked over to the counter and placed his empty glass down. It was unlike Alex to feel a sort of anger. It wasn't the type of anger that would leave someone shouting and hitting inanimate objects but rather a type that crushed you. He pursed his lips and then sat at the table, facing Riley he smiled again. "It was my fault anyway." He told her. "I took it too far that night and it had consequences for you. I accept that."

Riley watched as he seemed deep in thought. She place her hand on his, in comfort. "I know, but still. I was a total bitch to you after that night. I cared way more about my reputation at school then how I treated you at home. You were so much important then any of those people and I just shoved you to the side. It was so wrong of me to do, on so many levels." She aid softly, feeling the tears burning her eyes. She shook her head, standing up, as she walked over to him. "No, Alex. There was no excuse for what I did, You helped me that night, they really hurt me. I had bruised ribs, my side was black and purple. You helped me, and I just didn't want to see that." She said, replacing her and back on his own.

She reached up, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again, Alex." She said, and her mood changed. "Well, I've got time, do you want to watch a movie?" She asked, grinning. "We can catch The Notebook- Oliver hates chick flicks, so he'll refuse to watch any of them with me." She said, looking at him with hopeful eyes. "I'll be your shoulder to cry on." She joked, playfully nudging him.

"Sure." Alex replied, he enjoyed watching movies, it was something he had been deprived of up until the age of fifteen and so whatever type of movie it was didn't really matter. He laughed at the comment about him needing a shoulder to cry on, "Yeah, right." He uttered midst the laughter, "We'll see." He teased, looking over at the couch and the large television he reached towards the glasses and the bottle of wine and gestured with his head towards the couch. "Shall we?" He asked.

---

The movie finished and the credits began to roll, the room was dark except for the light of the television screen and the room was made darker now that the credits were surrounded by a black background. He raised his head from his palm where he had been resting while watching the movie, Riley had been leaning into him, lying out on the couch, her head nestled by his arm and chest. It was getting late. However, Alex was not tired, being tired was something that Alex had never felt and never would. It was not that Alex couldn't sleep, he could if he chose to but usually he would shut his eyes and just rest in bed, remaining awake for the night. Of the many genre of movies available in the modern age, chick flicks were probably Alex's least favorite. It was not that he didn't enjoy them he just more so did not know how to appreciate them. He understood that this particular movie was sad and had heard off people he had met in social gathering of how it made some cry and others emotional, but Alex did not share the same emotions.

"Well..." He began, nudging Riley, partly to see if she was awake, "That was interesting, hm?"

Riley shrugged, following Alex over to the couch. "Ho, I'm afraid you are so wrong, Einstein." She said,laughing. Riley joined him on the couch, pouring herself some wine. The movie started, being the only light in the room, Riley held her glass in one hand, leaning against Alex, her eyes fixed on the TV.

...

By the time the movie was over, she had already dozed off. Like always, she was emotional, silently crying at all the sad parts. She had finished two glasses of wine before snuggling into Alex's chest. She meant to only close her eyes for a brief second just to rest them, but ended up dozing off instead. She slept peacefully, probably the best she had rested in a while. When he nudged her, she wiggled slightly before opening her eyes. Riley glanced up at him, smiling.

"I guess I fell asleep." She said, sitting up, stretching her muscles. "Sorry." She said through a big yawn. Riley glanced at the time and saw it was almost eleven. "I should be heading to bed, big day tomorrow with wedding plans." She said, looking at him. "If you're too tired to drive, you're more then welcome to stay overnight here, the couch pulls out. I can just grab you a pillow and some blankets." She offered and jumped up without a response to grab some blankets and a pillow she had in her closet. Before she headed back out too him, she took off her blue dress and bra, slipping on a pale pink silky nightgown that came to her thighs, with a white silky robe over. She walked out to him, handing him the blankets and pillow. "Here, I'll help pull it out." She said as she tossed the cushions to the side.

She effortlessly pulled out the bed, motioning for him. "It's not much, but it's pretty comfortable." She said, shrugging. "I'm heading to bed, but let me know if you need anything." She said, her voice soft as she looked at him. "Okay. Um, good night then." She said, smiling before heading to her bedroom to retire to bed.

