Hey there! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Loved 'em. I'll be posting a few chapters now. And probably the entire story by today/(tonight for me). As I said before, I leave for this year's college tomorrow morning, so I've less than twelve hours. And I don't want to leave the story unfinished.

Thanks for the support!

A/N: Game is looking...game sees nothing!

Chapter 10

Right.
left.
Uppercut.

Sean could feel the force with which he hit the bag. And with each hit, he hit it harder. Soon his knuckles began to go numb yet he kept on punching the bag. The physical sensation wasn't enough to keep his mind trying to block out everything.

Sweat poured down his back, arms pistoned as he punched again and again. Biceps bulged with the exertion, shoulders hard as rock.

"You can't save everybody."

Julia. Macy. Kate.

Kate.

His breathing became labored as he pictured her face. Her smile, her laugh, the way her nose twitched whenever he brought artery-choking breakfast as a white flag.

Five years. It had been five years since he'd come from the nearby grocery shop to find his kitchen a slaughterhouse. Kate was on the floor, unconscious and severely bleeding out from a neck wound, holding an already dead Macy in her arms. The high velocity round had gone through her right shoulder, shattering the clavicle and hit Macy in the head. And Julia was dead, three fatal GSW to her torso. Her brown eyes stared at the two other victims, as if trying to help them.

He knew Kate had blamed herself for losing them. She never looked him in the eye. He wasn't a stranger to survivor's guilt. But a tiny irrational part of him had blamed her. But it had been Kate who'd brought him back from the ledge he'd been standing. He'd never told anyone but his therapist how close he'd been to putting his Beretta in his mouth and pulling the trigger. She'd pulled him back never realizing what she'd done. And yet he'd kept her away from getting too close. It had taken time; but it had taken every ounce of his strength and will to put one foot in front of the other and get through the day.

That day five years ago something had changed. He'd put up walls that he never realized he was capable of. Funny how losing one's family could do that. He was afraid; of what he didn't know. Maybe going through something like that again.

Or maybe losing Kate.

He stopped the bag in mid swing, hugging it like a life line. He staggered away, shaking. He tried to stop, but he couldn't. The tears trickled down his face, catching his two days' worth of stubble. He fell to his knees suddenly as realization hit him like a semi.

He couldn't lose Kate.

Water splashed into her face woke Kate up. She gagged as some of it went down the wrong way. Spluttering and the owner of a massive headache, she glared at whoever had done it.

"Try poking next time, assbutt," she said, spitting out water.

"Shut up," the man growled. But he poked Nell awake, pissing off Kate. He uncuffed one of her wrists then re-cuffed it around a pole. He did the same to Kate. Then he placed two plastic plates in front of them.

"Eat." He turned and left.

None of them commented on the McDonald meal box. It seemed like hours since they'd eaten something. Once finished, Kate leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, feeling suddenly exhausted. The new bruises and tender ribs made movement difficult. Her jaw ached from where one of the men had punched her. Nell sat a few feet away, legs stretched out in front of her. They'd been moved to floor, wrists cuffed too tightly around pipes.

Noticing the brunette's pallor, Nell asked, "You don't look good. You okay?"

"Yeah? Well I feel worse. Whatever they jammed in me packs helluva punch," she replied, eyes closed. In truth, her head was killing her. Stabs of blinding pain shot between her eyes if she tried focusing on something for too long.

"I tried to send them a message."

Nell's whisper made Kate open her eyes. She raised an eyebrow in silent question. Nell looked around as if expecting someone listening to them. Then she lowered her voice and explained, "When they were videotaping us, I kept staring at the camera and blinked in Morse codes. I just hope one of them figures out."

Kate let out a breath, nausea building up. Taking few breaths, she asked, "Did Karlov say anything else? I kinda don't remember it."

Nell's face fell and tears brimmed in her hazel eyes.

"What is it?" Kate asked, as Nell burst into quiet sobs, looking terrified.

"They injected with some poison. You-you have less than eighteen hours before it kicks in." She hiccupped. "I-I'm sorry."

"For what?" Kate tried to stop her voice from shaking.

"I should've done something." She looked scared and guilty.

"Don't be stupid, kid. It's good you didn't. That made them think you weren't much of a threat. You did good, kiddo."

Kate fell silent. She didn't know how long she had before she dropped dead. But hell if she wasn't going out fighting. They hadn't seen a woman on a mission.

She looked at Nell, eyes focused despite the poison slowly flowing through her, pushing her closer to the edge.

"Nell, I hope you aren't too attached to that earring."

Next chapter coming up in an hour! Please review... pretty please!