The Rescue

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This oneshot is birthed by a spur of the moment and inspired by what I won't say here, heh. Enjoy. Yes this moves a bit fast, that's because it's a oneshot and not a fully fleshed out story.

-BRING IT ON-

Sam's first step back in Los Angeles was difficult, she'd not breathed in the polluted air for some time; but an old friend called her telling her she needed to come down as urgently as possible.

"Cat?" As she waited at the door of the apartment she once shared with the ditzy redhead, Sam couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It was a natural instinct, formed by the time she spent when she entered the army years before. "Are you home?"

The girl did say she still resided there. Sam looked through the nearby window and squinted while peering inside. There were sheets covering furniture, cobwebs on the ceiling, and items laying around the apartment as though abandoned ages ago.

"Back away from the door." Sam tensed at the strangely familiar voice. Her fists clenched and she turned around, nostrils flaring. Her narrow eyes landed on Nora Dershlitt and her teeth started to grind. "Cat's not here."

"What do you want?" She reached for the holster that was hidden beneath the flap of her red leather jacket. "I kicked your ass before, if you try anything…" The warning was heavy on her tongue, like gas that awaited a spark to light it aflame.

Nora threw up her hands and took a small step back. "Don't react. I'm on your side." Sam leaned her head to the right and scoffed. What reason did she have to believe Nora? Though, if the girl knew something about Cat's 'urgent' message, then she was going to have to hear her out. "You don't think it's a coincidence that Cat sent you an urgent message just as your plane makes a layaway stop in LA?"

"What is this about?" She steadied herself and crossed her arms, but remained guarded and ready to strike if need be. "You captured Cat again and used her as a lure? Don't you ever give up?" Nora ran her hand through her hair and chuckled.

"Honestly, I don't even care anymore about trying to stalk you. I was contacted by someone-someone that wanted to harm you iCarly people." Raising an eyebrow, Sam studied Nora up and down.

The girl was relaxed and confident, she was unarmed and didn't appear to be ready to attack. Still, she couldn't be sure.

"You're saying someone else has it out for us? Really now? Who might that be?"

"I don't know, they didn't reveal their face." Nora stroked her chin and paced to the right, turning her back to Sam. This would have been an opportune moment to strike the woman down and get away, but her gut was telling her to hear her out. "I got you guys twice, that's why I was contacted. To help…" She moved her hands behind her back and looked over her shoulder. "Help destroy all of you. Keep you from ever coming back."

"Really now."

"Yeah, and what's worse is they've got Cat and her friends." Sam tensed and Nora closed her eyes. "We need to hurry, get away from here." Just then a distinct noise sounded in her ears like a siren, steadily growing louder.

It was a familiar whoosh, one that sent her back to the wars overseas. Her heart began to race and she turned just in time to see a small rocket heading her way. There was no time to react, but Nora was already active. Sam found herself being shoved to the ground, landing with a painful groan as the rocket shot through the window and exploded inside the house.

"Come on!" Nora picked her up and all Sam could see was smoke and fire. Her eyes scanned the area, seeing only flashes of soldiers and explosions around her. She pulled away from Nora and ran as fast as she could for the nearest cover, then grabbed the pistol from her holster.

Her heart was racing and her chest heaving as she began looking in every direction for enemy fire. "Sam. Sam!" She rubbed her eyes, groaning loudly as the throbbing in her head intensified for several seconds before fading.

"What the fuck just happened, Nora." She shouted out at the girl and turned a powerful glare onto her. "Quit beating around the goddamn bush and tell me what's going on." Nora sucked in a breath of air and started to nod.

"Okay. Someone's taken control of Cat and her friends, their minds are gone." Sam circled her hand in the air, gesturing for her to get on with the point. She was concerned about Cat, sure, but overall needed to know why she was under attack. "Your friends have all been kidnapped."

Time stood still with those words hovering in the air. Sam's heart began to sink and her thumb pulled back the hammer. "Why?"

"I told you, someone wants to make sure you're all gone. Like wiped from existence or something. A lunatic." Nora blinked twice and sighed. "Takes one to know one." Sam nodded at her and turned her head over her shoulder.

