The Final Countdown; (Tag: You know who you are!)

[*]

Crouching down in the bushes near the house, I can see how wonderful it is to see that door. That window... no, HER window. Her window that would stay open during the colder months, letting in the chilly air to cool her room. How, in the summer, the curtains would always be rolled upwards and tied unlike someone else who would merely push them to one side adn let it go. No. She loved the sun. She loved being outdoors. Training and the outdoors is how she was always spending her time. Now to answer this measley question. How in the hell did I get here? How in the hell did those imbiciles not even think that they needed to keep me under their 'oh so careful watchful eye'? Serves them right... especially my humble roommate. Whose he to judge? Thinking that he needs a different room away from a 'convicted felon'? We were patients. No one gets to get special treatment around here. So, naturally, he got what he deserved and I got what I deserved...

Freedom!

Absolute freedom and a chance to get back at those reason(s) for my... unscheduled, and unwanted, time in that rotting prison cell. He'll pay for it. I know that. If he had just let me take her... this wouldn't have happened. He will pay and that other woman...

"Shit." I jerk my hand back from the bush. It's pointed tip sinking deep within my skin. A certain type of anger welling up inside of me enough to make me move from my favorite spot. "I wonder if she's home?"

My eyebrow raises, watching the curtain in her room sway with the wind going through her window. The curiosity peeking, almost pushing me, to go look and see if she may be in there, but whose to say that she'll welcome me so easily? Last time, I nearly killed her.

"No. YOu protected her. You kept her from that one guy. That dirtbag who defiled her... kept her. Brainwashed her." I glance to the door of the house and see it open up and the girl who I so desperately want to see again come out. Her beautiful long, dark locks swaying with the wind. I can't help but glance at her movements, but somethign is off about her. Something that creates such a more beautiful being that I can't tear my eyes away from her.

"Kya..." I whisper, wondering if the wind will carry my words on a whimsey and float to her ears. Perhaps, she'll just see me? "Damnit..."

She turns the other direction, and she's quickly floating down the path. With her attention diverted, it seems she's left me alone until she comes back, so what better way then to greet her when she comes home?

Stepping lively, I cross the road, pulling yet another pointed leaf from my side. "A thorn in my side, you'll be no more, my precious Kyanite. You never said I couldn't visit." I grin when my fingers touch the door to the house only to reveal the knob unable to turn, but the silly thing just swings on open with one gentle push. "Always pull your door until you hear it latch, sweetheart."

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Vy Pryce

Something inside of Vy screams at her that she's made a mistake. That she never should of gone through with the academy. Yet the other half of her is telling her that it's for the best, maybe even that she had to do it. No one found out, and they're safe. What else matters? Life for once, is actually good. And on top of that Brittany is out of the picture. Making it all even more so a plus. The gratitude she feels for her current situation, and for the ones who helped her get here, is indescribable. Perhaps everything will actually stay this way for a little.

"Morning." She greets Ky as always and smiles at the two in the kitchen. It's incredibly sweet how much she helps out with Brooklyn. By far as much as Brittany, and even more so with how she cares for the rugrat. Such as now for instances, as the two giggle over Ky's attempt to teach Brookie how to prepare a bowl of cereal. "How'd you girls sleep?" Of course the Tyke crawled into Vy's bed. Somehow she's down here playing with the Brunette though.

There's no rush to get to work, the joys of already graduating. And for some reason she feels the need to especially take her time today. "Hey, I can take Brookie to daycare today." The Blonde offers as she scoops up the munchkin whom's finished her breakfast. "You do a lot for us, least I can do." If anything Vy feels guilty over not doing more. Gotta love the long busy hours of peacekeeping. But this morning, she's going to enjoy her rascal.

This walk is filled with chitchat as Brooklyn's suddenly hit a vocabulary spree. Seems like she points out just about everything in sight, and greets anyone who strolls by. Let's enhance the anyone, as the two year old has no bashfulness for any of them. It's hard not to laugh and observe the different reactions. "You're silly." She tickles the tiny blonde and joins in on her laughter.

Sadly she's dropped off too soon; and it's almost more difficult for Vy to put her down, then it is for Brooklyn to resist a fit. "I'm sorry baby girl. I love you." A few departing words before Vy forces herself to leave. Apologizing to the care-worker on her way out, because the tantrum erupting is unmistakable.

Like the idiot she is, Vy didn't think to change and head to work immediately after. Oh well. With that she heads back to the house in a slow cruise.

On the first step to the front porch she can feel the emptiness of the place. When she reaches the door however, it's unlocked. "Kyanite? You home?" She lets her voice echo through the abandoned home, then makes her way upstairs to retrieve what she needs.