"Goodnight." Alex replied, once she had retired to her bedroom he stood up and walked, silently over to the counter and took his motorcycle helmet off of it. He was contemplating leaving now and looked at his jacket draped neatly over the chair he had been eating at. Shrugging he walked back to the couch and placed his helmet on the floor next to it. Keeping quiet Alex undid the buttons of his jeans and slipped them off leaving himself in his olive green t-shirt and grey boxer shorts. He sorted out the blanket and pillows onto the couch bed before settling down into it.

He sighed and looked around the room, it was all dark save for the very dim light emitting from the television set which was now paused halfway through the credits. He took the remote and switched it to standby before lying down and by choice, falling asleep.

|The Following Morning|

While Alex was genetically modified he was still human and possessed the ability to dream. The night where they sat on the porch swing and Riley made him a promise had been the premise of Alex's dreams that night. During his sleep he had tossed and turned onto his stomach and the fabric of his t-shirt had been pulled down slightly revealing a tattoo, a bar code on the base of his neck underneath the bar code read, 2754212, his designated number.

Riley had gotten up earlier that morning to surprise Alex with breakfast. She changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a pastel yellow blouse. Her hair was pulled up in a sophisticated bun and she had on black boots under her jeans. She was quiet as a mouse while frying the sausage and making the eggs and biscuits. When she was done with it all, she put the food on a plate along with some orange juice and brought it over to Alex. She went to nudge him awake, but she noticed a strange tattoo on his neck. Riley put the plate down on the coffee table and leaned over, examining the tattoo.

It was a barcode with strange numbers under. "What the..." She whispered softly, her hand gently brushing against the tattoo. Shaking her head, she went to grab the plate and set it beside him. "Hey, I've got you some breakfast." She said cheerfully, showing him the plate. "There is some juice on the table." She said, going to grab up her own plate and juice and sitting on the bed with him to eat. "Sleep well?" She asked, she thought back to his tattoo and how odd it was. "Alex... can I ask you something?" She asking, biting her lower lip nervously. "I noticed that tattoo on the back of your neck, what is it?" She asked curiously.

It was the smell of the breakfast being finished that woke Alex up, slowly he opened his eyes and turned over onto his back, keeping the blanket wrapped around his lower half for another couple of minutes. Blinking a few times, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Sitting up he looked at the breakfast plate being held in front of him by Riley and took it from her hands, gratefully. "Thank-you." He got out before clearing his throat, moving over on the couch bed so that Riley had the space to sit next to him. Alex rested the plate on his thighs, the heat felt in his legs. "Yeah I slept fine, actually." He told her, "You?"

"Alex... can I ask you something?"

She was nervous, he could tell that much. About to open his mouth to ask her what it was she wanted to know, she continued. "I noticed that tattoo on the back of your neck, what is it?" Honestly, Alex had forgotten about the tattoo, he so rarely caught glimpse of it that most of the time he wouldn't know it was there. Raising his free hand he ran his fingertips along the base of the back of his neck. "Oh yeah..." He began, "I forgot about that old thing." For a moment Alex contemplated telling Riley the truth, everything but he knew that would take most of the day and she had plans. On top of that he didn't know how she would react to him having lied to her all these years, let alone he didn't even know if she would believe him. After all it was a pretty crazy idea to have to let sink in. "Freedom..." He spouted, thinking up of how to explain the tattoo, "I mean, nothing's free right? There is no real freedom in the world. I got this to show that." Alex examined Riley's face before adding, "You know adolescent bullshit. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Bullshit. Alex realized that was possibly the first time he had sworn around her. He smirked and then looked back at the plate.

"Smells good." He uttered, digging into the food.

Riley shrugged. "I slept okay, I suppose." She replied, taking a bite of her eggs. She listened to his reason, and when he was done she nodded. "Oh, I was thinking for a minute you were in some secret gang for the government- I never noticed it before." She said, smiling. "You know if you don't want it anymore, they can cover those things up." She said, eating some of her sausage. Pretty expensive though..." She mumbled, finishing off her plate. "Anyways, Oliver will be here pretty soon to pick me up, I've got to brush my teeth real quick and clean up." She said, getting off the bed. "We need to catch back up though, some more I mean." She said, handing him his pants that were laying on the ground by the fold up bed. "Here, you might need these." She said with a soft laugh.

