Chapter Ten: Five Steps

Fingers twirled through his hair. Flynn cracked open his eyes and for a moment he wondered why he was in Yuri's room. Then he remembered, and smiled. Yuri lay in bed next to him, propped on one elbow. He lightly ran his hand through Flynn's hair, wrapping the strands around his fingers. Flynn yawned and rolled over to face Yuri.

"Sorry." He pulled his hand back.

"It's ok."

"How do you feel?"

Flynn thought for a moment, and then sighed. "Upset." The pain of losing Kat wasn't as raw as it was last night, but it still made his heart ache. He grabbed Yuri's elbow and pushed him onto his back. "Lie down. You're letting the cold air under the covers."

"Hmph. Sorry for trying to be active." Yuri wiggled closer so their shoulders pressed against each other and there were only inches between their cheeks.

It would be nice to lay in bed all day. Flynn had only recently identified what these growing feelings in him were, but already it was a relief to feel them satisfied. Yuri's bed was narrow and hard, but with both of them squeezed together under the blanket, it was the most perfect place in the world. He listened to Yuri's breathing, so close next to him, and let himself imagine a perfect world where Yuri stayed in Zaphias forever and they could see each other every day while working together to reform the empire.

Of course, that would never happen. Flynn stared at the ceiling and said, "This was probably a mistake." Yuri flinched, so imperceptibly Flynn almost missed it, but with him lying so close, Flynn felt every movement of his muscles. "I mean, in the larger context," he quickly added. He twisted onto his side so he could look at Yuri's face. "This is exactly where I want to be, Yuri. It's just… I know I shouldn't."

Yuri turned his head and nodded. "I get it. Politics, right?"

Flynn frowned. "Everyone expects me to find myself a noblewoman. If the Council found out I chose you instead…"

Yuri smirked. "Considering I'm not noble or a woman. Which of those traits is more damning?"

"I'm really not sure. All I know is that a good portion of the Council already dislikes me because I'm from the lower quarter, and a relationship with you is not going to do anything to endear me to them. At the same time, though, the Council and the Knights don't have to get along. We are separate branches of the government, so there's very little the Council can actually do to me. I suppose in specific cases they could rally together and get an executive order to boss me around, but they can't do that for every small thing."

"But getting the Council to work with you will make things much easier to get the empire sorted out."

Flynn nodded. "That's the problem. I'm doing everything I can to reform the Knights, but the fundamental injustices the afflict our people need to be solved through legal and political reformation beyond the reach of simply the military. I can't directly change the taxation system or give lower class people access to better legal treatment. All I can do is use my position to pressure the Council, and the less they respect me, the weaker that pressure is going to be."

"I completely understand. That's why I was so hesitant to tell you about this in the first place." Yuri looked to the ceiling and folded his hands on his chest. "We have our own paths to follow. We each have goals and methods that the other can't reach. How can we be both together, and also on different paths?" His frowned deepened. "There's no room for someone like my on yours, and someone like you doesn't belong on mine."

"I think we need to tread cautiously." Flynn spoke slowly, thinking things out even as he said them. "There are many barriers that would keep us apart, but if your feelings are even half as strong as mine are-"

"'Course they are."

Flynn kicked Yuri's calf. "This isn't a competition. I was speaking hypothetically. What I mean is, we've overcome great obstacles in the past. We're fighters, and difficulty has never scared us off before."

"Yeah, that's right." Yuri turned to him with a grin. "I'm not giving you up without a fight."

Flynn couldn't help smiling back. "We should keep this private. We can tell Lady Estellise and your friends, of course, but in general I think it would be best if the public remain under the impression that I am a bachelor."

Yuri's grin turned to a smirk. "Yeah, just think of the epidemic of broken hearts that would sweep Zaphias if the heartthrob with the steely gaze was taken."

Flynn kicked him again. He was never going to live that title from Nordopolica down, was he?

"Hey, stop kicking me."

"Stop being an idiot."

"You stop first."

"I'm trying to have a serious discussion about the direction of our relationship!"

"We've discussed it enough. Here's what we do. Step one." He grabbed Flynn's head and pulled himself close before locked his lips on Flynn's face.

For a moment Flynn was too surprised to do anything but feel Yuri's lips brush across his, and then he leaned forward and opened his mouth. His left arm wrapped around Yuri's shoulders, while his right was awkwardly pinned between them and the bed. All Flynn's worries about their future faded away, like stars drowned out by the overwhelming glow of a barrier blastia. His fingers squeezed Yuri's shoulder and his tongue brushed Yuri's lips. He was pretty sure the wind whistled through the alleys outside the window, but maybe that was just his blood rushing in his ears.