[*]

That distinct smell of the outside air wafts around her house. The air inside a bit colder than some would have it, but it's not too terrible. I'm surprised though, how she just left the door open like that. Any kind of animal could get in and then where would she be? Injured? Scared? This time, I will be her savior. This time, I'll make sure she's safe and without harm. I won't hurt her again. I regret that every day of my life since that day...

"Kyanite... what does your room look like now? What is your favorite color?" I mutter with a silent whisper as I ascend the stairs that goes to her room. If I remember, there's about fourteen steps in all. Though, the last one at the top really is merely a halfstep before reaching the hardwood floors. "Hope daddy don't come home."

Ever so casually, I turn the corner to the right and see the first door on the left. Her room was right here. It's the one with the window I used to stare at when she was home. "Kyanite, I'll just meet you here." I say, letting my voice trail along the walls of her house. My hand gripping the door and swinging it open to reveal a very non-childish room. Very mature for her age. Simple items, but again, there's something off about it. Something off about her. Then, as if I were simply a dumbass, there on the nightstand sits a picture of her and that dirtbag that has tried to kill me before and who nearly made her breaths be still. What was his name?

"Doormatt?" I snicker at my own joke and let my fingers grip the picture. Only a moment later, I release the grip and let it fall to the ground; glass shattering. Immediately, I bend down, taking the picture from the frame and holding it in front of me. Slowly, the picture tears right down the middle, then again and again.

Confetti falls to the ground.

"No more."

As the door shuts, my curiosity peaks to a high. Can she really be home so soon? Or did she forget something. A smile appears wide on my face when I reach the door to her room and just when I did, the voice that I hear belongs not of her, but some other female.

"Kyanite? You home?" Then comes the sound of rushing feet. I retreat back into Kyanite's room and hurrily shut the door to just a simple crack to look through the opening. That's when I see her. Short blond hair. That complexion. The way she walks. There's only one person that can do that and who'd be associated with my girlfriend.

I get a closer loook when she passes by the door going to another room down the hallway but the only thing I see is red. She's the one who bashed my head against the wall. She's the one who tried to drown me just because me and Kyanite deserve to be together.

As nimble as I can, I walk along the path to the next bedroom down. I hear her voice inside, and with my lucky, she didn't feel the need to shut the door all the way. "Now... do it now. Get what you deserve!"

Kicking the door open, my voice trails out the moment I rush in and let my fist travel among the air and hear it hit her. Her body sways while an honest smile develops on my lips as I look down at her. "Hey. Remember me? Your old pal..." My foot goes flying in her direction.

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Is no one truly home? How odd of a sight this is. With the full house that Kyanite's kindly allowed in, this place is never empty. Often that very Brunette's warming the place in some sort of way. A toddler's running up to deliver the perfect greeting. Or Jeran's here for a quick break from the job they both now have. None of that occurs though, and still an odd flow encounters the home. There's never been a time where Kyanite had forgotten to lock up, but perhaps there's a first for everything. She simply shrugs it all off and continues to the second floor.

As always the steps are taken in double time. Ever since her bad knee's been doing better again, she can't help but go back to her typical old ways. Even if there is a small sting from that very area once she reaches the top. "Ky?" She questions out loud again, not completely convinced that she's alone. Only silence is returned though.

There's no longer that need to waste away her morning. After all no one's here to entertain her and give her that reason. In no time she's within her room, pushing the door back with hardly any force. Not like there's anyone around that's going to spy on her changing. And with that she goes to retrieve her uniform. Leaving her firearm that lays at the bottom of the drawer, which is kept ajar. The clothing is thrown on her bed; but before she even has a chance to even take off her shirt, an intruder barges in.

Immediately Vy swerves around to face whomever has tried to play the element of surprise on her. No sooner then when her eyes finally fall on his face, a fist rams into her own. Doesn't take much to figure out who it is though. But to actually swallow the fact? A different story. There's no possibly way he's here right now, and yet here he is. To make matters even better, he speaks to.

How could she ever forget about him. "Yeah, did you..." Before she has a chance to finish a shoe caresses her stomach oh so gently. The rest of the words come out in a brutal cough. Automatically Vy shakes her head to get herself in the game. She swore to finish the job if he ever returned, and that's exactly what she's going to do. An uppercut comes forth without hesitation or warning, and another follows from the side in seconds. Sadly this isn't the time to kick the shit out of him though, and in one swift movement she makes a break for the gun.

