Chapter 7: Just Like Them

POV: Kim Crawford

"Hello? Hello, Jerry?" I asked. Jerry had called my phone, but then had muted me. I could hear voices on the other end, but they were muffled and I couldn't understand them. After a few minutes, I lost the connection. I sighed, closing my phone and putting it in my pocket. I made my way over to Jack's house and hid in the bushes, waiting for something, anything.

After about ten minutes, I felt my phone buzz. I grabbed it. "Hello? Jerry? What did you find? I lost your connection." I told him. It was Jerry's number calling again, but it wasn't Jerry who spoke. "Kim, it's Jack. I need you to come to my house." He told me quietly. I felt my cheeks redden. Had Jerry been caught? "Hello?" He'd hung up. I sighed, putting it back in my pocket.

I might as well bail Jerry out. I grabbed my crutches and difficultly made my way out of the bushes and across his drive-way. There was no car, so his mom must've left. "Hello…?" I called quietly. I sighed as I made my way to the stairs, hearing voices up there. Really Jack? You're going to make me climb up there on my crutches?

I made a face and dropped the dang crutches, getting down on my hands and knees and crawling up the steps. I finally made it to the top and pulled myself up, putting all my weight on my good leg and leaning heavily on the doorframe. I knocked and the door opened. "Jack-" I started then let out a squeak of terror when I was grabbed and dragged into the room by a Mask.

POV: Jack Brewer

(after Jerry got caught)

"Jerry?!" I stared blankly at my friend who was under my bed, and he stared back equally so with a decent helping of shock and fear. I jumped down and grabbed his arm, dragging him out from under my bed. I shoved him hard against the wall. "How much did you hear?" I demanded, raising my voice as I held a fistful of his shirt in my hand.

He stuttered, staring at me blankly. "I-uh, uh, w-I don't um…" I made a fist with my other hand and pulled it back. He gave one of his girl-shrieks and put his hands up. "I heard everything!" he cried, cringing. "The whole thing, about you knowing about Rudy getting shot and all!" He cried. "Please don't hurt me!" He begged. I glanced over at Winter. This… was going to complicate things.

I remembered rule thirty-five said that no witnesses are to be left alive! –yeah, Red kinda made me read the whole thing…-
"Jerry, why-" I let him go and he dropped. "Why do you have to be such a snoop?" I cried, slumping to the floor in front of my door so he couldn't escape. There was a tap on my door. "What?" I called without opening it. "Hun, I'm going to the grocery, okay?" My mom told me called. "Whatever mom." I replied. After a few moments of silence… "Very well-played, Jack." I looked up, my heart racing. That voice didn't belong to Sorrow or my mom. No, that belonged to none other than…

I stood up. "Blood, what are you doing here?" I asked. The fully-decked out she-ninja put her hands on her hips. "I could ask you the same question, Stain." I heard Jerry gasp and I glanced at him guiltily. "You're supposed to be at Darling Diamonds, getting ready for our next break-in." She told me.

"I knew it! I knew you were a Mask!" Jerry cried. Oh, Jerry, please shut your mouth… I glanced at him again. Oh no. I looked back at Blood. She reached behind her and drew her samurai. She walked over to Jerry and pinned him against the wall again, holding the gleaming samurai to his neck. "Well, look here. We have ourselves a wise-guy? Well, wise-guy, you have one of two choices," She raised his cell-phone. "You can kill pretty pretty princess on the other end of this line and become a Mask like us, or, you can join her in hell!" Her voice had been dangerously calm the whole way, until she said hell, she shouted that word right in his face.

He swallowed hard and stared at his phone. Without looking away from him, Blood hit a button on his phone and handed it back to me. "Hello?" It was Kim. "Jerry? What did you find? I lost your connection." I heard her sweet voice say. "Kim, it's Jack. I need you to come to my house." I told her quietly, watching Blood stare at me through her Mask. "Get dressed." She told us after I hung up. We saluted her and headed for the bathroom.

After I came out, I saw Jerry's eyes pop. "You're a traitor, Jack!" He cried. I glared at him for Blood's benefit, as her gaze bored into me. "I'm not Jack anymore." I told him, then slid my helmet on. "I'm Stain." I said in my distorted voice. I heard a knock on my door. I opened it. "Jack-" I grabbed her and pulled her into the room, closing the door. I firmly clamped my gloved hand over her mouth. She grabbed at my hand, trying to wrench it free as I dragged her over to thrust her against the wall next to Jerry.

