A/N: I'll say right away this chapter isn't that well written because I'm not to good at writing action type sequences. I hope you enjoy it anyway. In addition, the next chapter will be the finale piece, so stay tuned.

Chapter 10

Amanda and Hoffman looked at the tank one last time. It was the most immense device they ever created and it was beautiful. It's elegance was largely based on its simplicity; few technological mechanics were put into the trap. The design resembled a pool or large fish tank with six pods placed around the sides. All of the pods were six feet tall and had two doors. The first door led in and out of the pod. The second door led in the tank. It was a sliding door held together by two strong magnets. The tank was filled through four pipes in every corner. Another tank of water in a different room was used to supply water to the trap tank. The test itself was of course more complicated.

The test was based on the morals of trust and cooperation. All of the victims would be chained to the tank floor. Their goal was to unlock the box on their pod and use the key in the box to unlock someone else's chain. Once a person unlock their chain the same key was used to unlock the door out of the pod. In order to unlock the box ten keys floated in the water. Being underwater there was no way to talk much less breathe. That's where the pod came in again. If somehow the doors were opened again the victims could retreat to their pods and any escaping water left through a drain so they could breathe but the water would flow back in the tank.

"I can't believe we're actually going to use this." Amanda said.

"I can't believe John didn't tell us which keys go where." Hoffman replied.

"Why would he? We're a part of this." Amanda circled around to turn on the pump.

Hoffman protested. "You're in no condition to be a part of this." As tough as Amanda acted Hoffman knew how vulnerable she could be. It was the second time he saw her beaten so badly. The bruises were light and beginning to swell. The nicks from her being thrown through the glass were cleaned but didn't require bandages. The worst injury was a cut that required stitches. Hoffman was reminded of the first time he saw Amanda beaten by Eric. He was sent by John after Amanda didn't come back. She was about to kill Eric but he pulled her away and dragged Eric to the old boiler room. As soon as Eric was locked away Hoffman brought Amanda back and bandaged her. It was one of the few times Hoffman acted as a brother to Amanda instead of a rival. John didn't let him forget either.

Amanda returned and checked the doors one more time. "Is your girlfriend watching Corbett?"

"My girlfriend? You mean Michelle?"

"Yeah. Isn't she your girlfriend?"

"No, she's Corbett's babysitter. It doesn't matter though. I sent Corbett back."

Amanda laughed. "Yeah right."

"I'm not discussing personal issues with you right now. We're going to be late. Let's go."

After the drug clinic closed six remained in the waiting room: Art, Rigg, Eric, Jill, Hoffman and Amanda. "I assume we're all here for the same reason." Rigg said. He grabbed his tape recorder and placed it on the coffee table. Every one agreed and placed their tape records on the table. "Okay. Amanda why are we here?"

"What makes you think I know?" Amanda asked.

"This is John's work, your his helper." Art said, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything; this is John's test."

Jill spoke up. "Don't lie to us. I know you were in here. Security caught you on the cameras. What's going on?"

Amanda smirked. "What you want is on that tape. I kept the clue with me the entire time I was here. I don't have it with me now."

Rigg stood up and pulled out his gun. He aimed for Amanda's head. "Rigg put that away!" Eric yelled.

Rigg refused. "Tell us what you want or I'll shoot you."

"Play by the rules." Amanda taunted. "Or innocent people will be hurt. As we speak a live bomb is in the city attached to someone of importance. That bomb will detonate whether or not you find that clue. A lot of people will die some of them may already be at death's door. You better hurry up." The group split Rigg, Jill and Art left to see the tape while Hoffman, Amanda and Eric stayed in the waiting room. Amanda didn't want to sit around so she looked around the waiting room. Hoffman refused to say anything at this point. It was Amanda's turn to be Jigsaw.

Of the two protégées Hoffman was expected to carry Jigsaw's legacy even though Amanda was closer to the master mind. Hoffman always had the advantage of working directly with criminals and potential test subjects. He also had easier access to supplies that could be used to build traps. Yet Amanda had her own advantages. Her personality matched John's almost entirely. Driven by a series of life's misfortunes they knew the right words to make a victim break psychologically rendering them unable to finish a test. Amanda's instability and lack of self control either stalled her technique or it took over in place of it. Hoffman watched her carefully tonight noticing she was neither stumbling or instable. She had achieved an equilibrium and was emulating John perfectly.