[*]

"Yeah, did you..." That voice sounds like a horrible screeching of nails being drug against a metal surface. Though, that voice don't offend me for long before my foot makes contact with her midsection and she's doubling over, begging for breath before I launch another attack. Only, to expect her to attack back is completely unexpected. I figured that the kick to her stomach would severely alter her chances of fighting back. Guess I was wrong... The only thing I fell is a sudden bout of pain, nothing major, shock my jaw when her fist hit me. I barely stumble with my knees slightly bent, but a devilish frown appears next when she comes around with another fist. I catch it within a milisecond of it hitting my face again.

The distraction of the second hit, blocking it, has her scrambling away from me though. For what seemed like just two small seconds, I actually watch what she's doing. The only thoughts going though my head is wondering if she's trying to run instead of fighting me, but when I see her going for something in the drawer, that's when it seems to be the moment to stop her with whatever she's doing. I spring into action and quickly dive after her. My body taking full force against hers, pinning her between me and the floor as my knees straddle her back and my hands try to keep her hands from diving into her drawer.

"What's the problem, princess? Afraid of a little payback?" I practically whisper it when I grab a headful of hair and in one gentle, swift motion, arch her head back and slam it toward the ground. "You've been the vain of my existence. You nearly killed me. You and Kya... seem to have an issue with me living. Don't worry.. I'll make sure you apologize to me when I'm done with you. She's learned her lesson, over and over again. Your turn..."

I bring my hand down to her head and forcefuly turn it to the side by placing one hand behind her head and one under her chin. I move it so she'd be able to see me. I look into her eyes. I'm looking for something important. There's something in her eyes that I want to see, but the only thing I detect is anger. Pure and utter hatred is seeping through that look as if she was a viper ready to strike. "Where is Kyanite?"

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Just get the gun. Certainly Vy's confident that she could easily take Jins. But currently that's not even a risk she's willing to take. If Jins managed to get out of the Detention Center, there's no telling what he's capable of. Grab the firearm and shoot the bastard before anyone gets to find out. There won't even be a second of hesitation or delay. All this will be chopped down to self-desense, with the couple of bruises he's already kindly given her. Plus with his history and this escape, the other Peacekeepers would probably order her to finish the job. If only she could get to...

There's no time to consider or plan things out. It's simply a race to the finish line, and the prize may very well be only one of their lives. The way they left things, it's more then a probability. The Blonde's fingertips hardly touch her weapon before she's tackled from behind. Simply lucky enough to be able to avoid hitting the dresser. Either way the impact isn't too pleasant, and instantly her bad knee's throbbing from the fall. Her opportunity to reach the gun is missed by a hair, and all she can do is slam the drawer on her way down.

Get free, it's the only thing Vy needs to accomplish. Yet the only thing she can concentrate on is the difficulty of breathing with all of his weight upon her back. Not like there's much of a way to release her arms anyways. How the frack did they get into this position? This isn't badass Vy at her prime. To make matters even better, Jins find the need to question if there's a problem, or if she's afraid of payback. "You wish." She mutters, unaffected. She's far from afraid, only concerned that it'll be delivered to the wrong person.

Which it is...

When Vy's hair and head is yanked backwards, she has no clue what the expect. And by the time something does occur, it's all one giant blur. All Vy can comprehend is the pain radiating from her entire face, and her sore forehead leaning against the floor beneath her. Even the voice above her seems muffled as she tries to make out the words. She catches that he thinks they have a problem with him living, which she can't really appose. Also that she's somehow going to apologize, that it's her turn to learn her lesson.

Maybe in his dreams, but Vy's voice doesn't arise to say anything. Instead she only allows the harsh turn of her head from his rough, unkind hands. No point in potentially breaking her neck. Dark eyes go up to meet even darker ones, and no fear resides in any of them.

A question comes forth as if she'd really share where her friend is. Despite her circumstance, Vy actually lets out a chuckle in response. "My dead corpse wouldn't even tell you." Perhaps not the best idea to get into this boy's head, but she had to get her point across. Her one free hand goes up to whack the side of his head towards the dresser. There's not much left for her to do with her options limiting. And again her fingers attempt to go and retrieve her one saving grace, during this minor moment of distraction.

[*]

Confusion and pain. I can feel it. I can sense it the moment I throw her head against the ground, smashing those little ideas out of her head to try to do whatever the hell it was she was thinking by going for the drawer. As she fell, the drawer had slammed closed and with it any hope that she'll be trying to get help. It don't even occur to me what may lay inside that prized draw that she wanted to get into so bad. No idea why she wanted didn't try to run out instead of further in the room. It was going to turn ugly soon and with my position, for once, it was going to be in my favor. All of it will happen just as it should. The only thing I need to do, is get rid of this blonde and wait for Kya to come home. To greet her as any man should when she arrives home.