When Yuri pulled away, Flynn panted for breath for a few seconds. "I like step one."

"I'm rather fond of it myself."

"So what's step two?" Flynn hoped it had a lot in common with step one.

"Step two is that we tell Estelle so that she'll finally get off my back and stop trying to play cupid."

Flynn winced. "She's been doing that to you, too?"

Yuri laughed. "I think Estelle wanted us to get together more than we wanted us to get together."

"Lady Estellise is… certainly enthusiastic. What's step three?"

"Step three is the easy step, because that's where we do nothing. We tell no one. I mean, other than my friends who don't care. We don't tell the Council, we don't tell Sodia, and we don't tell that stupid newspaper reporter."

Flynn nodded. This seemed like the most sensible plan. "I agree."

"Step four is that we both continue our lives. You're doing great things as the commandant, and I enjoy my work in the guilds. We're both making a difference in our own way, and neither of us should give that up. I'll come to Zaphias when I can, and you come to Dahngrest."

"Do you really think it will work? Only seeing each other every few months?"

"Yeah, of course. After all these years, you really think I'm going to let you slip away just because I don't see you every day?"

Flynn smiled, feeling stupid for even asking. What was that old saying, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'? It was probably invented by someone trying to console themselves about having to live so far away from the person they loved, but it did make him feel hopeful. His relationship with Yuri would be far from traditional, but they'd make it work. They'd savour their times, and then keep the other in their thoughts when their paths separated again. As long as their shared feelings tied them together, they'd never really be apart.

"So, does your plan have a step five?"

Yuri grinned. "It sure does. If you liked step one, you're gonna love step five." He rolled forward, grabbed Flynn's shoulders and pinned him on his back. His lips hit Flynn's jawline and traced it to his ear. He rested his knee between Flynn's legs and rubbed his face against Flynn's, while Flynn let out a soft moan and reached for Yuri's face. He let his hands trail through Yuri's hair and Yuri moved lower, trailing his lips along Flynn's neck and leaving soft kisses along the way. Yuri released Flynn's shoulders so his hands could reach for the hem of Flynn's shirt and slip up his stomach. This gave Flynn the freedom of movement to tackle Yuri and push him onto his back.

"Hey," Yuri grunted, and then Flynn silenced him with another kiss.

Even from the bottom, Yuri continued reaching under Flynn's shirt while their faces remained locked together. His calloused thumbs brushed Flynn's nipples and a shiver rushed down his spine. Flynn didn't know what to do with his own hands. He suddenly wished he'd experimented as a teenager the way Yuri had so he'd know what the hell he was doing. All he knew was that even the few centimetres between them seemed like vastly too much distance and he wanted his hands all over Yuri. He slipped one hand down the collar of Yuri's shirt and squeezed his shoulder, while the other caressed his cheek. Yuri's soft grunts when he pulled his face away just long enough to breathe hinted that he didn't mind. Yuri's hands trailed down and found the button on Flynn's pants.

Flynn pulled back and took a few breaths, and then shook his head. "Not today. I have to go to work."

"I can make it fast."

"I don't want it to be fast." He leaned forward and sucked on the side of Yuri's neck. Half a minute later, he added, "We have the rest of our lives to be together. No need to rush everything this morning."

Yuri sighed with exaggerated disappointment, but agreed. "Fine. Let's get breakfast, and then you can go back to catching this bastard."

Flynn rolled off Yuri and lay on the bed. He felt hot even though the room was cold, and his hair was even messier than usual. Yuri wasn't much better, with a flushed face and red marks on his throat.

"I need to go home and get changed." His clothes were a wrinkled mess, having slept in them, so he'd have to stop by his house before going to work. Then he remembered what he'd find on his floor when he got home, and his stomach clenched. "Dammit."

Yuri glanced to him in concern, and followed the same chain of thought. "I'll go with you."

"You don't have to."

"I'll take care of it."

Flynn hesitated, and then smiled softly. "Thanks."

Downstairs, they found the rest of Yuri's friends already eating breakfast at the Comet. Karol waved with a mouth full of scrambled eggs, while Rita glanced up from her toast.

"Hey," Yuri said, sliding into a chair next to Karol.