Rigg looked over the monitors checking meticulously for anything out of the ordinary. Art and Jill looked over the alternate angles finding nothing that could assist them. "We gotta keep looking." Rigg instructed.

"There's nothing here." Art remarked, "I don't see any insignias on her jacket."

"What about gestures? Is she pointing to anything? Is she going in any rooms?"

Jill turned away from the screen. "What makes you so sure there's anything is here? What if there's nothing in the video?"

Art murmured "She wouldn't have said there was something here."

Jill looked at the screen once more. Amanda came in through the back door walked down to the drug closet. She grabbed the door knob and left. Then the video looped. Jill looked again and noticed a very subtle movement. Amanda pulled something from her jacket. The black and white video made the object hard to see but common sense led her to believe it was a key. "I think she's trying to get in the drug closet."

Rigg checked the screen. "Is that our clue? Amanda breaking into a drug closet?"

"The bomb is attached to somebody." Art repeated. "Jill, is someone else here?"

"I always check the rooms and the drug supplies. No one else is here."

"It's the hospital." Art exclaimed. "The hospital is full people at death's door."

Rigg asked, "What does that have to do with the drug closet?"

"My miscarriage." Jill replied. "Cecil wanted to get the drugs but I don't know who the important person is."

"Let's find out." Art said.

The drive to the hospital was slowed by late night traffic. As they approached the hospital a glow of red light was emitted from the emergency room. Police cars and fire trucks surrounded the hospital. Hoffman checked his pockets for his badge. Whatever the situation was he wanted to take the precaution of making sure the test was still going to plan. If someone had called the bomb squad the entire plan was jeopardized. He left the rest of the group in the an as he checked the scene.

Several officers were standing out side of the door. Hoffman showed his badge. "Captain Hoffman. Homicide. What's going on here?"

A shaken officer stammered. "A nurse exploded!"

"Exploded?"

"Yeah! All over the emergency room. I couldn't stomach staying in there."

"Explain to me exactly what happened."

"Look you have to ask forensics. There combing over everything."

The emergency room was covered with blood and the stench of burning flesh. Forensics had already set several markers identifying evidence. People were examining the victim. Her arms and legs were propelled across the room. The torso was ripped in half and her head rolled behind the receptionist's desk.

"Captain." A forensic said. "I thought you had the night off."

"I was just driving by and wanted to see what all the commotion was about."

"Ah, well this is a very interesting case. According to the witnesses the floor nurse came by here placed an envelope on the desk and ran out that's when the bomb went off. We're guessing the position she was in when the bomb went of caused the torso to split like that." The forensic walked to the scene and pulled a small metal piece from the floor. "This a part of the bomb. It looks like it was put together loosely so the casing would shatter. So far the only thing we have his this envelope that says 'Veterans' on it."

Hoffman grabbed the envelope. He looked through the contents. It was the next clue to the test. Hoffman didn't want to risk losing it to the police and put it in his pocket. "I think I'll take this to the lab myself."

"But the procedure..."

Hoffman walked out of the emergency room to the van. He opened the door on Amanda's side and silently pulled her out. Before he closed the door he cracked the window and placed something on the chair. He and Amanda walked to the side of the van. "There's been a change of plans." Hoffman said.

"What change?" Amanda asked.

"The bomb went off. We'll have to skip the city wide scavenger hunt."

"Just because the bomb went off?"

Hoffman lowered his voice. "When a bomb goes off for seemingly no reason in a hospital the first thing suspected is a terrorist attack. The entire police department will go savage looking for whoever did this. You are mostly likely the top subject of everyone. If we're running around town in a dark van with four other people you'll get caught. This is for security. It'll save you. I already set the sedative in the van. They won't notice a thing."

Amanda frowned. She sighed looking back at the van. "Fine, let's get started."

The tank was prepared to be used. Everything was on a complex timer system and the pump and lights jolted alive. Water began pouring furiously making it's way through the space in the door where the chain and shackle was led in. The light intensified waking the competitors. Shock and terror filled everyone's eyes. They looked around and began hitting the doors in front of them.