Riley went into the bathroom to brush her teeth real quick before doing her make-up, which usually didn't take long. She went for the normal smoky eye look and pale pink lip gloss, making her look all natural. She stared at herself in the mirror and got lost in thought. A lot of things were running through her mind. Her wedding in four months, all the wedding details she still had left to do, and then there was Alex. She still couldn't believe she had ran into him again, but part of her didn't want to believe him about that tattoo. Why that specific number? And why would he get it on his neck? She sighed before picking up her phone, calling Oliver to see where he was at,

Riley shrugged. "I slept okay, I suppose." She replied, taking a bite of her eggs. She listened to his reason, and when he was done she nodded. "Oh, I was thinking for a minute you were in some secret gang for the government- I never noticed it before." She said, smiling. "You know if you don't want it anymore, they can cover those things up." She said, eating some of her sausage. Pretty expensive though..." She mumbled, finishing off her plate. "Anyways, Oliver will be here pretty soon to pick me up, I've got to brush my teeth real quick and clean up." She said, getting off the bed. "We need to catch back up though, some more I mean." She said, handing him his pants that were laying on the ground by the fold up bed. "Here, you might need these." She said with a soft laugh.

Riley went into the bathroom to brush her teeth real quick before doing her make-up, which usually didn't take long. She went for the normal smoky eye look and pale pink lip gloss, making her look all natural. She stared at herself in the mirror and got lost in thought. A lot of things were running through her mind. Her wedding in four months, all the wedding details she still had left to do, and then there was Alex. She still couldn't believe she had ran into him again, but part of her didn't want to believe him about that tattoo. Why that specific number? And why would he get it on his neck? She sighed before picking up her phone, calling Oliver to see where he was at,

Alex laughed. In truth it was a nervous laugh but not in the way it sounded. "A secret government... Gang?" He asked, with emphasis on the last word, the sarcastic kind. "Please, Riley." He teased, shaking his head with a grin as he finished his own plate of breakfast, leaving the plate on the end-table that sat beside the couch. "Yeah, no. I thought about getting it lasered off before but the price is horrendous." He told her, "And covering it up with something different wouldn't really solve the problem." He added.

"Anyways, Oliver will be here pretty soon to pick me up, I've got to brush my teeth real quick and clean up." His eyes followed her face as she stood up. "We need to catch back up though, some more I mean."

"Definitely." He assured her, thanking her as she handed him his jeans. When Riley left for the bathroom, Alex put on his jeans followed by his socks and boots and took the plates over to the sink. He gave them a quick rinse and left them on the drainer before walking back to the couch and picking up his helmet. He had remembered his promise to meet up with Archer this morning and cursed under his breath. Taking his phone from the coffee table he saw thirteen missed calls and raised his eyebrows. Sweeping his helmet from the floor and jacket from the stool at the counter he clicked the dial button and held the phone to his ear. There was rushed talking on the other end of the line and Alex's face dropped.

"Yeah, yeah." He paused, frowning. "Okay. I'm on the way, give me twenty." He said, rushing out of the apartment without saying goodbye. Once outside he got on his bike, started up the engine, revved and took off.

About an hour after Alex left, Oliver was buzzing in. Riley beamed when she heard his smooth and sophisticated voice on the other end. She greeted him with a kiss and hug. She had everything cleaned back up and the bed folded back into its couch form. "You ready, babe?" Oliver asked, keeping his arms around her waist. "You know it, let's get this over with." She joked, grabbing her jacket and purse as they headed out and to his car. He drove a bright red Mustang that switched to a convertible. The interior was dark brown and leather, the windows tinted black. He opened her door for her and she smiled as she thanked him and slid in, he followed suit to the drivers side. "Did I tell you yet how gorgeous you looked?" He said, giving her a quick kiss before taking off. She was thankful he was more focused on driving then her blush creeping on her cheeks.