"Good morning, Yuri," Judith said. "You're here early, Flynn."

Flynn wasn't sure he liked that suggestive smile on her face.

"Er… I was stopping by to tell Yuri about the case." He sat next to Yuri and pulled his chair to the table, hoping he wasn't as pink-cheeked as he felt.

"That so?" Raven leaned his elbows on the table and gave Yuri a lecherous grin. "And telling you about the case involved leaving those marks on your neck?"

Flynn glanced at Yuri's neck, where he'd left red marks from too-rough kissing. Flynn's face turned redder. Yuri just laughed, and held out his hands. "Well, no point hiding it from you guys."

Karol gaped at him. "Wait… you and Flynn are… together now?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Yuri wrapped his arm around Flynn's waist and pulled his chair closer, while Flynn would rather curl up and die than discuss what had just gone on between him and Yuri with other people. It wasn't that he was exactly embarrassed, he just felt that it was private, and would rather Yuri didn't give out too many details.

Karol stared for a few more seconds, and then slammed his fist on the table. "Darn it!"

"Huh?" Yuri was as confused as Flynn.

Judith grinned and held out her hand. "Pay up, you two."

Karol grumbled and reached into his bag for his wallet, while Rita laughed and grinned. Raven glared at Yuri and said, "You owe me for this, kid." He pulled out fifty gald and reluctantly handed it to Judith, who took his and Karol's, split it in half, and handed half to Rita.

"Wait…" Yuri said, looking between them, "were you guys betting on us?"

Rita was too busy counting her gald with a huge grin, so Karol explained. "Judith and Rita thought you and Flynn would get together before the end of the year. Raven and I thought it would take a lot longer."

Yuri laughed, while Flynn rested his face in his hands and tried to pretend a group of people he didn't know very well had not been taking bets on his love life.

The stench of a rotting body even reached downstairs. Flynn sat on his couch, feeling guilty about leaving this grim task to Yuri but also not feeling the willpower to enter his bedroom again. He sat on his couch and stared at the cat tree that Kat had never liked. He supposed he might as well throw it out now, but… he didn't have the heart to do it. There was still orange and white fur on his couch, and an indentation on the back where she'd always curled up to sleep. He kept thinking that any minute now he'd feel her soft head bump against his as he tried to relax, or spot her lurking on top of the bookshelf and waiting for her supper.

It was really screwed up priorities to be this heartbroken over a cat, he told himself. He thought of Mrs. Zimmerman and all the other families he hadn't spoken to personally, and how much deeper their pain must be. Then he thought of all the pain this one man had brought to so many people, and was more determined than ever to bring him to justice.

Yuri came downstairs with a bundle wrapped in sheets. He stood hesitantly at the foot of the stairs and said, "You have a bit of a yard out back, right?"

Flynn nodded, unable to stop looking at the bundle but also wishing he could never look at it again. "It's mostly dirt. I never had time to plant anything. There's a shovel in the kitchen, though. The ground's probably frozen." He started to get up. "I can help."

"I'll manage. Sit down."

"I want to help." She was his cat. He'd always feel guilty if he wasn't there to say goodbye one last time.

Flynn led Yuri through the kitchen and out the door to the yard. It was a small square of land with high stone walls separating it from the other houses. In the summer the ground was covered in weeds and dandelions that Flynn always meant to pull but never got around to, but now they had to kick aside a layer of snow before accessing the ground. Yuri set the bundle on the back step, and then Flynn slammed the shovel into the ground. It took a few tries to break through the frozen dirt. He didn't mind the effort, though. It took his mind off the tiny body sitting only a few feet away. He started picturing the ground as the killer, and took his frustration and grief out on the dirt.

By the time he'd dug a small pit, about three feet deep and two feet in diameter, his arms hurt from how much force he'd used. His fingers would hurt more, except he hadn't worn any gloves and now they were numb from the freezing morning air. "Ok," he said hoarsely.

Yuri silently picked up the bundle and carried her to the hole. As he bent, an orange tail fell out of the sheets. It hung limp, with fur clumped together with dried blood. Flynn jerked his head away and bit his lip, and couldn't look back until she was in the hole. Yuri grabbed the shovel and refilled the grave. When he was done, he stuck the shovel into the snow to hold it up and then turned to Flynn. "Do you want to say anything?"