Rigg was the first to break through. The doors to his room shut closed forcibly. He prodded at the edge to try and get back in. He looked back and saw Art, Eric, Jill, Hoffman and Amanda watching him. He tried to swim in Eric's pod on his left or Hoffman on his right but the chain didn't allow him to go so far. Eric was the next to swim in the tank. Art and Jill followed. Hoffman gestured for Amanda not to leave then entered with the rest of the competitors. He had to show them what to do.

Hoffman searched in front of him and grabbed a key that was floating in front of him. He made sure everyone was watching to make his moves. First he brought the key up to the box sitting on the top of the pod and tried to unlock it. Second he forced the key between the doors opening it so he could retreat to the pod. The group appeared to understand what Hoffman said. Anxious to take a breath they retreated to the pods.

While Rigg took his breaths he realized Hoffman gave the instruction not Amanda. Once they both left Rigg attacked Hoffman. Rigg grabbed Hoffman's neck attempting to strangle him. Hoffman kicked back landing once in Rigg's stomach. Eric took notice of them and tried to swim to them. While swimming a key bumped into his face. Before he pushed it away he noticed a small symbol on the key. It matched the shape on the top of his box. He grabbed the key then swam close enough to force the Rigg and Hoffman apart. Energy spent the two were forced to retreat. Eric instead opened his box.

There were two things in the box. The first thing Eric noticed was the key. He quickly tried to unlock his shackle but the key didn't fit. He looked back in the box and saw a plaque on the inside lid of the box. Crudely engraved and painted on the metal were the words. "You put her away. Release her to redeem yourself." He looked across the tank to Amanda. The key was for her shackle. Amanda was still in her pod and he had no way to communicate to her. Swimming across was impossible because the chain only allowed to go so far. He went to his pod to take a breath and think about the next step.

On the other side of the tank Jill and Art were still grabbing at keys. Amanda still safely resided in her pod. She watched as Art and Jill both managed to open their boxes. Witnessing Eric's inability to open his lock, Jill tried her key against Art's shackle and he was free. Sensibly, Art tried his key on Jill's but it wasn't a match.

Amanda knew the key wouldn't work with Jill's shackle. The key for that was in her pocket. It was the same she had used to trick them with in the clinic. John had given Amanda the key so she would have something to remember by if she chose not to continue his work. Amanda decided to mold Jill's shackle lock to the key to have personal control over someone in the test. Jill was Amanda's first choice because Amanda thought Jill should have been more careful with Gideon.

Art swam to his box to read the plaque. "If you truly have changed submit to your fate." The literal translation was of course death. However John's tests were against having the victims give up and die. He had to think about presumed flaws in his morals. He looked at the other victims. Three were police officers Could John have known about the scams and bribes he took? If that was true he had to give himself up to one. But which one?

Rigg searched for the keys furiously. There inly tens but the keys at the opposite end of the tank didn't seem to float over to him. He must have tried the same few keys several times before realizing they were the same keys. All of a sudden he snapped. He grabbed the box that felt weighed down with lead. Three solid hits broke the lock to be opened. His hint was unclear. "Here's your chance save his life." It was for Eric. Rigg tossed the key over to Eric. Eric unlocked himself and turned away to Amanda. He opened the doors and stepped in the pod.

"I got your key." Eric knelt to unlock the shackle. He stood up and smiled at her.

"Thank you?" Amanda said. "Why are you smiling?"

Eric shrugged, "The medicine I took is starting to take effect. You should go, where's the key for the door?"

Amanda took the key. "It's This one. I have to stay here though I have to unlock someone."Let me do it. I don't want you to get hurt. Do you have the key?"

Amanda took the key from her pocket. She was convinced by his rare chivalry and charm. She wanted to take advantage of Eric's kindness and knew there could be an advantage for her self. She had no idea how long Hoffman wanted her to stay in the pod. She was going to break out. "Okay Eric. This key here is for Jill. I was planning to hold on to it but I also want to leave. Also tell Art to give up and leave his key."

"Yes, Amanda." Eric pried the doors open and swam out. Getting to Jill took little effort and didn't bother his braced leg. He unlocked Jill then with persistence got to Art. He didn't try to communicate with Art and instead threw the key away. He pushed Art out of the pod then joined Amanda on the other side.