"Seems like they just want to outright kill me."

"I think they're concerned abducting you would be harder."

"They'd be right." She stood up and dusted off her pants. "Now, why are you helping me? Why are you betraying them? What's in it for you?"

"These people want to kill you all. I convinced them to keep the Shays and Bensons alive for a while…you don't have to think too hard on it." Nora moved her hand to her chest. "I only ever wanted to hold you guys hostage, right? I didn't want you to die. This person does."

"Okay." As much as she hated to admit it, Nora had a point. The only problem was how much longer would they keep the hostages alive now that Nora had betrayed them? Thinking about it filled her with anxiety and a sense of urgency. "Nora, someone just tried to kill us, so I think it's safe to assume they know you've betrayed them by helping me…what did they think you were going to do out here?"

"You were meant to come out here, I would abduct you and take you in so they could have everyone together." Sam raised an eyebrow and tightened her hand around the handle of her weapon. Still she didn't trust Nora as far as she could throw her, but now she had ideas coming to her about how she could use this to get near the enemy. "I uh, I told them they could let the others see how dire the situation was by having you executed before them-got a lot of curses thrown at me from Freddie and Carly for that one."

A smirk formed at Sam's lips and her eyebrows flattened over her eyes. Nora raised a hand over her forehead and sighed. "I can't stress enough that Cat and her friends will probably try and kill you the minute you get in."

"They're under someone else's control, right?"

"Yeah."

"Any idea how they're being controlled? I'd rather not hurt them if they're innocent." Nora curled a finger over her chin and looked downward in contemplation. As several seconds began to pass, Sam started to grow impatient and irritable. "Nora. My friends. Where are they and how can we help Cat and her friends?"

"Okay, I think I know." Nora moved her arms behind her back and stood erect. "They all have these cloth headbands tied around their heads, with a gem sewed through. Those gems have a strange glow inside of them…"

"That's all I need to know." Sam holstered the gun and extended her wrists, narrowing her eyes at Nora. The girl looked down curiously and then back up as though uncertain what to do. "You're going to do as you said. Take me in."

"What?"

If not for the missile being launched her way, she wouldn't believe this tale of Nora's. She still was skeptical and wanted to know how involved Nora truly was; but if she spoke the truth, Sam couldn't take the chance that her friends would be killed for Nora's betrayal.

"It's a rescue mission, dumbass." The sound of a rock being kicked onto pavement drew Sam's glance past Nora, where she saw another familiar face-Cat's friend, Robbie.

His eyes were dim, his body trembling, and curly black hair damp with sweat. In his right hand was a small rocket launcher. On his head was a red cloth fabric tied around his head, with the long ties draping over his shoulders. In the center was a crystal gem with a crimson glow in the center.

"Shit." Robbie twitched multiple times and raised the rocket launcher to his shoulder. Thinking fast, Sam pushed Nora down. "Look out!" She threw herself to the ground as the hiss of a rocket roared above her. She grit her teeth and threw her head up to him. Robbie's emotionless eyes peered back at her, every muscle in his body appeared to twitch as though convulsing.

A small stream of blood trickled down from beneath the headband and down the bridge of his nose. "Oh, I see. He's fighting it." She launched herself forward and pounced Robbie, throwing him to the ground and pinning him. She could feel his every convulsion like a raging storm. Her hand gripped the gem and her eyes narrowed. "Let's see what happens when I get this off you."

She yanked it off and gasped when she saw a thin needlelike pin sticking out from the back of the gem. Blood dripped from the tip and left a tiny hole on Robbie's forehead. Color returned to the man's eyes and with a groan, he fell into unconsciousness.

"Sam, we have to go. The police are going to be closing in soon."

"Sure…just let me get him somewhere safe." She checked to make sure he was breathing still before pulling him up "Help me get him to the car..."

It was not long before she was being guided into an old warehouse that smelt oddly like fish. Nora was nearly pressed against her back, to conceal that she was only holding Sam's wrists with loose rope dangling between her hands.