Those eyes, as nothing but anger seeps through her facial expressions, stare back at me, peircing me. She's willing to put up a fight. If she's ready to put up a fight, then she'd better be willing to take a beating because the one question I ask her is thrown back at me with nothing but a basic 'fuck you' instead. My lips purse together as my muscles flex in my arms and it takes everything I've got not to just rip her head clean off her shoulders. Something she says don't sit well with me. She'd rather be a corpse then to tell me where Kyanite went off to.

The distraction of why she won't tell me creates nothing but a blinding pain yet again. Damn... pay attention. Roaring pain rips through the side of my head, creating nothing but this bellowing growl to escape my lips in reaction.

"BITCH!" I scream. My vision falters on the right side, but the left is clear and free of any negitive side effects and she's scrambling, once again to get into that drawer that she aimed for earlier. "What the fuck is so important in there?" I grumble and punch outward, shoving the drawer to a close on her fingers.

I feel her jerk beneath me.

I hear that muffled scream being bitten back by her closed mouth.

I see that subtle shake of her body reacting to pain.

I want more than that. I want her to show me fear. I want to instill upon her something that she may have never felt before and if I have to kill her to get it...

I chuckle.

"Hurts? Don't it?" My words are meant to bother her. They are meant to sound menacing. Only she and I are in this room. Only one of us will live. Again, my hand reaches for her head, grabbing onto hair, pulling tight on the strands until I gain full control of her head. "I told you... until you apologize, I won't let you go..."

Swoosh!

The side of her face connects with the ground with a thud and for a moment, I don't see her move. I feel her breath, but her body don't seem to move at all, so for a moment, I stand awkwardly as my head busts with pain. Only then, do I bring my hand up to my face to feel the sticky substance running down my cheek.

"You bitch... look what you did to me?" I throw the blood from my fingers and step over her body, quaintly stepping on the hand on the ground that wasn't able to be smashed in the drawer. Now, my curiosity is peaked as I pull the drawer off her fingers and there inside, reveals the reason for her tenacity.

"A gun... tisk tisk. Wait until Kyanite knows you'be been stashing a gun in her house." My voice goes mellow as I reach inside and pick it up. Clicking off the safety, I bend down to her and let the weapon touch her neck. "Up..." I demand.

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Success. It's the best feeling in the world. A rupturing growl comes from the one on top of her, and provides the perfect opportunity at another chance to grab that firearm. Once it's in her hands, Jins will be taken care of within seconds. Just. Have. To. Get. it. Her hand crawls up and her fingertips pry the thing open. Right before she's even able to slide her palm in, the drawer is slammed shut and immense pain takes over. There goes four finger on her right hand, now useless crippled parts. Her bottom lip is nearly sliced open from her teeth that attempt to hold back a scream.

The drawer's held there to keep one of her hands in place, and prolong the gruesome squeeze. It's all she can concentrate on, and whether or not to pull up or push down. Comfort her wounded fingers, or still go after the gun. Not that it matters since her head is forced up again, just to smash the side of it into the floor once more.

Buzzing.

Nothing but an irritating buzz fills the ear that connected with the ground first. Every muscle goes limp, and not by choice. It's as if her body's declaring she's had enough, and her mind gets no say. All she can feel is a shoe pressing against the hand that hasn't been harmed, till now that is. Then the pressure of her other arm dropping as the drawer is brought open.

She forces herself to snap back into reality. If he gets ahold of that gun...That all too familiar sound of the safety clicking off fills her good ear. But before she has a chance to react, a horribly uncomfortable feeling of cold metal reaches her neck. There's an order to get up, and any slim opportunities are now gone. "Yes, sir." Vy mumbles almost lifelessly, forcing herself to her feet with much effort.

That weapon directs her out the door and there's nothing left for her to do but reply willingly. Steps aren't taken as easily as they were on the way in here, and her heart races uncontrollably. But this is good, going somewhere else. She has time to think up a plan...hopefully. A hand trails under her nose to remove of the gushing blood that's come forth, and her first strategy comes into play. Anything she can brush against, she leaves a small slash of red. If she dies from this, she can at least try and save everyone else with a couple of warnings. Kyanite will raise Brooklyn just fine.

[*]

The gun feels heavy in my hand. The long awaited moment to let my finger slip into the trigger area awaits as I mere only use the weapon as a tool. My goal isn't to kill her here. No. The sound alone will alert the neighbors adn I'm smarter than that. I know, from experience talking to others in that detention center, if you want to make an impression, you don't leave any clues. My gaze goes around the room, and clearly, the blood will be enough to alert someone and I know I need to deal with that fast. First things first... get rid of the body.

