"You alright, Kid?" Toll asked lowly as they climbed up the rock slide. Billy had been quiet since the plane landed.
"Fine, Toll," he said gravely. Toll Road was not a foolish man. He knew Billy was worried about his wife and son, and if he would ever see them again.
"You didn't have to come, Kid," Toll told him softly, "We could have handled it."
"If I didn't, then Molly would have," Billy said tiredly, "Damn the consequences."
Toll wasn't sure how to respond. Molly had been his teammate for longer than Billy. She had been around, even if she didn't go out on missions. She still took care of the team.
But Toll understood Billy's anxiety. Molly was stubborn as hell. She didn't want to give up the life.
"I just don't understand her, Toll. She can't walk. Why is she still so hellbent on the life?" Billy closed his mouth. He had said more than he meant to.
"She misses not going out anymore, Billy. She hates seeing us go out on a mission without her… If it bothers you that much, you need to talk to her," Toll said firmly. He didn't know much about relationships, but the lack of communication between himself and Lottie had been their downfall.
"Alright."
"You alright, Booker?" Drummer asked gruffly. Molly looked out at the expanse of Azmenistan countryside. The Black Hawk's rotors beat rhythmically above them. She rubbed her knee methodically, trying to alleviate the throbbing.
"Fine, Major," she said simply.
When they had landed the little plane and prepared to move to the helicopter, Trench had ordered her to take co-pilot. He didn't want her to be in the position of door gunner. He knew, already, he was going to get hell from Barney and Billy for letting her come along.
"How's your head?"
"I've taken worse hits," she said stiffly. That was true, but it felt like somebody was taking a jackhammer to her temples.
"If you say so," Drummer shrugged, "It's gonna take us a while to get there. Get some rest."
How anybody was supposed to rest in a helicopter was beyond her. It was too damn loud. She missed Santa.
Lisa twisted her wrists. Blood had started to ooze from her raw wrists, creating more friction. Stonebanks' boys had moved them to this shithole early this morning, trading the chains for ropes.
"You're going to tire yourself out," Smilee warned her. She let out a sharp breath, twisting her arms again. Her hands burned.
"Barney Ross isn't coming. I'm not dying here," she ground out, tugging at the knot once more. She rose on the tips of her toes, trying to create some slack so the rope wasn't so tight. One end came loose. She tilted her neck back at a painful angle, trying to see the knot.
"Pull it out from under," Thorn was taller, he could see the knot that bound her. Lisa pulled on the end.
She had just hit her knees when the door was kicked open. Fire shot down her arms as the blood flowed through her deprived veins.
She recognized all the men, save for the younger one with a scruffy face who cut Thorn down.
"You good?" Thorn asked, rubbing his own arms.
"Fine." She said numbly.
The tv in the corner crackled to life and Stonebanks' voice echoed eerily across the room. Lisa stiffened.
"Hey, Barn!" he greeted cheerily. Lisa swallowed the bile in her throat. "I knew you couldn't stay away. But I'm relived some one could pick up the kids…"
Lisa flexed her fingers, trying to work some feeling back in them. Stonebanks was a dead man.
"You got 'em here, now try getting 'em out," Stonebanks challenged. "Unfortunately for you, the entire complex has been wired with C-4."
Ice shot down her spine. C-4. That son of a bitch was going to kill them in the same way he'd killed her family. Lisa had the uncontrollable urge to smash the television. Thorn caught her arm as she stepped forward.
"Oh, Kelly. Bringing back memories? She survived C-4 once, Barney, I mean, she left her family so she could get out, but she survived. You have… How about forty five seconds?"
"He's turned the whole place into a bomb," Christmas said disgustedly.
"Maybe not," Thorn went over to Gunnar and tore the computer from his wrist. Lisa stood stiffly, never tearing her eyes from the television screen. Stonebanks was smiling like the cat that got the canary.
She ignored the panic that was ensuing as Thorn tried to jam the signal.
"Bringing back memories, Little Lisa?" Stonebanks wondered.
"I'm going to kill you," she told him quietly, approaching the television. He only grinned wider.
The timer hit three seconds and froze. Lisa smiled coldly and turned back to the mercenaries.
"Barney, this thing's at eight percent. When it dies, we lose override, that gives us about twenty five minutes, tops," Thorn told the leader seriously.
"Uh, we've got trouble, boss," the young man with the scruffy face looked out at the complex.
"What's up, Billy?" Barney looked over his shoulder and cursed. Tanks and infantry were advancing.
"Lucky again, bro," Stonebanks remarked, "But try to enjoy the view, because, shortly, that building you're currently standing in will be surrounded by the Azmenistan army."
Lisa bit out a harsh oath.
"How'd you shit heads managed to get captured, anyways?" Gunnar demanded petulantly.
"Shut up!" Mars shoved the giant. Lisa knew it burned Mars that he had been captured. That started a horrible dust up, though.
Lisa and the young man, Billy, stayed back while the two teams brawled.
"You're Molly's husband, aren't you?" Lisa asked quietly. His blue eyes looked down at her.
"Yeah."
Barney lifted his gun and shot three rounds off into the ceiling to get their attention
"It's not an accident that we're trapped here!" Barney snarled out, "This is exactly what he knew would happen! Us, tearing at each other. It stops!" Barney rounded on them. "We can do this, but only if we do this together."
He looked around at Lisa. His message was clear. No cowboy shit. We have to live to fight another day. "If we work as a team, we may just get out of this alive."
"You got any weapons?" Smilee asked gruffly."
Gunnar tossed his bag down.
"We're going to break up into small groups and go out through the ground floor," Barney said as the rookies armed themselves. Lisa slid several magazines into her pockets. "Billy, you're with me. Lisa, you take Thorn. Christmas, take Galgo."
Christmas said something sarcastic, but Lisa and Thorn had already taken off.
"I always get stuck babysitting the goddamned hacker," she grumbled. Thorn grinned at her.
"Who are you kidding? I babysit you," he pointed out.
A/N: Sorry it took so long! I got a job, so that's been taking up a lot of time. I'm going to try and finish writing the story today! Stay tuned!