"I've brought her like I said I would!" Nora leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Freddie, Carly, and Spencer are all in the basement. Mrs. Benson and Mr. Shay are down there too." Sam grimaced and shut her eyes.

"I want to see my friends first." A door opened up and to Sam's amazement, she saw Cat walking silently. The girl looked just like Robbie, with the dullest eyes and emotionless expression. It broke her heart to see her old friend in such a state.

With Cat was her two girlfriends, Jade and Tori. Jade extended her arm, speaking in a near robotic tone. "iCarly must die. We shall be victorious forever." Sam rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"What? No weapons?" Thinking fast, she ripped her wrists apart, flinging the loose rope onto the ground. The girls continued to stare as though through her soul, their expressions never changing. Nora fell to the ground almost dramatically and Sam reached down to her, laughing out triumphantly. "Sorry to break it to you, but iCarly's been shut down for years now."

"No." Cat walked forward, pulling a pair of daggers from her jean pockets. Sam raised an eyebrow and huffed in surprise. "iCarly must die. We will be victorious."

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Sam readied herself, moving into a fighter stance and raising her hands before her face. "You've never made much sense before, and you sure don't make a lot of sense now." She growled and slid her right foot out. "I don't want to have to fight you Cat, I really don't want to hurt you."

"iCarly must die, Victorious forever."

Cat lunged forward, twirling her knives in her hands and swinging them forward. Sam dodged to the right and dug a fist into Cat's side. "Yeah, fuck off." A metallic click stung her ears. She turned to see Tori pointing a gun at her.

She froze, visualizing an enemy soldier in front of her with a shotgun. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to deflect the image. "Damn it." She leapt to the right just as Tori pulled the trigger. "Too close."

Having studied Robbie's gem, she discovered they were surprisingly brittle. This aided her in a way to where she could shut off whatever was powering up the gem by shattering it rather than forcefully yanking it out of the victim's head.

With that, Sam removed a small baseball from within her jacket. It was signed by her favorite baseball player, and she kept it on her at all times for luck. "Sorry about this, Tori." Tori started to raise the gun to shoot, but Sam was quicker on the draw and threw the ball at the gem.

Tori's head jerked back and the gem shattered. Tori dropped to her knees, still trembling. "Here." Sam grabbed the piece of the gem still attached to the girl's head and pulled it out, watching as the girl fell unconscious on the ground.

"Victorious." Jade shambled over to Sam, removing a long butcher's knife from her coat. "Will we." Sam turned her head and narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Die iCarly must."

"Those things are really fucking you guys up. I hope you don't end up with brain damage."

Cat started to rush her, still twirling the knives in her hands. "Here, I'm done with this nonsense." Sam swept her torso backwards as the two girls moved in on her. She raised her hands, clutching the back of their heads, then pushed forward with just enough strength to crush the two gems against each other. As they fell to the ground, she grabbed the gems away from them. "Forgive me guys."

Fueled with adrenaline and filled with rage, Sam puffed her chest out and shouted at whoever was surely watching or listening. "Wherever the hell you are, whoever the hell you are, I'm coming for you. I'd better find Freddie and Carly safe, Spencer and their parents better be alive too. I swear if you've hurt any single one of them, I'll tear you apart!"

"S-Sam." Nora's weakened voice grabbed her attention, and when she turned she saw Nora being held by Cat's friend, Andre. "Help." The man had her in a headlock, his right hand on her temple. Sam swallowed heavily and extended her hand.

"Andre, is it? Let her go."

"iCarly will die."

She breathed heavily as flashes of the enemy soldiers struck her, those who would hold civilians at gunpoint. Sweat ran down the side of her head as she breathed heavily. "Sam?" Nora whimpered and closed her eyes. "Sam, I'm so sorry. Please let Carly and Freddie know I'm sorry. I'm so…so sorry for everything." She opened her eyes wide and watched as Nora raised a hand over Andre's arm and grabbed the gem.

"Nora, don't!" Nora screamed and yanked the gem out just as Andre thrust his right hand forward, snapping Nora's neck. A scream erupted from Sam's lips and she dropped to her knees, watching as Nora collapsed to the ground. In her place she saw a civilian in the midst of war, lying dead on the ground.