"Up." I demand with every fiber of a dark, rusty voice I can muster. My vision falters again on the right side, going completely blank for a few moments until I blink several times and it clears up. I'm not sure what she did, but the effects of the corner desk on my temple is making it's presence known, that's for sure. So, I carefully watch her move with delayed reactions. Her fingers, I see, have already turned purple with creases along the areas that were jammed in the drawer. "You won't be hitting me anymore. That's for damn sure."

I keep the gun pressed against her neck as she stands with trouble. I don't care how much pain she's in, if I have to, I will end it now and deal with the consequences that will lay ahead of me. The sentence from the DC will be awaiting me, so I might as well make it count.

She stands up and we slowly descend the steps from the second level. "Hurry up." I growl out to her pressing the gun to her spine as she stumbles more than once before we finally make it to the ground floor. "Quit running into shit." I tell her, finally letting my fingers grip tightly onto the back of her neck, squeezing to keep her straight and in one simple maneuver, press out the back door and head straight for the woods not far from her house.

Something about the woods irritates me. The smell of the pine needles or the sound of the birds is starting to mess with my head. The headache pushing against my right side is making me very irritable to be out here. I just have a job to do and to do it quickly before anyone happens upon the scene.

"Stop here." I press out to Vy, and my fingers are released from her neck. The tension building between us is growing with the pounding in my head. I stare into her face. I note the blood on her nose. The darkening hue on her forehead. The broken, split lip that's grown twice its size. "You look like hell..." I grin.

The gun in my hand raises and is wagged back and forth in front of her. "Now. Run. Run like you've never been able to before. If you can get away... you are free. Free as that little bird up there in the tree." I aim the gun upward and shoot, growling as I do so. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ON?" I aim the gun at the girl, pressing on the trigger slowly, waiting for her to start going about her merry way. All the while, my gaze goes straight to her leg; the one she's been limping on.

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

There's a brutal pulse in each finger of Vy's right hand. Any attempt to bend them only brings shooting pain up her arm. If this was her left hand, Jin's would be right. All her punches would be pitiful and hardly affective. But for him to believe that he's taken out her dominant hand, works out quite nicely. There's such an instinct to spit back a nasty comment on how he's wrong, but she holds her tongue. Keep him thinking that he has the upper hand, even if he probably actually does. One way or another, Vy will figure out how to get it back.

Damaging her bad knee turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Every stumble against the wall, or Kyanite's door, or the stair railings, causes no suspicion. Sure he grows impatient over it, but he doesn't notice a single mark she's left. He only demands her to stop running into shit, and once downstairs, his grip on the back of her neck makes sure of that.

Outside, then far too quickly they reach the line of trees, that only get thicker as they ascend further. Eyes remain straight forward from the Blonde, whom's leading them though not by choice. That gun is really the leader here, giving power to the one that holds it. Once they stop, that's when she'll try and reclaim it. The chances of that happening successfully? At this point she can only hope someone gets the warnings before this creep makes it back.

An order to halt comes next, and if it wasn't for Jin's grimy hand, she probably wouldn't of payed attention. There's a yank that makes her though, and then her neck is released. As much as she'd love to stay turned away from him, he makes his way in front of her. Only thing he says though is how bad she currently looks. Like she could give a more of a shit. "You should take a look at yourself." She chuckles out in a raspy voice. Seems like her fists only benefited his appearance.

A final game is offered, one that gives her a last chance at keeping her life. As far as he thinks, that is. There's no way Vy can run away from bullets with her knee, as if the chances are even high with healthy legs. Which is probably why he suggested it in the first place. "Nice rhyme, you should be a poet." Sarcasm spirals out like always, even if this is really not the time. In return a shot echos through the trees above, scaring away any bird in close proximity.

He screams about what's taking her so long. Maybe the fact that she'd never get away? After a long glance with deathly eyes, Vy suddenly swipes the gun to point off at the side where it fires and misses her by only a couple of inches. Her elbow carves into the arm carrying the firearm, while her still useful fist slams into face. It may very well be a deadly move, but she has to at least try.

[Artemis]

Brody supposed he should have known better than to think that now that he was no longer Matthew's trainer, his life would go back to the way it used to be.

There were multiple facets to that trail of thought, of course. Besides the obvious fact that Brody had returned to the Detention Center to resume interrogating the slime of the earth that found themselves in his court --rather than the Academy--, he had that constantly-lingering wariness dangling over his head now that he knew Matthew's dirty little secret. It'd disappear with time, he told himself constantly; once Matthew's termination from the Academy had had enough time to gather dust and move out of anyone's recollection, as long as he kept his head down they'd be safe.

