"She'll be dead by midnight," Ian Blackpoole hisses into the phone right before the dial tone speaks in his place and the phone drops right out of Nate's hand.
"What is it?" Parker questions the broken look on his face with wide eyes of curiosity.
"What's going on?" Hardison demands as his eyes grow wider at the mastermind's silence.
"How long?" Eliot asks because he knows exactly what just happened.
"They're going to…" Nate stammers in shock of the situation completely, "midnight."
"What do you mean midnight?" Parker asks in confusion though her voice does have a hint of horror and fear in it.
"Who's they?" Hardison questions because he's scared and pretty certain of where this conversation is going.
"Which one?" Eliot demands because there can only be two options in this situation.
"Both," Nate replies in shock of what was happening, "He has them both."
"Maggie," Parker gasps as she catches up with the rest of the class.
"Blackpoole," Hardison growls as reality and hatred have finally set in, "He has them."
"What did she say?" Eliot orders because he knows full-well what's about to happen.
"Sophie," Nate sighs as his knees finally give out because he can't do this again, "Not Sophie."
"Maggie?" Parker questions again because she's pretty certain she's figured out where this is going and she's not too certain she likes it.
"Not Sophie," Hardison shakes his head because he knows exactly where this is going and he absolutely hates it.
"Why?" Eliot begs as he tries his hardest not to fall with the already broken man at the news, "Why would she do this? We're not doing this."
"We have to," Nate glared at the hitter impressively as the truth needed to be told, "She wants this. She asked me to."
"Where…?" Parker stumbles over the words at the pain exploding in her chest, "Where are we supposed to pick her up?"
"You're not coming," Nate orders fiercely at the young thief, "Neither are you, Hardison."
"No way, man," Hardison argues back automatically, "We have the right to say good-bye."
"You're not coming," Nate states a little louder than before, "and that's final."
"You're not going to stop them, Nate," Eliot yells at the desperate man immediately, "They're going to come whether we let them or not."
"How?" Parker crackles as she tries her hardest to be strong in their current situation, "How is this going to happen?"
"He wants me to do it," Nate calmly replies but there is no calm in his voice only death.
"You?" Hardison stares at the man in shock, "He's making you do it?"
"It's his revenge," Nate explains woodenly, "It's the only way. Save one or lose both, that's our only option."
"Bastard," Eliot huffs in frustration because he knows exactly what's happening and there's nothing he can do to stop it, "Let me do it instead."
"No!" Nate shouts at the hitter with wild eyes, "I have to do it or he'll kill them both!"
"But it's Sophie!" Parker screams louder because she's already been in this situation too many times before for this not to hurt so much worse than before.
"You can't do it, man," Hardison shakes his head as if he could make it so they wouldn't have to go through this.
"He has no choice," Eliot groans because he knows and the knowledge alone is threatening to crush him.
"I have to," Nate cries out in horror as reality rears its ugly head in his direction and adds insult to injury by adding the tongue, "at midnight."