She couldn't save her, couldn't save them all.

Tears fell from her eyes and she began to pound the ground, screaming aloud. "Damn it. Damn it, Nora, why'd you have to do that." She clenched her teeth and looked towards a doorway that had been behind Andre. The door led to stairs going down into the basement. "Okay…okay…"

She picked herself up, trembling nervously and looking back at the others lying about on the ground. Tori was beginning to stir, groaning softly and sitting up. The girl rubbed the back of her neck and shook her head slowly.

The last thing Sam wanted was more innocent lives being put at risk, but felt perhaps the best thing to do was leave this group upstairs. "I'm forgetting about someone." She breathed out and shook her head. "I'm sure of it."

Sam descended the stairs slowly. When she heard someone's whimpering, her heart began to pick up the pace. "Carly!" She rushed down the steps and froze when she heard Freddie call out to her, shouting for her to look out.

Freddie was standing behind a bars of a cell, his fists were wrapped around them. Carly sat beside him, her knees pulled to her chest and her dirty face buried into them. Spencer lay against a side wall with his father, breathing heavily, and Mrs. Benson lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling,

She heard movement just behind her and turned in time to see Beck Oliver trying to grab her from the shadows. Using the butt of her gun, she struck the gem on his forehead and watched as he crumpled to the ground.

"Behind you," Freddie called, "He's not the only one!" She flinched and turned back around. Walking from a shadowy corner of the room near the cell was Tori's older sister, Katrina.

Trina was clad in a robe, a black belt tied around her waist, and long silk scarves hung from her wrists. She had a virulent sneer on her face, but similar faded eyes as the others, and a gem on the center of her forehead.

"Oh right." Sam hesitated briefly and tossed the gun to the right. "I knew I forgot somebody." Trina performed a swift roundhouse kick aimed at her head. Sam ducked as quickly as she could and leapt to the right. Rising up, she felt a sharp jab to her lower back. She thrust forward, crying out as a searing pain shot through her body.

"Fuck you!" She'd been struck in that general area before during the combat she faced overseas. It was still incredibly tender, and the bullet hadn't been able to be removed.

She twisted around and met Trina with a swift frontal kick, followed by a right jab. "You're not the only one that knows a thing or two about martial arts." Trina deflected the blows and moved backwards. Sam let out a war cry and crouched low, thrusting a swift jab into Trina's stomach.

Trina bent forward, growing angrily. The girl kicked up a knee, striking Sam under the chin. Sam flung her head back and fell backwards onto the ground. Trina started to roar as she raised her foot into the air and brought it down.

"Shit!" Sam covered her face with her arms and rolled to the side, dodging the downward slice. She then kicked out her foot, striking Trina's heel and toppling the girl to the ground. "Sorry girl, but you're not taking me out that easily."

Trina flung onto her back, then leapt onto her feet. Sam shot up just as fast and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Why in the hell are you the tough one? Damn!"

"Stick around and find out." The answer came as a low growl, startling Sam into silence. Trina swung her hand to her throat and pushed her against a wall, leaned close and whispered. "Stay still, stay calm."

"What is this?"

"Play beaten. I was just about to finish off Beck when you came down here and did it for me." Startled and confused, she went along with it. Freddie and Carly cried out to her, pleading with Trina not to hurt her.

"Well, well, well…" Sam jerked her head upright at the sound of Carly's former boyfriend, Stephen's voice.

"No," she whispered.

Her eyes drifted to the stairwell where Stephen was standing on the bottom step, chuckling softly. "Looks like you're all washed up there, Samantha." Sam grit her teeth and looked into Trina's eyes. Something was amiss here, but she didn't know what.

When she looked to the cell, she noticed another oddity. Gibby was missing. If Stephen had it out for all the iCarly people, then Gibby should be present.

"I guess I put too much faith in Nora," Stephen remarked as he pushed his hand through his hair. "I didn't think she'd actually try and help you out."

"Why are you doing all this, Stephen?"