Lieutenant Rochelle, bless her, had run some pretty thorough damage control on Brody's reputation after the train wreck of an interrogation when Matthew had been the one on the other side of the table. She'd been insistent that it was because his looking bad bit her in the ass, but Brody knew better; he and Rochelle were on too good of terms for that, and it wasn't her style to do something nice without ulterior motive... Or, at least, the type to admit doing so out loud.

So he was back. It was oddly bittersweet.

Thankfully, though, Brody was off duty for the weekend. Having stood half a dozen boards in front of his superiors attesting to his capability and record (Rochelle had done some schmoozing, reminding the highers-up that his performance at the Olympics had brought a great deal of good publicity to the Corps), he was exhausted and more than happy to sleep in, lounge around his barracks and spend some time on the phone with his father.

"When are you coming home next?"

"As soon as I can. Love you, dad."

"I love you too, boy."

Brody had only just returned to his barracks room after paying a visit to the commissary to resupply himself with caffeine and the most recent issue of the newspaper the Peacekeepers maintained, when the alert came in. Like all of the homes in Panem, all barracks were equipped with projector- or hologram-type devices to broadcast mandatory-viewing television and, in the case of Peacekeepers, important updates. This one was a high-priority notice; an escaped convict.

He nearly dropped the coffee in his hand when he hit the button to project the alert onto his wall.

Oh no.

It had been a long while since Brody had looked into Matthew's case, but he recognized the face being displayed in front of him.

ESCAPED CONVICT: JINS LIAM REVENUE
ARRESTED FOR: Attempted Murder; Assaulting a Peacekeeper
DESCRIPTION:

NOTICE: Suspect escaped Detention Center at 0530 this morning. Evaluated as psychologically unstable. Is presumed unarmed but extremely dangerous.

Brody set down his mug, his mind already racing as he clipped his badge onto the waist of his trousers; getting into uniform was the last thing on his mind, moving quickly around his barracks in jeans and a brown henley shirt as he loaded his sidearm and strapped it to his side. He had to get to Matthew; if this guy was out for revenge, Brody would bet his salary that Matthew would be his first target. He shoved his phone into his pocket, sprinting out the door and out towards the nearest bus station.

Matthew would probably still be at the Dunham family's engineering firm at this hour, and would be able to point Brody (and whatever backup could be afforded) in the right directions to protect whoever else this psycho might be after.

Brody just hoped he'd find them first.

He got out his issued communicator as he hit the streets; he remembered where the Ruze residence was from the last time he'd been there, tending to the daughter's head and arresting her father. He'd check on them himself; kill two birds with one stone, visiting the Ruze and Pryce households while he called the Dunhams. The firm's landline rang several times, and Brody was about to curse the powers that be when someone picked up.

"It's Corporal O'Rourke," He said urgently, cutting off whoever had picked up the phone, "I need to speak to Matthew Dunham, this is an emergency."

ffffff - Brody O'Rourke
cc1313 - Jeran Ruze
947518 - Jins Revenue
c44462 - Kyanite Ruze
1979e6 - Matthew Dunham
bb7d00 - Nolan O'Rourke
570091 - Vy Pryce

[*]

A bullet wasted in the air for the push to get the girl going. I told her to start moving. I told her I'd give her a chance. What does she do? She stands there like a fucking child. Some child that is refusing to do as she is told and she's making me out to be a bad guy. If she doesn't want the chance to her freedom and life, then she's going to miss out. I could care less. The dark tunneled barrel of the gun is pointed directly at the girl that stand no less than three feet away from me. Her and her gaze that is just as demeaning as my voice. Slowly, my finger pulls back on the trigger. Very slowly as the pull on the metal is about to release the bullet if she don't move at this exact moment.

Without the sound of the gun going off only moments before, the sound keeps echoing in my head, making this headache pulse even more. The pounding feels almost like it's going to push the side of my head away until it bursts. The next moment, either the gun went off and I lost my grip on it or something knocked it out of my hand. It just don't add up how this happened at all. I catch on to the situation in a matter of moments with how quickly the blond had taken a swipe at me and actually managed to, not only push the barrel away from her, but came back with an attack and make the firearm be lost from my hand.

My throat vibrates with a roar to the pain that blinds me yet again. Her fist hitting somewhere close to where the pounding already was. This time, the vision completely blacks out and I stumble backwards, but keep my good line of vision on her.