Flynn took a few steps forward and stood close to Yuri, looking down at the uneven pile of dirt. He closed his eyes. "There's nothing to say. She was a good cat, and I'm going to find the bastard who did this. If he thinks he can… I don't know, ruin my resolve or whatever he's trying to do, he's got another thing coming." A strong part of him, a part that grew in strength every time he found a body, wanted to kill him. Flynn feared the growing strength of this dark chunk of his soul, and did whatever he could to squash it. It wasn't his place to kill a criminal. It never would be, not matter how many innocent lives he took. Even if he wanted to walk by Yuri's side in life, he couldn't join him on that path.

Yuri's hand rested on his shoulder. "You ok?"

Flynn took a deep breath. The cold air hurt the back of his throat, but cleared his head. "Yeah. Thanks." He pulled his eyes away from the grave. "I need to get ready to go. I'm going to find Carter. I'm going to find the bastard who did this, and I won't rest until he's behind bars."

They went inside, and Yuri waited downstairs while Flynn went upstairs to get changed. He hesitated when he first entered his room, he eyes locked on the stain in the carpet. Yuri had done his best to clean it and the roomed smelled like cleaning supplies more than blood now, but a bloodstain left to soak into the carpet overnight was hard to get out. He'd have to replace the whole carpet, because he couldn't live with a reminder like that in his bedroom.

After changing, he went back downstairs. "I'm going to work. I'm late already. Where are you headed?"

"Back to the lower quarter, unless you need anything."

Flynn shook his head. "Can't think of anything right now. Yuri… thanks again."

"Don't mention it." He kissed Flynn on the cheek, and then sent him on his way.

Minutes after Flynn arrived at work, Sodia rushed to his office. "Commandant! You're late," she said with a hint of reproach as she neared his desk.

"Sorry." He had been a couple of hours late getting in, since he'd slept in at Yuri's place and then took time out to bury Kat. He couldn't tell her precisely where he'd been last night, so he told her a partial truth. "My cat died."

Her expression softened and her eyes widened with pity. "Oh, sir, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"The Heartbreaker snuck into my house and killed her. I think he was sending me a message." He grimaced and added, "Or maybe he just really hates cats."

"How dare he…" Sodia's pity turned to fury. "This man had better face the noose when we finally catch him."

Flynn nodded. "I'll make sure he does."

"Anyway, sir, what I really needed to tell you is that we've found another body."

Flynn couldn't even bring himself to feel surprised anymore. "Damn. Who now? Carter?"

Sodia shook her head. "A young woman. She was found around dawn on Fifty-Eighth Street. She's been identified as Madison Rhodes."

"And you're sure she's from our same killer?" He hadn't expected another body until Carter was found, either alive or dead.

"We're not positive, but… she suffered nineteen stab wounds and marks on her skin indicate she was bound and gagged. I thought that sounded similar to the incident you bore witness to."

Flynn nodded with a tense frown. "You're right. That does sound familiar."

"Here, sir." She placed a folder on his desk. "There are sketches from the crime scene and all the notes we took. I've already got knights interviewing everybody in the area, but we don't have much knowledge yet."

"Thank you."

Sodia left him with the case file, and Flynn glumly flipped through it. With a pang, he wished he had Kat to talk it out to.

Yuri dug his shovel into the snow and then took a few steps forward, scraping it along the smooth flagstone street. Then he lifted his arms and chucked the snow into a dirty pile at the end of the narrow street. Shovelling snow was a pain, but he liked helping out and besides, it was a good workout for his arms.

He couldn't feel too upset about anything today. Every time his arms got tired from shovelling, he remembered the taste of Flynn's skin and the feel of Flynn's hands sliding over his bare shoulders. This filled him with a fuzzy feeling that put a skip in his step and renewed his energy. He felt guilty being so happy when Flynn was so upset about Kat, but he couldn't help it.

Running footsteps crunched in the snow, and then Estelle tore around the corner. "Yuri! I found you!"

He stopped and rested his arm on the top of the shovel. "Hey, Estelle. What's up?"

Estelle threw herself at him and wrapped him in a huge hug that nearly knocked him over.

"Whoa! What's this for?"

"Yuri! I talked to Flynn and he told me what happened. I'm so happy for you!"

"Oh, that."

She pulled away and smiled brightly. "I knew he felt the same way about you. Didn't I tell you? I'm so glad you two finally shared your feelings."

Yuri frowned slightly. "Yeah, and it turns out the rest of you guys were taking bets."

Estelle put her hand to mouth and giggled. "Oops, you found out about that?"