"Why?" He scoffed and began his approach. "Because you assholes ruined my life, that's why. What else is there?" He turned his head to Trina and crossed his arms. "I enjoy playing around with these people. It's not like it matters much that I found a way to control them, they don't have any personality as it is…not like Tori's big sister, now she's rife with issues."

"What's your point?"

"No point. Just admiring my new toys."

"They're people, asshole, not objects."

"They're my puppets now." Sam growled and looked back to Trina, wondering what was going to happen next. Was Trina planning on something? Was she working with Stephen? "You know it's funny, Tori bored me to tears but her sister? I've got plans for them once I finish you off iCarly fucks off."

Hatred flashed in Trina's eyes at her being mentioned by Stephen, her nostrils flared and her eyebrows twitched. "Right…" Sam looked at the cell and curled her eyebrows together. "Just one thing. Where's Gibby?"

"Bastard escaped on the freeway, got loose and bolted from the truck." Stephen shrugged. "Probably roadkill for all I know." It was then that Sam caught a smirk on Trina's face. Trina started motioning upwards with her eyes. Surprised, she looked to the support beams above them and saw Gibby crawling along one of the beams. There was a stepladder against a wall nearby, suggesting that's how he was up there.

Gibby narrowed his eyes and flung himself from the beams. "Gibby!" Stephen flicked his head upwards, cursing loudly as Gibby crashed on top of him. "Take that, you piece of shit."

Trina scoffed and took a step away from Sam, releasing her. "Sorry about that," Trina remarked. Stephen's jaw fell open as Trina turned upon him. "Gibby managed to free me…" Trina removed the gem, showing the back end of it, revealing the broken pin. It was then Sam noticed for the first time that Trina's gem had not been glowing. "I was trying to find a way to free my sister and her friends without tipping my hand. If you had been smarter, you might have figured out that the gem wasn't working anymore."

"Oh shit." Stephen started crawling backwards as Trina cracked her knuckles and approached him menacingly. "Wait!" He moved his arms in front of his face and began whimpering like the cowards he was.

"I'm going to beat the shit out of you, Stephen. So bad you won't know what happened to you." Sam rubbed her neck and Trina tossed a key over her shoulder. Sam grabbed it from the air and looked down at it, holding it as though a precious artifact. "Go let your friends out. I'm sorry you got involved…Gibby, you've already called my father?"

"I have," Gibby replied, "Police are on their way."

"Good…." Trina yanked Stephen off the ground and thrust him against a wall.

As he began his agonized screams, Sam rushed for the cell as fast as she could and unlocked the door. Freddie and Carly bolted out first, throwing their arms around her. "Thank god you're okay!" Carly exclaimed. "We were so scared they had already gotten to you."

"I'm fine." Sam hugged her back and looked from her to Freddie. "I was more worried about you two."

"How'd you find us?" Freddie inquired. Sam frowned, remembering Nora's actions. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, an action that earned concerned looks from her friends.

"Nora, she helped me." They gasped and she slowly shook her head. "She didn't make it. Sacrificed herself…" Carly cupped her hands over her mouth and Freddie let out a light curse.

They wouldn't be forgetting her sacrifice anytime soon, that was for sure.

The police came and arrested Stephen, who was covered in his own blood and bruises. Trina stood powerful as her father instructed that the beating Stephen had taken must have been done in self-defense and was nothing to be concerned about.

The paramedics took the others, maintaining that Cat and everyone else would be perfectly fine. Each sustained only minimal injuries, but needed to be checked over from head to toe.

Trina looked back at Sam before being led away by the paramedics, she flashed a smile and gave a swift nod. "Welcome home?" Sam chuckled sorely and raised up a thumb.

"Good to be back," she replied, "For good this time."

Well its not much, but I feel good about it. I hope you've enjoyed, there are some inside jokes in there that hint at certain aspects no one's quite aware of besides me, heh. Do tell how you liked this? Like I said in the beginning, I know it reads kind of fast, due to it being a oneshot and not a fleshed out chaptered story, but I feel like that didn't take anything away from its value and enjoyment.