Then without notice, she dives on the ground just a few feet away from me. It hits me like lightning why she's diving to the ground instead of taking off running like I demanded she do. The gun. Her gun that she viciously knocked out of my hand. The only thing left to do is to make sure that is going to be the last thing she ever does.

"Get back here..."

I sway, just slightly and do the same as she just did. Instead of going for the gun, I'm aiming for her body. If I can keep her from turning over, then she won't be able to use the gun directly on me. If I can get her hands, then she's useless. It's better that way and when I land on top of her back, I push as hard as I can and scramble to get her hand before she reaches the gun. It's a fight between two people. It's the motivation. Kill the other person. I want to kill her. She wants to kill me.

I wonder who will win?

One hand goes to her head, while the other is demanding to reach the gun that is just barely in her grasp. I can see it. The hilt of the gun is within her middle finger ranger. She's trying as hard as possible to get it to budge closer to her while shes stretching outward. I can even feel how tense her back muscles are as they push outward trying to elongate her body. Then, my weight is shifted onto my hand and pushing hard against her head with every bit of pressure I can. That's my leverage. Using that tiny bit of leverage I push past her and my finger gets looped around the gun and I pull it out of her reach.

"Bitch... try that again!" This time, the gun's barrel is pressed against her temple and I heave out a heavy breath. "Tell me why I shouldn't just pull the trigger? WHY SHOULDN'T I? HUH?"

I beg her to to tell me. What is it about her life that would make me want to spare her? She definately dont want it for her family. No one deserves to have families. Mine abandoned me. Her's will abandon her as well. "Tell me where the fuck, Kyanite is and I'll let you live. One way or another, she's still going to be mine. Question is, do you want to be alive when I take her or do you want to see her in the afterlife?"

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Two points. Not only does she aim for the sore side of his head, but she also manages to get the weapon flying out of his grip. Both turn out as useful as the other. Obviously the threat being out of his hand is major. But the daze that results from her punch is just as beneficial. That doesn't leave any time to spare though, and instantly she's jumping for the firearm.

Her bad knee gives her a horrible start that has her clawing to get closer. So much value is placed into such a small object that they're both dying for. The thing is Vy has to get it. If Jins does...there's no telling what he would do. If the others would get the warning signs and prepare in time. All of that can be avoided if she could just reach. Of course a large obstacle lands on her back to prevent such a thing; and the wind is knocked right out of her in the process. On top of that t's nearly impossible to refill her lungs with his weight squishing her into the filthy ground. And to think she's supposed to be concentrating on getting that firearm.

Still her fingers reach out for the precious item. A hand shoves her face down, and digs her chin into the rough soil, but she keeps pressing. She can feel the larger and longer arm stretching above her's for the same thing. Problem is, she has to be the one to get it first. Every fiber of her being pushes to be longer, to get taller. That desired touch merely brushes against the tips of her fingers, teasing, taunting. But each jab to her head pulls her in the wrong direction by only centimeters. The shortest distances, that means more then anything at this point.

Just as the top of her middle provides the smallest beacon of hope, one of his hands engulf around it. Capturing it. Immediately that heart stopping touch of the gun presses against the back of her head. Jins demands that she never tries a thing like that again, and it doesn't seem like she'll really have the opportunity for much longer. Speaking of which, next he questions why he shouldn't just end it all right now. "You should." Vy replies back blankly. Seems like this guy likes the do the opposite of what people say. And if that's not the case, then he should just get it over with.

There's no budge from her position face-down in the dirt. Not like her trick will work again. Another offer to save her life comes forth, and again it's nothing she'd ever agree to. Even conditions like this won't force her to risk her friends. He's all determined that Kyanite's destined to be his, and the only question is whether Vy will be around to witness it or not. "You're delusional." She actually chuckles out like it's the funniest thing in the world. "Go ahead and kill me you son of a bitch. I'm not telling you shit."

[*]

"WHY SHOULDN'T I? HUH?" I'm trying my best to keep from ending it right here; right now. I want nothing more then to make her suffer for what she's done to me. For every moment that I had to spend in that damn cell. For every moment that it took to heal the wound on my head after she bashed it against the pool. The scar is very prominent now. Just above my scalp line and just barely to be scene if I lift my bangs up. Signs most people will never see.

"You should..." I hear her voice. I contemplate her words. Why would she tell me to do it? Why would she want me to go ahead and end her life? Isn't that the easy way out? I press the barrel of the gun harder into her head, shoving it enough make her head be pushed to the side. My finger on the trigger is just waiting for that little push. That single ounce of hatred against her to make me do what I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Only now... it just don't feel like it's time for it.