"Well it's not like they put any effort into hiding it."

"We're all just happy for you. But, Yuri, shouldn't you put a jacket on?" Her excitement turned to worry and she rubbed his arms with hands covered in purple knitted mittens. "It's freezing!"

"Really, I'm fine." He gestured at the coat lying on the ground by the door. "I took my jacket off fifteen minutes ago because I got too hot." He always started shovelling properly dressed for winter with a coat, gloves, hat, and scarf, but the exertion of shovelling inevitably warmed him up until he sweat through the gloves and tossed them aside in discomfort.

"Hm… if you're sure. You'd better put your coat back on if you feel cold."

Yuri tried to be exasperated with her fretting, but in truth he appreciated how much she worried about him. No one had ever given so much attention to his health before he met Estelle. "Yeah, yeah, all right."

"Whose house is this, anyway?" she asked, looking to the grey stone bricks.

"Oh, this is Hanks' house. He has trouble shovelling these days because of his age, so I help him out."

"That's very nice of you."

Yuri shrugged one shoulder. "It's the least I can do after how much he's helped us over the years."

"Can I help?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I only have one shovel."

"That's ok." She planted her hands on it and said, "I'll give you a rest."

"Are you sure? It's more work than it looks."

"If I can battle monsters, I think I can shovel a street. You rest and I'll shovel for a bit."

"If you say so." Yuri sat on the front step and leaned against the doorframe. "Just scoop it all into that big slushy pile at the end of the street."

"Ok! I can do it!" Estelle dug the shovel into the snow and then ran forward, ploughing the snow forward. It bunched up onto her shovel until she was forced to slow down and had to take long, fighting strides to keep pushing against the built up snow. Yuri sat back and watched with a bit of amusement as she reached the end of the street and then tried to shovel the entire weight of everything she'd pushed in one go. Her arms strained and her face tightened, but she managed to lift a good percentage of it and then tossed it forward. The snow hit the side of the pile and slid down, and she was left with a mess of ploughed snow to throw onto the big pile, but it was an admirable first try.

"This is harder than it looks," she said, shovelling big scoops of snow onto the pile.

"Yeah, it's a real pain."

"I'll be sure to thank the servants at the castle for keeping all the paths through the gardens clear the next time I see them." She walked back in Yuri's direction and started over again to whittle away at the sheet of snow covering the street.

"So is that all you came down here for? To congratulate me on Flynn?" It was started to get cold now that he wasn't moving around. The sweat dampening his shirt made him shiver, and he relented and pulled his jacket back on. Since it had been sitting in the cold for fifteen minutes, it wasn't very warm, but he hoped it would improve with body heat.

"Partially. As happy as I am about you two being happy, I'm also pretty upset about Kat."

"Ah, yeah." He hadn't been happy about Kat when he first heard about it, and he was even less happy after he'd spent the morning cleaning rotting cat guts out of a carpet. The smell still lingered in his nose if he thought about it, and he'd washed his hands in Flynn's bathroom for a good five minutes before finally feeling clean. He may not have liked Kat, but it took a true monster to do that to an innocent animal.

Estelle scooped a few shovelfuls into the pile and then turned to face Yuri. "Why do you think he killed Kat?"

"I don't know. To taunt Flynn, I suppose?"

"I talked to Zagi again. He said this guy wants Flynn to catch him, but that he wants Flynn to lose so much catching him that it isn't worth it."

Yuri pulled his hat on, since his hair had gotten sweaty and now his head was cold. "He's certainly doing a good job of it. Why, though? What has he got against Flynn?"

"I don't know." Estelle came back to the start to plough another strip. "I feel as if that is the most important question. Once we find out what his problem is with Flynn, it will narrow down our suspects."

"Or even give us a suspect in the first place."

Estelle leaned on the shovel and thought deeply. "What reason could he have to want to be caught?"

Yuri shook his head. "I have no idea. Whatever he's doing, though, I'm getting worried that he's actually really getting to Flynn."

"I know Flynn is really upset. Is that what you mean?"

"More than that." Yuri pulled his gloves back on. "When I saw his face this morning while we were burying Kat, I was actually scared for him. Flynn's more than just upset - he's pissed. Flynn holds his temper in really well, but when he snaps…" Yuri grimaced. "He can be pretty violent. If this continues to escalate, I'm worried Flynn might do something he regrets."

Estelle leaned the shovel against the wall and sat on the step next to Yuri. "You think he might… like you did with Ragou and Cumore?"