After they finally found a venue, a beautiful vineyard, and finished the cake sampling, having deciding on a decadent chocolate caked with three layers and blue icing, they went out to eat for dinner at a nearby restaurant. "Did you have a good time with Alex?" Oliver asked, searching the menu for a dish. "Yes, we did. Well, except..." She paused, not sure how to say it. "For what?" He asked, his attention fully focused on her, "Well, I let him sleep on the couch last night, it was late and we both drank a good bit of wine, well this morning I went to wake him up, and..." She paused not sure how to tell him. "He had a strange tattoo on his neck, almost like a barcode you'd find on something you buy from the store. Under it was a number. 2754212, I believe." She said.

Oliver's head shot up, his look changed completely. "Oh, I just remembered." He said, standing up quickly. "The case, I was suppose to meet with my client for dinner. Let's take a raincheck." He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead before rushing off. Riley watched him leave in disbelief. She stood up and walked off after him, frowning. Now she had to get a taxi back home, but they were absolute hell to try and catch. Sighing, she took out her phone and smiled. She remembered getting Alex's number before he left this morning, so she found his name and hit call.

---

Oliver Queen

"Boss!" He said, practically yelling, as he stormed through the doors of the company and straight to the General's office. "Ah, Oliver, did you find anything out?" The voice came from a man dressed in dark green from head to toe. He was standing, looking outside a window behind a desk. He was older probably in his late 40's, but he was still fit. His hands were behind his back as he seemed to be deep in thought. "Actually, you wouldn't believe what I found out, Sir." Oliver said. The man they called the General turned around to face Oliver. He had a scar on the left side of his face and thick brown hair that had grey through it. His beard matched his hair, but his eyes were dangerous.

"What would that be, Oliver?" The General asked as he lit up a cigarette, taking a couple puffs and exhaling the smoke, "I found him. I found experiment 2754212." Oliver said, eyes wild with excitement. The General raised his brow. "Well, that is some interesting new. Where is he?" General asked, blowing smoke in Oliver's direction. "Um, well I'm not sure, but get this, my fiance, Riley, is close to him. Her parents like, raised him or something. I remember she told me a little about him- she found him in the woods, six years ago, right around the time he escaped from the facility." Oliver said, closing the office door behind him. "She saw the bar code on his neck, with his identification number." He said, pleased with himself.

"Ah, good. Very good." The General said, putting out his cigarette. "Oliver, I want you to lead the attack. I want you to bring him down and bring him in. If you have to get to him through the girl, than so be it. I want him, alive." He said, sitting behind his desk. "We can adjust his head to erase all his memories of his life, he'll be of more value then." The General said, turning to look back at the window. "You want me to use Riley? Sir, no disrespect, but I can't. We're getting married in four months." Oliver said, shaking his head. "Do it, Oliver, or I'll find someone who will gladly accept this opportunity." The General said, his tone in his voice dangerous.

"No sir, I'll do it. Give me three days." Oliver said quietly and disappeared out of the office.

Alex stood behind Archer at a desk with a large computer and a number of monitors on it. Archer sat in a comfy office chair in a loose purple hoodie and a cup of cold cup of coffee beside his mouse pad. As he was tapping away at one of his keyboards he turned his head back to look at Alex. "So, like I told you the others who were with you in the... Program." Alex paused and sipped from the coffee cup unfazed by the cold bitterness of the coffee. "You were all part of a 'series' known as two-seven-five. Well, since you're escape something strange showed up about a year back."

"What's that then?" Alex asked, intrigued leaning a bit closer in, one hand on the top of the back of Archer's chair. The hacker shook his head and sighed.

"Well, there's no easy way to say it so..." He clicked on a file that was resting on his desktop bringing up the photo of what appeared to be a cadaver. Alex was confused until he looked closer and saw the bar code tattoo on the cadaver's neck, the code beginning with the same three numbers. Two-seven-five. As he was processing this Archer began to explain. "She was found by the bank of a river not to far from here, washed up on it. Gunshot wound to the head, entered the back and left the front. Execution style." He clicked his tongue and minimized the image bringing up a picture of the local hospital. "Her body was taken here and only lasted thirty-six hours before some government agency took it under their wing. No signing out, nothing. They had complete authority and literally snatched the body."

"Who?" Alex asked.

"That's the thing. No one knows who these guys are..." Archer began but was interrupted by a phone ringing. Alex apologized, knowing Archer's strict no cellphones in the computer space policy.

"Hey. Riley, what's up?" He asked, answering the phone.