"What's going on?" Art yelled. "I want the truth."

Amanda replied. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know what's this test is for. We passed John's test. Do we have to pass yours too?"

"This was John's test. I helped set it up and so did Mark. How else could we have found so many people and places where they couldn't be found?" She grinned and watched the tank.

Rigg and Hoffman struggled for the key. They both put a fight swinging and kicking at each other. In fending each other off the key fell to the floor. Rigg sucker punched Hoffman causing to bleed. As Hoffman squirmed Rigg grabbed the key to unlock himself. He then glanced over and snatched several keys. As he left through the pod he dropped the keys in the drain. He walked out of the pod exhausted. Eric went over to help him and put him down on a crate.

Amanda continued to watch Hoffman. The detective was surprised to find Rigg gone. Hoffman looked around and realized most the keys were missing. He peered out side to the participants and smiled. He grabbed his box and pulled the lock down. It was unlocked the whole time. As he opened the box there was a loud zap. The lights flashed for a second and the next thing they saw was Hoffman convulsing in the water. Everyone began asking what was going on and Amanda ran in her pod trying to open the door. "It's stuck! Someone help me!" Eric was by her side and tried to pull the door open

"It's no use. The door seems glued. Hold on." Eric took his key out but before he could but before he could put it in the door it flew out of his hands and stuck to the metal. "Is that a magnet?"

"Yes but it's not supposed to be that strong. I think that shock made it stronger." Amanda said, "We have to get these doors open so the water will drain out."

Art came up to them. "I don't think that will work. The pump just stopped."

Rigg and Jill were examining the pump. "The keys I threw must have clogged it." Rigg said.

"You seem awful calm about this." Art said.

Rigg nodded. "Of course. He put us through this. We almost died and dozens of innocent civilians died. It's only fitting he die the same way he killed. If only you left Amanda in there then we could just go home."

"What's wrong with you?" Eric yelled. "Whether or not you like him he is human. We can't let him die."

"I can't believe you're standing up for them. Amanda kidnapped your son. Mark kidnapped you and locked you away for six months! Because of them you can't go to sleep without having some flashback and almost killing someone! You honestly think I should save him."

Amanda started to yell. "If you don't you'll be an accessory to murder! I have enough witnesses!"

"If we keep standing around we'll all be murder." Jill said. "John wouldn't want anyone to die in his test. This could be a part of it. For all we know there could be a sensor here that will catch the room on fire if he dies. I suggest we help him."

Eric, Art and Amanda agreed but Rigg remained against the notation of helping Hoffman. They set a plan in motion. Amanda and Jill worked on taking the pipes out. Art and Eric started searching for things to break the glass doors with. The room was filled with spare items. There were meat hooks that were good for ripping apart the pipes. Eric and Art broke two crates and used the boards to break the door.

Rigg watched the commotion. Something caught his eye in the mess near the broken crate. He scraped through the rubble and pulled an old style tape recorder. The player was empty but a scrap of paper had the numbers 68 and 4. He saw the crates each had numbers and sought out the respective crates. The more crates he broke the more piece of Jigsaw's puzzle he found. 64 and 8 led to a key, a solider figurine and the numbers 32 and 7. Crates 32 and 7 led to the robe, number 51 and a puzzle piece, number 90. Those crates led to the pig mask and the puppet. Rigg looked for the numbers inside the mask and the tape fell out. He put the tape in just as Eric and Art dragged Hoffman out of the tank.

"If you found this tape you have truly worked hard to save the last Veteran and my only victim, Mark Hoffman. However, it's too late. As much as I valued the detective's help he could not follow my rules." Rigg paused the tape and brought it over to the group. Eric was trying CPR on Hoffman but his efforts seemed in vain. Rigg knelt down, "Listen to this." He began playing the tape and assisted Eric.

"I trusted Mark to protect others and continue my legacy. Part of that was stopping Amanda from committing murder but instead he only assisted her. Amanda couldn't be controlled due to her mental state however Mark should have know better. This was not a test for all of you but instead a test for Mark. The only way for him to have passed was to opt not to preform this test otherwise he would have failed. I apologize for every trouble he has put you through however he will pay the price for killing others."

Shortly after the tape finished, Hoffman woke up.