Yuri's eyes hit the snow a few feet away. "I don't know. Maybe. He's already reached the point where part of him wants to."

"Flynn would never. He's not…"

"Not like me, yeah."

Estelle bit her lip and stared at her knees. "Do you really think Flynn could ever reach the point of killing a criminal vigilante-style?"

"I'm honestly not sure. I'd like to think not. Flynn was so adamant in his belief when he confronted me about it, but that was before everything with Alexei. I know Alexei's betrayal made his idealism slip, but did it slip that far? Until recently I would have said it was preposterous, but last night he actually told me he wanted to kill this guy. All the bodies being directed at him, then that little girl, one of his own knights showing up at his front door, the letter in the paper about Carter adding so much more stress, and now this thing with Kat…" He shook his head. "Everyone has a breaking point, and I honestly don't know how much more Flynn can take."

Everyone had a right to make their own choices in life, but if Flynn chose to detour onto Yuri's path and take this criminal out on his own, that would be a huge mistake. Yuri knew from experience that it was the sort of thing you could never fully walk away from. Once Flynn bloodied his hands, he'd never be able to wash them completely clean again. Whatever happened, Yuri had to make sure Flynn never gave in to the temptation to act on his fury. If that meant killing this guy himself before Flynn could, then that's what he'd have to do.

"I really hope we catch the Heartbreaker soon."

Yuri nodded slowly. He hated having to kill Ragou and Cumore, and while he didn't regret it, he also didn't relish the thought of doing it again. He could only pray the knights brought this guy in before it reached that point, for Flynn's sake and his own. "Yeah. Me too."

The front door opened behind them, and then Hanks said, "What's this? Sitting down on the job? I expected better from you, Yuri!"

Yuri laughed and stood up. "Sorry, Gramps, not all of us get to lie in bed and let others do their chores for them."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hanks!" Estelle jumped and clutched her hands together. "I was helping Yuri but I took a break."

Hanks glanced between Estelle and Yuri, and then said, "Getting the pretty lady to do your work? Should have known you were that kind of lazy slacker."

"Oh, it's not like that at all!" Estelle hurriedly said, oblivious to Hanks' sarcasm. "I offered to help Yuri."

Hanks smiled. "That so? Well, Yuri, I think you've found yourself a keeper."

Yuri just rolled his eyes while Estelle blushed. "N-No, you're misunderstanding. Yuri and I are just friends. Our relationship really isn't like that!"

"In any case, I can bring you an extra shovel if you really want to help."

"Yes, thank you, I would appreciate that."

Hanks returned to his house and came back a few minutes later with another shovel, which he handed to Estelle.

"Thank you, sir!"

"You're the one shovelling my street. I should be thanking you."

"Come on, Yuri," Estelle said, running for the snow.

Yuri picked up the shovel from before and then lined himself up next to Estelle. "Ok. I'll race you to the pile at the end." Estelle nodded and they lined their shovels up. "Ready… set… go!" With that, they took off ploughing.

It was evening. Flynn sat in his office, trying to find the nerve to head home. If he went home, he'd be all alone in an empty house with a bloodstain on his bedroom floor that made his chest hurt. How could he sleep peacefully tonight knowing the killer had been inside his house? What if he came back? What if he attacked Flynn again and dragged him off to interrogate him on why he hadn't found Carter yet? To keep these thoughts at bay, he pulled out the file of the murdered girl and looked over the facts again.

Madison Rhodes, age twenty-one. She worked in a flower shop in the public quarter. She'd been reported missing five days ago after never coming home from work. Flynn stared at the sketch of her from the crime scene, finally seeing the face of the woman he'd been unable to save. Her hair was light and curly and her eyes open with shock. Stab wounds covered her limbs, culminating in one spearing her throat.

As he stared, screams echoed through his head again and he suppressed a shudder. His wrists ached from remembered pain and he squeezed his eyes shut to try to block out the memories. Nineteen times this poor woman had been stabbed. Nineteen wasn't the number, though. The number was sixteen. He was supposed to remember that number, but what for? Why was it so important? Why did Madison Rhodes have to die for the number sixteen?!

And then he realized what it meant. His grip tightened on the paper, wondering if it could really be that simple. It was worth a shot, wasn't it? He grabbed his coat and ran out the door. At Sodia's office, he didn't even wait for her to reply after banging on the door.

"Commandant? What's-"

"Get your coat. I know where Carter is."