With it, comes just one more offer. I want to know where the fuck Kyanite is. Yet, she's responding in a way that makes the red come to life within my blood. The heat is boiling through my body. She just don't get it. She just don't understand that I'm not about to give any second chances here. What I want and when I get this answer is so crucial because I might be missing the chance to greet her when she come home. Like it should be. I should be there to kiss her on the cheek and place my arm around her back, but this damn chick is just... wait! That's all this is. She's keeping me away. She has had this all planned out from the beginning.

"You're delusional."

Anger fuels my next movements, which sends two kicks in her direction. I'm blinded by the fact that this needs to end as soon as possible and get back to Kya's house.

"Go ahead and kill me you son of a bitch. I"m not telling you shit."

I turn away from her.

I turn back.

My gaze stares down at her body on the ground, her face pushed into the dirt just as I feel she's no lower now. She is nothing more to me. The gun goes up to my head as I wipe away a line of sweat then point the gun back at her. "You'll wish you never said that.. and for what you're doing...."

BAM.

I push the trigger down, releasing a bullet toward her leg. She'll pay. She'll slowly realize that I'm not playing games here and if she wants me to kill her, it's going to kill her slowly. "You never said... fast... or slow. For good measure?" I aim again, this time at her head after the scream had subsided from her lips from the first hit. Just as I pull the trigger back again, a blinding pain and a flash of black overtakes my vision completely, and the bullet is released.

"Damnit..." I rub furociously at my eyes and when the vision returns in my good eye, I notice the bullet mark on the ground nearest to her head, but she's not bleeding.

I missed?

Quickly bending down to the writhing girl, I take hold of her shirt and rip a part of it away from her, exposing her stomach just slightly as I take the scrap of material and press it harshly against teh wound on her leg. "Some leverage. Kya will want to save you.... if she makes it here." I release the pressure on her leg and walk away with the blood soaked scrap and leave the scene.

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

Any chances or opportunities Vy held before are now permanently gone, to never return. She can feel it in her heartbeat; how it no longer races, but rather gets louder. Filling her ears as if that's where it's located. As for fear, well that's basically the extent of it. Something tells her Jins isn't going to do it. That he would of done it by now if he were going to. No, he's going to make this long and torturing. And all she can do is prolong his stay out here in return.

Some insults should do the trick. Use reverse phycology, because though it'll anger him to kill her, it may very well extend things. Have her suffer in his eyes, but also give her the smallest fighting chance. Which is exactly what occurs since no bullet carves into her skull. Instead a shoe harshly connects with her side and forces her off of her stomach. Seconds later another blow takes advantage of the newly exposed area, and has Vy gripping her -seconds prior perfect- abs. They're not so much anymore.

Does this retract Vy's sharp tongue? Not in the least. She only shares with him the last thing he wants to hear, that she won't tell him shit. Not to mention that he should just kill her, as if he'd be doing her a favor. He barks back that she's going to regret that, along with everything else she's done. Though there's not even a squint when he points the weapon at her. As far as when a bullet actually sinks into one of her legs? It's not as easy to hold back a scream, and eventually her teeth pry away from her swollen lip to release the rupture in her lungs. To think she thought breaking her knee was painful.

Instantly she's curling up to comfort her new wound. Her lip takes it's rightful place between her teeth, preventing the groans that want to erupt. Not like it'll take away the gruesome feeling in her leg, as much as it feels like it will. Can't give Jins that pleasure to. There's no denying the pain though, which must be written all over her face. So much so that she can't even clarify the words that spill from that horrible man's mouth. Only thing she catches in the preparation for another bullet round.

Her head drops to the dirt with a heavy sigh. Tears stinging the back of her eyes, though refusing to fall. He missed. There's no telling if he's going to try again, but this time he missed. It's an overwhelming feeling. If he could just leave now, that'd be perfect. Surely she'll be dead by tomorrow out here. But of course that'd be too easy, and the creep crouches down next to her.

"Get the frack away from me." Vy demands in a weak mutter, attempting to shove away the hands yanking at her shirt. What is this bastard planning? The pathetic struggle only rips away more cloth from her attire, and immediately after Jins presses it against her wound. Just when things couldn't get more confusing. But by the way he pushes for more blood clearly indicates he's not helping out. As if he'd ever would.

This is a souvenir for Kyanite. To provoke her and who knows what else. Fear has yet to set in until this moment. The Brunette can't get into this same predicament. That was Vy's entire plan in the first place. "Don't you dare!" As much anger that overtakes her, it still doesn't have her voice reaching very far. She pushes herself up, only to fall before hardly making any progress. All she can do is watch the devil walk away.