"Jerry, what happened?" Kim hissed as soon as her mouth was free of my hand. "Jack is a-" Blood thrust her samurai harder against Jerry's neck and drew a little blood. "Finish that sentence at your own risk." She hissed. Jerry swallowed and shut his mouth. "What do you want with us?" Kim demanded bravely. I drew my samurai at put it to her throat. "No talking." I told her, feeling a fist form in the pit of my stomach.

What was I going to do? I couldn't let Kim or Jerry get hurt! I couldn't believe this was happening now! I needed more time to form a plan! I stared at Kim through the Mask, willing her to do something, to fight back, maybe she could escape… I felt a very hard substance crash down hard on my foot. Our suits included those cloth flat-footed shoes that ninja's wore, providing no protection to your feet, but allowing one to be stealthy and nimble.

I cried out, jumping back. Blood swung her samurai at Kim, who ducked out of the way. Jerry chose that moment to shove Blood backwards, causing her to stumble. Her ninja-reflexes allowed her to do a one-handed back-hand cartwheel to straighten her balance. I was still whimpering over my crushed foot. "Stain, Sorrow, come help me!" Blood cried, ducking from a kick Jerry sent at her head.

Sorrow drew her samurai and took on a fighting stance. Jerry had Kim firmly cornered behind him as he made his way over to the door. "Stain!" Blood cried. I jumped and blocked their path. Come on, guys, it's me, just go around me! I willed them. Jerry threw a kick and I automatically blocked it. Stupid, stupid, stupid… I made an obvious opening for them to go through. I could see Jerry thinking, yes, thinking.

He threw himself at me and I caught his arms. He knocked my samurai out of my hands and me to the ground. Kim was already over us and out the door. "Sorrow, do not let her escape!" Blood cried. Sorrow ninja-leapt over us and bolted out the door after Kim. I silently begged Kim to find a place to hide, to not try to outrun Sorrow. My mind was drawn back to Jerry as he began pounding on my Mask.

"Traitor! Dirty, lying, no good for nothing traitor!" He was screaming. Uh-oh, Jerry was mad. I'd seen his little fits of rage when he was mad. I didn't want him anywhere near me when he was like that. I took my feet up under him and threw him over my head. I jumped up. Blood was gone. Where did she- I thought was cut off by a blow to my mask. I stumbled back. Jerry, just get out of here! Can't you see I'm holding back? I'm giving you a chance to escape!

Out of nowhere, Blood jumped down and tackled Jerry. She held him down while I got to my feet. "Are you serious? You can take on ten people twice his size, but you can't handle him? I thought I told you not to let your twisted sense of moral beliefs and self-righteousness get in the way of your duties!" She cried through her mask. I just stood there, panting and staring. Sorrow came back in, dragging a limp Kim behind her.

She dropped her to the floor and sheathed her samurai. She saluted and ended with a bow, where her palms were pressed firmly together and held at her mid-section, where she would bend ninety-degrees. I stared at Kim. Was she okay? Did I dare check? I walked over to her and got down on one knee. I reached down and felt of her temple. Praise God, there was a beat. I let out a tiny sigh.

But then, the tension was back when I stood and once again, saw what a terrible predicament I was in. I crossed my arms. "What are we going to do with them?" I asked, forcing emotion out of my voice. Blood drew her samurai and in one swift movement, Jerry was on the floor. She put the weapon on her back and crossed her arms. She sighed. "Let's take them back home and, we'll decide if we want to have them on the force or not, they put up a pretty good fight."

I nodded, grateful she'd only hit Jerry on the head with the handle. A split-second after he fell I had despaired that she's sliced him, but I saw no blood, on him or the blade, and I saw a red mark on Jerry's temple. I took Jerry, grabbing his arm and pinning it between my arm and my body, leaning down to grab his leg, then straightening up so that he was fully on my shoulders.

Sorrow took Kim the exact same way. Blood nodded to us before jumping out the window. I sighed. "I guess we're going to have to take the long way down." I told her. She nodded. "That was close, jack. You realize, that you're friends are doomed now?" She asked as we climbed down the stairs. I stared despondently at the floor. "I know."

"And you're okay with that?" She sounded incredulous. "No." She caught up to me as we went out the back door. Now we had to be careful to not be seen carrying their bodies on our shoulders. "But, you're betraying them!" She hissed. I stopped and stared at her. "Shut up, Sorrow. I know what I'm doing." I told her.

I could literally feel her gaze boring into me as I continued down the blessedly empty street. I sighed and turned. "Are you coming?" I called. She hadn't moved from that spot on my driveway. She slowly caught up to me. "Whatever, Stain. I thought you weren't like the others. It turns out, you're just like them." With that, she pushed passed me, and I was the one left standing, and staring.

(A/N: Hope you liked it, please REVIEW!